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“Yeah,” Amanda agreed with a sigh. “This time of year, especially. Though we have access to this, I don’t come out here enough.”
“Why not?”
Amanda suddenly covered her face and sneezed. She rubbed her nose with her napkin. “That’s why.”
“Are you allergic to pollen? You seemed fine during the walk.”
She rubbed her forearm. “I get itchy and sneezy, but not too much.”
Gene dug into his pack and pulled out a single package pill from his med-kit.
“Here.”
“What is it?”
“Antihistamine. This should help with the sneezing and itching,” Gene said. “You should get an allergy test.”
“I don’t have allergies,” Amanda claimed, but it was ruined by another sneeze.
Gene chuckled. “I beg to differ.”
“Why do I suddenly have to get so many tests done since you came along?” she questioned as she popped the pill in her mouth. “And do you have a pharmacy in your bag or something?”
“I have a first aid-kit with lots of things. I happen to know what I’m allergic to, and I keep antihistamine with me in case I need it.”
“What are you allergic to?”
“Cats.”
“No! I love cats.”
Gene smiled at the disappointment in her voice. “I love them, too, but they make my eyes itchy.”
“But you’re good with dogs,” she stated the obvious, seeing he’d spent some quality time with her mutt. “You ever thought about getting one?”
“It’s not fair for the dog.” Gene rubbed Loki’s back. “My hours are crazy and I live in a one-bedroom apartment. A dog needs space to be active, and a human who has time to take him on walks and hikes.”
“I think a dog would do you good. It pushes me to make time for walks with Loki,” Amanda said. “Sounds they work you too hard, Gene. Is that why you’re exploring other possibilities?”
“It’s not the work, per se. I love the ER. The pace, the challenges, and I’ll admit, sometimes, the adrenaline.”
Gene gathered the trash and put it back into his pack.
“What is it then?”
Amanda waited for Gene to answer her question. But he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to respond. His eyes gazed far off as if he was looking at something across the lake, but she had a feeling he was somewhere else.
“Gene?” She gingerly laid a hand on his arm, wondering where he’d gone.
“I’m tired of losing patients,” Gene finally said, as he turned a sad gaze at her. “Either due to their own negligence, other people’s disregard for human lives, or those of us in the system treating people’s health as commodities, something to be bargained for or ignored just because they can’t afford the lifesaving treatments needed.”
Though he spoke calmly, Amanda heard the frustration in his voice. A frustration she could relate to after having to watch her mother go in and out of treatments for the last two years of her life. The amount of money it had cost them. The headaches the insurance company had given her parents. And the devastation they’d felt when it had all failed.
“In the ER, we’re obligated to help anyone with no regard of their insurance status. I’m glad about that,” Gene continued. “We’ll do whatever we can to make anyone feel better. Most times, the cases are mild and we can send patients home all fixed up or with simple care. Other times, we have to figure out more complicated cases, stabilize them for further treatment when needed, like surgeries or other follow-up treatment. But there are moments, regardless of how hard we try, when nothing can be done.”
Amanda could understand that, too, somehow. Nothing else could be done for her mother. They had to accept it’d been her time to go.
Amanda squeezed his arm. “You can’t save them all, Gene.”
