Night Shifts

I worked with Kathleen for eleven years on the surgical ward and I would not have lasted the first two without her. She had a way of managing the ward at three in the morning — everything slightly difficult at that hour — that was absolutely calm without being cold. She knew every patient by name within hours of their admission. She remembered who had family coming in the morning and who did not, and she adjusted accordingly. She brought soda bread on nights. It was an act of mercy.