Forget me not

Tick tock … tick tock … tick tock Two hours have gone by … My nurse is still here. She was great. She changed my diaper, washed my hair, brushed my teeth, and washed me down. My mom and dad have left, an ocean of tears in their wake. It is eerily silent, the shrill alarms that shadowed me, now mute. There is someone else in the bed. Like me, machines, tubes, and lines everywhere. Steps coming and going at a frenzied pace. Have I been forgotten so soon? No, little one, we cannot forget you. We toiled to get you back home. We cried and lamented we could not. We rue your passing away. Taking care of you taught us so much, the fire you lit in us continues to burn. You are irreplaceable in our minds. The room, a reminder of battles fought, a war lost. We are stronger, wiser, and bolder. We march onward. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.