Shanna Germain Things You Can't Say There are things you can’t say: fuck, amputate, HIV-positive, critical, dying. Instead you say: darn, remove, double-bagger, so-so, everything’s going to be just fine. It is supposed to keep the patient from feeling bad. It is supposed to keep the paramedic from feeling bad. It is supposed to keep the doctors and nurses who are waiting in the warm hospital with a cup of bad coffee and a mental clock of how long since they’ve slept from feeling bad. But everyone, even the night watchman even the woman who cleans the sheets even the mother waiting patiently for the doctor to come out and tell her that her son is okay knows what is being said.

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