“What is it?”
“I want to marry you.”
I thought she was joking, but she explained that she wanted one big thing in her life that she could choose for herself.
“Alicia, I’m your doctor. This isn’t appropriate.”
“Why does having less time make my wish less worth considering?”
I knew I should refuse. Instead, I convinced myself that giving her one happy memory was worth the risk.
I arranged for another physician to take over her care, but I never consulted my supervisor about the marriage.
The next day, we married in her hospital room. I wore a tie, and a nurse made rings from clean bandages. Alicia wore a white scarf over her head, and her sister, Nora, brought flowers.
She smiled throughout the ceremony.
“Thank you,” Nora told me afterward. “You gave her something.”
