Estoy escapando a Narnia.

I was passing through the NICU the other day when one of the Nurse Practitioners stopped me.
"Has anyone asked you about Baby B?" he asked me.
"Yes," I replied, "I need to ask Dr. X if he has availability."
To which the NP responded, "Oh he was just here and said he couldn't do it."
"Alrighty, then Dr. Y is coming tomorrow at 3pm so will then be able to ask him when he would like to do the case"
"Ah yes," sighs the NP. "But, the baby really needs the surgery sooner."
Blink. Blink.
I reiterate..."Dr. X said no. Dr. Y is not coming until tomorrow afternoon, at which time Baby B's case will be presented, and surgery planned accordingly.
The NP sighs again, "ahhhhh, but he really needs surgery now."
Blink. I decided not to try again..
I think.... I think, he thought I had some sort of magical power. The ability to create an Attending out of thin air, who could then do surgery on cue and then *poof* disappear again.


Or another great memory of the week, when a couple of the general pediatric hospitalists ganged up on us about a patient. Wagging fingers and shaking heads, casting blame. "This is surgery's fault. This is YOUR fault!" It doesn't matter that I'm in that room talking with the family everyday, explaining everything. The patient has been operated on by three different surgeons, none of them our own pediatric surgeons.  There's no one around to actually claim her as their patient. No one taking ownership, and seemingly zero continuity.
 

“This is the land of Narnia,' said the Faun, 'where we are now; all that lies between the lamp-post and the great castle of Cair Paravel on the eastern sea.”

We call it Narnia. We walk by these windows on our hurried ways to and from the ORs. Somedays the desire to find the wardrobe and escape reality is rather strong. I look out the windows and want to leave. At the same time, its calming to see a kind of peace and to be reminded that our current reality is so very small and quickly passing. I look out the windows and then move on.

Afterall, “She remembered, as every sensible person does, that you should never never shut yourself up in a wardrobe.”

Much Love.