I had planned on going to bed early last night, normally I'm up to the wee hours but I have promised myself to get out as the weather gets better and draw from nature. Anyway at just past midnight I get a call from my daughter (she's grown and lives in an apartment not far). She's crying, been coughing for four days and hadn't slept, getting so when she coughs it feels like her head is exploding and wants to go to emergency. Well what are you going to do, they grow up but they are still your kids. I go pick her up and take her to nearest er. Hadn't been there in a long time and everything is different but going in it doesn't look bad, Tuesday night, just a few people in the waiting area. I figure maybe an hour or two. Short story is I sit there until five thirty staring at the back of the security guy above.

What's changed is they have made it so much more boring. Used to be that despite a trip to emergency never being fun it was at least interesting, time would fly with all the drama going on around, folks coming in bleeding and in handcuffs, drunks or crazy's talking to themselves, all kinds of little stories going on while you waited. They have it seperated now, bystanders sit in the isolated area I was, never seeing any ambulances arrive or go, any real emergency entering another way or ushered in quickly. They were no doubt much busier then my first glance showed accounting for my long night of sitting. There was a frantic mom rushing in with her baby, never heard what it was but watched them leave later all happy and the baby smiling so it turned out well. Two pregnant ladies they took up right off but obviously in no rush. It turned out good for my daughter, bronchitis and strep they said and gave her stuff to slow the cough and something for pain, her a little loopy but happy when I took her home close to six am. Ther other drawing, the girl was not in the er, just something done to pass the time while I waited.