Prologue
He stepped onto the jet way, slinging his carry-on bag over his shoulder and folding his suit jacket over his arm. He took a deep breath, taking in the smell of the processed airport air, still better than the stale airplane mixture of skin, unwashed hair, and disinfectant. He felt the burning again in his chest. This goddamn heartburn, he cursed to himself. He had been battling the pain since mid-flight. He unwrapped another Tums from his pocket and chewed rapidly as he hurried to the airport curb and taxi line. He winced as the pain gripped his chest. I’ve never had it this bad, he thought as he piled the bag and his laptop into the trunk of the taxi.
“Where to?” The back of the head said as he settled into the back seat. He thought about it for a minute.
“You know where the nearest hospital is from here?” He wiped at the sweat on his forehead. Had he really rushed enough from the plane to make himself sweat?
“Fort Lauderdale Regional is pretty close. You wanna go to the hospital? You okay man? You don’t look so hot.” The driver turned around in the seat, eyeing him sidelong, wondering if the guy was going to puke in his cab or pass out, and nervously deciding if the fare was worth it.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!’ He managed a disarming smile, trying to make light of the pain in his chest. “Just got a bad case of heartburn.
Need something stronger than these damn antacids.” He waived the roll of Tums in the air for emphasis. “You take me there?”
“Sure, no problem.” The driver hesitantly turned forward, churning over his options if this guy suddenly got really sick in his cab.
As they came up on the large red Emergency Room letters on the side of the hospital building, the man fumbled for his bills, passed them forward and quickly got out of the cab, grabbing his bags and heading through the glass sliding doors. After getting triaged into the ER, the nurse snapped his wristband in place, and motioned him to follow her to a back room. He was hopeful that he wouldn’t have to wait long especially as the waiting room seemed nearly empty. Midnight on a Tuesday was the time to come for sure.
Good call, he thought to himself as he followed her to the curtained exam room, rubbing at his sternum absently. She handed him the gown and snapped the curtain shut behind her. I’m not going to put this on, he thought, and laid the gown back down on the gurney. I just need some medicine for this damn burning in my chest. As he sat there his mind reviewed the last few days he had spent in Arizona.
I am so close, he thought. This is almost over and I can finally relax, no more stress and more time to appreciate all the work I put in, smell the roses as they say. As time went by and his mind reeled over the meetings and plans he still had to make, he unconsciously grabbed his left shoulder, rubbing an ache there that was new.
The curtain pulled back and the doctor, a small, busy rigid man with thinning hair scanned his chart, looked up and introduced himself.
“Mr. Pike, is it? Dr. Davis. Nice to meet you.” The doctor sat at the end of the gurney and surveyed the man sitting uncomfortably at the head of the bed. “Thanks for waiting. How are you feeling?
You’ve been having some bad…..let’s see…..heartburn, is it?” He said glancing at the chart. After explaining the pain, the burning and his use of antacids, the doctor nodded and started jotting things onto the chart resting on his thigh.
“It’s probably nothing…. I get it all the time but the Tums isn’t working this time. I am under a lot of stress you know, and I think it’s just setting off my stomach acid.” Pike shrugged and waved his hand dismissively.
“Let’s do some tests anyway and I’ll try some medicine you can drink and see if it makes your symptoms better—that’ll help us decide if it is heartburn or something else, and hopefully make you feel better in the process, right?” The doctor smiled, stood and left, pulling the curtain behind him.
Over the next hour and a half, blood was drawn, X-rays were done and Pike drank a shot of green, chalky gooey liquid that numbed his throat, and gagged him as he swallowed it down. He sat back, waiting.
God, I am so tired, he thought. I have way too much to do tomorrow. I just need to get out of here, he thought. He called his wife and told her he had landed but was detained at the airport, not wanting her to worry about him in the ER. He told her to not wait up, that he would just slip into bed and sleep when he got home. She sleepily agreed and hung up. His watch read 2 am. Finally the doctor came back in.
“How are you feeling? Any better with that drink?” He stared over his glasses at Pike.
Pike surveyed his symptoms while massaging his chest. I just want to get out of here already, he thought. The pain wasn’t gone but didn’t seem quite as intense as before. Maybe he had just gotten used to it.
“Yeah, I think it is a bit better actually….feel less sweaty anyway. So am I good? My tests come out okay? Can I get outta here, doc?”
“Your tests look good and if you feel better with that GI cocktail we gave you, it is likely just severe heartburn. I think a prescription for some stronger antacid would help you and some pain medicine until it takes effect might also be wise. I would advise you definitely get a check up again in about 5 days though to make sure you’re better. Sound good?”
Paperwork appeared, signatures were obtained and Pike finally was free to leave, feeling less burning and only some tightness in his chest but definitely in need of sleep.
I just want to go to bed, he thought. He took a cab back to his Miami home and after dropping his luggage in the hall, undressing his clothes into a heap on the floor beside the bed, climbed in next to his wife’s warm body, skin perfumed with wrinkle creams and left over sun block. He kissed her shoulder, heard her murmur, and slid under the sheets, sleep overtaking him quickly.
As he drifted into dreams of architecture plans, construction permits and airline attendants, he subconsciously rubbed his left shoulder, a nagging ache the last thing he felt before falling into slumber.
© 2013 Sam Killian
