Stationed as an Army officer in Hawaii, I was alarmed to see my mother calling from Virginia. My father had a stroke. Feeling helpless more than 4,500 miles away, I called my best friend, Nora, an E.R. nurse who lives near them. Within 15 minutes, she drove to the hospital to hold hands, translate the doctor’s prognosis and make sure that my mother ate — everything a good nurse, or a good friend, would do. With my parents settled, I finally asked what had happened. “Oh,” Nora said with a giggle. “They were having sex.” I cringed, grateful for my friend. — Veronica Bean