Thomas clearly disliked my answer.
“So that’s it? You become a doctor and suddenly you’re better than everyone?”
I shook my head.
“No. Becoming a doctor didn’t make me better than you. Surviving what you did taught me I don’t need your approval anymore.”
Nobody spoke after that.
I turned toward Laura, and together we walked toward the exit. Dr. Lawson and Susan followed us while my biological family remained behind in the crowded lobby, surrounded by the celebration they had arrived expecting to claim as their own.
Outside, Laura finally allowed herself to cry. She wrapped both arms around me carefully, laughing through her tears while trying not to wrinkle the white coat she had just helped place on my shoulders.
“I am so ridiculously proud of you.”
I hugged her tighter.
“You saved me.”
Laura immediately pulled back.
“No. The doctors saved you. You did the hard part.”
I smiled because after fifteen years, she still refused to take credit for anything she believed belonged to me. That was Laura: the woman who had given without keeping score, stayed without demanding repayment, and loved me without first calculating what my future might be worth.
