Waiting Room Observations
He sat there.
For him life had gone on hiatus.
Nothing mattered until the surgeon came out with the news.
The cold air running through the building made him shiver and he looked around as he sat in the cafeteria at the hospitals entrance. He was amazed that life was going on around him.
A mom, dad and two small children walked into reception asking which ward their beloved grandmother was on. A young woman and a boy of about nine waited behind them to ask about her husband, both were swiftly dealt with and then dispatched to their destinations.
Porters pushed patients through the hospital from wards to appointments or vice versa. Two paramedics stopped at the coffee kiosk on their break before they went back to saving lives.
Another young woman left the building carrying a newborn baby, a boy according to the balloon her husband carried. A new life starting and yet still his was stopped.
People watched him, watching them.
A few sent concerned looks his way, occasionally someone would ask if they could join him at the table as the cafeteria filled up and then emptied as people moved on. Apart from a nod, he would say nothing.
He watched as pharmaceutical representatives got lunch, coffee or a snack, chatting with the doctors in line hope desperately to win a new prospective client and make a sale.
Still he waited…
The lunch rush stilled and the entrance quietened down.
His phone rang; his team, concerned for their friend and teammate, rang him for information.
He was terse; he had no news to share with them and told them to all go home until he knew more.
He let out a sly smile as he imagined the argument at the office as to which one would make the call.
He was not surprised when she called she was his favorite.
He loved her and she in turn loved them all equally.
He told her that he knew nothing, he waited as she panicked he reassured her, calmed her down and he waited.
Part of him felt cheated.
Why was the world still turning? Didn't they know? Didn't they care?
They should all be waiting, the whole world, with baited breath.
Finally, he looked up surprised.
He was there.
"But I thought you were shot? They said you might die." He said hoarsely
The other man grinned although there was a slight hint of pain and sadness behind his eyes.
"But Boss….you didn't give me permission to die." He said simply.
Because in his world that explained everything.