Everything Looks Fine
I got a phone call from a co-worker right as my 3 pm client was walking into the office. My co-worker’s words stopped me in my tracks. She said, “Dan’s gone.” Now, we had a mutual co-worker named Dan, so my initial reaction was that it was him.
I was in shock as she continued to talk about needing to “review the chart.” I then realized that she was talking about my client, Dan. My stomach dropped as my grief changed into something that was still grief but also fear and worry. I was in disbelief that he was gone. He was too young.
I was worried it was self-inflicted that I missed something or had failed. I was realized that I had several clients who were friends with him and that they were impacted. It was horrible.
The co-worker hung up the phone with me and I burst out crying in front of my 3 pm client. I had to tell them that I wouldn’t be able to meet today because I just had bad news. I needed more than a minute. It was hard. It was never determined if it was accidental or not.
My agency provided zero support to me, other than reviewing the chart and telling me “everything looked fine.” It didn’t feel fine. It sucked, all around. Story credit: Reddit / AlwaysTheIntrovert