My Son Called Me From The Hospital. When I Arrived, The Doctor Went Quiet And Said, “You Know He’s Our Chief Of Surgery… Right?”

unless the world’s on fire.”

“It is. My son’s appendix ruptured because an ER doc profiled him and tried to discharge him without labs or imaging.”

There was a pause, and I could hear Jeffrey’s keyboard start clicking. “Name.”

“Leonard Vance.”

“Hospital?”

“Mercy General.”

I gave him everything—arrival time, symptoms, Vance’s note, the CT findings. When I continue reading …