2025-07-11, 07:15 PM
»Come with me
Where chains will never bind you
All your grief
At last, at last behind you
Lord in Heaven
Look down on him in mercy
Forgive me all my trespasses
And take me to your glory
Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God …«
(From the musical "Les Miserables" by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the English text is by Herbert Kretzmer.)
"Swab, quick... oxygen and put in an IV line... Okay, that's it, off to the OR, we have to..."
Then I knew nothing anymore. Everything was dark... nothing... nothing at all... Where was I?... What's going on?... What's happening to me?... Was this all just a dream?...
When I came to later, everything was white. I don't remember exactly how long I had been lying there when a door opened somewhere. I couldn't tell where the creaking of the door was coming from because every movement hurt. My head felt as if an ICE train had just rushed over it. My right arm and foot ached, too. And my stomach felt as if someone had just kneaded it like dough. I heard a familiar voice talking. I couldn't understand any of it because the ICE train announced itself again with a loud honk. The two people who had just been standing next to me left, turned off the lights, and closed the door. I wanted to say something, because that way they wouldn't have to slam the door, but I was too weak. I closed my eyes, and then there was nothing again... just this silence... and darkness... Once again I came to, but there was only a steady beeping, nothing else... I fell asleep again...
At some point I was woken up. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, what's wrong? Everything hurts."
Who was speaking to me, where was I? What happened? Or did I just have a bad dream?
"You're at St. Thomas Hospital, I'm Nurse Michaela. You've had an accident."
Now I could remember again. I was out skating when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I must have been distracted for a moment, because the nurse told me I had crashed into a car. Meanwhile, a doctor had also come over and tried to explain everything to me.
"Okay, but could you speak a little more quietly? My head hurts quite a bit."
"I believe you immediately. You have a severe concussion, your right arm and foot are broken, you have numerous scrapes and cuts, and we removed your appendix. But you were lucky; nothing much happened to you; things are a different story with the car. By the way, you have to stay here for about four weeks. I'm Dr. Weinmann."
Well, that's a rosy outlook. First my girlfriend breaks up with me, then the planned vacation falls through, and now I'm in the hospital in this wonderful weather.
"The cast will come off in two weeks, and then you'll get a walking cast, and then we'll see."
What was the point of getting upset? I had no other choice and I couldn't escape, at least not without help.
"You'll have something to eat later. First, we need to do a few tests, and you'll need to be fasting. Sebastian will be here soon and take you to the treatment room." And then he was gone.
Great, some stupid nurse will shove me there now, and then I'll have to undergo a whole bunch of tests. There was a knock on my door.
»Herein.«
"Good morning. I'm Sebastian, but you can call me Basti. What have you done? You don't look well at all."
So I told Basti that I was Marc and what had happened while he was pushing me to the elevator. Somehow, I told him more than I wanted to, because I'd only known him for a few minutes, and I don't usually tell such things to everyone, but he was somehow different. I told him about my girlfriend, how we were still happy, but also how we'd broken up. Actually, she had broken up with me because she'd met this great guy. Great guy? Or rather, he looked like one giant muscle, pumped up to the max, and then that name—Benedikt—just hearing it makes me go... This guy said he was really great. The day after Lisa (my girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend) broke up with me, he came up to me at school and said:
"Finally, she has a real guy, not a wimp like you. She's so horny, she can't get enough of me."
"I was about to punch him, but I managed to control myself just in time, because otherwise I probably would have been here in the hospital sooner. So I just turned around and left. His words had hurt me, I didn't know why, but he was right; I wasn't what you'd call a dream man. I'm only 1.72 m tall, and my skin isn't exactly clear. My nose is too big in my opinion, and my hair lacks shine and is completely brittle. God hasn't been kind to me in other ways either; I have a hollow back, and that, at least visually, gives me a bit of a belly. Well, I'm not Adonis."
"Come on, don't make yourself look worse than you are. You seem like a nice guy and everything else. You look nice." He grinned at me.
"Thanks."
We were already outside the room, and Basti pushed me in. He was just about to leave when Dr. Weinmann called for Basti. He spoke to him briefly, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand anything because I'm naturally curious, and then Basti disappeared.
After an hour, all the examinations were completed and Basti came back in to pick me up and take me to my room.
"Be happy, I'll be your personal caregiver for the next few weeks."
"Aha, you look so young, are you even a nurse?"
"No, I'm doing my community service here, but I know what I have to do. My father is a doctor."
"Well, I hope you don't kill me."
"Don't worry, so far everyone has survived my treatment." He put on one of those inscrutable smiles again.
"This could be fun, with so many nurses here, and I'm getting a volunteer who doesn't know a thing or two."
"That's not entirely true, but that's not important right now. Are you hungry?" Another one of those grins.
By now, we'd returned to my room. Thank goodness I had a private room; the whining from other patients would have really gotten on my nerves. Having private insurance does have its advantages. And the hunger thing—I was ravenous, having not eaten anything in over 24 hours. Basti disappeared for a moment and then returned with a huge tray. It had everything you could dream of: muesli, sausage, Nutella, orange juice, and my beloved coffee.
"So, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I raided the kitchen and brought back a little bit of everything."
"Thanks, but since when does the hospital have such a wide selection?"
"Well, first of all, you're a private patient, and secondly, as I said, my father is a doctor and works here, so I have a few special privileges. Not that I have to work less, but I'm treated much more kindly than the other volunteers, and things like that."
"Well, there's something good about you looking after me."
"I told you so."
I took a big sip of coffee that Basti had made. Like me, he hates nothing more than bad coffee and had to explain to the nurses how to make good coffee. Basti made me some sandwiches, and I leisurely ate my long-awaited breakfast.
"So Basti, now that you've learned a lot about me, I want to know something about you too."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything, really, but let's start with this: do you have a girlfriend?"
"Uh, mhh, why?" he stammered.
"Because you already found out that my girlfriend just broke up with me, and it's only fair that I know that from you too, right?"
"No, I don't have one, but I don't really want one either... At least not at the moment."
The hesitation before the last sentence made me suspicious, but I didn't want to go into it any further, and actually I wasn't particularly interested. We talked a bit more about this and that, and then I got tired. After Basti left, I turned over on my left side and slept a little. I dreamed about my ruined vacation. I was on a beach. The sun was just setting, and what startled me was that Basti was walking naked next to me. It was strange; what was he doing in my dream? I hardly knew him, and besides, I was into girls, but the sight of him still aroused me a little.
When I woke up again, Basti was sitting on a chair next to my bed. I was really happy to see him. Again, I had that strange feeling: what was wrong with me? But I couldn't think any further because he abruptly pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Hungry, do you want something to eat?"
»Gerne.«
Er ging los und kam mit etwas Undefinierbarem zurück, das aber gar nicht so schlecht war. Weiter passierte an diesem Abend nichts. Am nächsten Morgen sollte ich gewaschen werden, was mir natürlich nicht so ganz passte, denn zu so früher Stunde hatte ich immer ein gewisses Problem in Höhe der Hüften. Ich wollte mich wehren, aber da kam auch schon die Schwester und wollte mir die Decke wegziehen. Nachdem ich das mit einem schnellen Griff der gesunden Hand noch verhindern konnte, kam Basti in das Zimmer und fragt, was sie denn da machte?
»Ich soll den Patienten waschen.«
»Nein, das mache ich, ich soll mich um ihn kümmern, da gehört das auch dazu.«
Where chains will never bind you
All your grief
At last, at last behind you
Lord in Heaven
Look down on him in mercy
Forgive me all my trespasses
And take me to your glory
Take my hand
And lead me to salvation
Take my love
For love is everlasting
And remember
The truth that once was spoken
To love another person
Is to see the face of God …«
(From the musical "Les Miserables" by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the English text is by Herbert Kretzmer.)
"Swab, quick... oxygen and put in an IV line... Okay, that's it, off to the OR, we have to..."
Then I knew nothing anymore. Everything was dark... nothing... nothing at all... Where was I?... What's going on?... What's happening to me?... Was this all just a dream?...
When I came to later, everything was white. I don't remember exactly how long I had been lying there when a door opened somewhere. I couldn't tell where the creaking of the door was coming from because every movement hurt. My head felt as if an ICE train had just rushed over it. My right arm and foot ached, too. And my stomach felt as if someone had just kneaded it like dough. I heard a familiar voice talking. I couldn't understand any of it because the ICE train announced itself again with a loud honk. The two people who had just been standing next to me left, turned off the lights, and closed the door. I wanted to say something, because that way they wouldn't have to slam the door, but I was too weak. I closed my eyes, and then there was nothing again... just this silence... and darkness... Once again I came to, but there was only a steady beeping, nothing else... I fell asleep again...
At some point I was woken up. "Good morning, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, what's wrong? Everything hurts."
Who was speaking to me, where was I? What happened? Or did I just have a bad dream?
"You're at St. Thomas Hospital, I'm Nurse Michaela. You've had an accident."
Now I could remember again. I was out skating when I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my stomach. I must have been distracted for a moment, because the nurse told me I had crashed into a car. Meanwhile, a doctor had also come over and tried to explain everything to me.
"Okay, but could you speak a little more quietly? My head hurts quite a bit."
"I believe you immediately. You have a severe concussion, your right arm and foot are broken, you have numerous scrapes and cuts, and we removed your appendix. But you were lucky; nothing much happened to you; things are a different story with the car. By the way, you have to stay here for about four weeks. I'm Dr. Weinmann."
Well, that's a rosy outlook. First my girlfriend breaks up with me, then the planned vacation falls through, and now I'm in the hospital in this wonderful weather.
"The cast will come off in two weeks, and then you'll get a walking cast, and then we'll see."
What was the point of getting upset? I had no other choice and I couldn't escape, at least not without help.
"You'll have something to eat later. First, we need to do a few tests, and you'll need to be fasting. Sebastian will be here soon and take you to the treatment room." And then he was gone.
Great, some stupid nurse will shove me there now, and then I'll have to undergo a whole bunch of tests. There was a knock on my door.
»Herein.«
"Good morning. I'm Sebastian, but you can call me Basti. What have you done? You don't look well at all."
So I told Basti that I was Marc and what had happened while he was pushing me to the elevator. Somehow, I told him more than I wanted to, because I'd only known him for a few minutes, and I don't usually tell such things to everyone, but he was somehow different. I told him about my girlfriend, how we were still happy, but also how we'd broken up. Actually, she had broken up with me because she'd met this great guy. Great guy? Or rather, he looked like one giant muscle, pumped up to the max, and then that name—Benedikt—just hearing it makes me go... This guy said he was really great. The day after Lisa (my girlfriend, well, ex-girlfriend) broke up with me, he came up to me at school and said:
"Finally, she has a real guy, not a wimp like you. She's so horny, she can't get enough of me."
"I was about to punch him, but I managed to control myself just in time, because otherwise I probably would have been here in the hospital sooner. So I just turned around and left. His words had hurt me, I didn't know why, but he was right; I wasn't what you'd call a dream man. I'm only 1.72 m tall, and my skin isn't exactly clear. My nose is too big in my opinion, and my hair lacks shine and is completely brittle. God hasn't been kind to me in other ways either; I have a hollow back, and that, at least visually, gives me a bit of a belly. Well, I'm not Adonis."
"Come on, don't make yourself look worse than you are. You seem like a nice guy and everything else. You look nice." He grinned at me.
"Thanks."
We were already outside the room, and Basti pushed me in. He was just about to leave when Dr. Weinmann called for Basti. He spoke to him briefly, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand anything because I'm naturally curious, and then Basti disappeared.
After an hour, all the examinations were completed and Basti came back in to pick me up and take me to my room.
"Be happy, I'll be your personal caregiver for the next few weeks."
"Aha, you look so young, are you even a nurse?"
"No, I'm doing my community service here, but I know what I have to do. My father is a doctor."
"Well, I hope you don't kill me."
"Don't worry, so far everyone has survived my treatment." He put on one of those inscrutable smiles again.
"This could be fun, with so many nurses here, and I'm getting a volunteer who doesn't know a thing or two."
"That's not entirely true, but that's not important right now. Are you hungry?" Another one of those grins.
By now, we'd returned to my room. Thank goodness I had a private room; the whining from other patients would have really gotten on my nerves. Having private insurance does have its advantages. And the hunger thing—I was ravenous, having not eaten anything in over 24 hours. Basti disappeared for a moment and then returned with a huge tray. It had everything you could dream of: muesli, sausage, Nutella, orange juice, and my beloved coffee.
"So, I wasn't sure what you liked, so I raided the kitchen and brought back a little bit of everything."
"Thanks, but since when does the hospital have such a wide selection?"
"Well, first of all, you're a private patient, and secondly, as I said, my father is a doctor and works here, so I have a few special privileges. Not that I have to work less, but I'm treated much more kindly than the other volunteers, and things like that."
"Well, there's something good about you looking after me."
"I told you so."
I took a big sip of coffee that Basti had made. Like me, he hates nothing more than bad coffee and had to explain to the nurses how to make good coffee. Basti made me some sandwiches, and I leisurely ate my long-awaited breakfast.
"So Basti, now that you've learned a lot about me, I want to know something about you too."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything, really, but let's start with this: do you have a girlfriend?"
"Uh, mhh, why?" he stammered.
"Because you already found out that my girlfriend just broke up with me, and it's only fair that I know that from you too, right?"
"No, I don't have one, but I don't really want one either... At least not at the moment."
The hesitation before the last sentence made me suspicious, but I didn't want to go into it any further, and actually I wasn't particularly interested. We talked a bit more about this and that, and then I got tired. After Basti left, I turned over on my left side and slept a little. I dreamed about my ruined vacation. I was on a beach. The sun was just setting, and what startled me was that Basti was walking naked next to me. It was strange; what was he doing in my dream? I hardly knew him, and besides, I was into girls, but the sight of him still aroused me a little.
When I woke up again, Basti was sitting on a chair next to my bed. I was really happy to see him. Again, I had that strange feeling: what was wrong with me? But I couldn't think any further because he abruptly pulled me out of my thoughts.
"Hungry, do you want something to eat?"
»Gerne.«
Er ging los und kam mit etwas Undefinierbarem zurück, das aber gar nicht so schlecht war. Weiter passierte an diesem Abend nichts. Am nächsten Morgen sollte ich gewaschen werden, was mir natürlich nicht so ganz passte, denn zu so früher Stunde hatte ich immer ein gewisses Problem in Höhe der Hüften. Ich wollte mich wehren, aber da kam auch schon die Schwester und wollte mir die Decke wegziehen. Nachdem ich das mit einem schnellen Griff der gesunden Hand noch verhindern konnte, kam Basti in das Zimmer und fragt, was sie denn da machte?
»Ich soll den Patienten waschen.«
»Nein, das mache ich, ich soll mich um ihn kümmern, da gehört das auch dazu.«