Chapter 14 - The Whispering WindSpring arrived in the valley, melting the grey winter snow into running streams that fed the green pastures behind the clinic.
It was the day of Goliath’s final evaluation before his transfer to an equine sanctuary in upstate New York—a sprawling three-hundred-acre reserve dedicated to retired and rehabilitated racehorses.
The entire clinical faculty gathered along the white post-and-rail fence. Dean Thorne stood beside Rachel, his hands in his trench coat pockets.
"You could have transferred to an easier rotation after that night, Vance," Dr. Thorne remarked quietly. "Most students would have avoided Barn 4 for the rest of their academic careers."
"Trauma doesn't disappear when you look away from it, Dr. Thorne," Rachel replied, watching the morning mist rise from the clover field. "It only festers. If I couldn't face that stall, I had no business asking an animal to trust me with its life."
Dr. Thorne smiled—a rare, genuine expression that softened the stern lines around his eyes. "You're going to make an extraordinary surgeon, Rachel."
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Across the yard, Chloe unclipped the lead rope from Goliath’s leather halter.
The horse stood still for a second, sensing the absence of restraint. Then, with a proud toss of his head, he surged forward.
