I showed up at the hospital to surprise my husband during his shift. But the second one of his coworkers saw me, all the color left his face. Then his eyes filled with tears. “He hasn’t said a word to you, has he?” Ben and I had been married eleven years, and for every one of those years, I had shared him with the hospital. He was a remarkably gifted surgeon.

She swallowed hard, and her voice dropped to a rough whisper.

“Around two in the morning, the heavy doors swung open, and Dr.

Walsh came out into the corridor with his surgical mask hanging around his neck.”

My stomach clenched as I waited.

“He lurched against the wall with sweat pouring off his forehead, and when he brushed past my shoulder, his breath reeked of bourbon.”

“Did you tell the hospital administration what you smelled?”

“I reported it to the internal compliance officer two weeks later, and within a month they fired me for supposed attendance violations.”