I climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door, blocking out the noise of the city.

I sat there in the quiet cabin for a long time, watching the windshield wipers of the car parked in front of me.

My phone buzzed in my purse.

I reached for it, expecting another work email or a notification from the hospital administration.

Instead, the screen lit up with a text message from Daniel.

“Chloe is asking for her favorite nurse,” the message read.

“She’s working on a school project at the kitchen table and says it won’t be right without you.”

“Are you free for dinner?”

A small, genuine smile spread across my face, the first one in weeks.

I typed back a quick response.

“On my way.”

I started the engine and pulled out of the hospital parking lot, leaving Harborview behind me.

The drive to Brookline was slow, the late afternoon traffic clogging the damp streets.

Water dripped from the red brick storefronts and the bare branches of the oak trees lining the avenue.

But the grey weather didn’t damp my spirits today.