Saturday, September 1, 2012

Defying Gravity

I worried about this guy.  IV drug user; hugely swollen and red arm, an abscess gone completely haywire, and it looked like it had been going on for awhile.  He was promptly triaged and placed in a room, the dirty used ace bandage unwrapped.  The smell was horrible.  He looked sick.

He left without being seen, scampering unnoticed out of the department after about 10 minutes on the premise of using the rest room.  Home number disconnected.  Police well-being check turned up an abandoned house.

Some people don't merely fall through the cracks: they plummet.  Perpetual free-fall.