COMPLETED

You’d been running since the sun came up Name badge hanging by a thread Room twelve buzzed for extra blankets While you raced from bed to bed You smiled at me so kindly Said “Just ring if you need help” But honey you looked exhausted I couldn’t add another thing myself So I waited Trying not to be a chore And I told myself “I’ve made this walk before…” I didn’t wanna bother you Didn’t wanna be “that light” Another voice down the hallway Calling in the middle of the night Now there’s half the floor inside my room Questions flying left and right And somewhere at the nurses’ station They’re filling out reports tonight All because I tried To pee by myself The floor was cold beneath my feet One hand against the wall Halfway there my legs gave out And I couldn’t stop the fall Then suddenly the hallway filled With squeaking shoes and hurried hands Someone saying “Don’t move just yet” A doctor calling for a scan Now somebody’s checking pupils Someone’s taking blood pressure Linda from administration Needs twelve forms “for legal measures” I didn’t wanna bother you You were already stretched so thin Trying to hold the entire unit Together with a safety pin Now there’s vitals every hour Fall-risk socks and yellow bands And soon there will be a staff meeting About “preventing this again” All because I tried To pee by myself I heard somebody whisper “Was the bed alarm turned on?” Then three more nurses showed up Just to figure what went wrong Now the supervisor’s speed-walking Someone’s calling down the hall Somebody’s printing incident forms Before they even know it all And every voice keeps getting louder While I’m staring at the floor Thinking all this for a bathroom trip I guess I should’ve pulled the cord I didn’t wanna bother you I thought I could make it there Now there’s seven people in my room And paperwork stacked everywhere And I know tomorrow morning Someone’ll say what I should’ve done But when you spend your whole life helping others Asking for help feels hard for some So next time I need somebody I’ll press the button first

This chart was electronically reviewed by Synthetic Medic Medical Center. Accuracy may vary depending on staffing, caffeine levels, and whether anyone actually read the note.