Exhausted

My happening Friday night consists of my bed, a movie on itunes, and General Tso's chicken with brown rice.

I was called into Mt. Sinai hospital on a case around 9:30pm last night. I didn't get home until 5:00am this morning! This was the most complex case I have been on. The mother had been raped and abused over a period of months and the two year old daughter may be been molested. They both spoke little English and I spoke even less Spanish, so most of our interaction was through a translator via phone. Every possible 3rd party was involved in an over crowded hospital, which only brought more delays.

I offered to take her daughter out of the room while she was examined. She forced her adorable daughter to hold my hand and said something in Spanish that made the little girl stare at me with confusion, but less fear. I could not believe that I was exposing this poor girl to all the chaos and horror of an ER, but since we couldn't communicate with each other walking seemed to be our only hope. We walked for at least an hour, hand in hand. She would look at me with these giant brown eyes that couldn't mask her fear. I finally broke that when we stumbled upon a fish tank in the waiting room. She laughed and smiled as the fish swam by. All I could do was gently stroke her hand and smile to assure her that she was safe.

It's amazing that human compassion and understanding can break all cultural barriers. I only wish the rest of the world could feel that too.

*Aries*