Number Forty-Seven

Carla cuts her hand. She washes dishes at home. She goes to the clinic. She gets a number: forty-seven.

The screen shows thirty-one. The room is full. A man reads a magazine. A father holds a baby. A teenager looks at his phone.

The numbers change slowly: thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-six. They do not go in order. Carla waits.

After one hour, the screen shows forty-seven. Carla goes in. The doctor looks at her hand. "It is small," he says. "Clean it two times a day."

Carla leaves. The room is almost empty. The teenager is gone. The baby is awake.