“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.”

gentle enough. But Marcus washed exactly as he’d been taught, listened to every instruction, and sat down carefully in the approved rocking chair, his large body stiff with caution, as if one wrong breath might be too much. When I placed Baby Boy Montgomery against his chest, he cried harder. Two nurses looked over. A doctor paused in the doorway. continue reading …