End of Life Care Services
Services now available at a pharmacy near you
The End of Life Care Service Center was installed this past Autumn. Peter had a passing curiosity at first. Like his coworkers he examined the retrofitted room that was once janitorial storage and skimmed through the pamphlet. As the room sat seemingly unused his interest faded and what happened behind the door of the ELCS Service Center occupied as much space in his mind as janitor’s closet it replaced. Then one day, the week after finals, when he was working an extra shift, Peter noticed a patient heading toward the room.
He was an old man walking with a sort of shuffle through the store. His pants were a baggy brown, stained and unwashed. The shirt he wore was thin white cotton with a deep v-neck, clearly intended as an undershirt. On his feet were sandals and pale blue hospital issue socks speckled with white rubber grips to prevent falls.
The night shift had been slow and Peter first eyed the old man with suspicion. Following him at a discrete distance until it became clear where he was headed. By the time Peter reached ELCS the door was already closed and the light above pulsed red instead of its usual steady green. Peter remembered the pamphlet informing employees that a pulsing red light meant ELCS was in use by a patient and would be inaccessible until services were complete when the light would turn back to green. Peter stared at the door for a moment then turned and went back to work before the manager noticed.
When Peter started his next shift the ELCS light was back to green. He thought about the old man as he restocked shelves of shampoo. He wondered about what lead the man there. Cancer, Alzheimer's, something inoperable and horrible. That’s what the ELCS was meant for. A peaceful solution to an unsolvable problem. Peter thought about the ads and slogans for ELCS.
Two weeks went by until Peter paid anymore attention to ELCS. He had stopped noticing the steady green light. Then coming off break he saw the green light had changed and was now yellow. He thought back to the pamphlet but didn’t recall a yellow light. As he returned to work Peter found the manager.
“Hey Bill, is that light supposed to be yellow?”
“What ELCS? Yellow means reserved. Someone scheduled an appointment to use it.”
“Ok, just checking.” Peter went back to work. His memory jogged he remembered that appointments could be reserved online and secured a three hour window for services. He checked the time. Four hours left on his shift.
He tried focusing on work but kept getting distracted. He eyed everyone who walked in suspecting whoever made the appointment to show up soon. One woman with a walker caught his interest early. She made her way to the back but stopped at the vitamin counter, picked up a bottle of extra strength vitamin C and went to pay.
Peter wondered if the person might have changed their mind. Stayed home and alive for one more night. He wasn’t expecting anything unusual when the middle-aged man approached and asked him if he worked there.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“I’m looking for the ELCS Services. Is that here?”
Peter nodded, “Yes, right this way.”
Peter stood back while the man scrolled on his phone, reading the instructions for the next step.
“Do you mind waiting? I might need some help figuring this thing out.”
“Sure” Peter said then after a pause “Do you have a disease?”
“What? Oh, you’re wondering why. Well no, not a disease per-say. I just lost my job a few months back. In a few more weeks I’ll be homeless. Doctor said this was an option and I figure it beats living on the streets. It’s almost Winter.”
“Oh”
Peter watched as the man typed his birthday into the keypad and stood back for the facial recognition to match his identity. When it did the door slid open. Peter saw the man’s name displayed on the screen.
Jonathan Diller looked back at Peter and said “Thanks for the help, kid.” Then he stepped inside and the door slid shut. Peter waited and watched as the ELCS light changed from steady yellow to pulsing red.