It’s been a long shift filled with highs and lows. My heart aches as I remember Nurse Evie sitting down next to me in the lounge on my first break. It was obvious something was wrong, so I braced for the worst. When she told me Grady wasn’t responding to the small amounts of natural medicines, I knew there was no more hope. Hearing the news reconfirmed why I became a nurse. So I spent a little more time with each child, telling jokes, playing cards, and coloring pictures. It was as much for them as it was for me. I needed the time with them, knowing there was a level of pain and discomfort, but at the same time, a sliver of hope in their eyes. It took every bit of energy I had to finish the charting, and I wish I could snap my fingers and be home, in bed, and preferably with Shaw holding me. “You’re supposed to come back from vacation rested, you look terrible.” Claire plops down beside me and lays her head on her arms.
