Two Nurses, Smoking Summary
David Means

Two Nurses, Smoking Overview

"Two Nurses, Smoking" is a short story by American writer David Means. It was originally published in The New Yorker magazine in June 2020. Topically relevant due to its publication during the Covid-19 pandemic, the story follows two nurses who, on their smoke breaks, get to know each other and eventually develop a relationship. The story focuses on the nurses' complicated pasts and dramatizes how they become supports for one another.