Their faces held a bevy of emotions. Some scared or uncertain, some with piqued curiousity, and a few who would rather be elsewhere.
“It's true. I'm proof of that. If you want something bad enough, if you're willing to do what it takes, you can accomplish nearly anything.”, Mallory stated in a matter-of-fact tone. This illicited a look of confusion from her audience.
“No, I didn't get a medical degree. I studied and learned well enough, that I should be able to take the MCAT. I spent every spare moment I had studying anatomy, surgery, anesthesia, anything and everything that would help.”
One child raised a hand. “Yes?”
“If you did all that medical stuff, why did you end up in here?”, the child asked with genuine curiosity.
Mallory straightend her back and smoothed her orange jumpsuit. “Well, my daughter needed new kidneys, and my ex-husband was a match – but wasn't willing to help, even with one.” She caught a glare from one of the teachers. “Suffice to say, my daughter now has two healthy kidneys, and my being here is the price for that.”