When Dr. Elliott returned a few hours later, he was accompanied by a woman who was apparently not a nurse—at least she wasn’t in uniform. The doctor closed the door behind them. Then he pulled up two chairs and they both sat down next to the bed.
“Ken,” he said to the patient “I want you to meet my wife, Karen. She works with me on cases like yours.”

“You are a nurse, then?” Ken liked her immediately. She exuded the same warmth and the same quiet confidence as Elliott—and her smile was contagious. “I’m an RN—long retired,” she responded.