it breaks my heart, it really does. i'm not used to this amount of death. and it wears you down. >> reporter: haunted by all that death. in her most recent shift, she found a way to help one family say good-bye to a loved one. >> it's so hard to sit there and hold your patient's hand while their family members are sitting there telling them they love them and it's not good-bye, it's see you later. >> reporter: across the country, nurses like carly rice offering that critical link between patients and family. and over the past couple of nights we told you about jason winehouse and his family in st. louis. five family members, including parents jane and mike, both landed in the icu. tonight, the good news. so they're off ventilators. they don't need any help breathing and they're in a standard room. i mean, that's great news.