Another buzz. Then another. A tiny crack forming in the polished glass of my professional facade.
I glanced down. The screen lit up, upside down from where it sat on the table: School Nurse.
My heart didn’t just drop—it flipped over completely in my chest, stomach plummeting with it.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurted out, cutting myself off mid-sentence. “I need to take this. It’s my son’s school.”
I didn’t wait for permission or approval. I just stepped out into the hallway, leaving a chart of colorful bars frozen on the wall behind me and six confused faces staring after my sudden exit.
The hallway outside was quiet, the thick carpet swallowing my footsteps, and suddenly the sound of my own pulse became the loudest thing in my ears, pounding like a drum.
