Closing time

One overnight on trauma, I was suturing a long gash in a young man's leg. He was a passenger in a drunk driving accident, and was somewhat intoxicated himself. He kept apologizing profusely, though for what I wasn't sure.

Finally, he elaborated: "It's so late. I'm sorry to be keeping all the doctors here." Apparently, he thought our Level I Trauma Center would've shut its doors at 11 PM, if not for his thigh laceration. I informed him we're always open, and it was better for me to be working & learning than sitting on my hands for the whole shift.

He asked, "Nothing but emergencies, all day and all night?"

Yes. And I'm going to miss it next month.