A thanks flashback

I recently forgot about a patient in my waiting room.

A staff member let me know, at about 1 PM, that he had come in to pick up his parking disability form I had filled out for him.

I said, "tell him to wait a minute in the waiting room and I'll bring it out shortly."

I was in the middle of doing something else.

I forgot.

At about 5 PM a different staff member let me know the same patient had finally gone up to the desk to inquire about his form.

He had been sitting patiently.

I walked the form to him and apologized for the wait.

Surprisingly, he just said, "thanks."

I had a flashback.

During residency, while doing an ER rotation, a fellow resident, who was going off duty, signed a patient out to me in bed #12 at approximately 11 PM (it was a 25 bed emergency room). A blood test was pending and if his blood count was OK he could be discharged home. The curtain was pulled. It ended up being a typically busy night. I totally forgot about the poor fellow in bed #12. During check out rounds at 7 AM, the attending wanted to know what was going on in bed #12.

Oops.

I let him know I was on top of it.

I reviewed the labs that had returned at 11:20 PM and woke the nice man up and let him know his labs were fine and that he could go home.

Surprisingly he just said, "thanks."