Steve

Steve is a nurse who I work with in the ER. We sometimes call him Big Steve because he stands 6 foot 8 inches with broad shoulders and massive arms. One time we all went to a conference. Steve arrived late and stood in a doorway off to the side of the speaker. His body filled the door opening. I could see that he caught the eye of the speaker, who did his best to continue his talk. After a few more minutes the speaker stopped, mid sentence, looked at Steve, and said "You are a MOUNTAIN of a man." Steve grinned. Steve's idea of a workout is to go to the gym and lift heavy weights. He does this daily and occasionally competes in Strongman competitions. His large size is matched by his large heart, gentle nature and soft speech. Before coming to the ER he worked with psychiatric children. I could see him doing that. The ladies of the ER love him. They say he's the best hugger. And he has some great one liners! We were going through a period of extreme busyness at work and many of us were missing lunch. Because Steve likes to eat last, he was missing the most meals. So our boss comes to him and reminds him to try to take lunch because she has to account for all the extra time on the books. Steve, towering above her, takes a long, long, pause and then very quietly says, "Sue, do I look like I don't like to eat?" To say that Steve is a nurse in my department is a huge understatement. He is my good friend. I confide in him daily. Even when I get busy and neglect him, as I did when I got so busy helping form our union, he is there for me when I need him. He is truly a rock in my life, a mountain of a man.