The administrator on duty walks at a hastened pace away from the room, expecting you to follow her. You pause right outside of the room and head towards the ER entrance instead. The administrator calls your name behind you. You turn you head slightly and manage to utter "I quit" between your grinding teeth. \n\n[[Next|page13]]

You keep walking towards the ER entrance, halfway there is when you see her. Your coworkers are doing their best to distract her but she has never been the patient type. She is tapping her heel furiously in the ground when she finally turns around, heading towards room 9. \n\n[[Next|page14]]

Mario Raul Jara

Room 9

As you two draw closer her expression changes from smug to threatening. She stops and loudly proclaims: "You better not have been in my son's room, I know my rights as his guardian, I have power of attorney! and I have very explicitly requested that you-"\n\n[[Next|page15]]

Her words are cut short as your fist hits her squarely in the face. The cartilage in her nose gives in succesfully as she loses her blance and starts to fall to the ground in slow motion. Your see yourself walking towards the ambulance entrance as security is paged overhead. Your former admisitrator is trying to help her get up as the nasal bleed makes its way to the floor. \n\n[[Next|page16]]

Thanks for playing!

The curtain is closed in room 9. You sit in the corner, isolated from the world staring at the body carefully positioned in the bed. He almost looks peaceful... but the small towel-roll wedged between his chin and neck breaks the illusion. \n\n[[Next|page2]]

A small section of his upper lip is bruised from when they tried to intubate him.\nA thin strip of discolored flesh near his right clavicle peeks just above the seam of his hospital gown. He was shocked. Twice at least. \n\n[[Next|page7]]

You walk into the parking lot and into the night. The heat of the desert is suffocating and all you want to do is to feel something other than pain. \n\n[[The End|page18]]

Room 9... out of all rooms, room 9. \nAfter 35 years this is how it ends. This is how it all ends.\nYour first patient came into this room. You remember as if it was yesterday.\n-Elderly homeless male, found down at the scene, unresponsive- The medical team was working at warp speed and you just stood there. It was surreal. \n\n[[Next|page9]]

It was exhilirating. \nEventually you lead that team. Now, you lead this team. \nSo many nurses that you have trained. So many people that you have met.\nIt is insulting that they could not do anything for you or your partner who continues to lay in bed losing color by the minute. \n\n[[Next|page10]]

You hear her heels in the far corner of the ER. At that moment, the administartor, who has been outside of the room guarding it, flings the curtain open. She sees you there, sitting in a chair with your elbows on your knees and tears rolling down your face. You can tell she regrets what she is about to say but she says it anyway: "We have to leave now."\n\n[[Next|page11]]

He never would have wanted this. Did she really have to bring him here in his final moments? Did she do this to teach you a lesson? Why your ER? Why?..\n\n[[Next|page8]]

You have no heart. It was gone when his stopped beating. You knew this day would come, but you didn't know it would be right here, right now. \n\n[[Next|page5]]

You try to keep your head up but you can't.\nYou try to take one last look at him but you will not.\nYou know the signs all too well. \n\n[[Next|page6]]

You know that if you take the towel away his jaw will become unhinged. It will drop awkwardly to one side or the other, looking even more dead than he already is. But now that it is over, you are more worried about your jaw than his.\n\n[[Next|page3]]\n

If your jaw drops out of the realization that you are alone... If you finally process that he is gone... you might let out an uncontrollable wail. Perhaps nothing will come out and that would be worse because you are sure that at that precise moment a gust of cold air would rush into the vacuum of your chest. A chest that now feels like a deserted cavity. \n\n[[Next|page4]]

Your hand beings to throb as you push the exit button on the wall. You notice her blood on the ring he gave you 30 years ago. The doors creak and open. \n\n\n[[Next|page17]]

You sit up and walk towards the edge of the bed. You stroke his hair, lean over and kiss him. You feel the familiarity of his lips which are now cold. You lost him. You lost him months ago. The stroke took him from you and delivered him to her. You walk out of the room.\n\n[[Next|page12]]