Vital Signs In Service by Diane Murphy

In 1979, Diane Hartwell trades the familiar halls of civilian nursing for Navy dress blues-and discovers that answering the call to serve was only the beginning.

At Naval Regional Medical Center Pensacola, she enters a world governed by rank, protocol, and expectations she doesn't always understand. New friendships pull her into the world of naval aviation, while nursing continues to test the instincts she has only begun to trust.

When Hurricane Frederic bears down on Pensacola, Diane finds herself caring for patients inside a hospital cut off from the outside world. With power failing, communications disrupted, and exhausted staff pushed beyond their limits, experience matters-but so do leadership, teamwork, and knowing when to act.

As the storm passes and Diane moves deeper into military nursing, she encounters another kind of challenge: caring for patients when medicine cannot save them. Through loss, friendship, and an unexpected reunion, she begins to understand that service is not simply where she works or the uniform she wears. It is becoming part of who she is.

Vital Signs: In Service is the second novel in the Vital Signs series-a sweeping story of nursing, military service, intuition, friendship, and the experiences that shape a life.