CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FOUR – BALANCING THE TWO WORLDS

As the staff began to file out, Joan noticed Zoe and Lisa lingering behind. She watched as Zoe approached Lisa, holding out her hand. "I'm sorry if I came on too strong earlier," Zoe said. "I respect your commitment to our patients' well-being. Maybe we could grab coffee sometime and discuss some of these newer treatment approaches? I'd be interested in hearing more about your perspective." Lisa hesitated for a moment before taking Zoe's hand. "I'd like that. And... I'm sorry too. I know I can be a bit... intense when it comes to patient care." Joan smiled to herself as she watched the two women leave together, already deep in discussion. It wasn't going to be smooth sailing all the time, but she was confident that they had laid a strong foundation for working through future conflicts. As she gathered her notes from the meeting, Joan's phone buzzed with a text from Alessandro: "Hope your day is going well. Last night was... enlightening. Thank you for showing me how to loosen up a