Waiting Room Shifting Novels & Stories

Izzy sat in the waiting room of Chicago Memorial Hospital, her knee bouncing anxiously as she gripped her phone in her lap. The sterile smell of antiseptic clung to the air, and the low hum of medical equipment buzzed faintly in the background. The room was quiet, save for the occasional shuffle of feet or murmured conversation, but inside her head, it was chaos.

The digital clock in a special ward of "The Max " was reflecting half past 10. This special ward was where "Patient on bed number 37" was shifted. Mrs. Wade was sitting beside her with tiredness clearly visible on her face. She has decided to stay by her side, so as to be available for her incase, she wokeup and needed something. Everything happened so fast that nobody got the chance to react, and now nobody knew what was going to happen next.

Much to the disappointment of the other man in the room, Schuyler answered immediately, "Abigail?! What happened? Is everything okay?" He paled when the woman on the other end could be heard crying and hiccupping, "Schuyler, I..I don't know..Olliver, he started shaking suddenly..like like a seizure and he was burning up. I don't know what happened, he was fine one moment and then he was not..." "Abigail.." "I am taking him to Bart's now..Schuyler! I can't.."

People straightened a little despite themselves, drawn to the scoreboard voice like battered students waiting for grades. \[SPECIAL REWARD UNLOCKED,\] the system purred. \[PRIVATE SAFE ROOM – 12 HOURS.\] \[NO SURVEILLANCE. NO SCORING.\] The word "no surveillance" landed in my gut like a stone. “What the hell does that mean?” someone blurted. As if in answer, the front half of the bus **shifted**. A section of otherwise unremarkable wall near the driver’s seat shimmered. The dull metal blurred, outlined sliding, until a **door** resolved there—a clean, dark surface where there hadn’t been anything before.

The waiting room became its own kind of world, one where time stretched and warped until it barely made sense anymore. At first, I tried to keep track of it. I noticed the clock on the wall, the steady sweep of the second hand, the quiet shuffle of nurses passing through, the occasional murmur from other families scattered across the room. I sat upright, hands folded neatly in my lap, as if posture alone could keep me from unraveling. One hour passed, Then another. By the second hour, the silence had settled into my bones, heavy and suffocating, pressing in from all sides until it felt like I was breathing it in. That was when Seth arrived.

Silvy I was stuck in the ER tonight for the late shift. Which means I won’t get home until early the next morning. I hated these shifts because it messed up my sleep schedule. But I only have to do them every other week, so that’s good. And I get the next day off after one of these shifts. Tonight is dragging, it is so slow. I’m always tossed up when this happens. Slow means there are no accidents, overdoses, sick or hurt kids, no one is having chest pains or anything else. And that is good. Bad is the night is taking forever and I’m bored out of my mind. All our beds are empty, stocked, cleaned and there is no one in the waiting room, so I have my feet on the desk, leaning back in my chai

She said we’d have to wait until she came out or until he was moved to a room. The place was crowded; elderly people bent forward at the waist waiting in wheelchairs, children on the floor fighting over colored blocks, a woman in the corner with her hand wrapped in a bloody towel, and a nervous teenage girl who kept hopping up and running to the restroom. “I’m going outside,” Martha said spinning her chair around.

"Because I’m never letting you go. And because out there... in that waiting room... you have a whole pack of sharks making sure the world stays exactly where it belongs: away from you." As the sun began to rise over the Dallas skyline, painting the clouds in hues of bruised purple and gold, the group stayed. They didn't leave for their five-star hotels or their private resorts. They didn't check their emails or take business calls. They stayed in that waiting room, drinking bitter hospital coffee and leaning on one another.

I walk in and the waiting room is packed and there are two people at the reception desk. I politely make my way through the people to get to the desk. I wait until Mrs. Cruz is done with her customer. Before I can ask her what is going on Thor comes out of the office. “ Merigold, glad you are here. There are people waiting to talk to you.” I immediately get concerned. Thor looks almost panicked. I go over to him. “ Thor, is there a problem?” He shakes his head “ No. There is no problem. You just have some people who want to talk to you.” He says pointing to the waiting room. I’m not sure what to think but I know I can’t keep these people waiting forever.

"I need her to live." Marcus pulled up a chair beside me. Sat. Didn't say anything. Just stayed. That was what I needed. People who would just stay. The three of us sat in that horrible waiting room, watching the clock on the wall tick away the seconds. Minutes. Each one felt like an hour. Each hour felt like a lifetime. I counted every second. Every beep from the hospital equipment in the hallway. Every announcement over the intercom. "Dr. Patel to Cardiology." "Nurse station three, please call extension 4187."