To The Nurses Just Playing Cards,

I call your bluff. You see, I saw the glaze on your eyes when the doctor told me my daughters were gone. You really should have a better poker face.

I watched you fold. Turning and hurrying out of the room so I wouldn’t see you cry.

I saw you flop as you had to explain to the next nurse what had happened, what went wrong, and how to care for us as your shift changed.

I thanked for you breaking the rules and allowing a full house in our room so our friends and family could have their time with the our girls.

I read your hand. Your hand that held mine as I waited in triage to have another C-section, this time hoping the baby would be alive.

I saw you shuffle your schedule so you could wheel me to the NICU to see my son, giving me more time than I was supposed to have.

I heard you call to the other nurses to hear our story, ask questions, and be comfortable with caring for us and our son, while still honoring our daughters.

I was lucky to have two of kind nurses help me out of bed, clean me, and change me for the first time after surgery, such a glamorous job.

I saw you all handle every card you were dealt with class and pride. I have a higher level of respect for you than most doctors I’ve encountered. So if you want to play cards for 12 hours, I say go for it. You are the real champions of this game.