At first, everyone expected treatment to be manageable.
It wasn’t.
His condition worsened.
Some days he couldn’t shower safely.
Some days getting from the bedroom to the bathroom required help.
He had no close family nearby.
So I became everything.
Student.
Partner.
Caregiver.
I attended lectures after spending nights at the hospital.
Took exams after waking repeatedly for medication alarms.
Went to rounds after sleeping less than an hour in a plastic chair.
Eventually, my body forced me to stop pretending I could handle both.
One morning, I woke up on the bathroom floor at school.
I had apparently sat down against the wall and fallen asleep.
That afternoon, I submitted the paperwork to leave medical school.
Dad came over that evening.
“You are not quitting.”
“I already did.”
“For how long?”
“I don’t know.”
His face turned pale.
“Do you understand what you’re giving up?”
“Elliot can’t manage this alone.”
“Then find help.”
“We tried.”
“Try harder.”
I stared at him.
“He needs me.”
Dad hit both palms against the kitchen counter.
“And your life doesn’t?”
That sentence stayed with me for years.
So did what came next.
“If you do this, don’t expect me to stand here and watch you destroy yourself.”
Then he left.
I assumed he would cool down.
He didn’t.
I called the following week.
No answer.
Then a month later.
His birthday.
Christmas.
The anniversary of Mom’s death.
Eventually, I stopped calling.
Now, five years later, he finally spoke again as I pulled into a hospital parking lot.
“You work here?”
“Yes.”
He straightened.
Something almost hopeful appeared in his expression.
“You went back to medical school.”
“I didn’t say that.”
The hope disappeared.
I got out of the car.
Dad followed me inside.
When I walked past the elevators leading toward the medical-school offices, he noticed.
“Alyssa.”
“This way.”
We entered another wing.
A sign beside the doorway read:
FAMILY CARE EDUCATION.
Dad read it twice.
Inside were several training stations prepared for a weekend workshop.
One coworker looked up.
“Alyssa, did the transfer bench finally arrive?”
