1/ You: "You from Cali?"
Me: "How'd you guess?"
You: "I hear it, baby."
*laughter*
Me: "I know where you're from."
You: "Yeah?"
Me: "Louisiana. 100%."
You smirked after I said that. Then came a slow wink and a nod.
You: "N'Orleans. All day and all night, baby!"
*laughter*
2/ Me: "I knew for sure when you said 'baaaby.'”
You: "Yeeeeah, baby. It's hard to hide."
*laughter*
You: "But real talk? This funny accent saved my life, baby."
I raised my eyebrows and leaned forward.
Me: "Tell me more."
3/ You: "I came here after Katrina. Ain't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of! And I ain't exaggerating neither, baby. I'm talking the clothes on my back and nothing else."
Me: "Family? Did you have any in Atlanta?"
You: "Nope. None.”
Me: *shaking head* "Whoa."
1/ You used to wear bow ties. That's what you told me. Elaborate and patterned--real ones, of course.
"None of that bullshit clip-on mess," you'd told me with a raspy laugh. I squinted one eye, twisted my mouth and did an inward chuckle.
2/ Since you could see that I was amused, you egged me on by raising one eyebrow.
Me: "I'll never see clip on bow ties the same ever again."
You: "SO gonna be judging them from here forward, right?"
Me: "Totally."
We both giggled.
3/ Even though you'd been dealing with a lot for the past few years, I could see beyond your cachectic frame & scary lab results. Your eyes never lost their boyish mischief.
Yup.
Morning rounds were all business. But I always looped back to you later.
4 awesome talks + Q&A—all in under an hour! Let’s go! 👉🏽
2/ Dr. Krystal Mills of @MSMEDU taught us about trending ammonia levels in hepatic encephalopathy—don’t do it. Shout out to her coach Dr. @TracyVettese of @EmoryDeptofMed. Read this article if you haven’t! 👉🏽
3/ We learned from @dr_jsharp, Emory IM PGY2, that we need to pump the brakes on reflexive antipyretics in patients with a fever. His coach, Dr. Benjamin Renelus, @MSMEDU faculty supported in style! Want to know more? Read this paper. So good! 👉🏽
Her: "You okay?"
Me: "Ma'am?"
Her: "Look like you was having a rough time when y'all were in here earlier."
Me: "Oh. That."
She was referring to post call rounds when I was presenting her case to my attending.
It had not gone well.
2/ Her: "I thought you did just fine when you talked to me."
Me: *sagging shoulders*
Her: "But look like you started to come all unraveled when he started with all them questions."
Me: *sigh* "Yeah. It's a lot I don't know."
Her: *smiling* "It's a lot you do know, too."
3/ Me: "I'm glad you think so."
She smiled at me, her wizened eyes twinkling.
Her: "You don't think so?"
Me: *shrug* "I don't know."
It had been a rough post call day. I hadn't gotten any sleep. But I was prepared. Or so I'd thought.