She walked over to the sink and returned with a needle and a plastic bottle, which she set on the table next to me. “Do you care which arm I poke?”

“No.”

“Let me have you put your arm out like this.” She ran her finger over my inner elbow until she found a vein. “There will be a small prick …” She tapped my arm a few times then slid the needle under my skin. “Okay. The doctor will be in in just a moment. Let me have you slip into this gown. Do you need help?”

“I can dress myself.”

She handed me a blue gown that was folded into a square, then left the room. I took off my clothes, pulled on the gown, and lay back on the bed.

I waited about ten minutes for a doctor, a young woman who looked as if she couldn’t be much older than twenty.

“Hi, Alan, I’m Dr. Barnes.” She glanced down at the paper she held. “Your blood pressure, oxygen, respiration, and pulse are all normal. How long have you been feeling dizzy?”

“It started this morning.”

“Were you involved in any physical activity at the time?”

“I was walking.”

“Do you do much walking?”

“Yes. I walk about twenty miles a day.”

“Very active. Had you been drinking?”

“You mean alcohol?”

“No, I meant liquids. Were you drinking alcohol?”

“No alcohol. I had water. I keep myself hydrated.”

“Even so, it’s still possible you were dehydrated, walking so far in the sun. Are you on any medications?”

“No.”

Her brow furrowed. “Okay. I’m going to run a few more tests. I’d also like to start you on an IV. I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.”

The redheaded nurse returned a minute later and ran more tests, then disappeared. I just closed my eyes and lay back in the bed, listening to the sounds of the ER flow around me. Too much time in ERs, I thought. The doctor returned forty-five minutes later.

“You, Mr. Christoffersen, are a mystery man. You look fine on paper. But then so did my last online date. How are you feeling?”

“I’m still dizzy.”

“I think we better watch you for a while. I’m going to put you on meclizine. It’s a motion-sickness drug that’s pretty effective for treating the symptoms of vertigo—dizziness, nausea. It will also make you very tired. Do you have any problem with sticking around?”

“I don’t have insurance, so I don’t want to stay any longer than I need to.”

“I understand,” she said. “Let’s get you on the meclizine and see how you react to it, then I’ll send you home to rest.”

Wish I had a home, I thought.

Chapter Twelve