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and well in America. Michael for his part learned from her that he was so accustomed to having to deal with patronizing attitudes that he often evoked it. He also came to learn from her that despite fifty-plus years of feminism, misogyny and gender discrimination had not disappeared. Both came to understand that with racism and gender issues, one had to be a member of the oppressed to really appreciate the subtleties and the not-so-subtleties of discrimination that had so influenced their respective lives. Throughout her life, Lynn always felt she had to do a bit better than the men with whom she was competing whereas Michael always felt he had to do much better than everybody.
    As Lynn and Michael came to understand they were kindred spirits, they began to appreciate each other’s idiosyncrasies apart from race and gender, stemming from their different backgrounds: Lynn, from a middle-class Atlanta upbringing, with two siblings who ultimately fell on hard times; and Michael, from a single-parent household from the South Carolina Low Country, with five siblings who had had to struggle to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. They also became aware of their similarities besides their being extremely motivated hard workers who strived for excellence. Both had defied stereotypes and had responded toSTEM programs in their schooling, meaning science, technology, engineering, and math. Both early on liked computer gaming and had an interest and facility in coding. Both had aced college. In medical school both were on full scholarships, which was the main reason they were at Mason-Dixon University. Both of them had been accepted at all the medical schools to which they had applied, but Mason-Dixon had had the best offer financially. Finally, although Lynn had been close to her father, she also knew what it was like not to have one.
    As Michael approached, Lynn felt thankful for their relationship and grateful to the school for having paired them up. She had never had a male friend like Michael, and valued their relationship, as he had truly expanded her life in so many ways. And now, if the neurology resident was right in his prognosis of Carl’s condition, she was going to need Michael’s support more than ever.
    “Okay, whassup?” Michael said, affecting nonchalance while sliding his tray onto the table. He settled his solid two-hundred-pound frame onto the chair, which squeaked in protest. He picked up his sandwich and took a healthy bite.
    For a minute Lynn was unable to speak. She wasn’t one to cry often, possibly because of a reaction to the stereotype, and she didn’t want to cry now. She felt torn. She wanted Michael’s support to avoid the sense of isolation that she was already feeling from the shock of this unfolding calamity, yet she worried that telling Michael about what had happened would make it more real. As a medical student, she knew enough about the psychology of the grief reaction to know that she was still solidly in the early denial stage.
    Michael did not press her. He chewed his sandwich and took another bite, seemingly ignoring her. He was content to wait. He knew her well enough to be concerned. Something significant was in the wind, and it had to do with Carl and his surgery.
    Lynn took a drink of water and then closed her eyes tightly. When she opened them she let the facts flow out, explaining aboutCarl’s apparent anesthesia disaster and how she had gone up to the neuro ICU and talked with the neurology resident. She concluded by saying that Carl’s Glasgow score was only five and that the neurology resident said the prognosis was dismal.
    Michael put his sandwich down and pushed his plate away as if he had lost his appetite. “That’s a low Glasgow score.”
    Lynn stared at her friend. There were lots of times that he amazed her, and this was an example. She had never heard of a Glasgow score, and Michael apparently had, despite the fact that they both had taken the same