Those Needling Little Details

(I am being hooked up to an IV for a minor operation. I hate needles, but I’ve found that looking away and focusing on small talk helps. This was at the end of a long conversation designed to distract me from the IV being put in. I am 21, and my nurse doesn’t look very old.)

Nurse: “You’re doing very well with this. My daughter also hates needles, and she needs someone to hold her hand with injections.”

Me: “Oh, yeah, I used to be like that. When I was 5 or 6 my parents would have to hold me down for my shots.”

Nurse: “My daughter is 23.”

(Thankfully, the nurse then had to change the conversation to important medical questions.)