Chapter 18
1721 Words
Thursday morning arrived with a surprise.
Ava’s phone buzzed just as she pulled into the campus parking lot.
She glanced at the screen before turning off the engine.
Unknown Number
For a moment, she considered letting it go to voicemail. Between school, work, and the occasional spam call about extended car warranties, she had learned to ignore unfamiliar numbers.
Instead, she answered.
“Hello?”
“Good morning. May I speak with Ava Monroe?”
“This is she.”
“Hi, Ava. This is Karen from Willow Creek Children’s Hospital.”
Ava’s stomach immediately tightened.
She gripped the steering wheel a little harder.
“Oh… hi.”
“I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time.”
“No.”
She laughed nervously.
“I’m actually just getting to campus.”
“I’ll keep this brief.”
Karen paused.
“The interview panel met earlier than expected.”
Ava held her breath.
“We’d love to have you join our volunteer program.”
For one second, the world seemed to stop.
“You… would?”
“We were very impressed.”
A smile spread across Ava’s face before she even realized it.
“Really?”
“Really.”
Karen laughed softly.
“We were hoping you’d say yes.”
“I—”
Ava blinked rapidly.
“Yes.”
“Absolutely yes.”
“We’ll send your orientation schedule this afternoon.”
“Thank you.”
“No.”
Karen’s voice was warm.
“Thank you for wanting to spend your time with our patients.”
After the call ended, Ava remained sitting in her car.
She looked down at her phone.
Then out through the windshield.
Then back at the phone.
A laugh escaped before she could stop it.
She had done it.
Not because someone knew someone.
Not because she’d been lucky.
Because someone believed in her.
A knock on the driver’s window startled her.
Emily stood outside holding two coffees.
She lowered the window.
“You okay?”
Ava looked at her.
Then smiled so widely it almost hurt.
“I got it.”
Emily stared for exactly one second before squealing loud enough for students across the parking lot to look over.
“I knew it!”
Before Ava could climb out of the car, Emily pulled her into a hug.
“I told you!”
“I know.”
“I literally told you.”
Jordan, who had been walking toward the science building, changed direction immediately.
“What happened?”
Emily pointed dramatically at Ava.
“She got the hospital position.”
“No way.”
Ava nodded.
“I did.”
Jordan threw both hands into the air.
“This calls for donuts.”
“It’s eight-thirty in the morning.”
“Exactly.”
“We celebrate with breakfast.”
Within minutes, the three of them were sitting outside the student union sharing a box of warm glazed donuts.
Jordan raised his coffee.
“To Ava.”
Emily lifted hers too.
“Future pediatric nurse.”
Ava laughed.
“We don’t know that yet.”
Jordan looked offended.
“We absolutely do.”
She shook her head.
“You two are impossible.”
“And yet…”
Emily smiled.
“…you’re smiling.”
“I am.”
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this proud of herself.
Not because she’d gotten the position.
Because she’d earned it.
⸻
The excitement carried her through most of the morning.
Even Professor Lewis noticed.
“You’ve got news.”
Ava smiled.
“I was accepted.”
He nodded as though he had expected nothing less.
“I thought you might be.”
“Thank you.”
“You earned it.”
As class ended, he stopped her one more time.
“One piece of advice.”
She waited.
“The hospital will teach you medicine.”
He smiled.
“Don’t let them teach the kindness out of you.”
Her smile softened.
“I won’t.”
“I know.”
⸻
By lunchtime, Homecoming Week had transformed the campus.
Music echoed across the quad.
Student organizations competed to decorate booths.
A charity dunk tank had somehow appeared outside the recreation center.
Jordan pointed toward it.
“Professor Daniels is getting dunked at one.”
Emily laughed.
“We have to go.”
“I have class.”
Jordan looked disappointed.
“We’ll record it.”
Ava smiled.
“I appreciate your dedication.”
As they walked toward the library, Emily nudged her shoulder.
“So…”
“So?”
“Did you tell Mason?”
Ava stopped walking.
“I haven’t yet.”
“You should.”
“I know.”
She pulled out her phone.
Before she could dial, it buzzed.
Mason
She smiled.
“Perfect timing.”
She answered immediately.
“Hey.”
“Hi.”
His voice sounded rushed.
“You busy?”
“I’ve got about five minutes before another meeting.”
“I wanted to tell you something.”
“What?”
She couldn’t stop smiling.
“I got the volunteer position.”
There was a brief silence.
Then—
“That’s amazing.”
She laughed.
“I know.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“I wish I could celebrate.”
“So do I.”
“I’ve got another networking dinner tonight.”
The smile on her face faded just a little.
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“No.”
He sighed.
“I know I’ve been saying that a lot.”
“You have.”
“I just…”
His voice trailed off.
“I really need this opportunity.”
“I know you do.”
“And I don’t want you thinking I’m choosing work over you.”
Ava looked across campus where students were laughing around the Homecoming booths.
“I know you’re not.”
She believed that.
At least…
She wanted to.
“I’ll make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
She smiled again.
“Okay.”
After they hung up, Emily looked at her carefully.
“Everything okay?”
“Yeah.”
“You sure?”
Ava nodded.
“He’s just busy.”
Emily accepted the answer, but she noticed something Ava didn’t.
When Ava talked about getting the volunteer position, her eyes lit up.
When she talked about Mason…
They dimmed.
⸻
That afternoon, Ava headed to work feeling lighter than she had in weeks.
The Willow Bean buzzed with customers escaping the cool autumn breeze.
Denise looked up as Ava walked through the door.
“Well?”
“I got it.”
Denise clapped her hands together.
“I knew you would.”
Mrs. Patterson must have heard from next door because less than five minutes later she walked in carrying another bouquet.
Ava laughed.
“Again?”
“This one is because you actually got it.”
“You really like buying flowers.”
Mrs. Patterson smiled.
“I like celebrating good people.”
Denise folded her arms.
“I think we need cake.”
“It’s Thursday.”
“And?”
“Cake doesn’t care what day it is.”
The entire café seemed to agree.
One of the regular customers overheard the conversation.
“What are we celebrating?”
“Our Ava got accepted at the children’s hospital.”
A round of applause spread through the café.
Ava’s cheeks immediately turned bright red.
“You all are embarrassing me.”
“No,” Denise said with a grin.
“We’re appreciating you.”
For the rest of her shift, every congratulations made her smile a little wider.
It wasn’t about the attention.
It was about feeling seen.
Really seen.
⸻
That evening, after work, Ava stopped by the campus pond before driving home.
The sun was beginning to set, painting streaks of orange and gold across the water.
She pulled her camera from her bag.
Click.
A flock of ducks glided across the lake.
Click.
A little boy threw leaves into the air while his father laughed.
Click.
A young couple studied together beneath a tree, sharing one pair of headphones.
She lowered the camera and smiled.
Life felt beautiful today.
“Looks like you found another good shot.”
She turned.
Ethan stood a respectful distance away, Cooper sitting patiently beside him.
“I think I did.”
He noticed the smile she couldn’t hide.
“Good day?”
“The best.”
She hesitated for only a second.
“I got the volunteer position.”
His entire face lit up.
“I knew you would.”
She laughed.
“Everybody keeps saying that.”
“Maybe because everybody else saw it before you did.”
She looked down, smiling.
“I still have a hard time believing people.”
“I know.”
His answer was quiet.
“But one day…”
He looked toward the sunset over the pond.
“…I hope you believe yourself.”
Before she could respond, Cooper nudged Ethan’s hand with his nose.
He chuckled.
“I think someone wants his evening walk.”
Ava knelt to pet the dog one more time.
“Goodbye, Cooper.”
The retriever licked her hand enthusiastically.
“I think that’s his way of saying congratulations.”
She laughed.
“I’ll take it.”
“It was good seeing you.”
“You too.”
As Ethan walked away, Ava watched him for just a moment.
There was something calming about him.
He never stayed too long.
Never asked for anything.
Never made her feel like she owed him her time.
She appreciated that.
She didn’t realize Ethan felt exactly the same way.
For him, seeing her smile after weeks of quiet uncertainty was enough.
He didn’t need to be the reason for it.
Not yet.
And somewhere across town, Mason sat in another networking dinner, glancing at the congratulatory text he’d sent Ava earlier.
He smiled to himself before slipping his phone back into his pocket.
He had no idea that while he was building the future he’d always wanted…
The distance between their lives had begun to grow—not because of one dramatic moment, but because of dozens of small ones neither of them fully recognized yet.
- Writer
