I finished my ER residency on June 30 and started my new job as assistant director of CityHospital's emergency room on July 1. Rosetti, Sean, and my mother were in attendance when Dr. Morrison presented me with my certificate of completion.

Dr. Morrison resigned his position at City and took a job in Denver, Colorado, where his ex-wife had relocated with his son and daughter. Page stayed on at CityHospital and worked part time in the ER and part time as an instructor for first-year medical students.

Regan returned to work at hospice and filed for divorce from Jim. He disappeared a few weeks later, running off to West Virginia with the barmaid from Clancy's. Regan's father suffered another major stroke and died, ending his battle with cerebral vascular disease ten days before Tess's second birthday. After her father's death, Regan sold her home, and she and Tess moved in with her mother. Tess continues to do well after her heart surgery and has turned into a vivacious and active toddler. Regan and I still keep in contact, although purely on a platonic level. Especially since Regan had recently hooked up with Dr. Zach Martin, Tess's pediatrician, also recently divorced.

Sean has moved on with his life and started dating. I have to admit I was a little jealous at first, but deep down, all I really wanted for him was to be happy. He says he hasn't found "the one" yet, but he enjoys looking.

After three months of working mind-numbing desk duty on day shift, Rosetti returned to undercover work where her unit exposed four crack houses and seized $750,000 in drugs, guns, and cash. No shots were fired. Six months after the drug bust, Sergeant Rosemary Rosetti was promoted to lieutenant. She was the first female lieutenant in the history of our city's police department. No one was prouder than I was as I stood next to her while she was presented with her lieutenant stripes.

To her surprise, Teresa had made Rosetti the executor of her will instead of Tony. Tony wasn't too pleased with the setup but that didn't seem to faze Rosetti. She settled Teresa's estate and sold her mother's house without incident. Tony and Gianni took their share of the proceeds and quietly returned to their lives.

From Teresa's estate money, Rosetti and I bought a beautiful old farmhouse just outside of town on three acres of land that butts up against St. Mary's Cemetery. On our evening walks, we visit Teresa's grave every day. Working in the ER is still hectic, and Rosetti's new responsibilities have kept her busy and on her toes. But we have each other now, and the greatest gift we have given each other is our ordinary, extraordinary life.

About the author.

Maria V. Ciletti is a registered nurse working as a medical administrator.

Her writing credits include "Don't Sing: Growing up Lesbian in CatholicSchool," which was published by Taylor & Francis in their Queer and Catholic anthology in July 2008. A non-fiction story, "Taking Care of Ellie," was published in the anthology Voices of Caregiving by La Chance Publishing in 2009, edited by the Healing Project.

Her first novel, The Choice, a 2007 Lambda Literary nominee for debut fiction, was published by Haworth Press in May 2007. Clinical Distance, the sequel to The Choice, was published in May 2009 by Intaglio Publications.

Maria is a member of the Golden Crown Literary Society. She lives in Niles, Ohio, with her partner, Rose. She can be contacted through her Web site at www.mariaciletti.com.

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