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CAROL: |
Tell me what you would like to know and see, Mr. Learner. |
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MARTIN: |
Call me Martin. |
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CAROL: |
I'm
Carol. |
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MARTIN: |
Tell me what you do here in the emergency room, Carol. |
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CAROL: |
I'm
the night supervisor of the nursing staff. |
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MARTIN: |
Are
you in charge of the emergency room then? |
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CAROL: |
In
a way. I don't supervise the doctors of course. |
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MARTIN: |
Is
there a doctor here at all times? |
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CAROL: |
We
have one doctor at night during the week. Two are available on the
weekends. We can call other doctors as we need them. |
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MARTIN: |
Do
you have more emergencies on the weekend? |
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CAROL: |
Yes, especially Friday and Saturday nights. |
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MARTIN: |
Why
is that? |
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CAROL: |
Many of the problems are related to alcohol. People drink too much.
They think they are having a good time, but they have bad judgment.
They have all kinds of accidents. They hurt themselves, and they
hurt their friends. |
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MARTIN: |
I'm
happy I came on Wednesday, not on the weekend. |
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CAROL: |
I
wouldn't have time to talk to you on the weekend. We are too busy
then. We aren't now. Let's go into this room. |
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MARTIN: |
What's happening? |
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CAROL: |
This boy came in a few minutes ago. The nurses have been very busy
for several minutes now. |
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MARTIN: |
What happened? |
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CAROL: |
This is the boy's father. Ask him. |
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MARTIN: |
I'm
Martin Learner. What happened to your son? |
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FATHER: |
He
fell through a window. He was playing. I was reading while he was
playing. Suddenly I heard this crash. I looked up and there was
glass everywhere. He ran through the window. |
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CAROL: |
Was
his mother there? |
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FATHER: |
No,
she was shopping while I was watching the children. |
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CAROL:
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He's going to be OK. Don't worry. He looks worse than he is. |
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FATHER: |
There's so much blood! |
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CAROL: |
No,
no. He's going to be all right. The doctor has looked at him. The
cuts aren't serious. |
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FATHER: |
Who
are you? Are you a doctor? |
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MARTIN: |
No,
I'm a reporter. |
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FATHER: |
He
was playing quietly. Then he was running and there was all this
noise. |
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CAROL:
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Come with me, Martin. I want you to see the other rooms. |
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MARTIN: |
How
are the parents usually? |
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CAROL: |
Nervous and excited. When their children are sick or have accidents,
the parents try to stay calm. They know they should stay calm.
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MARTIN: |
But
they are worried about their children. |
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CAROL: |
Of
course. They are calm when they get here. Then they become excited.
Sometimes they get angry. |
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MARTIN: |
Angry? Why? |
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CAROL:
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They're afraid. They're watching while they're waiting. We aren't
fast enough. The doctor doesn't come right away. They're frightened
when there's blood. |
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CAROL: |
It
sounds like another emergency coming in. |
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