Go anywhere, anytime, and do anything. This is the creedo of the Emergency Nurse and this sums up Lindsey Spencer perfectly. Lindsey came to the ER from ICU and the Family Birth Center a few years back and has made the fast-paced ER her home. An excellent clinician with superb skills and a compassionate heart, Lindsey truly sets the standard in our ER, precepting our new graduates and raising the bar higher every day with her skills and hard work. I could recount many stories about Lindsey, stories illustrating her heart and skills, but today, today there is but one story I wish to tell.

Recently, a young woman and her husband came into the ER. The young woman was about 10-12 weeks pregnant and was miscarrying, a fact confirmed by ultrasound two days earlier. The young woman was bleeding and distraught; this day the reality of what was happening to her and her unborn child was to sink in. Miscarriages are not uncommon in the ER, particularly in the first term. There is little that can be done to intervene and the emotional stress on the patient is immense. Often the child has been named, nurseries have been painted, hopes and dreams abound. This day this family's dream would come to an end.

The young woman was moved to a room in the ER and Lindsey was assigned as the nurse. Introductions were made and the clinical portion of the visit began. The woman soon passed a fair amount of blood and several clots, the products of conception. Such a clinical term for one's unborn child. I spoke with Lindsey in the supply room while she was preparing for the woman's exam. She wondered aloud about her role with this woman and the woman's angst. I told her simply to do what she does best, to be herself.

Lindsey went back to the patient room and began the process of healing. Lindsey asked the couple if they would like to see their baby. They did and Lindsey went about the process of cleansing the intact baby of the blood and clots that covered it. Once clean she placed it on the only thing she had, a tiny makeshift blanket comprised of a folded pillowcase. She handed the baby to the mother and father who then began to grieve, weeping openly and speaking softly to one another, saying those things that one does in such a private and sorrowful moment. They counted the fingers and toes, asking Lindsey, is it a boy? They wanted a boy so very much. Lindsey answered their questions and then left them to grieve privately.

She came back to the room a bit later. The parents had let go, they had had this time of grieving and closure they so desperately needed and that Lindsey had provided for them. They thanked Lindsey for what she had done, it was evident that this was the closure that was needed. They asked Lindsey, could they take their baby home? There was never a doubt for Lindsey. She has a profound sense of what is right and the tenacity to make it happen. She wrapped the child gently and placed him in a small container giving him to the mother.

The woman was discharged shortly thereafter and I then spoke with Lindsey who told me this story. She and I have spoken before about what a blessing it to know that for a certain moment in time, you are exactly where you should be, doing exactly what you should be doing. This was certainly the case for Lindsey that day. The impact she made on that family will be felt forever. I am proud to know Lindsey and am honored to call her my friend.