Nina Grant, Pediatric Nurse — Patti Stone

Could she overcome her orphan's insecurity to be the kind of nurse she wanted to be? Could she learn to trust herself…and the promise of happiness a wealthy young doctor offered her?

The road to becoming a good nurse, Nina Grant discovered, was strewn with many pitfalls. A nurse could not afford even one mistake -- because it could prove fatal. Yet she had made one error in judgment, had confessed to a moment of carelessness. One more error would mean dismissal, the end of the work she loved, the end to her strange bitter-sweet relationship with Dr. Halpern. Then an epidemic struck, testing every facet of her skill and courage. Nina Grant and Dr. Halpern found the strength to fight it … and something more …



Emergency…
Gently Nina lifted Julie onto the bed. This should be simply routine -- getting the patient into a nightgown, taking her temperature and pulse, charting everything for the doctor.
She slipped a hospital nightie over the child's body -- and then, without warning, it happened! Julie stiffened. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth and her eyes rolled up…
Convulsion! Nina had seen patients in convulsion before, but she had never been alone with a hysterical mother when it happened.
Mrs. Wilson's scream was high and thin: “She's dying! Help, my baby is dying!” And she rushed toward Nina…