the doctor in as soon as possible.
Hurriedly she took time to pull the hospital gown over the man's nakedness and the blanket up over him.
----
Jessica stood back while the resident on duty looked the man over. His eye was open, but looked glazed, and he wasn't trying to speak. The resident fussed with tubes and looked at the readouts of the monitors. Obviously he didn't have anything in mind to actually do, and was just going through motions. Jessica was constantly amazed at how much art was involved in medicine, which most people thought of as a science. Doctors had only touched the surface, as far as really understanding what went on in a human body. More than half the time, they had no idea what was actually wrong with someone, especially in circumstances like this.
"Keep an eye on him," said the young man. He left without another word, probably going back to the room with the cot in it, where the residents who had the night shift spent as much time as possible, trying to sleep.
"Sure thing," said Jessica, trying to suppress the impatience in her voice. What did he think she was going to do ... take a nap-like him?
She stepped closer to the bed.
"Hi," she said, leaning over him so his eye could see her without him having to move his head. "How are you feeling?"
It was a silly question. She knew that. But it was a way to get the patient talking. He mumbled something and licked his lips.
She checked the chart. Nothing about restricting liquids. She told him she'd be right back and went to get a cup. She put mostly ice in it, and just a little water, and got a straw that would bend at the top. Taking it back, she tilted the cup carefully and put the straw between his lips. His tongue pushed it out and, as if it were a tool of exploration, moved the end of the straw to one side and then back again. His head lifted fractionally and she put the straw back between his lips.
He gave a tiny suck, and dropped his head back to the pillow. She could see him swishing the water around in his mouth before swallowing. His lips opened again and she gave him the straw once more. Three tiny sips later, he spoke.
"What happened?"
"We were hoping you could tell us that," she said softly. "You were in some kind of accident. You're in the hospital now."
His eye moved around her upper body, and she imagined him thinking, "Well duh ... you're a nurse!" She felt her face get hot.
"You lost a lot of blood," she said, for lack of anything else to say. "You're kind of banged up." She didn't mention the suspected gunshot wound on his temple. She couldn't have said why she didn't mention it, but she left that part out intentionally.
"What's your name?" she asked.
He seemed to think about that for a while.
----
When he'd first awakened, he knew he was waking up, and he knew he was someplace "different than usual." He could tell that something had happened to him, because he could feel pain in various parts of his body. He'd centered on that, initially. Now he went beyond his body.
What was his name?
He realized that his mind was curiously empty. It was a little like knowing you'd gone shopping recently, but opening the pantry door and finding empty shelves. Where was all the stuff that was supposed to be on them?
He felt mildly frustrated. She had asked such an easy question, and he couldn't answer it. He looked at her. She looked odd ... flat somehow, two dimensional instead of three dimensional. He realized only one of his eyes was working. He brought his hand up and felt a lump with a cloth feel to it covering the eye he couldn't see out of. Bandages. He was in a hospital and he was bandaged up.
----
"Can you hear me?" asked the nurse.
"I don't know," he said.
"You don't know if you can hear me?"
"I don't know my name."
"You wait right
Hurriedly she took time to pull the hospital gown over the man's nakedness and the blanket up over him.
----
Jessica stood back while the resident on duty looked the man over. His eye was open, but looked glazed, and he wasn't trying to speak. The resident fussed with tubes and looked at the readouts of the monitors. Obviously he didn't have anything in mind to actually do, and was just going through motions. Jessica was constantly amazed at how much art was involved in medicine, which most people thought of as a science. Doctors had only touched the surface, as far as really understanding what went on in a human body. More than half the time, they had no idea what was actually wrong with someone, especially in circumstances like this.
"Keep an eye on him," said the young man. He left without another word, probably going back to the room with the cot in it, where the residents who had the night shift spent as much time as possible, trying to sleep.
"Sure thing," said Jessica, trying to suppress the impatience in her voice. What did he think she was going to do ... take a nap-like him?
She stepped closer to the bed.
"Hi," she said, leaning over him so his eye could see her without him having to move his head. "How are you feeling?"
It was a silly question. She knew that. But it was a way to get the patient talking. He mumbled something and licked his lips.
She checked the chart. Nothing about restricting liquids. She told him she'd be right back and went to get a cup. She put mostly ice in it, and just a little water, and got a straw that would bend at the top. Taking it back, she tilted the cup carefully and put the straw between his lips. His tongue pushed it out and, as if it were a tool of exploration, moved the end of the straw to one side and then back again. His head lifted fractionally and she put the straw back between his lips.
He gave a tiny suck, and dropped his head back to the pillow. She could see him swishing the water around in his mouth before swallowing. His lips opened again and she gave him the straw once more. Three tiny sips later, he spoke.
"What happened?"
"We were hoping you could tell us that," she said softly. "You were in some kind of accident. You're in the hospital now."
His eye moved around her upper body, and she imagined him thinking, "Well duh ... you're a nurse!" She felt her face get hot.
"You lost a lot of blood," she said, for lack of anything else to say. "You're kind of banged up." She didn't mention the suspected gunshot wound on his temple. She couldn't have said why she didn't mention it, but she left that part out intentionally.
"What's your name?" she asked.
He seemed to think about that for a while.
----
When he'd first awakened, he knew he was waking up, and he knew he was someplace "different than usual." He could tell that something had happened to him, because he could feel pain in various parts of his body. He'd centered on that, initially. Now he went beyond his body.
What was his name?
He realized that his mind was curiously empty. It was a little like knowing you'd gone shopping recently, but opening the pantry door and finding empty shelves. Where was all the stuff that was supposed to be on them?
He felt mildly frustrated. She had asked such an easy question, and he couldn't answer it. He looked at her. She looked odd ... flat somehow, two dimensional instead of three dimensional. He realized only one of his eyes was working. He brought his hand up and felt a lump with a cloth feel to it covering the eye he couldn't see out of. Bandages. He was in a hospital and he was bandaged up.
----
"Can you hear me?" asked the nurse.
"I don't know," he said.
"You don't know if you can hear me?"
"I don't know my name."
"You wait right
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