"Ho Ho Ho! Is this the Emergency Department in Yellowknife?"
I was gobsmacked. Was this a prank? "Yes it is. Can I help you?"
"We've had a bit of an accident up here and we're going to need to send a few patients your way."
I was still trying to get my head around all this. "Who is this? What do you mean about a few patients?"
A long sigh came through the phone into my ear. "Dr Hoechsmann. I know you've got three little girls who have been very nice all year who would love to have a few presents on Christmas but we have a situation here that could put all of that at risk!"
How did he know my name? I started to realize that this was not a prack. "What's going on up there Santa?" I asked.
"Well," he said, "One of the plastics injection molding machines has given us some problems for the last month. The thing has a high pressure actualizer that usually shuts off if it the pressure gets to high. We've had to deactivate the pressure sensor because it keeps going off even when the pressure is normal - sorry I am not getting to the point - "ELEVEN OF MY ELVES ARE INJURED!!"
"Can you describe their injuries Santa?"
"The pressure got to high and the whole thing exploded. Basically, it was like shrapnel flying all around the toy factory. We have a few elves trained in industrial first aid but their telling me it is pretty serious. Clive, the foreman, is unconscious and Blaise, the second deputy assistant chronographer is covered in blood."
(Part 2 coming soon)
