In case of earthquake.

So I crawled under my desk on Friday afternoon.

I actually had good reason for doing so, although my supervisor insists that I did not. (Like she is one to be pointing fingers; she moaned all Friday long about how she was ready to go home.)

So the doctor calls on Friday afternoon to make sure there were no patients waiting for him, because he had just left the office (again!) without checking first. I assured him that there were not (because at that moment, there weren't), and he hung up, after telling me to let the PAs know that he was out of the building.

I went to the patient area, to find both our PAs, both nurses, and all the clinical aides in with patients. (Or they may have been hiding.) So I thought, "Okay, they are all busy, I'll just let them know the next time they come up front."

I went back to my desk, and back to work, and about 30 minutes later one of the clinical aides came to ask me if the doctor was out of the building. I told him yes, he was at the hospital. Problem: a patient has been waiting 15 minutes to see him. Yikes!

So after a couple of minutes of panic, who waltzes in the door but the doctor himself, having finished his rounds with incredible speed. Immediately he was beset by PAs and clinical aides, all talking at once, capped off by the news that a patient was waiting to see him. He, of course, looks a bit stunned and asks, "Didn't you all know I was gone?" They all said, "No!" at once.

Naturally, this little sideshow all happened right in front of my desk, so the doc turns around to look at me. "They were all in a room when you called!" was all I could think to say, and then they all wandered off en masse, presumably to see patients.

So I turned to my supervisor and said, "I'm just going to hide under my desk." This is not a new threat, by the way; I say it at least once a week, usually at moments like these. "What? You are not!" she said, so I decided this was a good a time as any to show her I was serious... and under the desk I went.

This is where it gets really good... I was giggling at the look on her face, and she said, "No wonder your parents abused you! You are such a brat!" Now it is my turn to be stunned, so I said, "What? Why?" as I crawled back out. "Because you are, hiding under your desk!" (In case anyone was wondering, apparently all one has to do to be a brat is hide under one's desk.)

So I went back to work. And she went back to moaning about how it was time to go home. (Further note: She wasn't being serious. As far as I can tell.)