With affection and humor, a doctor and patient struggle to communicate. My experience is different.
Situations are complicated, often murky, with decisions based on tentative bits of information.
And sometimes the simple act of communication can resemble slapstick more than science. When I arrive at the ER, I find Mrs. G.'s stretcher parked in a cubicle fashioned out of curtains. Mrs. G.'s face is grim, fatigued, and worried. Her worry makes me worry. Mrs. G. is 83 years old.