Of Nurses and Comets

Very few professions foster the kind of close relationships with peers that nursing does. In the emotionally charged environment of medical facilities, nursing professionals work side by side, day in and day out, inevitably sharing more than just the clinical aspects of the job.

Not surprisingly then, nurses often form strong bonds and close friendships with their fellow nurses, many lasting a lifetime. Such was the case for me throughout my 34-year nursing career. One of my most memorable and enduring working relationships was with Joy.

For five years, Joy and I worked as RNs on the medical unit of a 60-bed hospital. We were teammates on the same grueling rotation: 12-hour days one week, 12-hour nights the next. Whenever a new patient was admitted to our unit, Joy and I tried to greet the newcomer together. I'd announce, "Your nurses this shift are Comfort and Joy." In response to which the patient would either stare at me in bewilderment or ask, "Who did you say was working?" I'd say, "Comfort and Joy. … She's Joy. I'm Comfort." That usually brought a chuckle or a smile. It didn't take long before the staff also started referring to us as Comfort and Joy.

Joy was tall, slim, and willowy, with blond hair reaching down to her waist, usually worn in a long braid. I was dark-haired, fuller figured, and 10 years older than Joy. She was timid about expressing her opinion; I was sometimes too opinionated. Joy was from a farm family, born and raised in the town in which we worked, and I was a Newfoundlander, from a fishing family that lived by the sea. We taught each other and shared our differences.

We also shared similarities. Both of us were the oldest of five children, we both had long, stable marriages, and we each had two children, a boy and a girl. We lived in a little Nova Scotia village just across the river from the town where our hospital was located. Very rarely did we socialize outside of the workplace. Though my children were considerably older than Joy's, we had plenty of things to commiserate about and celebrate with one another. We sometimes nursed one another through our own illnesses.

Joy and I worked exceptionally well together, and there was never a cross word between us. We knew each other's work habits, and we trusted one another's clinical skill and professional integrity. We loved working together, and we loved our work. Together, we made for one heck of an efficient nursing tag team!

One of our most memorable experiences happened one night shift. Stewart, an evening maintenance man, would from time to time make his rounds on a bicycle, sending us into gales of laughter. That night, as Stewart pedaled by, he mentioned that a comet was visible in the clear night sky. Joy and I looked at each other with matching expressions of glee, and conspired to slip outside to look for the comet.

Around 3am, Joy came striding toward me, and said, "C'mon, let's go gaze at the heavens!"

The time was right: The patients were all asleep, the LPNs were there to monitor things, and the sky was still dark and crystal clear. Leaving instructions with the LPNs to come fetch us if anything went awry, we headed outside.

The hospital was built around a center courtyard. Not far from our nursing station, a set of patio doors opened into the courtyard. The night sky was magnificent. The twinkling stars set in the sky's deep blue velvet provided a perfect backdrop for the full moon. It was very still. We stood quietly, gazing upward, occasionally remarking in a whisper about this and that.

Suddenly, Joy pointed and said, "Make a wish, Bon."

I looked up in time to see a shooting star, which was immediately followed by another and then another.

Then I spotted it: the comet, bright and beautiful, with its tail a streak of white sparkling light, like something straight out of a movie. We stood in awe; silent, engrossed in our own thoughts, gazing with wonder at the display. It was a powerful, spiritual moment. Joy and I both felt it, and were humbled by it.

As we slowly made our way back to our nurses' station, Joy said, "How could anyone see something like that and not believe there is a Power greater than us?"

Throat tight, I could only nod in agreement.

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