myself into the work, the long hours and endless demands a welcome distraction. The exhaustion was a com

was learning, w

ed Frank who was less of a chauffeur and more of a warden. He reported my every move back to them. Where

's chart at the nurses' station when a f

Look what w

han my monthly salary. She wasn't a patient. Her family was a major donor to the hospital

" she said, a saccharine smile playing on her lips. "After ev

ite, professional look. "Hello, Emily.

g on my family's investment." Her eyes swept over me, critical and sharp. "You've changed," she mused. "You used to have t

patients to attend to," I s

ief, unpleasant encounter was enough to pull

e there, her eyes filled with a triumphant cruelty.

e nothing. Just a little charity case he felt sorry for. He's with me now. He loves me. And you?

head, as clear as if sh

here was no mark there now, not after three years. But I could still feel it. The memory of being

It was a subconscious reflex, a physical manifest