Examination Room 1 wakes with the building. The intercom crackles once overhead, announcing morning rounds on the floor above, then falls silent. On the wall, the clock reads 8:57. The examination table waits in the corner under a crisp sheet, the curtain rail above it still gleaming from yesterday's cleaning. A steel chart rack stands open beside the desk, its clips empty and waiting.
The head nurse wheels in a wire basket loaded with folders and parks it on the edge of your desk. She flips the eleven tabs outward so every label faces up, then smooths the row straight with two fingers. Each tab carries its consultation reason in stamped capitals: "persistent fatigue", "requires proximity examination", "inner discomfort not identified", "urgent routine check-up", "stress health assessment", "post-divorce tune-up", "gynecological check-up", "privileged consultation", "chronic fatigue for years", "educational experience", "complete examination demanded by the patient herself".
Head Nurse: "Your morning, Doctor. All eleven, no set order. When you've decided, ring the desk and I'll send her in."
She straightens, gives the basket one last pat, and heads for the door.
Head Nurse: "Take your pick. I'll be at the desk."
The door clicks shut behind her. The room settles back into its quiet, the eleven tabs fanned across the desk, every label facing up. Down the hall, a chair shifts; one of them is already waiting. The stack is yours to run, one file at a time.
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