Read Chapter 15: — WALKING REFERENCE

Daniel developed a reputation for answering questions with papers.

"Why do you always have a citation?" a registrar asked.

"Because memory is persuasive and often wrong."

"You could just say you don't know."

"I do. Then I look."

Helen began using him in teaching sessions.

Cross tried to expose gaps by sending difficult cases to the discussion list: fever of unknown origin, ambiguous uptake, unusual postoperative findings.

Daniel refused to perform certainty.

"I don't know" became one of his most useful sentences.

He would then add, "But here's what I think we need to know next."

The trainees started calling him the Walking Reference.

He hated the nickname.

Clara loved it.

She was now finishing medical school while continuing to perform music professionally. The royalties from Northern Lights and later concert work allowed her to establish the Margaret Bennett Access Fund.

One evening she visited Daniel in the reading room.

"Mum would be unbearable about you now," she said.

"Why?"

"She'd tell everyone she discovered you."

Daniel smiled.

"She did teach me something."

"What?"

"A scan belongs to a family before it belongs to a conference slide."

Clara went quiet.

Then she kissed him.

Daniel froze.

Clara pulled back.

"Please tell me that wasn't medically concerning."

"I forgot how to breathe."

"Promising."

The second kiss went better.