White hair, fine and soft, and bright blue eyes. She doesn't speak, is lost in time. I am taking her pulse, her left wrist only, because her right hand is lightly held by a man. He sits by her side, his eyes on her face. He too has been lost to time but he holds on to his love. She knows no one but him. He sees only her, watches her while undisturbed by the stethoscope on his own chest. My fellow nurse's hands move like falling leaves. Together we examine them, with a brevity of motion, protecting this moment.
Hope Kelpie is a nurse who likes to write, a painter who works in healthcare, a mother who keeps a roof overhead with room for art.