Chapter 16: Medical Floor

† Saturday, November 11, 2023.

He barely touched the sandwich on his tray. Meanwhile, Theo was giving himself another beating, this time mental instead of physical.

“I have never seen that kind of look on Sylvie’s face. So cold and grim! And I deserved it. The very first words out of my mouth should have been an apology. Followed by ‘how are you?’ and ‘how is our child?’—but I just lay there like a lump.

“I thought things were so bad for us that leaving them was necessary. I was not thinking straight. I didn’t realize how much worse could it all get, and getting the shit beat out of me is only the start. And now, I’m losing my family!”

Theo’s mood continued to spiral lower and lower. He was weeping constantly now.

Parker Davis, RN, was assigned to Theo, among several other patients. The hospitalist (MD) on Theo’s case had asked that his eating be recorded, due to his being obviously undernourished—aggravating his poor overall current condition.

“Hi, Theo, I’m Parker Davis, and I’m your nurse. You can remember me because I have two last names. I’m glad you’re awake and with us. I’m just going to check if you’re oriented...”

He stopped abruptly when he got a look at Theo’s face. He couldn’t remember seeing such a dire expression on a patient’s face: such a mask of hopelessness and depression.

“Oh, Theo, can you tell me what’s wrong? No? Let me start with simple things. Are you warm enough? Good. How about your pain, um, your physical pain? We use a one to ten scale where two is uncomfortable and eight is horrible. OK, I’ll put seven on your chart. Understand, I need the doctor to prescribe, but after awakening you should be getting something strong soon.

“Now I see that you’re not eating much. I know all the jokes about hospital food, but a sandwich should have been within their competence. Is your stomach giving you trouble?”

“No. I don’t, uh, sorry, not interested.”

“Forgive me, but you look undernourished. You have an appetite, but you don’t want the food. Is that it?”

“Yeah. It’s just...”

“OK, somebody will come by to take away the tray in a while. You can have them leave it if you want to have more later. But, Theo, you will feel less pain if you can get some calories in. And we have some snacks at our desk, too. I’ll do what I can to expedite your pain meds.

“I’m Parker, remember? It’s my job to help you get better, even though you’re feeling so sad right now. If there’s something I can do to help, just let me know. Rub the little white button there and like a genie I will magically appear. Eventually.”

Making no headway against Theo’s black mood, with a small smile he left him to rest.

Back at the desk, Parker told his colleagues, “That guy is really beaten down, and not because of his injuries. I’m going to request an evaluation. He’s not emotionally stable.”

Mrs. Garnier?

“You’re Theo’s wife? I’m Parker Davis, his nurse. Before you see him, can I have a word?”

He explained his concerns to her.

“I’m not a psychologist; I’m just going on my training and my experience. I’m trying to get some kind of review arranged for him, but it’s a Saturday. My opinion is that he is very fragile. Not from his injuries but from some other reason that has made him sad, depressed, hopeless ... I’m running out of non-medical (but descriptive) words for him.

“Sylvia, sorry, Sylvie, he’s pretty impaired now. I don’t know the reasons, but I hope there is some way for you to improve his mood.”

She thanked and left the nurse. Frustrated and filled with misgivings, she walked into his room past the (unoccupied) other bed.