Short Changed

As luck would have it, my day off was plagued by cold rain and a slight runny nose. Starting off the day with a cup of Starbucks and some shopping did its way to combat the forces of cold symptoms. While I was out throwing things in my cart, I came across one of my old patients. We exchanged a common greeting and parted ways. My eyes started to follow him and wonder to see how he was outside of the hospital setting. He was with some family member and seemed to be having the time of his life pushing a cart and reminiscing about Christmases missed. By his hand gestures and resolved facial expression, I knew that he was doing alright. Same old fella, I suppose. Realizing what time it was, I ran to the checkout.