At a Bank of Elevators

Reunions can happen and leave you speechless. I’m standing at a bank of elevators in a hospital going to visit my wife when a wheelchair rolls up carrying my internist from years ago. An excellent doctor who retired to teach, according to rumors. Now he’s pushed by a woman I assume is his wife. She looks sad and he looks worse. He asks how I’m doing and I say not bad. I ask how he’s doing and he says he’s dying. And adds that he hopes I never have to. He says he never realized despite his patients dying could be so hard. Donal Mahoney