Shielded in protective gear and armed with stats, I felt unprepared. My patient's oxygen levels were stable, yet he hunched over the edge of the bed, laboring to breathe. His eyes searched mine for answers. I told him he was improving. "You're lying!" he accused. He rose, straining the distance hospital umbilical cords would allow. He pulled me into a desperate embrace, his non-rebreather pressing into my chest, fingers clinging to my back. He was drowning and taking me with him. Fear kept us entangled until I broke and told him things would be better by morning. I was wrong.
Nina Miller is a physician, fencer, wife and mother of two. A graduate of Cornell University and NYU Med, she currently resides in New York. Find Nina online at www.ninamillerwrites.com.