When I started that day, I never dreamed it would end like this, yet it did ...
It all began as I completed my shift in the ER and was heading out the back door of the hospital where I had parked that morning. I had many thoughts running through my mind, some about things that happened on the shift and others about the evening ahead.
I looked up to see a large panel truck parked right up against the end of the sidewalk. One of the two doors was standing open and I could see some trash laying along the inner wall in the van. At that same moment I noticed a small built lady exiting the hospital door right behind me, pushing a gurney and approaching my space on the sidewalk. I stepped out of the way to give her room to pass.
Upon closer inspection I realized there was a deceased person on the gurney who was covered with a burgundy velvet blanket. This deceased person was quite large, at least twice the size of the little lady who was pushing the gurney. It was clear to me that the deceased person was a female because her breasts rose up much higher than other parts.
Suddenly it looked like the lady pushing was having difficulty, she hit a bump in the sidewalk and began to lose control.
I threw down my purse and lunch bag and immediately lunged towards her in an effort to avert a real disaster. I was thankfully able to help her regain control and steady the gurney that was swaying violently moments before. I said, “Hi, I’m Juanita, I'm glad I was here to help you.” She appeared to be pretty shook up and a couple of minutes later she said, “I’m Susan and you saved the day for me”
Since she was so small, I asked her if she usually picked up bodies by herself. She said no, this was her first time and someone was supposed to accompany her but he called out at the last minute and she came alone.
I offered to help her get the patient to the van and into the van. She was so relieved as she said, “Oh yes, thank you so much!”
Right ahead of us was a broken place in the pavement and as I attempted to warn her, we arrived at the hole sooner than I thought, the patient began to slide off and I jerked myself around to the side of the gurney to push her over and back in place. It was the eeriest thing as I threw myself in the path of this falling person and felt the weight of a dead person against me.
Then we were at the van, Susan had to leave me alone with the gurney as she opened the remaining door. Then she noticed the gurney was too close to open the door fully, so she gave the gurney a big push and I steadied it as best I could, the deceased person fell against me with a thud and her arm fell out from under the blanket that had thus far kept her out of sight. After I regained control of the gurney, I lifted the arm and placed it back under the blanket. It was very pale in color with brown aging spots sprinkled here and there; the fingernails were beautifully manicured and very long. The way the arm felt was cold and unhuman, yet it was very human indeed.
Susan climbed into the van and pushed some of the garbage and trash out of the way to make room from this patient.
All I could think of was “Lord, let this be over soon!” The two of us pushed and shoved and grunted as we were finally able to get this patient into the van. Susan quickly thanked me, jumped into the driver’s seat and left.
I stood there in shock and trying to come to grips with what had just happened. Suddenly, I thought, that was a nasty old van full of trash and I have helped this person load a body in it. Why would a mortuary send someone in a vehicle in that condition to pick up a body?
I went on home and told my husband about it over dinner. The next morning when I got to work, I immediately told one of my co-worker friends about it and how traumatic it had been for me.
About two hours later my boss called me to his office. I walked in to see not only my boss but his boss and the hospital director were present. I thought what have I DONE! I have NEVER been fired before but this was surely some trouble or something very wrong.
Then my boss began to speak, he said, “Juanita there has been a group of people stealing bodies from hospitals, one was taken last week from the Providence and I was wondering if you knew anything about a body of an older lady who was stolen from our hospital yesterday?”
“He said there are a couple of police detectives waiting to talk to you about it.”
I was as terrified as I have ever been in my life at that moment!
I began to cry and I told them that out of pure ignorance, I guess I had helped a lady steal this poor woman. Then I told them the whole story and how I really should have known something wasn’t right when I saw that odd vehicle and the trash inside. It was all so strange and red flags had popped up in my head but I had not acted on them. I said I promise you I did not realize that I was aiding a criminal. But I can give you her description and a description of the vehicle if that helps.
Nothing but silence filled that room for what seemed like hours, yet I am sure it was minutes.
They all sat there with stern looks on their faces as I sat there in a panic!
Finally, they told me that I had done nothing wrong. My co-worker, friend had relayed the story to them that I told her that morning(which she thought was hilarious). She told of me helping to load a body the afternoon before, and all of the craziness that happened. They thought it was so funny, they pulled the security video and watched it several times laughing till they cried. Then they decided to prank me and make up the story of detectives and stolen bodies.
The staff in any ER always loves a prank, it helps them relieve the tension of the things they face minute to minute at work.
The security video was funny.
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