I went to work on September 11 just returning from vacation.
At the time I was the senior patient advocate at a maximum-security forensic psychiatric hospital.
Typically, even when gone for the weekend there is always someone – usually two or three – who want to see me. I’d been away for over a week. Checking the voice mail, making note of those who’d asked to see me I expected I’d be busy all morning.
Once in the building while walking past the nurse supervisor’s office, some staff were inside talking about a plane crashing into the side of a building and how shocking this was. My guess was they were talking about a film on TV the night before. I gave it little thought. Given how many had called asking to speak with me I headed toward the units to make my rounds through the building.
The facility is constructed as a roundabout. Anyone going to one of the units quite literally passes through each one to get to the next.
During day hours there’s considerably more social and emotional distance between unit staff and the patients; interacting with some reserve except for when patients are attending groups or need fresh bedding, towels or some other items brought from storage. Yet that day things were different. Unusual for the hour (9 am) the nursing station on the unit was empty save for one person, and no one was in the hall.
Everyone had gathered in the two big common rooms. I could hear the TV’s on. There was virtually no conversation taking place. Even the clinicians (who usually didn’t interact with patient or direct line staff except in formal meetings) joined patients and staff filling the two TV rooms. I had to squeeze into one of the rooms to see what they were watching.
People acknowledged my presence, but everyone was focused on the screen. People who had called me said they’d speak to me later.
The north tower of the World Trade Center was on fire. Someone turned to me and said that an airplane had crashed into the tower, just like staff in the nurse supervisor’s office had said.
The second plane had yet to hit.
So I went on to the second unit. Same thing. Everyone crowded into the TV rooms. Everyone intermixed sitting and standing side by side. I don’t think I’d ever seen this before
Upon arrival on the third unit, the halls were empty. So was the nurse call station. The TV rooms were at the far end of the unit. Some were standing in the hall looking in.
As I came to the doorway of one of the rooms, I saw – as did everyone else – a second plane headed towards and witnessed it smash into the south tower.
Off unit activities for the morning were cancelled though people were permitted to go out into the courtyard.
The twin crashes of the towers brought everyone together in a muted unity. Any rancor that might usually have been reported remained unstated. All of us were stunned.
No one had anything to say.
