He was sick, sick, sick. I inherited him at the change of shift. He was completely with it, but his body was failing him fast. The offgoing nurse offhandedly reported that the patient was a bomber pilot because his wife of nearly sixty years had mentioned it. (Sixty years! Can you imagine being married that long?) This man was the only person I had at the beginning of my shift. I signed off on the report and, after reviewing the chart, went into the room to introduce myself as the oncoming nurse. The patient was asleep, so I spoke with...