I’m a nurse. They have protocols for things like this.

I am a nurse.

I cannot abandon my patients. It’s illegal. Let alone unethical.

But what about my family?

I don’t want to spend my last possible moments alive with total strangers.

What do I do?

What do I do!!

Ok. Stop. Pause a moment. Look. There’s a closet. Badge in. Good. Now you have a moment to think. It’s quiet. No hospital hustle and bustle.

Sit down. Think about this a moment.

If it’s the end, there will be no one to safety post you or report you for patient abandonment.

I’m not that brave. I can’t be stoic in this situation. I have to get out of here. We’re all dead anyway. Fuck the patients at this point.

Florence Nightingale would be so disappointed.

So how do I get out of here unnoticed? How can I escape this place without being pulled into the fray?

Be a patient. You’re AMA now. Get a gown. They can’t force patients to stay. Well, they can. But who would at this point?

Alright, stand up. Steady now. Deep breath.

You came in your scrubs. You need to look less worker, more patient. You know how to do that. Go to the clean closet. Grab a couple of hospital gowns and put them on.

There it is. The clean closet. Oh my God, there’s another nurse crying in here.

“You need to go home. Go to your family.”

She looks at me. “I can’t leave them.” She’s yelling above the alarms going off around us. I can barely hear her.

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. I don’t think she heard me.

Whatever. I can’t save everyone. Now strip off your scrubs. Alright. Throw the gown on. Keep your shoes. You’ll need them. Don’t go all out. No one will notice you aren’t wearing the yellow slip-resistant socks anyway. Hopefully. Anyway, who cares at this point, right?

Open the door. You know how to get out. You’ve walked this path several times before. It’s familiar.

You don’t know anyone. Keep your head down. You don’t want the staff to notice you. They’re running like ants around their spoiled dirt castle. God, they really care about this place. I should care more too but I just want to be with my family right now.

Someone’s paging over the intercom. All available personnel. One time, I would have run towards that call. Now, all I want to do is get away from it.

I’m not a healthcare hero anymore. But no one will be around to remember that.

No. Don’t go to the employee entrance. Go to the front doors. That’s where patients would know how to get out. There. That door. That’s the quickest way to go. Badge it open.

Oh my God. There’s too many people out here. Everyone’s trying to get out. Looks like I’m not the only hospital worker trying to get out of here. There’s hospital gowns and scrubs all around.

That security officer has his work cut out for him. No one’s listening to his cries for order. He might as well just throw down his blow horn and get the hell out of here as well.

I can’t go this way. It’s too crazy.

Turn around. Try the employee entrance. Badge back in. Good. Now right. Walk straight out. No ones manning the doors. Of course. Who cares about temperatures now? Screw the pandemic. This is worse. This is the end.

I will make it to my family. Though hell should bar the way. Best not take the highway though.