My mother-in-law looks fragile, her arms mottled from blood draws and IVs. She resembles a newborn bird. At a knock, my husband, brother-in-law, and I look up to see two women. “Hi, I’m Cindy and this is Joan. We’re the heart failure nurses!” Cindy says perkily. Joan carries booklets. “Has anyone educated you about heart failure?” Cindy wags her finger. “People say, ‘I have a weak heart, not heart failure,’ and we say, ‘That’s heart failure!’” I wonder if she’ll sing. Cindy recites discharge protocols, not knowing my mother-in-law won’t return to independent living. My mother-in-law doesn’t know it either.
Amanda A. Gibson’s writing has appeared in several journals, including The Common, Orca, and Five Minutes.