[1655] Theory of Evolution

This is a literary fiction short story about mental health aimed at a magazine which publishes work pertaining to the immigrant experience. Thank you in advance.

UPDATE: Thank you everyone for your comments! Links removed as this story has been provisionally accepted for publication. You all rock! :)

I'm going to hide my questions under a cut as I would like to see first impressions going in blind.

!- Some people were confused about medical terminology e.g., what a resident physician is. Has this been addressed?!<

!- Some people were confused about the major parallel between the boy and the narrator, about when this incident occurred. It's in the past, the mother is speaking in the ambulance in the past. Is this clear?!<

!- Some people felt they didn't know enough about the narrator's background and the relationship to the nurse. Is this clear?!<

!- I have general issues with flow. If you have specific sentence or word edits that would be better for flow, I would love to hear them. !<

!- Pacing. I sense the story speeds up just a smidge too fast in the last few paragraphs. Is it just in my head? How to fix?!<

!- I also have a thing for diction. If you can think of a more precise word for anything, please let me know.!<

!- How did this story make you feel? What was the lingering image, if any?!<