Page 34 - Advance Copy: Todd Kaufman, Author

TODD KAUFMAN
major city in the USA. The weekend shift in the Emergency Department was right out of a TV drama. And, despite what some may tell you, a Saturday night with a full moon was a guarantee for more drama than even a TV show could cook up. Patients arrived not just by screaming ambulances; we had more than our fair share of both walk-ins and patients brought in by friends and loved ones. The ER waiting room itself was always filled beyond capacity with people from all walks of life and in need of care. City police wandered carefully through the crowds as the metal detectors didn’t always catch a gang member, there for help or for revenge, who slipped in with a gun or knife hidden in his belt or boot.
On this night it was particularly busy. People were crying, yelling and demanding attention. Triage nurses behind bulletproof glass were doing their best to help the neediest first, carefully escorting them from the waiting room and through the two large glass and metal security doors always staffed by two armed cops. In short, it was a zoo.
Anyone would find this environment stressful, and Becky definitely did. She came in suspected of having a heart attack or cardiac distress and had been bumped to the top of the care list. She was quickly moved inside where a team of nurses, technicians and doctors descended upon her to make a fast call as to the likelihood of a cardiac event.
Becky was placed on a stretcher and a large group of experts tightly surrounded her. They peppered her with questions about any family history of heart attacks. A doctor ripped her shirt open and attached a heart monitor. A nurse stuck an IV needle in her arm for the potential rapid delivery of meds, and drew blood from her other arm for emergency screening. The whirlwind of activity was well orchestrated, but to Becky, it was a crazy, terrifying cacophony of sounds, smells, needle pokes and manhandling. Being inside the ER amongst professionals was feeling just as scary to her as the waiting room; maybe even more so.
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