Dr. Luis, an ER attending physician, sprinted through the automatic glass doors of the emergency room, pushing a heavy metal gurney alongside two winded paramedics. Inside the rig was a cardiac patient in critical condition, but a shiny red SUV sat parked dead center in the middle of the ambulance lane, completely abandoned by its driver.
“We have to take the long way around through the side delivery ramp!” Luis shouted over the siren, his rubber sneakers skidding across the wet asphalt as they pivoted the heavy cart.
They lost three crucial, blood-pumping minutes navigating the sharp turns of the service corridor. The patient made it through surgery, but the sheer absurdity of the delay gnawed at Luis’s soul for weeks. The hospital’s faded “Please Do Not Park Here” signs hung limply on the brick exterior, completely ignored by every selfish driver in the city. His blood pressure spiked every single time he stepped outside.