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Lunch break came before he could take
a bathroom break. As Cary ate the remaining deli sandwich, he remembered his
conversation with the deli man.
“You own this place?” Cary asked the
man.
“Yep.” He stopped slicing meat and
narrowed his eyes, staring at Cary’s hospital ID badge. “You a doctor?”
“Yes.”
“Oh. You going to work in the
hospital?” The man resumed making the sandwiches.
“Yes.”
“On the ham, Lettuce?”
“And tomato, too, please.”
The man finished up and brought the
sandwiches to the register. Terry plopped down two containers of chocolate milk
and two small bags of chips. “How much.” He reached for his wallet.
“No charge.”
“No, really. It’s okay. I can pay.”
“No. You’re helping virus people. You
a good man. No charge.” The man bagged the food and handed it to Cary.
“Well. Damn. Thank you.”
As he guzzled the chocolate milk, a
warmth spread through Cary. Maybe some people wouldn’t think it amounted to
much, but they’d be wrong. Respect. And when he was going through Hell on Earth
to help people, respect, even from a stranger, mattered.
‘Dr. Metcalf, can you check Mr.
Andrews? His oxygen count is down.”
Cary left his daydream behind,
stuffed the remaining food in his mouth, then donned his mask and gloves. He
followed the nurse to the end of the hall where patients waited to be intubated.
Three patients coded at the same
time. All Hell broke loose. Doctors and nurses ran from bed to bed. As soon as
they stabilized one patient, another went into cardiac arrest. They lost two of
the three within the hour.
The
deadly outcome of so many burrowed into his bones. Five minutes before his
shift ended, he shed his scrubs, grabbed his backpack, and headed for the subway.
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What a sad and powerful post. Well done!
ReplyDeleteJean, this is so moving-- the humane thoughtfulness of the tangible appreciation and then the horror of trying to save patients and losing them. Well done!
ReplyDeleteYou paint such a vivid picture. Well done.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the deli owner gave him the food at no charge moved me. The appreciation he felt for Cary is incredible. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love that the deli owner honored him by not charging him.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad snippet there at the end ... yet, it's not fictional. That's real life right now. Along with the blessings from strangers that is also part of real life right now. Great!
ReplyDelete