Okay, I
recently had lots of opportunities for the odd mind of Linda Glaz to kick in
once again.
Letting
someone knock you out and cut into your tootsies is bad enough, but to be
swapping bizarre stories about Propofol with the resident and nurses is quite
another.
“How
much would it take to knock someone out…permanently?”
“Have
you heard of Michael Jackson?”
“Now
might not be the best time to remind me of that.” As the nurse anesthetist
slides innocuous clear liquid into the IV, I look at the resident. “Remember,
if you think I’m not out yet, don’t say ‘oops’…” and that’s the last I
remembered until I came around.
I’m
one of those like my mom who marvels at what medicine can do today. But it also
opens the door to all sorts of possibilities for the suspense author. Not just
medical miracles, but medical mysteries.
Just
ask Dr. Richard Mabry. With his wealth of knowledge, he’s able to put together
scenarios so frightening, it surprises even me, who isn’t surprised by much in
the suspense department.
Everyday
life is so much more frightening than the Boogeyman, Frankenstein, or Drac.
Think about it. We know that creatures aren’t out there waiting for us around
the corner…in the dark. But could a mad man with a syringe of unwarranted drugs
be hovering over us just as we’re slipping into happy land?
Waiting
in the surgicenter, I looked around, wondering who was there and for what?
Might it be someone whose husband encouraged her to have a ‘procedure’ knowing
how bad her heart is? A wife with a large insurance policy who persuaded her
husband to undergo elective surgery knowing he might react to the pain
medication when no one else knows of the allergy, and he never remembers to
tell them?
When
it comes to suspense, my mind never shuts down if truth be told. It’s
constantly on watch for a wonderful, mindboggling story. Do you look around you
in normal situations and see the hint of suspicion lurking?
I can
see it, even know, as I type. I’ll soon leave for my first follow up
appointment.
I have
to wonder. What if it’s not Lidocaine in the syringe that he gives me in order
to…
4 comments:
A fantastic look into a writer's mind! I once saw two pictures of a partially opened door to a garage. The first picture caption was from a writer's point of view - "What if someone came in from the garage and is waiting for me in the basement?" The second caption was from a "normal" person's viewpoint. "Uh, oh. I left the door to the garage open."
HA-HA. Some would call this paranoia. Not so. It's the writer's mind at work.
You're so right, Linda. Paranoia is fear of the non-existent stuff in life. Us writers not only spotlight what actually does happen in life but we run with it, shaping it into a far more entertaining read than just the blood and guts (the black and white) of life.
Susan, I had to laugh. You are sooo right! I think most of us are ADHD anyway, and that accounts for the protector side of us. Those of us who are always on the lookout for danger to the pack! And yes, Davalynn, that probably means just a tad of paranoia, but in a constructive manner. Elaine, we do go with it as writers!!!
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