Chapter 13 - Uncharted Waters
The following week brought a new professional chapter for me as well. With the Claire Brooks Foundation growing rapidly, Nathan and Dr. Aris Thorne—who had become a close friend and advisor to the family—approached me with an unexpected proposition.
They wanted me to lead the clinical evaluation division for the foundation’s new initiative: independent safety auditing for all pediatric mobility devices entering the market.
"You have the clinical eye, Lauren, and you have the courage to call out corporate negligence when you see it," Dr. Thorne had told me over a secure video call. "We need someone who puts patients above profit margins."
Standing in the foundation’s newly established office space in downtown Norfolk, looking over the blueprints for our testing labs, I felt a thrilling sense of purpose. I wasn't just a home-care nurse anymore; I was part of a movement ensuring that no other child would ever be put at risk by a faulty, over-engineered corporate machine.
When Nathan picked me up that afternoon, I couldn't stop talking about the diagnostic equipment we were ordering.
Nathan listened with a proud, affectionate smile, driving us down toward the waterfront as the sun began to dip below the horizon.
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"You're going to change the entire industry, Lauren Hayes," he said, pulling the SUV into a scenic overlook by the bay.
"We are," I corrected him, looking over with a knowing smile. "We're doing it together."
