Your tax dollars at work
Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 12:13PM When we went to pick up the 22-day old baby boy with respiratory problems, we had the pleasure of meeting his dad (who is about 5'2" and 120 lbs). He sits up front with the female medic and talks her up like he's been muzzled for years (I don't know if he was trying to impress her or what. It wasn't working anyway).
Now, this guy is mid-20s, been in prison, currently unemployed, and managed to have three kids in 17 months "from two different chicks" as he phrased it. My partner says, "You do know how that happens, right?" The guy chuckles and grins like a Cheshire cat because it IS SO DAMNED FUNNY. We overhear him say to the medic that his dad was never around for him because he worked all the time. So, his solution to that: he is not going to work at all so he can be around his kids. Uh. Ok. Good plan, man. I would like to know who is financing him because, uhm, I might want in on it.
His kid is taking an airplane ride to another hospital. Who the blazes is going to pay for that because he certainly can't be carrying a Blue Cross/Blue Shield or a Kaiser card around? This is a guess, of course.
His kid is sick as hell. It might help if he showered once in a while and maybe dunk his clothes in soap and water every now and then. Sweet holy Mary! (Oh, crap! Is that considered swearing?) He rode along with us in the airplane and sat next to me. My partner wondered why I was so green during that entire flight leg. Because I've got dad of the year over here smelling like he fell in a garbage dump, OK? Good gracious!
On top of that, he was coughing up a lung or both in my direction. In the Cessna, we were literally knocking knees. That's how close we were. I seriously wanted to reach in the back and put on an oxygen mask. I truly believe that many of my lung cells shriveled from the instinctive recoil from the force of the cough that was coming at me. My partner also wondered why I was giving him the evil eye, him and his comfortable spot away from the airflow. It's 'cause I'm new, isn't it? It's some sort of sick initiation, I know it.
Someone give me a breathing treatment.
Reader Comments (2)
his dad was never around for him because he worked all the time. So, his solution to that: he is not going to work at all so he can be around his kids. Uh,oh! What a shameless excuse he's giving out there! I don't think he really understands the difference between being around and not being around...
Jane,
I doubt he understands very much. He smelled a lot like "herbs", if you know what I mean.Too much of that in the brain and, well, in his world, everything that does not makes sense to you makes complete sense to him, know what I mean? No, I'm not on "herbs."