Epilogue
Residency, Third Year
J avi placed a cheese omelet in front of me, as well as a hot cup of coffee in my favorite mug—it said, “You know what gets on my nerves? Myelin.” A classic neurology pun. He had given it to me on my birthday earlier this year.
“How are we feeling about today?” he asked, sitting beside me at our kitchen table with his own cup of coffee and breakfast. He was still wearing his flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.
“Good,” I replied, my voice coming out as a bit of a squeak. “Great, even. Really great. So great.”
He laughed. “Say great one more time, and I might believe you.”
I shot him a reproachful look over my mug.
“Are you sure you don’t want to spend the day here? Call in sick?” he asked in a cajoling voice. “That way, I’m here with you when you get the news.”
I shook my head fervently. “No, really. Staying busy is the best thing to do. If I sit at home, I’ll be stressing about it all morning. ”
He leaned over, squeezing my hand as he planted a kiss on my lips. “What if I distract you until then?”
I smiled but pulled away. “Tempting. But I really should go to work. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay,” he said, sounding disappointed. “But promise me you’ll call when you find out? Before your mom?”
I laughed but promised him I would.
“What’s on your agenda for today?” I asked, hoping to distract myself from my own plans.
“Got a virtual meeting with the Palo Alto office this morning,” he said. “Planned on spending most of my time this afternoon at the lab, at least until you get off work.”
Javi had been working with the lab at Rice University over the last year on a new device, an implantable neurostimulator targeted at chronic neuropathic pain. The patent was still pending, but Javi’s investors were already salivating waiting to see how far they could take it. Seeing Javi dream and invent again made me so happy I felt like I could nearly burst with pride.
He had already promised that he would do things a little differently this time, if this new device launched as well as the Artemis had. This time, he was taking on the role of “consultant” early in the process—basically as soon as the device was functional. He would leave the business and the jet-setting to the “bright-eyed young bucks,” which is what he called the engineering students whom he had brought onto the project. I always teased him when he said things like this, telling him he was a twenty-nine-year-old with the soul of a seventy-year-old man.
When I finished my breakfast, he took my dishes from me. I stood, gathering my white coat and my bag, before turning for the door of our apartment. On my way out, I lovingly tapped the copy of The Iliad , where it sat in a protective display case on a table in our living room, hoping it would give me good luck today. He met me at the door, leaning against the frame as he hovered over me. He kissed me slowly and sweetly.
“I love you,” he said.
I grinned up at him. “I love you too.”
For a second, I considered it—calling in sick and spending the day in his arms. But I knew it would be better to stay busy. I reluctantly pulled away from him and started walking down the hall, but his voice stopped me.
“Hey, Di?” he said.
I turned, seeing him still standing there in the doorway, watching my retreat.
“Yes?” I asked.
“You’re gonna kill it today,” he said.
I flashed him a brilliant smile. “Thanks, Javi.”
I made it to the hospital a little while later for rounds. I was a couple weeks away from starting my fourth and final year of residency. A few weeks before, I learned that I had been named Chief Resident, and I was excited but nervous about the immense responsibility of leading the program the following year. I was still working out how I was going to balance the increased workload of being chief with my passion project: the Hearts and Minds clinic.
I had worked with some of my attendings and co-residents during my intern year to bring my vision to life: a free clinic focused both on general healthcare, as well as a particular focus on free screening and early diagnosis of neurological disorders. We had been fortunate enough to receive a grant for funding, allowing us to provide substantially subsidized medications. Not to mention, we had received quite the donation of Artemis devices to help diagnose and manage patients with epilepsy in the community.
After rounds, I met one of the residents from the year below me, Camila Escobedo, for coffee, where we discussed the logistics of running the clinic. I had been gradually preparing her to assume my leadership position at the clinic, so that it would continue long after my graduation the following year. We spoke animatedly about the project, and I knew from the way she spoke about it that Camila cherished the clinic as much as I did and would take good care of it in my absence.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Camila,” I said, cutting her off suddenly as I looked down at my watch. “But I have to run. Same time next week?”
She bid me farewell, and we left the hospital cafe. It was 10:55 A.M. Only five minutes to go. I hurried out of the front entrance of the hospital. I found an isolated bench off to the side and sat with my phone clenched in my hands. My heart pounded furiously. I almost had a heart attack when my phone chimed suddenly and loudly with a text from Javi.
JV: Whatever happens, we’re in this together. You got this. Love you.
I smiled shakily at the message, taking a deep, steadying breath. I held my phone to my chest, closing my eyes as I waited for the final minute to pass, the beating of my heart like a ticking clock counting down the final seconds.
Eleven A.M. arrived. My hands shook as I refreshed my screen, thinking I might black out when the email immediately popped up from the Match.
Subject: Fellowship Match Results
Congratulations! You have matched!
Sub-Specialty: Epileps y
Program Name: Harvard University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
I didn’t move for nearly a minute, paralyzed completely as I scanned the words on my phone screen at least a hundred times. Then it took me nearly a full minute of screaming and dancing wildly in front of the hospital before I was able to compose myself enough to call Javi. He answered within milliseconds of the first ring.
“Well?” he asked expectantly.
“Harvard,” I told him, the word sounding distant and unreal coming from my voice.
“Harvard?” he repeated in awe.
“Harvard,” I confirmed. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard.
“We’re moving to Boston,” he murmured in wonder. “This is amazing, Diana. You’re amazing. I’m so proud of you.”
I started to ask him, “You’re not worried about your work?—”
“Don’t you even start to worry about me,” he admonished me quickly. “My work goes where I go, and I’m going with you. Besides, I have some buddies at MIT who I’m sure will help me get into a lab there.”
I shook my head, grateful, as I always was, that Javi seemed to either have friends or make friends everywhere that we went. I was confident that Javi would thrive in Boston. Besides, we had a full year left in Houston for him to settle things with the project at Rice before he would have to part ways with his team.
I called my parents next. My mom was thrilled for me, of course, especially since I would be closer to home. And even though I had long abandoned the need to please my father, I was at least a little gratified that he had never sounded quite so impressed with me as he did when I told him I got into Harvard. And that’s when my dad admitted something to me that I don't think he had ever told anyone before.
“Wow, kid, that’s really something. Not even I was able to get into Harvard.”
I didn’t think I was going to be able to stop smiling for the rest of the day after that.
The rest of the workday passed in a blur. My attendings and co-residents stopped me as soon as they saw me to ask about my match results, and I got to relive the celebration each time. I congratulated my classmates who also matched into fellowships—two of them in Child Neurology, one in Neuro-Oncology, and one in Neuro Critical Care.
The second I stepped through the door of our apartment after work, Javi swept me up into his arms, swinging me around as I laughed in delight.
“There she is!” Javi exclaimed. “My amazing future Harvard fellow!”
He kissed me and held my face in his hands as he looked into my eyes.
“We’re going out tonight to celebrate!” he declared.
“Where?” I asked.
“The nicest restaurant in town,” he proclaimed decidedly. “Dress accordingly.”
I laughed. “How are we supposed to get reservations for the nicest restaurant in town at the last minute?”
“I take your tone to mean you doubt my abilities,” he challenged.
I shook my head, laughing. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
He made no more explanations, nor did I overhear him making calls to any restaurants while I readied myself for dinner. I almost didn’t believe it when I watched him change into one of his best suits, thinking we might genuinely be going to the nicest restaurant in town, but still unsure how he might have pulled off such a feat. I didn’t question him, just obediently dressed in one of my favorite dresses: a pale blue, tea-length brocade with a pattern of ivory flowers that I knew Javi liked because it complemented my eyes. I curled my hair and pinned the curls into a twist at the back of my head. I wore my favorite earrings—dangling silver and diamond neuron pendants that Javi had had custom made to match my bracelet.
Javi looked very pleased with my choices, giving me an approving whistle when I emerged from the bathroom. We got into his car, but I was surprised when we didn’t immediately head for downtown. In fact, we headed the exact opposite direction, directly away from the lights of the city. When we had driven for over thirty minutes without stopping, seemingly putting more and more distance between us and civilization, I looked over at him, worried.
“Do you know where you’re going?” I asked with concern.
He smirked. “I do. It’s a bit off the beaten path.”
“ A bit ,” I remarked, “is an understatement. Can it be the nicest restaurant in town if it isn’t in town?
“It’s a big town,” Javi supplied but made no further explanations.
Finally, after twenty more minutes of driving, Javi slowed the car, pulling off onto a long drive. We hadn’t seen a house, a gas station, or even another car for miles.
When we parked, we were in a large green field surrounded by a thick border of trees. On a grassy hill ahead, there were three dome-shaped buildings atop a cement platform. Javi stopped the car and walked around to open the door for me. I took his offered hand but looked up at him with some trepidation .
“Where are we?” I asked nervously. There was not another soul in sight. The sun had set on our drive here, and it was nearly pitch black out. “This looks more like a place to hide a body than have dinner.”
He laughed at my concern. “George Observatory. Part of the Houston Museum of Natural Science.”
“And the nicest restaurant in town?” I asked skeptically.
“Tonight it is,” he explained, his grin wide and mischievous. I shook my head at his antics but let him lead me toward the dome-shaped building in the distance.
Javi held the door open for me, but I stopped short as soon as I stepped foot inside the circular room. The domed ceiling was open down the center, giving way to millions of stars above us. The largest telescope I had ever seen was pointed upward through the gap. The perimeter of the room was covered in dim candlelight. At the base of the telescope was a table set for two, with a black tablecloth, a candelabra at the center, and two silver cloches.
“How did you…?” I asked in wonder. He grinned, exceedingly proud of himself.
“I’ve had this planned for weeks,” he explained. He walked over to the table and pulled out one of the chairs for me.
“You only asked me if I wanted to go out to celebrate a few hours ago,” I said with an incredulous laugh. “What would you have done if I hadn’t matched?”
He looked at me with so much love and admiration that I thought I might just melt into a puddle at his feet. “You’re a star, Diana. I never doubted you for even a second. I knew we would be celebrating tonight.”
I pulled his face to mine for a long kiss, unable to quite believe that someone as perfect as Javier Valenzuela existed and that he was mine. When I finally let him go, I took the offered chair. I jumped in surprise when a waiter appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, bringing us a bottle of wine and pouring it into two glasses. He uncovered our salads and disappeared almost as quickly and quietly as he had appeared. He emerged later with the entree and the dessert course, ducking in every now and then to refill our water or wine. While we enjoyed the delicious meal, Javi and I enthusiastically discussed what life might look like for us in Boston in a year.
As I was finishing the last bites of the incredible crème br?lée, I looked around for our very stealthy waiter.
“So,” I asked Javi conspiratorially, “are we actually allowed to look into the telescope or is that strictly forbidden?”
Javi laughed. “No, we’re allowed—encouraged, even. In fact, I asked if they wouldn’t mind finding a particular star for me ahead of time. Go look.”
I grinned, rising from the table and moving quickly to the telescope. I leaned forward over the eyepiece, seeing the brightest, most brilliant blue star centered into view.
“It’s Rigel,” Javi explained from behind me. “One of the brightest stars in the night sky. And it just so happens to be part of our old friend, Orion the Hunter.”
I smiled, backing away from the eyepiece after a long moment of admiring the star. I turned to face Javi, but my breath caught suddenly short when I saw him.
He was kneeling in front of me.
“Javi?” I asked, disbelieving and breathless.
He smiled dazzlingly up at me, his eyes sparkling with the reflection of starlight.
“Surprised?” he asked, the corners of his eyes crinkling with his smile.
I nodded but knew if I said anything at all, I would start crying. He reached out to take my hand, and I gave it to him .
“Diana Richards,” he began. “I have spent the last decade loving you, from the day I found you outside your dorm room; from the nights we would spend on the roof of Butler looking up at the stars together, to this very moment. You have been there with me through every triumph, every setback, every important moment of my adult life. You were there, believing in me when I doubted myself, your faith in me unwavering, always encouraging me to chase my wildest dreams. I have watched you over these years become the most incredible, brilliant doctor. I have watched you undertake this journey with such resilience and poise. I am in constant awe of you. You are my rock when things get tough. You are the person with whom I want to weather every storm. You are the love of my life.”
He took a bright, Tiffany-blue box out from the pocket of his suit jacket and opened it toward me, the brilliant emerald-cut diamond sparkling, reflecting a mix of candlelight and starlight.
“Diana, would you do me the honor of marrying me?”
“Yes!” I cried, throwing myself at him the moment he stopped speaking, nearly knocking him over in the process as we both laughed and cried with joy. After a minute of alternating back and forth between kissing him and wiping the tears from my eyes, he finally got me to settle down long enough to put the ring on my finger.
He held my hand as he led me out of the room, and I marveled at the feeling of the ring between our intertwined fingers. It was going to take some getting used to.
Just when I thought he couldn’t surprise me anymore than he already had, a chorus of “Surprise!” rang out as soon as we stepped foot outside. Somehow, in only the hour and a half since we had disappeared into the telescope room for dinner, the observation deck had been completely transformed into an engagement party. I looked around in shock at everyone I loved. Literally everyone—my mom and dad, my mom’s sister and her husband, my co-residents and all my friends from work, the entire Valenzuela family, and best of all, Blake.
I screamed when I saw her and ran immediately into her arms. She looked amazing in a mini dress in stripes of bright yellow and pink and blue. I squeezed her so tight.
“You’re getting married!” she squealed into my ear.
An idea came to me immediately, and I pulled away so I could look into her eyes as I asked, “You’ll be my maid of honor, right?”
She screamed and hugged me again, which I took as a yes.
I hugged my parents and my aunt and uncle, greeted my co-workers, finally ending with the Valenzuelas. The second I met Alba Valenzuela’s eyes, so warm and welcoming as she looked at me, I broke down again in tears. I had been crying so much, I probably looked like a complete mess. Javi’s family moved forward to wrap me in a group hug, before claiming me for individual hugs.
“Welcome to the family,” Gaby whispered in my ear when she held me. “Officially, I mean.”
This is going to be my family, I realized in wonder. Of course, it was merely a formality, at this point. I already spent basically every holiday with them. We made frequent visits down to Corpus, and Valeria and I got lunch together almost weekly. They had always treated me as if I belonged to them. Even so, I had been dreaming of officially being a Valenzuela for so long, and now it would be true.
When everyone had finally had their chance to hug us and congratulate us, the sneaky waiter from our dinner was joined by a crew of other waiters, who brought out cake and champagne for everyone.
Javi brought me to the side, away from the crowd for a moment once everyone was distracted by the food. He grabbed two glasses of champagne from a waiter and held his glass up to mine. I clinked my glass against his.
“To the two luckiest people in the whole world, the future Mr. and Dr. Valenzuela,” he said, “and a future as limitless as the stars.”