“Because you’re the only person I know,” Malcolm said, “who would hand a hungry child a lunch ticket and say the cafeteria made extras. You never made me feel like a charity case. Not once. I want every kid in my hospitals to feel the way you made me feel.”
He put the folder on my lap.
“Think about it,” he said. “No rush.”
“I’ve thought about it,” I said. “Yes.”
There was one more thing. I didn’t find out about it until a month later, when Joyce drove me back to the hospital for my follow-up appointment.
We pulled into the parking garage. Joyce reached for her wallet as we came up to the ticket machine.
There was a new sign posted beside it. Big blue letters on a white background.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: PARKING IS FREE FOR ALL FAMILY MEMBERS OF ADMITTED PATIENTS. NO TIME LIMIT. CHEN HEALTH. NO ONE SHOULD HAVE TO LEAVE A LOVED ONE BECAUSE OF THE COST OF STAYING.
