On the street outside, the city exhaled into morning. Lissa walked to her car, feet aching, uniform still slightly wrinkled. She thought of the voicemail from her sister about Sunday dinner, of a promise to pick up groceries, of a novel waiting on her nightstand. Nursing demanded resilience and quiet heroism, and Lissa carried both with humility. She unlocked her phone, sent a quick text—“I’m home safe”—and let herself feel the small, fierce pride that came from seeing people through the hardest hours.