Know your co-worker’s names

The other night while I was working at the hospital, there were not a ton of 13-17 year old kids coming into the ER for me to talk with. That said I was loitering in the halls a bit.

An ambulance suddenly pulled up and wheeled a kid on a stretcher in. At first glance he looked to be in the age range so I started stalking him and waiting for a good time to make an entrance before the doctors and nurses had their way with him.

I watched as the EMT’s brought him in and then as he asked to go to the bathroom, which was in the hallway outside his room. Everyone cleared the hall and went back to work. I hung out at a small desk in the middle of the hallway directly across from his room, just waiting.

He walked out of the bathroom, locked his glazed-over eyes on me and walked closer. In a very weak voice he said, “I’m not feeling so well.” I met him in the middle of the hall and said, “Ok, let’s just get you back to your room.” He looked at me, white as a ghost and said, “I think I’m gonna…” then dropped like a ton of bricks into my arms.

At that moment, alone in the hall with a very large boy in my arms, I looked 50 feet down the hall to the nurse’s station, now bustling with people and I had no idea what any of their names were.

As I struggled not to drop him on the floor, I heard myself calling out, “Excuse me…excuse me…EXCUUUUUSSSSEE MEEEEEEEE!!!!!”

Then…all my new friends came running.

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