The inheritance might have been Alicia’s sincere attempt to give me something good. Her letter suggested that she understood how much my education had cost me.
But accepting the money would leave a question hanging over everything I had done for her.
Could I keep it and still look at myself in the mirror?
Could I return to the hospital and expect my colleagues to trust me?
And even if I convinced myself I deserved it, what would happen when another patient needed me to make a difficult decision?
The following morning, I called the attorney listed in the letter.
“I want to refuse the inheritance,” I said.
There was a pause.
“Have you reviewed the documents carefully?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand that refusing it may be irrevocable once the necessary steps are completed?”
“I understand.”
“You should also know that the hospital investigation, if there is one, is separate from this decision.”
