The Last Shift

Journal

After thirty years and eleven thousand nights, Nurse Alvarez worked her last shift on Friday.

She started in 1995, when the ER still had paper charts and a coffee machine that only worked on Tuesdays.

Eleven thousand nights. She kept every thank-you card. The drawer doesn't close anymore.

At 6 a.m., the night shift lined the hallway. They'd been planning it for a month.

They'd had a tote made for her — thirty years of nights, in one bag. 'So you never have to carry it all alone again.'

Every nurse signed it. Even the ones she'd trained who'd gone on to run their own ERs.

Saturday morning, she slept until nine. First time in thirty years. The tote's on the table. The nights are finally hers.

She says she'll miss the 3 a.m. quiet. We all know she won't. But we'll keep the light on for her.