Kim, Tracy, and Becky had eventually found seats together and had not moved, except for Becky, who’d made several more trips to the restroom. Kim was holding the stool-sample container. Although there had been some spots of bright red blood originally, now the contents appeared a uniform light brown. Becky was miserable and mortified. Tracy was exasperated. Kim was still seething.
“I don’t believe this,” Kim said suddenly. “I truly don’t believe this. Every second I think we’ll be called, but it doesn’t happen.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ve been here an hour and a half.”
“Welcome to the real world,” Tracy said.
“This is what Kelly Anderson should have done her merger story about,” Kim said. “This is ridiculous. AmeriCare closed the ER at the Samaritan to cut costs and make everyone come here. It’s all just to maximize profits.”
“And maximize inconvenience,” Tracy added.
“It’s true,” Kim agreed. “AmeriCare definitely wants to discourage emergency-room usage.”
“I can’t think of a better way,” Tracy said.
“I can’t believe that not one of the staff people has recognized me,” Kim growled. “It’s incredible. Hell, I’m probably the best-known cardiac surgeon in the department.”
“Isn’t there something you can do?” Tracy pleaded. “Becky’s miserable.”
Kim stood up. “All right,” he said. “I’ll try.”
“But don’t lose your temper,” Tracy admonished. “It might make everything worse.”
“How can it be worse?” Kim replied.
Kim walked out of the waiting room on his way to the nurses desk. He’d gone only a few steps when the wailing of an ambulance siren reverberated through the main swinging doors to his left. A moment later a flashing red light was seen through the doors’ glass panels. The siren died off and soon the doors burst open. Several bloodied people-apparently auto-accident victims-were rolled in and whisked into the ER proper.
Kim could not help but wonder if these new arrivals meant Becky would have to wait that much longer.
Kim approached the nurses’ desk. Again he looked for Molly McFadden, but she was still out of sight. The people there were a clerk, who was on the phone transcribing laboratory values, and a solitary nurse doing paperwork while sipping coffee. Her name tag read: MONICA HOSKINS, ER Staff Nurse.
Forcing himself to be civil, Kim got her attention by gently tapping the countertop.
“Good evening,” he said when she looked up at him. “Perhaps you recognize me?”
Monica narrowed her eyes slightly as she gazed at Kim.
“No, I don’t think I do,” she said. “Should I?”
“I’m on the surgical attending staff,” Kim said. “But right now I’m here with my daughter, and we’ve been waiting for over an hour and a half. Could you tell me when she’ll be seen?”
“It’s been a busy night, especially with auto accidents,” Monica explained. “What’s the name?”
“Dr. Reggis,” Kim said. He squared his shoulders.
“No, the patient’s name,” Monica said.
“Rebecca Reggis,” Kim said.
Monica picked up a stack of ER sign-in sheets. After wetting the tip of her index finger with her tongue she rapidly flipped through the papers.
“Okay,” she remarked as she withdrew one of them. “Here it is.” She read the chief complaint and then raised her face to Kim. She arched her eyebrows.
“Diarrhea, two days’ duration,” she commented. “Not exactly a four-plus emergency.”
Kim lifted the stool-sample container to bring it into her line of sight. “She’s been passing a little bit of blood this afternoon,” Kim said.
Monica leaned forward. “Doesn’t look like blood.”
“It did earlier.” Kim said. “And it has her mother upset.”
“Well, we’ll get to her as soon as we can,” Monica said noncommittally. “That’s about all I can say.” She replaced Becky’s sign-in sheet to its former location in the stack.
“Listen,” Kim said in a deliberately controlled voice. “As a member of the staff, I expect some consideration, and after waiting this long already, I want her to be seen shortly. I hope I’m making myself clear. She’s in considerable discomfort.”
Monica treated Kim to a patently false smile. “As I said a moment ago, we’ll get to her as soon as we can. We have limited resources. If you’ve been here for an hour and a half, I’m sure you’ve seen the auto accidents that have come in, and now the police have alerted us a shooting victim is on his way.