Nurse

"Let's put it under the heat lamp on low for a bit," the nurse said. "See if we can get those lungs cleared up ... gain some traction." "And if that doesn't work?" the assistant worried. "What next? Why is nothing helping!?!" The nurse hugged the assistant, familiar with the feeling of helplessness attached to this process. "Then we hold and we rock and we comfort; we whisper and we cry and we hope. This is only one path; maybe the stars will show us others." The assistant nodded, and set the lamp. "Not too hot now," the nurse cautioned. "We don't want a Mars repeat." And they sat a while and watched to see if Earth cooed or fussed, spinning there sickly in the quiet care of deep space. "Come on, you can do this," the assistant sighed softly. "Just try."