She’d been so completely disarmed by his unexpected sweetness that she’d actually rushed into her bedroom and burst into tears

“What’s on the agenda today, boss?” Bracha asked as Ayala got into her car.

Ayala grinned. She would miss having Bracha as a constant companion once she finished this training period; it was a perk of bringing her into the organization that she hadn’t quite appreciated.

“The Schwartzes asked me to join them for a major appointment at eleven. Their doctor will be discussing a bone marrow transplant.”

Bracha winced. “Does that mean his chemo wasn’t successful?”

Ayala bit her lip sympathetically. This was Bracha’s first experience helping a patient with a serious illness.

“It was somewhat successful, but not enough,” she said.

Bracha shook her head as she pulled out of Ayala’s parking lot. “Poor Leora.”

Ayala understood; Bracha had taken an instant liking to Leora Schwartz and, over the past few weeks, had spent hours chatting with her during their visits. Even after so many years, Ayala herself was still working on that delicate balance of becoming attached but not too attached to the patients they helped. The first time she lost a patient, a three-month-old baby, she cried for a week.