I came into the ER around 10 p.m., and Abdiel was assigned to me around midnight when I was starting to get tired and sick of being there. He came in with a light-hearted mood that helped to lift my spirits and make the stay and wait easier. The first thing he did on his shift was draw my blood. While drawing blood, he tried to educate me by telling me that as soon as blood is lost, the body starts producing more, but it was a fact that I already knew. This disappointed him, but it opened up a friendly dialog that allowed us to joke with each other. After the blood was drawn, he said he was glad to have hit the vein on the first attempt as he knows what the disappointment of not getting it on the first try feels like. I jokingly told him not to feel too bad because he had assisted the other nurses by showing them where the vein isn't.
Then, before he left he asked if there was anything else he could do for me. My mom chimed in and asked if I wanted more heated blankets, knowing that I enjoy them. But, already having 2, I said no and that I was OK, but Abdiel insisted that I needed more. So, for the rest of my stay, whenever he would leave he would bring in heated blankets before he would go.
Overall, he seemed to be genuinely concerned about my care and comfort. In the end, there was almost a tear-jerking moment when he reminded me to take care of myself, and that reminder increased my motivation to do just that.