A Warm Embrace

Abstract

This story was inspired by my experience as Medical Humanities and Bioethics student intern at Arlington Memorial Hospital. It is written from the perspective of a small child, who is struggling to understand the world around them after their mother is admitted into the intensive care unit. The ways in which we connect with our loved ones can drastically change in a matter of seconds, as holds true for the child in the short story. This narrative is important to medical humanities, as it signifies the perspective of children interacting with the medical field. The story "A Warm Embrace" is meant to understand the limits of familial connection and love in response to medical trauma, and to demonstrate that love can be personified in ways we may not understand.