NOAH
Big surprise, Alison's discharge didn't happen until mid-afternoon. It wasn't because she wasn't healthy enough to go home: no, she was more than eager to leave and feeling well enough to make her wishes known. Clearly.
But when I hunted down the nurse who was supposed to handle her discharge, the woman gave me a look of harried impatience.
"Yeah, we know she's waiting. So are many other patients who are scheduled to go home today. Dr. Pickler was called into an emergency C-section, and we didn't realize that he hadn't signed all of the paperwork before he went into the OR. As soon as he's available again, we'll have you on your way."
I delivered this news to Alison, expecting a bolt of fury, but she only rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.
"Typical. I'm not surprised."
"Why don't you try to get a little bit of sleep?" I suggested. "If we've got some time, I'd like to go downstairs and make a few calls."