Pill-Behavior

(I’m the receptionist at an allergist’s clinic that’s just across the street from the city hospital.)

Man: “Hello, I’d like to fill a prescription for one [Name] for [strong allergy medicine].”

(This immediately sets off a red flag in my head, as the name he said was the name of a patient that I can recognize by his face, who comes in for weekly allergy shots, and I’ve never seen this person before.)

Me: “Really, he’s out of medicine already?”

Man: “Yeah, I guess he, uh… took too many doses?”

Me: “I don’t recognize you, sir; are you family?”

Man: “Uh, yeah, I’m Eric [Last Name].”

(I look at my coworker who is listening in, and she immediately walks to the back. The name the man just told me was the name of the normal client, but that client lives with his grandparents who share a different surname.)

Man: “I have his pill bottle if you need proof he sent me.”

(Sure enough, he produces a pill bottle, I take it and set it behind my desk and feign typing information in while an officer walks in.)

Officer: “Hey!”

(The man immediately turned pale as a ghost and tried to bolt past the officer, only to get taken down. The officer hauled the man away as he cussed and hurled threats. Apparently he was a former worker of the client’s grandparents and went through their trash to get an empty pill bottle to try to get medicine to make drugs.)