A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE

October 16, 2007

It’s a Thursday night, and I’m hanging out in the lobby of what seems to be a hotel crossed with a college dorm. Several frat boys mill about drinking beer and watching football. One enormously tall, muscular boy in a blue oxford shirt knocks on our door and asks to see a girl who lives on the second floor. He goes up the stairs to find her, and most of the other guys follow him.

“Now I can watch what I want,” I say to myself. I grab the remote from the beer soaked coffee table and change the channel. I come across a talk show hosted by Dolly Parton, but this does not interest me. Then I remember it’s Thursday. I change the channel once again. It’s time for “ER”.

On the screen I see Maura Tierney as Dr. Abby Lockhart, just like every other week. Tonight, however, there is a very special episode. Dr Lockhart is wearing army fatigues with a red cross stitched to the front of her cap. She stands next to a large olive green tent, flanked by a man who is also wearing fatigues. Really, it looks like she’s been plopped into the middle of an episode of “M*A*S*H”.

The man says something to Abby about not having enough courage.

She responds quietly, “War makes people courageous.”