The Slow Down
Five thirty wake up
Five forty-five bike to hospital
Six round on inpatients
Fever, bowel movement, any belly pain
Stay another day
Home with vicodin
Seven, lectures
7:01 daydream
Eight oh eight
To clinic with speed
No breakfast?
Groin bulge
Smoker
Heart Disease
Pre-op labs
Schedule for Monday
Next
“Doctor, Mr. Richmond called.”
Said you told him to
Line 3
“Tell him to be here at five.”
“We close at five.”
“Please”
Painful bump
Diabetic
Pus
I and D
Done
Lipoma follow-up
Incision looks good
No need for dressing now or
To come back and see us
Page
Patient in ICU with pain
Almost lunch time
I’ll stop and see
Sandwich to iCU
Pt OK
Change vicodin to morphine
Back to clinic and
Groin bulge
Colostomy followup
Another I and D
A second to peek out the window
The leaves are brown
How long’s that been?
I need to stop this mindless shit
Start enjoying myself
Five
Mr. Richmond in four
Doc do you need anything?
Can you show him to my office?
That’ll be all for today.
I park down in the chair, not resting on the small blue circular spinney chair designed for efficiency, but the comfortable brown chair behind my big desk, the desk that give me courage.
John have a seat. How are you? How’s your wife?
I realized the desk isn’t going to help me now. I slowly get up and inch to John.
I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.