I Learned About Empathy From That Part 5

Prior to my transport to my room from the ER I got a morphine and phenergan shot together and was as close to pain free as I'd be for the next month and since my body was naive to narcotics I was feeling a little high. Also, since I was so volume depleted my body had already shunted blood away from my extremities to save my organs so I was feeling sort of disembodied.

The girl who was to transport me was beautiful, sweet and new to the hospital. On the way to the room we went through a construction area where they were remodelling the hospital. The stretcher ran over something- maybe an extension cord causing me to yelp. Then it hit something like a missing tile causing me to call out again. I was miserable. "Oh my, I'll take it easier. I'm so sorry." she cooed. Looking up I thought she was an angel with a halo, but then she moved to the side causing the light behind her head to burrow into my skull. I moaned, pulled the sheet over my head and turned to my side.


"I think we're lost. I'll call back to the desk." she said as she turned to an empty room to use the phone. As I lie on the stretcher beside the open door of another patients room I could hear some very hick people discussing a lawsuit related to the care of granny. One of the hillbillies became aware of the presence of the stretcher I was on and came to close the door. The next thing I heard was,"Good Gawd amighty. You aren't gonna believe this. There's a dead body out here in the hallway! I ain't even believin' this. What kind of place is this?" a voice said after I heard another person shuffle to the door. They slammed the door. It felt like my head was in it.

We went to an elevator that was out of order. We went to another corridor that was closed. We went up to a floor that was a women's services unit and then came back down until we finally found the tower that held my room.


To be continued.