Author Notes
A big thank you to my editors—especially MaryN whose nursing expertise came in handy.
Normally, Doctors don’t carry medication in their pockets. However, at the San Francisco VA Hospital in 1992, one did. My grandfather was being a bit of a pain, tearing the i.v. tubes out of his arms. The doctor (who looked to be about 15) agreed to unhook him if he promised to take them without complaining. When Gramps agreed, the doctor pulled out a white paper cup and said, “I took the chance that you’d be a reasonable human being.”
Urinary catheters are a necessary evil. Evil, in my opinion should be capitalized.
Dan has reason to dislike narcotics. That story is ahead.
The orderly and crutches story is based on my family as well. Someone was always injured, so we had several pair of crutches around the storage area. Most were wooden, since metal tends to bend. When my Uncle Steve was leaving the hospital after a motorcycle accident, the orderly insisted we provide a receipt for the crutches before he could leave.
Jell-O is a trademarked name. I used it without permission—and it is a staple amongst hospital food.
Hospitals do move patients according to rigid insurance guidelines. Dan’s private nursing was provided by me—although it was paid for by someone else—to bypass the whole nursing facility issue.
Matthew Wheeler did indeed buy those hotels. More on that a little later.
Any resemblance to people and place real or imaginary is unintentional.
I make no money off of any of these stories—a pity, because I could use the money.
Thank you all for reading!
