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“What happened?”

“Head on collision.”

“He's bleeding severely.”

“Any identification?”

“He is an organ donor, if that is what you mean.”

“Take him to room 136.”

The man had been drunk. No seatbelt, no brains. Bottle of Bud in one hand, steering wheel in the other. Zepplin booming out of the radio. He was essentially asking for it. He went off the road and over-corrected, slamming into another vehicle. Now he was barely alive.

“Is he still breathing?”

“Won't be for long.”

“Doesn't matter, just make sure he doesn't bleed everywhere.”

“...right.”

Organ donors are hard to find in the area. Hell, car crashes are rare in this area. Last time they had someone come in, she barely survived, since it was mandatory that they do all within their power to keep her alive. And the fact that she was not an Organ Donor.

“Hook him up. Check vitals.”

“He's not breathing.”

“Never mind.”

After they find a donor, they let him die. But they must work quickly. Put the goods on ice and get them to those who need it. Sometimes a dead man's organs can save five lives. Intestines, lungs, heart, and most importantly, kidneys. Kidneys from the black market are one thing, but the one's from the hospital are always fresher, better taken care of.

“Hand me that saw. I'm cutting open the sternum.”

“Are we taking everything?”

“You bet.”

And there is nothing we can do about it.

Keyword: Return to Sender

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Comments (18)

Posted by thirteen 2008-03-07 13:23:13 well, well, tarhead the body snatcher strikes again!! this reminds me of a episode from MASH.. well done! thirteen probably thinks so too... + Report this comment
Posted by tarhead 2008-03-07 13:25:06 i'm myself again! whew! the irish air was getting to my allergies!! i still like the story. + Report this comment
Posted by thirteen 2008-03-07 13:33:00 .... Yes ofcourse it was good, trying to get my little boy to bed.I know in Ireland many people die when they dont have too, because not enough donors.Everyone should be made to have a donorcard. + Report this comment
Posted by tarhead 2008-03-07 14:24:21 i dunno... I have one, my sweetheart carrys one - but I wouldn't if it was mandated... and some folks don't like the notion of being parsed out - or having that done to their loved ones... and in some areas it is a religious issue... + Report this comment
Posted by 1800 2008-03-07 15:47:05 .... I got one. + Report this comment
Posted by lemon 2008-03-07 16:37:59 .... good story. I am an organ donor, but there is always that little thought in the back of my mind that makes me think they wont try to save me haha. kind of makes me drive a little more carefully ha! + Report this comment
Posted by tarhead 2008-03-07 16:40:17 oddly I just caught the title. + Report this comment
Posted by 1800 2008-03-07 16:49:26 .... An old woman is on her deathbed. She says, "I am a pure soul. I never drank, I never smoked, and I am still a virgin. On my tombstone, write, 'here lies an angel, who is pure as snow." She died. The tombstone they used was too small to write, so they simply wrote, "Return to sender; never used" + Report this comment
Posted by R.E.Potter 2008-03-07 17:50:23 ,,, Thought this was really good # 1800 + Report this comment
Posted by Rocul 2008-03-07 19:38:45 . what a horrifying thought.... but I like the story + Report this comment
Posted by HP Phan 2008-03-07 20:18:37 quintin this and your previous story are very good. I'm not talking about the plot. But the style. Very Hemingway. Short sentences. I like how they sound in my head. + Report this comment
Posted by paulwhowrites 2008-03-08 01:19:29 Good Tone This story creates and maintains a very strong style and tone that makes it hang together well. However, I think a few more details could be added to put this story in a place, time and background, at the moment it kind of happens in a void. For example 'hell, car crashes are rare in this area,' what area? This sentence, 'Last time they had someone come in, she barely survived, since it was mandatory that they do all within their power to keep her alive. And the fact that she was not an Organ Donor,' doesn't really make sense, do you mean 'although it was mandatory?' The clipped sentences and fast dialogue create a lot of drama and the shortness of the story gives it a high impact. Nice work. + Report this comment
Posted by meeces04 2008-03-08 13:31:50 .... I liked the absence of setting and background. It allows the story to leave a lasting impression that it could take place anywhere + Report this comment
Posted by gsaracen 2008-03-13 09:44:40 tarhead what did you take while you had his body? kidney or two? Good story! + Report this comment
Posted by Egoist 2008-03-13 19:26:25 .... I hate car crashes...I mean and the even scarier thing is going to the hospital, and having your inside ripped out...surgically removed. What an awful doctor, he's not even taking pity. He just says, "nevermind," to saving his life, and keeping the room clean from blood. It's a great short story, more of a realistic, unconscious, scariness, but scary all-in-all. I liked it, especially the short dialogues, you could feel the impatience in every line. Another good one. + Report this comment
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