Chapter 10 - The Second Hand

Jack spent an entire weekday afternoon staring at the second hand movement on the wall clock in the emergency room waiting area. The place was full of people waiting to be waited on. Some were obviously in pain, while others seemed to be there for no reason at all. Jack found it to be another opportunity to practice his people watching skills and to hone his sense of paranoia. However, this was slightly challenging to accomplish because his hand was throbbing with dull pain. Crazy Larry had stabbed him with a fork when Jack tried to tell him that he was being stupid about this whole work situation. Larry was making a good effort at staying calm and polite when Jack first offered him the Pop Tarts. But Larry was not easily convinced. The problem was that Larry knew he was acting foolish, and when confronted with the truth, he lashed out. Jack’s hand just happened to be in the way.
It hadn’t hurt as bad as the last time Larry stabbed Jack. But it hurt enough for Jack to sit there and reconsider his whole Pop Tart therapy approach. Larry would eventually take Jack’s advice and later thanked him for it. But the initial shock of receiving such wise advice from a fellow human being was too much for Larry to absorb. He never lashed out at anyone else like that before. It was just the way that Jack said things. It made you want to stab him real bad.
While Jack sat and contemplated the second hand, trying to avoid his own reality, he began to escape. Each silent tick moved him closer toward something, he just wasn’t sure what that was.
“Jack Kass….you may approach the treatment window now” said a voice.
Jack hauled himself out of his plastic seat and walked to the wide window near the back of the waiting room. The treatment window was developed to assist in the protection of medical health professionals after many became innocent bystanders in violent crimes being carried out in emergency rooms across the city. The treatment window was bullet-proof reinforced mirrored glass that enclosed a semi-private room. Individuals could walk in and be treated by a pair of gloved hands that hung from one end of the enclosure. Patients could not see who was performing the treatment, and the hospital staff was somewhat protected. In cases of severe trauma, a separate room was designed to allow hands-on treatment in an isolated environment that was physically off-limits to anyone walking in off the street.
“What seems to be the problem Mr. Kass?” asked the voice.
“Hurt my hand earlier today.” said Jack.
“How did you hurt it?” the voice inquired.
“I was cleaning a fish, and used a fork where I shouldn’t have.” Jack said matter of factly.
“Thank you, please hold still while your hand is treated.” The voice replied.
Jack felt his hand being brought closer to the mirrored glass while a needle appeared and scared the shit out of him as it was brought closer to his wound.
“This is for your pain.” explained the voice.
Although he could not see where it emerged from, a bandage was being applied across the back of his hand covering the four holes left by the fork. The whole procedure took a total of three minutes and he was out of there for now. He wondered why they asked him every time he showed up with a stab wound. What were they going to do? Find out who stabbed him and bring that person to justice? Jack didn’t think so. A lame and vague excuse seemed to do the trick everytime.