The old man in the bed next to you is howling like an animal.

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The old man in the bed next to you is howling like an animal. The little kid on the other side won't shut up. The three of you are separated by a flimsy curtain.

"Why can't they control these morons? I'm in pain, here," you whine.
The kid keeps crying and you yank the curtain back. There's a little boy sitting there with a pencil in his hand. He's sobbing.

"Take it easy, kid," you say. "When I was your age, the same thing happened to me. I could barely feel a thing. Say, where are your parents?"

There's a sudden flurry of activity on the other side of your bed. Nurses and orderlies rush in to restrain the old man. You pull the curtain aside to watch.

"Where am I? Where the hell am I?" He keeps asking, simultaneously trying to pry all their hands off of him. "Where am I? Tell me where I am!" He persists.

One of the nurses shouts into the hallway, "We need some help in here!" She looks over at you. "Come on, man. Give us a hand!"

You reluctantly stand up and approach the man. His eyes meet yours and he instantly relaxes. "Ah, there I am," he sighs. The rhythm of his heart monitor slows gradually to a stop as he lies down. He closes his eyes.

"Did you know him?" the nurse asks as she walks over the help the little boy.

You shake your head.

The nurse picks up the boy's chart. "Huh, looks like we got the two of you mixed up. You have the same name as that old man," she says to the whimpering child.

"What's your name, kid?" you ask the boy.

"The same as yours," he says.