What does it mean to stand in the room when life ends-and still show up the next day?
In Between Heartbeats, Registered Nurse Brandy Bicknell shares a powerful and deeply personal look inside long-term care, where death is not rare, grief is not simple, and the moments that matter most often happen in quiet, unseen ways.
Through raw, honest storytelling, Brandy brings readers to the bedside of patients in their final days, into the hallways where nurses carry unseen emotional weight, and into the deeply human space between life and death.
But this memoir goes beyond nursing.
It is also the story of personal loss.
After losing her daughter, Bailey, Brandy returns to work in a world that hasn't stopped moving, caring for others while navigating grief that has permanently changed her life. In doing so, she discovers a deeper understanding of what it truly means to be present for others in their most vulnerable moments.
Inside this book, you'll discover: - The reality of long-term care that most people never see.
- What nurses experience during death, loss, and end-of-life care.
- The complex, unexpected ways families respond to grief.
- The emotional toll, and quiet strength, of healthcare workers.
- The moments of humor, connection, and humanity that exist alongside heartbreak.
- How loss changes us, and how we continue forward anyway.
This is not a clinical book.
It is not a guide.
It is a deeply human story about:
- Showing up when things fall apart.
- Carrying what others cannot see.
- Finding meaning in moments that don't always make sense.
For nurses, caregivers, and anyone who has experienced loss, Between Heartbeats offers a rare, honest perspective on what it means to care for others and for ourselves when life doesn't go as planned.
Because sometimes, the most important moments happen in the space between heartbeats.
