I stop just outside the patient's room, as a nurse rubs her hands with sanitizer. “I’m here from psychiatry. How’s he doing?” I ask. “He was in pain most of the night, so he didn't sleep well,” she says, “His grafts look intact, but he's got a long road ahead.”
Looking in the doorway, I notice a one-to-one sitter at the bedside, a member of the hospital staff assigned to watch the patient around the clock. I'm about to introduce myself to a patient who tried to kill himself with a gun but survived. It's not the first time I've had to do this, but it never comes easy.