don't ask don't tell

The walking boot will be with me for another four weeks or so.


But wait. There's more.


One of our nurses broke her ankle in exactly the same place. And is in the same boot.


And so did one of the unit secretaries. Now it's a boot trio.


And we have a radiology tech who is in a full leg brace from an accident.


And a doc who is in a sling from a torn rotator cuff.


And another nurse in a splint for an elbow injury.


As one of our staff members observed, the ortho device is the fashion accessory of the moment in the ER. Stethoscopes are so last year.


We inspire confidence, let me tell you, as we hobble into rooms to tend to the injured. Their confidence starts to slip when they inevitably ask us what we've done to ourselves. I'm a little weary - after answering the question a hundred thousand times - of explaining about Labs who don't understand either personal space or steep stairs. And I think the fact that I can be a smart mouth has been established. So when I reflexively answered the "how did you do it?" question yesterday with "oh, I was running across a field trying to get away from the cops and I stepped in a hole", the look on the patients face was priceless. Bless their hearts.


When their doc came in with a sling, I could see their wheels spinning. But they never asked what happened. Not a word.


Too bad. I could've made up something really good.