我的血恕不出售
麥考爾醫生對查普尼先生說，他妻子需要輸血，但醫院能找到的最近的ABO血，是在弗羅里達州傑克遜維爾市，需要幾個小時才能送來。
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恕不出售
（美）羅傑·迪安·基瑟 原文
孫寶成 編譯
「從哪裡我能找一杯加糖的咖啡？」坐在候診室里的流浪漢問。
我剛趕到喬治亞州奧爾巴尼市的楠帕特尼紀念醫院上班，還沒睡醒，前後揮著手，像是讓他別來煩我。
進了急診室，我注意到麥考爾醫生跑到一面拉下來的帘子後面，幾個護士緊隨其後。
「出什麼事了？」我問坐在護士工作台後的護士。
「女性，車禍受害者，我估計。」她回答。
我走過帘子，緩緩地朝里瞧。
「真是糟糕。」我心想。我看到一位老婦人躺在救護擔架上，右腿朝後彎在身子底下。
「基瑟，你在外面等著，守候她丈夫查普尼先生。他正從奧特蘭大飛來，大約三十分鐘後到達這裡。」護士長說著，手指飛快地指向醫院的前面。
走向門口，我發現還必須冒險經過急診室的候診室。
「從哪裡我能找一杯加糖的咖啡？」那個髒兮兮的傢伙又問。
我走進醫院的禮品店，倒了半杯熱乎乎的咖啡，加了半杯糖。我要等著那位先生到來，不時地透過大玻璃窗看去，走回候診室，把咖啡給了那個人。
我們都認識流浪漢傑弗里，他常來拜訪醫院急診室，一個星期來幾次，不斷患上小病。就在上星期，他遇到直腸發癢的問題，我們給了他四包栓劑。幾個小時後，他返回來，告訴我們他的癥狀沒有緩解。護士問他是否用了一粒栓劑，他回答：「我用了兩粒，可嘗起來肯定有蠟的味道。」
麥考爾醫生實在忍不住了，笑趴在地板上。
我在外面又站了一個多小時，等那位先生來。突然，一輛黑色凱迪拉克疾駛進車道，急促地剎住車。一位衣冠楚楚的人打開後車門，跑向我。
「我是查普尼，我妻子在哪裡？」那位大人物高喊著，口氣十分專橫。
他把大家都推到一邊，我設法說明，我最後看到她是在急診室。我們來到急診室門口，我小心地伸出手，放在他胳膊上。
「你等在這裡，我看看情況怎樣。除了醫院人員，不許任何人進去。」
忽然，這個人推了我一把，我靠在了牆上。
「嗨！」我大喊，「你不能進去。」
那位先生停住腳，極其嚴厲地看著我，手指頭指點著我。
我避開他杵在我臉上的大手指頭，指著座位區，我說：「你坐到那裡去，我看看你妻子在什麼地方，好讓你見她。」
那個人緩緩轉身，開始走開。
「臭東西！」他對傑弗里尖叫著，趕緊躲開了他。
傑弗里笑著，把手伸到襯衣口袋，掏出兩粒剩下的栓劑，對那個人說：「你想吃糖果嗎？」
我笑了笑，走進急診室。
幾分鐘後，我走回候診室，開始對查普尼先生解釋，醫生很難找到血液，她的血型極其罕見。
「我知道她是ABO型的血，你們連一點都沒有嗎？」他問道，狂躁地揮著手。
「對不起，打擾一下。」傑弗里說著，打斷我們的交談。
「你閉嘴！」查普尼尖聲說，直接指向傑弗里。
傑弗里慢慢閉上嘴，低頭看著地板，向後挪，坐回到自己角落的位子上。
其後，我感覺麥考爾醫生的手放在我的肩頭。
「羅傑，讓我說幾句。」他對我說。
我走開幾步，停住腳。他對查普尼先生說明，他妻子需要輸血，卻沒有可用的血。他能找到的最近的ABO血型，是在弗羅里達州傑克遜維爾市，需要幾個小時才能送來。
「我能再來一點加糖的咖啡嗎？」傑弗里問我。
我走過去，接過他的杯子，轉身走開。
「我的血管里流著ABO血。」他嘟囔著。
我打趣地沖他眨眨眼，接著去給他弄咖啡。
回來時，我看到查普尼先生低著頭，手扶著飲水器。我一言不發，走到傑弗裡面前，把咖啡遞給他。
「真的，我有ABO血。」他再次說。
我還是一言不發，走回急診室，來到麥考爾醫生跟前。
「你打算怎麼辦？」我問他。
「需要那種血型，我們急需輸血。」他回答。
「醫生，我看到那條腿，情況糟透了。」我說。
「那條腿倒是沒什麼事，外科醫生正趕來。主要是失血讓我擔心。」
「這可能不成問題，傑弗里那傢伙說他有ABO血型。」
麥考爾醫生臉上現出奇怪的神情，轉身走向候診室。不大工夫，他拉著傑弗里的手臂，帶他走進急診室。化驗室的技術員被招來，做了幾項血型測試。果然發現，無家可歸的老傑弗里具有罕見的血型，歸類為ABO。
我立刻走回候診室，把這個消息告訴查普尼先生。麥考爾醫生和傑弗里走出急診室，查普尼喊著：「你能賣多少血，我全都買下來。」
「我的血恕不出售。」傑弗里口氣堅定地對他說。
查普尼的眼睛立刻瞪圓，足有金幣那麼大，啞口無言地呆立著。
我眼睜睜地看著麥考爾和傑弗里消失在長長的走廊，趕往潘寧頓救護區。
「你等在這裡，我跟他說句話。」我告訴查普尼。
我走進禮品店親自倒了一杯咖啡，調頭走向走廊，去找麥考爾醫生。找了有十幾分鐘，我在醫生休息室找到他們兩個。傑弗里正在淋浴，從頭到腳塗滿外科肥皂，麥考爾醫生幫他洗澡，拿著的像是一個大馬桶刷。
我站在那裡，看著傑弗里骯髒、消瘦、赤裸的身體，他的肋骨幾乎在兩側突出來，讓人納悶，這樣一個軀體竟然會有如同黃金般珍貴的東西流淌過其中的血管。
「你打算讓那個女人死嗎？」我問他。
「當然不想了。」
「可你說你的血是非賣品。」
「就是非賣品。」他回答。
麥考爾醫生沖我微笑著，隨後拍了傑弗里後背了幾下。肥皂沫濺得到處都是。
不到一個小時，外科醫生趕到了，那個女人和傑弗里都進了手術室。幾個小時後，傑弗里再次坐在候診室，還有查普尼先生。兩個人笑著，一起喝咖啡。
那天下午晚些時候，我和朱尼爾、威爾伯乘坐救護車，護送查普尼先生到機場，把她抬上了一架私人飛機。我站在跑道上，看到黑色的凱迪拉克駛到停機坪。車門打開，我看到查普尼先生和傑弗里下車。見到傑弗里，我笑起來。我還是第一次看到他渾身乾淨，衣裝整齊。
「瞧瞧我。」傑弗里說，眼中含著淚花。
「領帶看起來不錯，傑弗里先生。」我點著頭說，把兩根手指舉到眉頭敬禮。
「你想吃糖果嗎？」他問我，把手伸向襯衣口袋。
「謝謝，不想，先生。」我笑著說，目送他們二位共同登上飛機。
Not For Sale
by Roger Dean Kiser, Sr.
"Is there any way I can get a cup of coffee with sugar?" asked the homeless man, sitting in the hospital waiting room.
Still half asleep and just coming to work at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Georgia, I waived my hand, back and forth, as if to tell him not to bother me.
Entering the emergency room, I noticed Doctor McCall as he ran behind one of the many drawn blue curtains, several nurses following close behind.
"What s the deal?" I asked the nurse, sitting behind the nurse s station.
"Female, car accident victim, I think," she replied.
I walked over to the curtain and slowly peeked inside.
That s bad, I thought, as I saw an older woman laying on an ambulance gurney, her right leg bent backwards beneath her body.
"Kiser, you wait out front and watch for her husband, Mr. Champney. He is flying in from Atlanta and should be here in about 30 minutes," said the head nurse, as she quickly pointed her finger toward the front of the hospital.
Walking toward the entrance I once again had to venture through the emergency room waiting room.
"Is there any way I can get a cup of coffee with lots of sugar?" asked the dingy fellow again.
Walking into the hospital gift shop I poured a half cup of hot coffee and dumped in about a half cup of sugar. Waiting for the gentleman to arrive, I constantly watched though the large glass windows as I walked back to the waiting room and handed the coffee to the man.
We knew Jeffrey, as he constantly visited the hospital emergency room, several times a week, with one ailment or another. Just the week before he had a rectal itching problem, so we gave him a four pack of suppositories. Several hours later he returned and told us that his problem had not been relieved. When the nurse asked him if he used one of the suppositories, he replied "I used two of em but they sure tasted waxy."
It took everything Doctor McCall could do to keep from falling down on the floor and laughing.
I stood outside for more than an hour waiting for the gentleman to arrive. All at once a black Cadillac raced into the driveway and came to a screeching halt. A well dressed man opened the back door of the car and headed toward me.
"Champney here, where is my wife?!" shouted the large man, in a very authoritative voice.
As he pushed everyone to the side, I tried to explain that she was in the emergency room when I last saw her. As we reached the emergency room door, I carefully reached up and placed my hand on his arm.
"You wait here and I ll see what s happening. No one allowed inside, except hospital personnel."
All at once, the man push me, causing me to fall against the wall.
"HEY!" I yelled, "You can t go in there."
The gentleman stopped, gave me a very stern look, and pointed his finger at me.
Backing up from his large finger in my face, I pointed to the seating area, I said, "You sit down over there and I ll see where your wife is so you can see her."
Slowly, the man turned and began walking away.
"YOU STINK!!!" he screamed, at Jeffery, as he quickly moved away from him.
Jeffery smiled, reached into his shirt pocket, pulled out the two remaining suppositories and said to the man, "Would you like a candy?"
I smiled and walk into the emergency room.
Several minutes later, I walked back to the waiting room and began to explain to Mr. Champney that the doctor was having a very difficult time finding blood. That she had a very unusual blood type.
"I know she has an ABO blood type. Don t you fellows have any?" he asked, shaking his hands furiously in front of him.
"Excuse me," said Jeffery as he interrupted our conversation.
"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" screamed Champney, as he pointed directly at Jeffery.
Slowly closing his mouth and looking down at the floor, Jeffrey moved backwards and took his seat in the corner.
The next thing I knew Doctor McCall s hand was resting on my shoulder.
"Roger, let me have a minute here," he told me.
I walked several paces away and stopped. He explained to Mr. Champney that his wife was in need of blood and that none was available. The nearest ABO blood he was able to locate was in Jacksonville, Florida and that it would take several hours for it to arrive.
"Can I have some more coffee with sugar?" Jeffery asked me.
I walked over, took his cup and turned to walk away.
"I have ABO blood in my veins," he mumbled.
I winked at him, jokingly, then walked away to go get his coffee.
Upon returning, I saw Mr. Champney bent over with his head and arms resting on the water fountain. Saying not a word, I walked over to Jeffrey and handed him his coffee.
"Really, I have ABO blood," he replied once again.
Still saying nothing, I walked back into the emergency room and over to Doctor McCall.
"What are we going to do?" I asked him.
"Need that blood and we need it quick," he replied.
"Doc, that leg looked pretty bad when I saw it," I voiced.
"That leg is going to be okay. The surgeon is on his way. It s the blood loss I m concerned about."
"This may be nothing but that Jeffery fellow says he has an ABO blood type."
Doctor McCall, with a strange look on his face, turned and walked toward the waiting room. Within seconds he had Jeffery by the arm and was walking him into the ER. The laboratory technician was summoned and performed several blood tests. Sure enough, it was found that dirty, old homeless Jeffery had a very rare blood type classified as ABO.
I immediately walked back to the waiting room and told Mr. Champney of the news. Doctor McCall and Jeffery were walking out of the ER when Champney yelled "I ll buy all the blood you will sell me."
"My blood s not for sale," Jeffery told him, in a very firm voice.
Champney s eyes immediately enlarged to the size of golf balls and he stood there speechless.
I watched as McCall and Jeffery disappeared down the long hallway towards the Pennington Ambulance section.
"You wait here and I ll have a talk with him," I told Champney.
I walked into the gift shop and poured myself a cup of coffee and headed down the hallway to find Doctor McCall. After searching for about ten minutes, I located both of them in the doctor s lounge. Jeffery was in the shower, covered from head to toe with surgical soap and doctor McCall was scrubbing him with, what appeared to be a large toilet brush.
I stood there looking at Jeffery s dirty, skinny, naked body, his ribs almost protruding threw his sides, wondering the entire time how such a body could have something, almost as valuable as gold, flowing through its veins.
"Are you going to let that woman die?" I asked him.
"Well of course not."
"But you said your blood was not for sale."
"It s not for sale," he replied.
Doctor McCall smiled at me and then patted Jeffery on the back several times. Soap splattered everywhere.
Within the hour, the surgeon had arrived and the woman and Jeffery were taken into surgery.
Several hours later, Jeffery was once again sitting in the waiting room, along with Mr. Champney. Both were laughing and drinking coffee together.
Later that afternoon Junior, Wilbur and I took Mrs. Champney, by ambulance, to the airport and loaded her onto a private plane. I was standing on the runway when I saw the black Cadillac drive out onto the tarmac. As the door opened, I watched as Mr. Champney and Jeffery emerged from the vehicle. I smiled as I looked at Jeffery. It was the first time I had ever seen him clean and all dressed up.
"Look at me," said Jeffery, with tears in his eyes.
"The tie looks good Mr. Jeffery," I said, nodding my head forward and saluting from my brow with two fingers.
"Would you like a candy?" he asked me, as he reached toward his shirt pocket.
"No thank you, sir," I said, with a smile, as I watched the two of them board the plane together.
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