"But you made it out the door," Terry says, "They let you leave. Surely if you were a prisoner, they would have done more than just let you sprint into the distance."
"You went right to 'prisoner,' Terry. Why?"
"Er, patient? Whatever."
The cool control Terry had come in with seemed to be evaporating, or perhaps distilling into an intense need to define, to determine, to understand.
"Well, I'd hope there's a difference," I say. I squeeze the cloth of the scrubs in my hand. "I wonder if the doctor ones and the patient ones feel different, or if they all feel kind of cheap and disposable."
"Ooh, maybe it's a metaphor."
"Maybe."
"Ella, how long do you think you were running between when you came to and got here?"
"Not too long. Maybe 10 minutes."
"Do you think you could retrace your steps?"
Something about this proposition doesn't feel comfortable. In fact, leaving the booth again right now feels like it opens up a tremendous vulnerability.
"What time is it?" I ask, tugging the sleeves of my shirt down around my hands.
"You went right to 'prisoner,' Terry. Why?"
"Er, patient? Whatever."
The cool control Terry had come in with seemed to be evaporating, or perhaps distilling into an intense need to define, to determine, to understand.
"Well, I'd hope there's a difference," I say. I squeeze the cloth of the scrubs in my hand. "I wonder if the doctor ones and the patient ones feel different, or if they all feel kind of cheap and disposable."
"Ooh, maybe it's a metaphor."
"Maybe."
"Ella, how long do you think you were running between when you came to and got here?"
"Not too long. Maybe 10 minutes."
"Do you think you could retrace your steps?"
Something about this proposition doesn't feel comfortable. In fact, leaving the booth again right now feels like it opens up a tremendous vulnerability.
"What time is it?" I ask, tugging the sleeves of my shirt down around my hands.
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