44. The Lost Visitor

I work in a level 1 trauma center receiving for 11 counties (implying a fair amount of carnage routinely). One morning between 3 and 4am I was alone in the bay (we have 4 trauma bays and 2 resus rooms in a rectangle surrounding a nursing station) catching up on documentation. I became aware of a man walking from behind me on my right, outside the nursing station and into one of the trauma rooms. Except I hadn’t heard any doors open (big noisy motion activated doors). He looked at me over his shoulder as he walked through the room doors, but didn’t answer when I called out, “Hello?”

I walked around (losing site of the bay door as I rounded a big column) to make sure it wasn’t a lost visitor and there was no one there. There’s no way out other than the door, and it was out of my sight line for maybe a second max.

I later related the story and heebie-jeebies I felt while I was looking for the strange dude to another nurse. She said she’d had an identical experience that same week. People bring it up from time to time, same story. Guy walks into the room, and then is gone by the time you go look for him. We’ve decided to just leave him alone. I hope he finds what he’s looking for though.