I married my patient knowing she had only three days left to live — but after her funeral, her sister approached me with a small box and whispered, “She made me promise not to give you this until she was gone.

It was smaller than I expected, with peeling paint and an overgrown garden.

But the windows faced the ocean.

Over the following year, Rebecca and I worked with the charity to renovate it into a welcoming retreat for children undergoing medical treatment and their families.

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On opening day, a little boy approached me.

“Are you really a doctor?”

“Yes.”

He looked toward the ocean.

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“Do you think my sister will like it here? She’s been really sad.”

I knelt beside him.

“Then we should find something that makes her smile.”

He grinned.

And suddenly, I heard Alicia’s voice in my memory.

“Doctor Lucas, you know smiling is free, right?”

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I looked at the small sign beside the entrance.