After getting off the drive and sneaking through downtown Boston, I finally arrive at Mass General. I meet Nicole Gustin, from the Public Affairs office, who will accompany me this evening. Dr. Michelle Finkel, in a rare moment off her feet, fills out a patient's chart. She graduated from Stanford and Harvard Medical School, and she finished her residency here last June. It's immediately clear she accepts my presence and does not see me as an annoyance.
People can still come in on foot, of course.
I'm having a hard time getting my bearings in this honeycomb-like space. It's surprising how calm and relaxed everyone seems despite this buzz of activity. Two policemen follow them into Bay 1. She's from a nearby prison and now and then launches into a raving tirade. My first patient turns me down.