you just don’t listen

In the ICU, we had coded the guy for about 10 minutes after a few PEAs MD called it. The doc left the room, the RT pulled the patient from the vent, and his eyes opened and started breathing through the tube.

I ran to catch the doc before he could tell the family. He was talking with them, and I gently tapped him on the shoulder and said, “It’s urgent”. He completely turned his back on me and continued with the family.

I said, “Please, it’s urgent”. He turned towards me and said, “Go away, this is completely inappropriate! I’m talking with the family”. I said, “I see that, but before you do…” and he said, “GO!” So I did.

He came back asking me what the fuck was so goddamned important. I said, “Your patient is alive and breathing on his own; the one we just coded, the one you just told the family he didn’t make it. But fuck me, right? l’ll just go away now and let you clean this up”.