“No one gets turned away unless we’re at capacity. This stays a community-centered approach. None of this private-party, rent-out-the-room-for-mimosas-and-swaddling-class stuff.”
“I wouldn’t dream of that. Can you even have liquor in a hospital?”
Kaiya raised an eyebrow and shook her head as if Sam was so inexperienced she couldn’t even be bothered with the statement. “And other early parenting skills. I want that on the menu from the start.”
“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Sam was nodding her head so hard that it almost hurt.
“And this Anjo Foundation is not gonna be underpaying any of our practitioners. I won’t be calling my colleagues and begging them to volunteer, will I?”
“No. We have stipends built into the ask.” Sam was starting to feel light headed. She was this close to having the final partner in place.
“All right then. One more thing. I’m gonna need you one hundred and ten percent in on this. No distractions, no shortchanging. I’ve worked with enough doctors to know that this program is a big time commitment.”
“Everyone says that,” Sam laughed. “But I made it this far, and I’ve got help from some of the other young doctors as well.”
“I’ll just say this: If you feel like you are coming up short, you need to tell me. I won’t be able to coddle you, but I can help you if I know you need it. You don’t have to be perfect; you just have to be honest with me. Cool?”
“Understood. I know I tend to overcommit, but I really don’t want to let you, the hospital, or any of our patients down,” Sam said, looking Kaiya in the eye. She couldn’t bring herself to play down her flaws, so she just had to hope Kaiya would take her self-awareness as a positive trait.
“As long as you remember that when you are being pulled in fifteen different directions, this is the priority. We both commit to this, so we both agree that whatever else is going on, every heartbeat that we spend in that center is focused on the families. Got it?”
“Got it.” Sam nodded. If Kaiya hadn’t been as serious as a heart attack, Sam would have laughed. Somehow she’d started the program, but as far as Kaiya was concerned, Sam was brand new and only a little in charge.
“Then I’m in.”
“Yes!” Sam’s whole face split into the smile she’d been fighting. Trying to calm herself, she bounced up and down on the couch a few times.
Kaiya leaned back in her chair a fraction of an inch, but joy was written on her face. “All right, all right. Calm down. I’ll come by in a week or so, and then we can start thinking about classes and referrals.”
“Yes. I’m very excited about all of this,” Sam said, jumping up when Kaiya stood up. She wanted to hug her, but now seemed a little early in their relationship, so instead, she wrapped her arms around herself.
“I can tell,” Kaiya said, kindly. “All right, well, you enjoy your afternoon, and keep a watch for an email from me. We have work to do.”
“Of course. I won’t miss it,” Sam rambled as Kaiya walked the short distance to the office door. As she reached for the handle, Sam added, “Thank you very much for seeing me. I promise you’re not going to regret this. It’s gonna be amazing.”
“All right. But one more thing. ‘My legacy’?” Kaiya asked, holding the door open for her and repeating Sam’s words back to her again.
“Yes. This program is going to be your legacy,” Sam said, feeling more confident than she had felt since she’d walked through the clinic door. With Kaiya on board, the center would be the jewel in SF Central’s crown. A program that would be celebrated for generations.
Kaiya looked at her and smirked. “Little girl, I have a long time before my legacy is set. I’m fifty-four and just getting started.”
The sound of her phone buzzing against the nightstand made Sam jump. Squashing an errant curl back into her conditioner-slicked cap, she squinted at the screen just long enough to seeMomscroll across the top. Sam’s heartbeat picked up, and she debated not answering. She was so happy to have her mom calling her again. But she’d had a patient complication this morning that had made today so much longer than she had anticipated. If her mom was in one of her moods, Sam wasn’t sure that she could deal with it in a kind way. Plus, she had a glass of wine waiting for her in the kitchen and the latest episode of a deeply boring British reality show about home gardens to stream.
Then again, she was deep conditioning her hair, so it wasn’t like she had much else to do for the next three hours. Reaching the side tablejust in time to pick up before the last buzz, Sam swiped the answer toggle and held the phone a half inch from her ear so that she wouldn’t get conditioner gunk on it.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Hi, Sammy.” Her mother’s tone was positively chipper for it being so late. Tapping the speakerphone button, Sam’s gaze flicked toward the clock to confirm. It was almost midnight for her mother.
“What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just wanted to update you on the reunion.”
“At eleven thirty p.m.?” Sam laughed, but her mother did not follow suit, so she attempted to mask the sound by clearing her throat. “Must be big news to be calling now.”
“Oh, it is.” Her mother paused, and Sam could almost feel her holding her breath for dramatic effect. As the silence began to pull at Sam’s attention span, her mom exhaled, “I picked a date for San Francisco!”
“What?” Sam asked on autopilot.
