In a Minute

by
Laurel

______________

Kelly Brackett was exhausted.  He sat down at one of the plastic chairs in the lounge and stared at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand.  How many cups did
that make? He'd lost count.

Most of the initial mopping up was done, thank goodness. The huge freeway pileup  had strained the ER's resources almost beyond bearing.  But it was
nearly over.  The wounded had been treated; the dead moved to the morgue.  In a minute, he'd go out to the waiting room and speak to people anxious for news of their loved ones.

In a minute.

Dixie pushed the lounge door open and peered inside.  This was the fifth place she'd looked and she was more than a little irritated.  Didn't he realize that his
patients needed him? Doctors weren't supposed to just disappear without telling someone where they were going. And since he hadn't answered the page. . .

Finally! There was Kel at the table, chin propped on his left hand, right hand holding a cup of coffee. He was fast asleep.

Dixie's eyes softened and she smiled.  Dr. Morton had been complaining bitterly about Brackett's absence. She knew she should wake him.

In a minute.