FebruaryReflectionsIllustrationOur February Reflections essay, “The Hardest Decision,” is by a Amanda Richmond, a nurse based in Arkansas. It’s about a husband facing a drastically changed world upon return from deployment overseas—and a nurse who bears witness. Here’s the opening paragragh. Reflections essays can always be read without a subscription to AJN.—JM, senior editor

That she was still beautiful made her situation all the more tragic. She had little visible damage. An EVD tube snaked out from under her hair and deposited its contents into a drip chamber. Her chest rose and fell at a preselected rate of 14 breaths per minute. iv lines disappeared under her gown and terminated into a central line. On the monitor, her vital signs were flawless.