Thalia Rhea My Personal Nurse 〈FAST · 2024〉

“I never—” I started.

Over the months, Thalia revealed herself in fragments. She had been a combat nurse in Fallujah. She had held a nineteen-year-old’s intestines in place with her bare hand while a medevac took forty-five minutes to arrive. She had also held her own mother’s hand as Alzheimer’s erased her, room by room. She had no children, no partner, no pets. “My attachments are to the living moment,” she said. “Makes it easier to leave when the shift ends.” thalia rhea my personal nurse

The day she left, she handed me a small ceramic pot with a succulent inside. “This plant thrives on neglect,” she said. “Water it once a month. It will outlive you if you’re not careful.” “I never—” I started

I nodded.