MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2026 · This week's fiction · Submit a story →

Fiction

It's What We Do

Bessie is fond of westerns. Her hero is John Wayne. She can watch his films all day.

I position her chair near the TV, as her poor eyesight requires.

Caregivers have to be organized. It's what we do to keep a patient on this side of The Line, as we call it. On this side, a day of western movies. On the other, hospice. So once a week I check her medications and blood pressure.

Sometimes when I'm checking her meds, she calls out, "What are you doing, Nance?"

"I'm circling the wagons, Bessie," I reply. "I'm circling the wagons."

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