“I’ve Been A NICU Nurse For Thirteen Years, And I Almost Judged A Giant Tattooed Biker By His Hands. He Asked To Hold The Baby Nobody Had Come To Visit, And Sat In The Same Chair For Twelve Hours. Then A Nurse Noticed The Small, Faded Tattoo On His Wrist: A Name, And A Date.”

he was bolted to it. He accepted water when my colleague Sarah offered. He used the restroom once, handed the baby to another nurse, and was back before I’d finished charting the handoff. He didn’t use his phone. He didn’t read. He just rocked, slow, even, patient. Around hour six, a young father named David, eleven days in with his own premature daughter,continue reading …