Character Description: Medical Student. Female. Late 20s. Eager to learn medicine, self-critical about self-expectations, general baseline tiredness. Wearing hospital issued scrubs, white coat, old worn-out sneakers.
Scene: In Medical Student’s apartment living room. There is a big, colorful, soft chair with armrests in the middle of the room. Beside chair there is a standing full-length mirror. In walking distance from chair is a table, with a lamp, a cell phone, and a laptop computer. There is a rug on the floor and a small footrest.
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[Enter Medical Student – she walks towards a chair, stops, turns to face mirror. She looks exhausted.]
MEDICAL STUDENT: You did it. You’ve made it to the end of another busy day. (Moves to sit down in chair, pauses to look down at feet) Damn, my feet hurt. I don’t know how Dr. Barterman does this all day. Walking up and down those long emergency room hallways, never getting a chance to sit down. It’s her shoes, has to be. She has some of those fancy clogs I’ve seen other docs wearing. I need to get a pair. Well, one day…(looks at old sneakers, then up at audience, shrugs)…when I can afford it.
Time to reply to the messages that came while on shift. I bet it’s the college roommate group chat blowing up about the recent girl’s Facetime chat. Another hangout without me; more group memories made without me. I find it interesting how quickly during quarantine it became the “norm” for social interactions to be almost entirely through computer or phone screens. Just shows human adaptability I guess… (Sits quietly, scrolling on phone, to self) I don’t even know what the update is about Amanda’s baby or Susan’s postponed wedding plans. I really need to call them – add that to the long To Do list.
(Looking at phone, slowly smiling then laughing aloud) I can’t believe they remembered that story! That was so long ago.
(Directed to audience) So, once I was dared to jump in frog fountain and then slipped while on the wall and fell face first into the water. (laugh, looking back to phone, nostalgic) we were all such idiots in undergrad. Such fun, but such idiots. I wonder what brought that up in the chat? (directed to audience) It feels good not to be forgotten. I remember this one time that Amanda, Susan, and I snuck into my brother’s house and stole his car during a snowstorm. Us three freshman girls, just trying to do some car drifting in the supermarket parking lot. I definitely need to remind them about it. (start typing on phone, to self) Too funny. (phone dings with notifications, medical student sits quietly, smiling and typing replies to the group chat.)
(Smiling, student puts phone down, looks off into the distance, demeanor changes to one of concern. Look around room, pick up phone and begin typing)
Guys, did you hear about those mass graves for unclaimed patients on an island near New York City?
(sits quietly)
(Irritated, speaking to audience) How can I be laughing when such things are going on in the world? I should be reminding my friends about the situation at hand. Bringing the conversation back to the patients, back to the families, back to the healthcare workers and back to COVID-19. (stand up, pacing and talking to self) Remember your reality. Remember the world’s reality. You wake up each day, and are reminded through new articles, research journals, social media posts, videos, and patient stories of the one sole focus – COVID. Don’t forget it has caused schools to close, businesses to shut down, economies to crash and nations to close their borders. It has caused millions to become unemployed, thousands to become overworked and all to become fearful. It has killed. It is killing. And it will continue to kill.
How dare you laugh? How dare you forget momentarily. (phone dings, student walks back over to the chair, glances at it, reads it, places it face down on armrest of chair, without replying.)
And you, you underestimated this virus’s capability, initially nonchalantly saying {in a mocking voice} “Oh, it’s just another influenza-like infection.” You felt a need to have a reassuring answer for concerned family members. When really, what you should have just said: “what do I know, I’m not even finished my second year of medical school.”
You incorrectly, and almost arrogantly, claiming it only affects the elderly and immunocompromised. Have you temporarily forgotten that you have three grandparents? Think of Nana, of Papa, of Grandma. This virus could take them from you. You are guilty of blissful ignorance. How lucky are you to be so far disconnected from any serious, immediate personal consequences that you have the luxury of having moments where you forget about everything, all things COVID-related. You’re lucky. Your family has been safe. Many families can not say that.
(walk slowly back to the chair, sit-down, pick-up phone and begins speaking while typing) The first patient this morning was a pleasant young guy, maybe 30. (To audience) Not that bad looking either. (back to phone) When we saw him, he was making jokes, laughing, even flirting with nurse Kelly… But you could tell he was having a really hard breathing. (To audience) His face was so pale. (back to phone) We got his oxygen levels. It was 86%. Dr. Barterman thought it was COVID and admitted him to hospital. That’s bad news.
(put phone down, stand up, start walking over to the table, stop, to audience.) At the end of the shift, we heard he wasn’t doing well. They found pneumonia in both lungs. He would probably need to be put on the ventilator. And the crazy thing, he doesn’t have any chronic medical problems. He runs marathons. He doesn’t do drugs, doesn’t smoke. He hangs out with his friends, has a dog. And before the quarantine, loved exploring the city. He is a healthy guy. Well, was a healthy guy.
Was a healthy guy.
(continue walking to table, pick up computer. Walk back to chair, sit down with closed laptop on lap.)
I can picture him, before all this COVID stuff, with a group of friends at a brewery. Joking around, laughing. Maybe even having one of those moments when you laugh so hard that you almost fall off your chair in joyful pain. I bet he is the type of guy that looks for the good in the moment. I bet he would tell you not to beat yourself up about reminiscing, almost as if encouraging you the laugh. You feel the sad, the guilt, the hard times, he would want you to feel the good too.
Isn’t that human nature? To feel. Emotions protect against apathetic eyes. Apathy has no past to base experience on. From feeling nothing for nothing, is no life at all.
(pause, look off in the distance for a while. Then re-center, and open laptop, click on a few buttons, slowly read out loud as if reading from phone) The FDA has approved the COVID-19 Pfizer vaccination.
Could this be it? A light at the end of the tunnel. A chance to get some element of normalcy back in life.
(stand up, beginning dialing on the phone, lift phone to ear, pace around) I have to get it. I need to get it for my family, for my patients. I need to get it so I always remember. Remember what COVID has done… what COVID is doing.
Hello, Dr. Barterman. Hi. It’s me, Savannah… Yes, I just saw the news article… I know! … Yes, it’s all so exciting! … It’s what we were hoping for… I can’t wait for when I can get it. Can you help me register? … Great, thanks … Of course I remember him… he what? … when? … Thank you for telling me.
He was healthy… was.
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**This piece was a finalist for the inaugural Stethoscope Stage production