My last case of the day. I just have to stop! Imagine a child in the hospital with a skull fracture fresh and chronic hematoma and other issues. This child is not yet a year old. The record says "suspected abuse," I will never know for sure. I read the record to make my notes and look in the data basses online to find history...and there is none no ED history ... no claims history ... no history. This child's history as far as the record goes starts with him appearing in an emergency room after a blow to the head.

1) Why did it take the no history for me to start crying over this? Have I become numb to the ordinary well-documented monstrosity of overwhelmed frustrated people?
2) How long can I keep doing this job? it is 9:00 pm Sunday I am just catching up ... I will still be a little behind in the morning but I can't face any more tonight.
3) Am I the craziest woman in America for seeing the hook this would make for a book or prompt for a story? [a story I don't have the time to write, or the emotional space to read ... erll not right now.]

ZZ