Scripture
Hebrews 13:2 NKJV
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”
Doors opened allowing a stooped, Greying Woman entry into the foyer. 3 children playing in the pen, pointed at the woman sniggering behind their hands. Suckling at a woman’s breast a baby paused, glancing in the direction of the noise, and howled. A couple occupying seats next to the entrance made derogatory remarks about the frayed state of the newcomer’s garments.
A young man turned to his mate seated next to him, who was favouring a bandaged right knee, blood seeping through the gauze. “Hey, Liam, check that out?” in a desultory voice and indicated the Greying Woman.
Liam turned a glazed look towards the woman unable to focus. Condensed light that seemed like a ray of sun on steroids, was moving through the waiting room, towards the triage area. Thinking it a trick from his prankster friend to make light of his opioid fugue. “Fuck off, Gavin. That’s bright light.”
Arching an eyebrow at his friend, Gavin shook his head, “You’re fried mate. Fuck this shit, you’re bleeding through. Watch this.” The young man stood up, approaching the triage to coincide with the path of the newcomer. Colliding into her with force, he knocked her off her feet. This earned him an admonishing glance from the receptionist labelled ‘Zoey’. Zoey sat in relative safety behind the plexiglass barrier.
The senior nurse on duty labelled ‘Emily’, gave Gavin a thumbs up as a grin spread across a vicious, Pit-bull face. Emily was a large woman with the figure of a rugby forward, many tattoos and black hair styled in a military buzz crop that would have done more justice to a French poodle.
The woman collapsed on the floor. An audible snap echoed throughout the room. Waiting patients glared at her interruption of their sorrows. Gavin, not feeling apologetic, rendered a false apology, “Sorry.” Ignoring the Greying Woman, he demanded of the receptionist. “Hi, yeah, excuse me. We’ve been here, for like, ages, mate and my friend is pissing out blood through his bandage. He needs seeing to right now.”
Shaking her head, Zoey apologised, “I’m sorry. Emergency is full. You’ve already received assessment. Everyone gets seen according to their need.”
Emily’s arm shot out from behind Zoey. She slipped a clean, plastic wrapped gauze bandage beneath the barrier. “Here, this should help. I’ll talk to the doctor and see what he can do.”
Gavin made his way back to Liam, bypassing the Greying Woman still collapsed on the floor. With care, he removed his friends bandage. He noticed that the bleeding had slowed down, and the deep gash seemed to have lost 2 millimetres in length. Knowing that it shouldn’t be possible, he ignored it. He thought that it was a hallucination brought on by the amphetamine binge he had been on for the last 3 days and stress from Liam’s injury.
The Greying Woman had regained her feet and arrived at the triage. As she sat down in the chair before the plexiglass barrier, Zoey excused herself. “I’ll be a moment. Tea-time. I’m sure you understand. If you wait there, I will return in 15 minutes.” Leaving before the Greying Woman had the opportunity to acknowledge her.
