候诊室里的圣诞节
<p><span word="It">It</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="unusually">unusually</span> <span word="quiet">quiet</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="emergency">emergency</span> <span word="room">room</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="December">December</span> 25.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="triage">triage</span> <span word="nurse">nurse</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="day">day</span>. <span word="I">I</span> <span word="didn">didn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="think">think</span> <span word="there">there</span> <span word="would">would</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="any">any</span> <span word="patients">patients</span>, <span word="sighing">sighing</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="having">having</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span>. <span word="Just">Just</span> <span word="then">then</span> <span word="five">five</span> <span word="bodies">bodies</span> <span word="showed">showed</span> <span word="up">up</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="my">my</span> <span word="desk">desk</span>, <span word="a">a</span> <span word="pale">pale</span> <span word="woman">woman</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="four">four</span> <span word="small">small</span> <span word="children">children</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Are">Are</span> <span word="you">you</span> <span word="all">all</span> <span word="sick">sick</span>?” <span word="I">I</span> <span word="asked">asked</span> <span word="suspiciously">suspiciously</span>.</p><p>“<span word="Yes">Yes</span>,” <span word="she">she</span> <span word="said">said</span> <span word="weakly">weakly</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="lowered">lowered</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="head">head</span>.</p><p><span word="But">But</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="came">came</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="descriptions">descriptions</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="their">their</span> <span word="presenting">presenting</span> <span word="problems">problems</span>, <span word="things">things</span> <span word="got">got</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="vague">vague</span>. <span word="Two">Two</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="headaches">headaches</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="headaches">headaches</span> <span word="weren">weren</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="accompanied">accompanied</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="normal">normal</span> <span word="body">body</span> <span word="language">language</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="holding">holding</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="head">head</span> <span word="or">or</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="keep">keep</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="still">still</span>. <span word="Two">Two</span> <span word="children">children</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="earaches">earaches</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="only">only</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="could">could</span> <span word="tell">tell</span> <span word="me">me</span> <span word="which">which</span> <span word="ear">ear</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="affected">affected</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="mother">mother</span> <span word="complained">complained</span> <span word="of">of</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="cough">cough</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="seemed">seemed</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="work">work</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="produce">produce</span> <span word="it">it</span>.</p><p><span word="Something">Something</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="wrong">wrong</span>, <span word="but">but</span> <span word="I">I</span> <span word="didn">didn</span>'<span word="t">t</span> <span word="say">say</span> <span word="anything">anything</span> <span word="but">but</span> <span word="explained">explained</span> <span word="that">that</span> <span word="it">it</span> <span word="might">might</span> <span word="be">be</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="little">little</span> <span word="while">while</span> <span word="before">before</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="doctor">doctor</span> <span word="saw">saw</span> <span word="her">her</span>. <span word="She">She</span> <span word="responded">responded</span>, “<span word="Take">Take</span> <span word="your">your</span> <span word="time">time</span>; <span word="it">it</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="warm">warm</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="here">here</span>.”</p><p><span word="On">On</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="hunch">hunch</span>, <span word="I">I</span> <span word="checked">checked</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="chart">chart</span> <span word="after">after</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="admitting">admitting</span> <span word="clerk">clerk</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="finished">finished</span> <span word="registering">registering</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="family">family</span>. <span word="No">No</span> <span word="address">address</span>—<span word="they">they</span> <span word="were">were</span> <span word="homeless">homeless</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="waiting">waiting</span> <span word="room">room</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="warm">warm</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="looked">looked</span> <span word="out">out</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="huddled">huddled</span> <span word="by">by</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span> <span word="tree">tree</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="littlest">littlest</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="pointing">pointing</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="television">television</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="exclaiming">exclaiming</span> <span word="something">something</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="her">her</span> <span word="mother">mother</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="oldest">oldest</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="looking">looking</span> <span word="at">at</span> <span word="an">an</span> <span word="ornament">ornament</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span> <span word="tree">tree</span>.</p><p><span word="I">I</span> <span word="went">went</span> <span word="back">back</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="nurses">nurses</span>' <span word="station">station</span> <span word="and">and</span> <span word="mentioned">mentioned</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="had">had</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="homeless">homeless</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="in">in</span> <span word="the">the</span> <span word="waiting">waiting</span> <span word="room">room</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="nurses">nurses</span>, <span word="grumbling">grumbling</span> <span word="about">about</span> <span word="working">working</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span>, <span word="turned">turned</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="compassion">compassion</span> <span word="for">for</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="family">family</span> <span word="just">just</span> <span word="trying">trying</span> <span word="to">to</span> <span word="get">get</span> <span word="warm">warm</span> <span word="on">on</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span>. <span word="The">The</span> <span word="team">team</span> <span word="went">went</span> <span word="into">into</span> <span word="action">action</span>, <span word="much">much</span> <span word="as">as</span> <span word="we">we</span> <span word="do">do</span> <span word="when">when</span> <span word="there">there</span>'<span word="s">s</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="medical">medical</span> <span word="emergency">emergency</span>. <span word="But">But</span> <span word="this">this</span> <span word="one">one</span> <span word="was">was</span> <span word="a">a</span> <span word="Christmas">Christmas</span> <span word="emergency">emergency</span>.</p>
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