{"id":22866,"date":"2025-12-06T23:18:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T23:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22866"},"modified":"2025-12-06T23:18:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T23:18:16","slug":"22866","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22866","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

The Triage<\/span><\/h3>\n

The ER was a war zone. The holidays bring out a specific brand of chaos\u2014kitchen burns, alcohol poisoning, and heart attacks trigger-pulled by family stress. By noon, I was running on autopilot.<\/span><\/p>\n

At 12:15 PM, my phone buzzed.<\/span>
Made it to Grandma\u2019s. Grandpa says hi. Helping with prep.<\/span><\/p>\n

I exhaled, a knot of tension loosening in my shoulders. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe they were finally seeing her.<\/span><\/p>\n

The afternoon blurred into a haze of sutures and IV lines. I checked my phone sporadically. The texts from Harper became shorter, the gaps between them longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

1:30 PM: Aunt Amanda is here. She brought extra people. Colleagues of Uncle Thomas.<\/span>
2:45 PM: Dinner is delayed.<\/span>
3:50 PM: It\u2019s fine. Just busy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust busy.\u201d I knew that code. It was Harper-speak for\u00a0<\/span>I am uncomfortable, but I don\u2019t want to worry you.<\/span><\/p>\n

At 5:30 PM, the ER reached critical mass. A multi-car pileup on the icy interstate brought in four trauma alerts simultaneously. I was hip-deep in chaos for ninety minutes, my phone forgotten in my locker. When the dust finally settled and the patients were stabilized, I rushed to the breakroom, needing to hear her voice.<\/span><\/p>\n

I pulled my phone out. One new message.<\/span>
Coming home. Don\u2019t worry about me.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Triage The ER was a war zone. The holidays bring out a specific brand of chaos\u2014kitchen burns, alcohol poisoning, and heart attacks trigger-pulled by family stress. By noon, I was running on autopilot. At 12:15 PM, my phone buzzed.Made it to Grandma\u2019s. Grandpa says hi. Helping with prep. I exhaled, a knot of tension…<\/p>\n

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