A Magnificent Whole

I introduced myself, and a touchy silence filled the room. Motorcycle people, I thought, glancing at the patient and his two visitors. My stethoscope felt sticky as I turned to find a chair.

With the chart resting on my crossed legs, I asked, What problem are you having, Mr. Hugo?

The woman on the other side of the bed replied, He has a bleeding ulcer, but his left knee and foot are what really hurt. Her voice was staccato, yet strangely monotonal. She faced the head of the bed, her profile partly covered by tarry hair. After answering my question, her head drifted backward like a turtle withdrawing into its shell, causing the pale skin beneath her chin to bulge. The crumbled words on her snug black T-shirt advised: Experience is what you get when you don't get what you want.

I …