A boy in his basketball jersey, his wrist encased in a bag of ice, huddled close to his mother as Julie passed. A woman with a hacking cough stopped long enough to fix Julie with an open-mouthed stare. Another woman, baby clutched to her chest, turned away, but not before Julie caught her eye. How she must have appeared to them! Blood splatter across her face, in her hair, soiling her clothes. What had happened to this poor woman? Whatever scenarios they conjured, surely they were thankful for their own conditions over Julie’s. Inside the ER, Julie drew more shocked looks from nurses and doctors who knew one of their own had been involved in a terrible accident. A nurse dressed in blue surgical scrubs, her long blond hair locked in a tight ponytail, came rushing over. “Dr. Devereux, I heard. I’m so very sorry. Can I get you anything? I’ll grab you some scrubs to wear. You need something to drink. Some water?” Julie nodded numbly. She did not know this nurse by name, but recognized her face.
