She Told Them I Dropped Out of Medical School — Five Years Later, I Walked Into the ER as Her Attending Physician

assessment — glassy, unfocused from the anesthesia, but open. Her gaze tracked sideways to me. She squinted. Read my badge. Read it again.

The color drained from her face.

“Irene.”

“Good morning, Monica. I’m your attending surgeon. You sustained a ruptured spleen and a grade three liver laceration from the accident. Surgery went well. You’re going to continue reading …