She thought about what I said for long moments, then held up a finger. “Wait here.” And she disappeared from the office and went down the hall.
I stared at the chairs in the waiting room with distaste, refusing to sit down. I wondered how many people sat in them, waiting to identify a body or to collect the personal belongings of someone they would never see again.
I thought about the dead bodies lying a few doors down, draped in white sheets, closed up in little drawers, waiting for someone to claim them or put them to rest. This had to be one of the saddest places on earth.
I heard the nurse’s soft-soled shoes coming back down the hall and I turned toward the door of the office. Instead of her, a man in a white lab coat appeared and headed toward me. “Miss? You’re here about the body?”
“Yes. Please tell me his name.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
I let out a frustrated sound. “Yes, you can!”
“No. I don’t know his name. He had no ID on him when he was brought in.”
“How can that be?” I asked, thinking maybe the reason the police officers at the scene wouldn’t tell me was because they hadn’t known either.
He shrugged slightly. “It happens sometimes.”
“Didn’t you use his fingerprints or dental records?” I asked, frustrated.
“Well, yes, normally we could, but it’s not possible this time.”
“Well, why not?” I demanded.
“Because the body’s no longer here,” he said, watching me closely.
“What do you mean it isn’t here? Where did it go?” Last I checked, bodies didn’t check themselves out of the morgue.
The man cleared his throat. “We aren’t really sure.”
“You aren’t sure,” I repeated, flat.
“The nurse said you were at the scene of the accident. I was hoping you could tell me a few things, like if he spoke to you, if anyone else was there…”
“No,” I cried. “No, he didn’t speak to me. He died almost immediately. And no one else was there except for the people on the bus. It was only after he died that people started showing up.”
“You never met him before?”
“No. Never,” I said, feeling completely let down. All I wanted was his name.
He nodded. “Well, thank you.” He turned to walk away.
“Wait,” I called. “What are you doing to get him back?”
“I can’t discuss that with you.”
“Has no one come to claim him at all?” I knew the accident wasn’t that long ago, but wasn’t someone wondering where he was?
He hesitated, then said, “No. Just you.”
I realized then his body would probably never be found. No one would come looking for him, and no one would care. The hospital would just sweep this under the rug like it never even happened.
I felt my shoulders slump. He deserved better.
The man came back to stand next to me. “I’m sorry there isn’t anything more I can tell you. I’m sure he’s at peace where ever he is.”
I nodded.
