House-call - A Winters Tale.

        It was 3 am, in January, in Saskatchewan.  The phone call stated the patient was in acute abdominal pain.   As one of the new boys at the bottom of the ladder at the Medical Arts Clinic, we young docs had the privilege of making most of the house calls for the multi -doctor, multi -specialty clinic.  Some house calls were entirely appropriate and greatly appreciated and some were like the one I describe below...............

        I loosened my down parka and and felt the body heat it had captured waft past my face. It was 30 degrees below zero and that's what I was dressed for, so inside the the apartment block I felt uncomfortably hot.

        I decided to try knocking one more time then I was going home. I banged on the door loudly this time,confident that it would not be answered. It was.

        The man who opened the door was dirty, disheveled and smelled of booze."Come in,Doc"he slurred.  I hesitated and then walked into the sparsely furnished, dimly-lit room. I looked around. The room was shabby and untidy with a torn, shapeless sofa, on which a woman of about thirty-five reclined. She was clad in a black slip and not much else, held a smoking cigarette in her hand and took a deep drag on it before she spoke. "Am I ever glad to see you, doc"she said. 
        "Good evening"said I "I'm Dr Smith, what seems to be the trouble?" 
        " I was to see one of the doctors in the clinic the other day and he said I have gall-stones,and if I get the pain again I am to call up the doctor on call for a shot of Demerol.  I've been in terrible pain all night" she said.
             "Why did you wait until three o'clock in the morning to call me?" I asked. 
             "Oh,I didn't want to bother you,doctor"she said. 
             I tried to suppress my sigh.  ."Okay, step into the bed-room and I'l examine you." 
            "Oh, I don't think I need an examination right now, just give me the shot and I'll come into the office tomorrow for a check-up." I looked at the woman, apart from looking tired and dissipated, it was obvious that she was in no distress.

            I was young, but not inexperienced, having assessed the situation, I now decided the time had come to be firm. This woman was obviously looking for drugs. I hadn't decided exactly what her relationship was with the shabby looking man.

           He was now sitting in the room's solitary armchair chatting incoherently either with himself, or to me.. He was mumbling away and all I caught caught was "Party in  Seattle and then this guy pulled out a gun.." 
           I decided it was time to be firm, deal with the situation and get out of the apartment as soon as I could.  I ignored him and turned to the patient.
         "You either let me examine you or I'm leaving without prescribing anything.  You don't seem to be in any pain right now" 
          She looked as though she was about to tell me to fuck off but then seemed to think better of it.
           "Well,if you could just leave me a few demerol or talwin pills in case the pain comes back during the night, then I'll come into the office tomorrow for an examination" 
            I was about to tell her I was leaving nothing and goodbye and if the pain came back she could go to the emergency room, when there was a loud knock at the door.

If you want to hear the end and most exciting part of this story, just tune in next week!!