Chapter 26 — The White Coat Oath

The international airport was bustling with people, but Yen only attentively watched the security door, her heart pounding, waiting for the moment she had been looking forward to for nearly a year. When Khoa's familiar figure appeared, dragging a large suitcase, his eyes immediately searched for her in the crowd.

"Khoa!" Yen called out loudly, unable to hold back and ran towards him, jumping into his arms in the middle of the crowded airport lobby, no longer paying attention to the surrounding eyes.

Khoa hugged her, lifted her off the ground in a burst of happiness, buried his face in her hair inhaling the familiar scent that he had missed for so many months apart. "I'm home, Yen," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "I can finally go home, to be with you."

"Welcome back," Yen replied, tears of happiness rolling down her cheeks as he put her down, his hands still not leaving her waist as if afraid this was just a dream that would disappear at any moment. "I miss you so much."

Associate Professor Truong stood nearby, his eyes filled with joy as he witnessed that emotional reunion, and went to hug his son. "Welcome home. I'm so proud of what you've accomplished over the past year."

"Thank you, dad," Khoa replied, his voice still filled with happiness. "I can't wait to start a new chapter of my life, with Yen and the whole family."

On the way home, just as Nghia had secretly planned, a group of close friends suddenly appeared at a familiar cafe, filled with welcome banners and colorful balloons, making Khoa unable to hide his surprise and emotion at the kindness of his friends.

"Welcome back big brother!" Nghia shouted with excitement, hugging his best friend in joy of reunion. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, now you have to tell us all about your year in a foreign country."

Minh Thu also attended, carrying a small specially decorated cake with the words "Welcome home, future groom!" making the whole group laugh at that cuteness and thoughtfulness.

That evening passed in a warm atmosphere, filled with the laughter of close friends who had gone through many ups and downs together during the arduous years of residency. Khoa recounted interesting stories from the trip and new techniques learned, while Yen could not hide her pride when talking about the progress of the patient safety program during his absence.

When the party gradually ended, Khoa took Yen back to her small apartment, and they both sat on the small balcony, watching the city lights sparkle in the night. "I still don't feel like I'm dreaming," Khoa said, squeezing her hand. "After a year of separation, being able to sit here with you like this feels so precious."

"Me too," Yen replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "But now, we are only one month away from the wedding day. All the distances, all the challenges are behind us."

Khoa turned to look at her, his eyes filled with deep love. "And I believe, this is just the beginning of a long, more wonderful journey that we will continue to write together, not only as colleagues and life partners, but also as two people sharing the same ideal, an oath that we took together when entering the medical field."

The next morning, although still a bit tired from the jet lag, Khoa still enthusiastically went with Yen to the hospital to officially accept his new assignment - the position of official surgeon at the Department of General Surgery, and also took on the role of teaching part of the training program on advanced laparoscopic techniques that he had just learned for young resident doctors.

The briefing that morning became even more special when Associate Professor Truong personally introduced the department to the entire Department of Surgery, unable to hide the pride of both a father and a leader. "Doctor Khoa has just successfully completed a fellowship program in laparoscopic surgery in Singapore. I believe that the knowledge and techniques he brings back will contribute significantly to the professional development of the entire department."

Many former colleagues gathered around to congratulate Khoa, unable to hide their excitement when they learned that they were about to learn advanced techniques directly from him. Bui Trong Nghia, who has now also become an official doctor, patted his best friend's shoulder proudly. "I told you, you went away for a year but came back a real expert. Now you have to teach us a few new tricks."

"I'm ready to share everything I've learned," Khoa smiled, full of enthusiasm. "If we develop together, patients will benefit the most."

In the afternoon, Khoa spent time revisiting every familiar corner of the hospital - the duty room where he and Yen had their first argument, the hallway where they often talked after each stressful shift, and the small garden behind the main building where he first held her hand. Each of those little corners brings back so many precious memories that we have built together over the years.

"It feels like everything is still as intact as the day I left," Khoa said as he stopped at the small garden, holding Yen's hand as he walked among the familiar rows of trees. "But at the same time, I also clearly feel that we have become much more mature than those first days of confusion."

"That's right," Yen nodded, smiling nostalgically. "From two young, impetuous resident doctors arguing just because of disagreements during a shift, we have now built many meaningful things together, not only for ourselves but also for the larger system."

In the evening, both families had a reunion dinner to celebrate Khoa's return. A warm, friendly atmosphere enveloped the entire house. Yen's mother, who went to the city a few days ago to help prepare for the wedding, could not hide her joy when she saw her daughter radiantly happy with the person she loved.

"I think you two are a perfect match," she said, her warm eyes looking at them both. "Looking at the way you take care of and care for Yen, I really feel secure about marrying my daughter to you."

"I promise to always cherish and take care of Yen to the fullest, sir," Khoa replied, his voice sincere without any hesitation, holding Yen's hand tightly under the dining table as a silent affirmation of what he had just said.

Before leaving, Associate Professor Truong pulled Yen's mother to a private corner to carefully discuss the final steps that needed to be completed for the upcoming wedding. "I think we should hold an official opening ceremony before the wedding, so that all traditional rituals are fully respected," he proposed, his voice thoughtful.

"I completely agree," Yen's mother replied, nodding in agreement. "Even though the time is a bit rushed, I believe that with careful preparation by both families, everything will go smoothly."

The two families agreed to hold a wedding ceremony next weekend, before officially entering the sprint preparation phase for the scheduled wedding. The bustling atmosphere of preparation spread throughout both families, each person was eager to contribute their small part to the upcoming big day.

For his part, Khoa also immediately started completing the final details that he had quietly prepared before leaving for Singapore - a small photo album recording the entire love journey of the two, from the controversial first shift to the romantic proposal moment by the river, planned to be given to Yen as a special gift on the wedding day.

"This will be a surprise gift for him," Khoa whispered to Nghia when asking his friend to help print the album, his eyes full of appreciation. "I want Yen to know that, no matter how many challenges lie ahead, I will always cherish every moment we have spent together."

"You are truly the most romantic among us doctors," Nghia smiled, patting his best friend's shoulder admiringly. "Yen will definitely be very touched to receive this gift. I still remember the day you two had a heated argument on your first shift. Who would have thought this day would come."

After the meal, when seeing Khoa leave, Yen stood against the door and watched his shadow disappear into the night, her heart filled with a rare feeling of peace and completeness. She knew that from that day, all the challenges of separation had been left behind, making way for a new, promising chapter waiting for both of them ahead, a chapter that she was sure will be written with all the sincerity, understanding and love that they had cultivated together over the years.