“I’m going to complain about that woman,” Kim said. “She’s not going to get away with that kind of insolence. The nerve! I can’t believe it.”
“She was only doing her job,” Tracy replied, content to let the incident drop. She was relieved that Kim hadn’t caused more of a scene.
“Oh really?” Kim snapped. “Does that mean you’re trying to defend her?”
“Calm down!” Tracy said. “She’s undoubtedly just following orders. You don’t think she makes up the rules, do you?”
Kim shook his head. The line inched ahead. At the moment there was only one clerk taking admissions. It was her job to fill out the check-in sheet with all the pertinent information, including insurance coverage if the patient was not a member of AmeriCare’s health plan.
Becky’s face suddenly contorted in pain. Pressing her hand into her abdomen, she whimpered.
“What’s the matter?” Kim asked.
“What do you think?” Tracy said. “It’s another cramp.”
Perspiration appeared on Becky’s forehead and she became pale. She looked pleadingly at her mother.
“It’ll pass like the others, dear,” Tracy said. Tracy stroked Becky’s head and then used her hand to remove the moisture from Becky’s face. “Do you want to sit down?”
Becky nodded.
“Keep our place!” Tracy said to Kim.
Kim watched Tracy lead Becky over to one of the molded-plastic chairs along the wall. Becky sat down.
Kim could tell that Tracy was talking with her because Becky was nodding her head. Becky’s color returned. A few minutes later Tracy came back.
“How is she?” Kim asked.
“She feels better for the moment, Tracy said. Tracy noted how little the line had advanced since they’d joined it. “Can’t you think of an alternative to this?”
“It’s Monday night,” Kim said. “A tough night anywhere.”
Tracy exhaled noisily. “I certainly miss Dr. Turner.”
Kim nodded. He rose up on his tiptoes to see if he could figure out why the queue wasn’t moving, but he couldn’t.
“This is ridiculous,” he exclaimed. “I’ll be right back!”
With his mouth set in a grim line, Kim skirted the people in front of him to reach the counter. Immediately he could see why they had not moved forward. An inebriated man in a soiled and wrinkled business suit was struggling through the process of checking in. All his credit cards had fallen from his wallet. On the back of his head was an angry scalp laceration.
“Hello!” Kim called out, trying to get the receptionist’s attention. She was an African-American woman in her mid-twenties. “I’m Dr. Reggis. I’m on staff in the department of cardiac surgery. I have my…”
“Excuse me,” the receptionist said, interrupting Kim. “I can only deal with one person at a time.”
“Listen!” Kim ordered. “I’m on the staff here..”
“It doesn’t matter,” the woman interjected. “We’re an equal-opportunity server. It’s first-come first-served for all routine emergencies.”
“Routine emergencies?” Kim questioned. It was a ridiculous oxymoron. All at once the idea of trying to talk to this clerk reminded him of the frustration of having to deal with medically untrained people when he called insurance companies or managed-care plans to get clearance for patients. That chore had become one of the truly exasperating problems of modern office practice.
“Please wait at the end of the line,” the receptionist said. “If you’ll allow me to concentrate and get these people before you signed in, I’ll be able to take your information sooner.” She then directed her full attention to the drunk. In the interim he’d managed to gather the contents of his wallet.
Kim started to protest, but it was all too obvious it was a waste of time to try to talk with this woman. It occurred to him that she might not even know what the term “on staff” meant. With growing frustration, humiliation, and irritation, Kim returned to Tracy.
“I don’t know where they find these people,” Kim complained. “They’re like automatons.”
“I’m impressed by how your exalted position in this hospital has greased the skids for us.”
“Your sarcasm doesn’t help one iota,” Kim snapped. “It’s all because of the merger. I’m not known down here. In fact, I can’t remember ever coming to this ER.”