Hurry up and wait

April 15, 2020 | Washington, D.C. | 30-39 years

I’m a recovery room nurse. I had a dream that I was the patient and I was in a surgery center (not the one I work in), getting ready to have surgery. I was not scared, more like dreading the surgery. I was taken to a gray room, and there were lots of windows—like a lunch room at school. It was very gray outside. I met my surgeon who was a lady just a bit older than me, very ordinary. She went over a few basics and said, “Ok, now it’s time to do your surgery.” I took a deep breath, laid down and said, “Ok, I’m ready.” And closed my eyes. After a bit, nothing happened so I opened my eyes and the room was empty. I was wondering where everyone was. I called out and when there was no answer, I got off the gurney and walked to the window that faced inside the building. I saw my surgeon, sitting in the break room eating a sandwich and watching TV. I called to her and said, “Hey! What the heck? What’s going on?” And she did not hear me. That was the end. It was not the surgery that illicited the most emotion, it was the “hurry-up-and-wait” that did.