Clayton and Krystal: DNR

Krystal was in the room starting on Dale Mendoza when there was a crash from the waiting room and she heard an aide yelling “CODE, CODE, CODE!”

“What is that?” Dale asked as Krystal rolled him onto his side so she could run the large-bore needle through his abdomen wall on-the-diagonal.

She stopped what she was doing and said “One of our patients is ‘coding’.”

Dale shrugged “What does that mean?”

“It probably means he is going into cardiac arrest” she said.

They heard his body arching and heels drumming against the floor.

“They are using the Automatic Defibrillator” she informed him.

“Does that happen often?” Dale asked, eyebrows furrowed with concern.

“Sadly, it does. Dialysis messes with cation balances in the blood. That can push the heart into A-fib...irregular heartbeats that don’t pump blood effectively.”

They heard more shouting. Then another round of heels drumming.

“Is it as painful as it sounds?” Dale asked. “The Automatic Defibrillator, I mean.”

Krystal compressed her lips into a grimace and nodded that it was.

“Do they have to use it?” Dale pressed.

“Not if you file a Do Not Resuscitate form and wear the wrist-band” Krystal said.

“I want to fill out that form” Dale said. There was no doubt or hesitation in his voice.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Are you sure?” she asked.

“I was never more sure in my life” he reassured her. “I am ready to go home to Jesus and see my parents and my wife and little Roberto.”

Suddenly, she was not in a cheap clinic in a shabby part of town, chosen mainly because it was near a transfer point for most of the area’s public transportation. It was just her and Dale.

“How can you know?” Krystal asked. “How can you be sure there is anything after...death?”

Dale shrugged gently. “I cannot know for sure. But there are no better offers out there. And Jesus says we only need the tiniest bit of faith. Even a pinch the size of a mustard seed is enough to uproot a tree and hurl it into the ocean.”

“We are a long way from any ocean” Krystal said, somewhat dismissively.

“For God, that is not a problem” Dale said.

 

"You have a lot of pain in your life" Dale observed. "Maybe you could use a little bit of God in it, too."

 

Krystal nodded. "Maybe."

Krystal turned Dale back on his side to finish the procedure. “Can you tell me about Roberto?” she asked.

***

Ken Aarons was coaching Clayton.

“They will ask a lot of questions. I will have pens in front of me. If I pick one up then do not talk” Aarons said.

Clayton nodded.

“I may touch your leg with my foot or my hand if you are saying too much. I am not getting ‘fresh’, I am just getting your attention. If I touch your leg SHUT UP IMMEDIATELY.”

“If I let you talk, take your time thinking about the problem before starting to talk. Most problems can be answered with a “Yes.” or a “No.” Don’t offer any more information than the question asked for. Just “Yes” or “No” “ Aarons said.

“By this time they should have pulled your phone records. They will have GPS information about where your phone went and any texts you sent or received. I am going to ask one more time, will there be any surprises?” Aarons asked.

Clayton shook his head “No”.

“OK, we are going to do some practice. Cindy will read a question and we will pretend she is the detective. We will see how good you are at following instructions…” Aarons said.

Except for having to bust Clayton’s chops for responding to Cindy’s flirting, which was completely harmless, it went better than Aarons expected.

“The detectives will try to get you emotionally engaged, to make you feel safe or smart or make you angry. Emotions make you stupid. Remember, “Yes” and “No” and to stop talking when I touch your leg or if I start playing with my pen.”

“Ok, another quick practice session….”

 

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