Arterial Ward by JD DeHart

There is all manner of guesswork in our late-night activities. When they bring the bleeders in, we have to act fast, and sometimes send them on to the loony bin.

I imagine it is not really a bin. More like a holding cell.

We run into all sorts of madness here. A doctor orders ten cc’s of some chemical, and we find, days later, he was not a doctor. We look for the glove, but it has disappeared, and the patients are walking funny.

Sometimes, when someone gets sick, their whole family shows up as if it is graduation day. We try to make them feel like they are getting well, but we really do not know. We order x-rays. Families like it when we order x-rays.

One man, I think his name is Ricardo, splashes onto the wall. We clamp him and then knit him a vest to wear off his wounds. Someone brings in leeches, and we say no, that is outdated. We continue on this way until morning and then deny it all.

© 2014 JD DeHart

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