My daughter was wailing, and a father was grumbling about it when the doctor walked out and said something that made me gasp.
I was rocking my three-week-old daughter while I sat in the waiting area. She had a fever, and I hadn’t slept a wink for the last few nights. It broke my heart to hear her cry all the time. But no matter how hard I tried, I was unable to soothe her.
Sitting close by was a man with a gleaming luxury watch on his wrist and an expensive suit. Every time my daughter cried, I could tell he was growing agitated.
Clearly irritated, he went to the nurse and remarked icily, “Can we expedite this? This is not worth my time at all! “Can someone shut that kid up?” he said, turning to face me. I find the yelling intolerable.
The waiting room fell into a thick hush. With my child still crying, all eyes were on me, and I felt nearly invisible in my own agony.
The room began to fill with whispers. The doctor then emerged and walked over to us. He turned to me after giving the man a courteous greeting. I was stunned by what he said next.
“Feverish baby?” he inquired.
“Yes, she’s three weeks old,” I said, a little nervously.
Suddenly, the man yelled, “And I have chest pains, this could be a heart attack!”
The physician gave him a chilly look. “While playing golf, you recently pulled a muscle. She comes first since this tiny one might not live until tonight.
After a long period of silence, the room erupted in cheers.
The man didn’t give me a single glance when my daughter and I left again.
