STORY COLLECTIBLE PROFILE
The Emotional Well
By Roxanne Gail Hodge
COLLECTIBLE PREVIEW
Front & Back Card Images
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About the Story
The Emotional Well is a deeply moving contemporary drama that explores the intricate beauty and eventual heartbreak of professional caregiving. Drawing from profound real-life experiences, the narrative follows a dedicated live-in caregiver who joins a family at a critical turning point. Just three months into her tenure, a sudden tragedy strikes when the family’s matriarch passes away.Thrust into the center of their grief, the caregiver forms an immediate, fiercely protective bond with her elderly client—affectionately known as her "little guy"—and his devoted daughter. Together, the caregiver and daughter form an inseparable partnership, spending the next three years hand-in-hand to cultivate a warm, loving, and supportive environment for the aging father.As time passes, professional boundaries blur into genuine familial love. However, when unexpected health reasons force the caregiver to make the agonizing decision to step down, both women must confront a devastating transition. The story serves as a poignant tribute to the invisible threads that bind us to those we care for, proving that walking away from a chosen family is a gut-wrenching sacrifice that is never taken lightly.
- Author
- Roxanne Gail Hodge
- Genre
- Contemporary Fiction / Drama / Slice of Life
- Publication / Creation Year
- 2026
- Publication
- Short Stories by Texas Authors
- Volume / Edition
- Volume 11
- Story Position
- 12
- Approx. Word Count
- 1737
- Registry Number Range
- LC-SSEM-001 – LC-SSEM-050
AUTHOR'S PURPOSE
Why This Story Was Written
Recently, for health reasons, I stepped away from being a live-in caregiver for a family I was with for three years. My clients lived with their daughter and her husband. Three months after I joined them, the wife passed away. Walking with the family and "my little guy" through this tragedy created a special bond. For the next three years, his daughter and I worked together, giving her father a caring environment. My decision to step down was devastating for both of us. I wrote this story for her. I wanted her to know I did not take walking away lightly, and my choice to leave was gut-wrenching.
STORY AT A GLANCE
Premise & Themes
Central premise or conflict: A live-in caregiver forms a deep familial bond with an elderly client and his daughter following a family tragedy, ultimately facing the agonizing internal conflict of having to step down for personal health reasons.
Primary themes: Grief and resilience, the deep bonds of chosen family, professional sacrifice, and the emotional weight of caregiving.
Why it is memorable: It shines a rare, authentic light on the real emotional toll and profound love experienced by live-in caregivers, drawing directly from true human experience.
- Emotional Tone
- Reflective
- Setting
- A warm, peaceful home environment; contemporary era.
- Main Character / Central Figure
- The live-in caregiver.
READER INFORMATION
Reading Notes
Content notice: Brief mentions of family grief and the passing of a spouse.
Where readers can access the story outside the anthology: roxannegailhodge.com
COLLECTIBLE DEVELOPMENT
Visual Direction
- Artwork Exists
- Yes
- Artist / Designer
- Already on File with Alan/Museum
- Preferred Style
- Not provided