Triage Page #2

- I'm going home.

F***! David!

Mr. Walsh, are you coming?

Mr. Walsh?

They found you down by the river.

Do you remember that?

He says you can't walk.

Is that so?

Not sure. I, um, just woke up.

Does it hurt?

- So you can feel it?

- Yeah.

No pain?

Can you move your arms?

Your legs?

Very good.

A head wound as well?

Flesh wound.

Maybe concussion,

but no skull fracture.

Kurdistan is not a good place

for skull fracture.

Well...

You took quite a jolt,

but you're not paralyzed.

And it seems

there are no broken bones.

Legs will be the biggest problem.

That's always the case.

Legs, legs, legs...

For every arm

I've amputated up here,

I've probably taken 10 legs.

Strange, isn't it?

Human legs are just not designed

for modern war.

Take it easy. Get some rest.

You have some neural disruption

but, Inshallah, it's only temporary.

You're going to be right.

How do you feel?

Geez.

Scared me.

Better.

Only a little bit of pain.

Excellent. Pain is always

preferable to numbness.

You were lucky, Mr. Walsh.

Really lucky.

If there'd been any complications...

What?

You would have shot me?

Yeah. For your own good.

To stop you from suffering.

And what about your friend?

He never came to visit you.

He wouldn't even know I'm here.

He left the day before it happened.

First day of the offensive.

Smart man.

You war people,

you all think you're immortal.

Probably not good for morale

to see a colleague

end up in Harir cave.

That's all I can find.

I hope they fit.

Oh, Mr. Walsh.

You're making progress.

What do you think?

How many doctors in the world

have to clean their gun?

You should sterilize it, too.

Oh, sarcasm is back.

Great.

You must have a lot of regret.

Regret what, Mr. Walsh?

That I spared them

a few days of terrible suffering

'cause I have no way of saving them

or easing the unbearable pain?

Do you think I kill those poor men

because I enjoy it?

Geez, no.

In quiet times,

when there is not a lot of fighting

and I have more time,

I give out very few blues.

But when there is a lot of fighting,

a lot of wounded coming in...

No.

I have to think of those

I can still save.

That's the one.

Some live, some die,

that's the only way to look at it.

[In Kurdish]

Thank you.

Anything else is just arrogance,

the arrogance of imagining

you can do something to change it.

I'm sure they lecture against this

in medical school,

smoking in operating room.

I think you'll get away

with it tonight.

Do you know

what Pesh Merga means?

It means, "those who face death."

Romantic.

Poetic, even.

Personally, I've never seen

one face death.

They all turn away at the end.

A Jeep is leaving tomorrow morning

for the frontier.

- Why?

- The offensive has been discussed.

You better leave while you can.

Set to go?

Yep.

Ah, it's much better.

I guess it's yours.

You're joking me.

I hope you had an enjoyable visit.

A lovely trip.

Don't know why you don't get

more tourists over in these parts.

I'm sorry. It's very Kurdish.

It's a point of honor

to make sure strangers are content.

Well, in that case, just think of me

as another happy customer.

Dr. Talzani.

Thank you so much.

Pleasure is mine.

Mr. Walsh, good luck.

Oh!

Oh!

No, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Easy, easy, easy.

Oh! Dios mio!

What happened to you?

Oh, it was dark.

I fell into a river and got dragged

over some rocks a bit, banged up.

Just another day at the office.

Why didn't you call me

to say you're coming?

'Cause I had a quick connection

from Istanbul.

Well, what's this?

What do we got here?

You like it?

Yeah, I love it

when you go shopping

and then, all of a sudden, presto!

There's something there

that makes the place less... simple.

You mean monastic?

No, simple.

We had nowhere to sit.

- I'll take it back if you want.

- No, no.

Jesus, baby. I'm joking, I'm joking.

I love it.

Well, I don't love it,

but I'll get used to it.

I'm just tired.

Come on, I'll throw you a bath.

Okay.

By the way,

I love your new style.

Hey.

Oh, my God.

Mark, stand up.

Let me dry you off.

Come on, baby.

Missed you.

Morning, sunshine. I don't think

I've ever been that tired.

I can't even remember

getting out of the bath.

Mi amor. What happened to you?

You're all black and blue.

I told you. I'm an idiot.

Fell into a river

and got dragged over some rocks.

You got all that from some rocks?

It's a strong river, love.

Diane called.

David didn't come back with you?

No. We split up the first day

of the offensive.

He wanted to get back.

What, do you mean

he's not back yet?

No.

That doesn't make sense.

He should've been back

four or five days ago.

Should we be worried?

No.

No. He probably just got cut off

by the Iraqis.

- They came back in fairly hard.

- Well, that's pretty worrisome.

David knows what to do.

He'll just lay low for a while,

find another way out.

You know Diane is due

in a week or so.

- What if David isn't back by then?

- He'll be back by then.

He wouldn't miss it for the world.

It's all he talked about over there.

- Yeah, but imagine what if he isn't?

- I don't know.

What, do you want me

to go back over and find him?

Is that what you want?

No.

No, carino. Of course not.

I just...

I just wonder sometimes

if you guys even think about us

when you're out there?

That's all.

I think about you on the way out,

and I think about you

on the way back.

I try not to think about you

out there.

Just makes it too hard.

Easy.

You're killing me with these hugs.

I have to go to work.

- You have to?

- Yeah.

You know I do, honey.

But I'll try to come back early.

- Hey, hey.

- Mark!

How are you, lvan?

Good, good.

I was growing worried with all

this news of the fighting out there.

Oh, yeah?

What happened to you?

Nothing. Got into a bind

and fell into a river is all.

You go to Kurdistan

to fall into a river?

Yeah, well, no one ever said

I was smart.

Listen, can you do

a rush job on these?

I wanna take advantage

of it being in the news, you know?

How much of a rush?

This afternoon?

All right.

I'll make you copies

to show on the wall, okay?

Good man.

You know it?

Yeah, it's a great shot.

How long have you been doing

this now, the war stuff?

- Eight, nine years?

- Twelve.

You should get out.

I can tell by looking at you

that it's time to get out.

You know by looking at me?

Well, I've been there, you know?

And I know that, for all of us,

there comes the time to, well,

to leave it, you know?

Yeah, well, that happens

out there, man.

I deal with it out there.

And then, I'm here.

Separate worlds.

You know, separate.

Why, you don't believe me?

No.

It doesn't affect me, lvan.

Look me in the eye and tell me that.

It doesn't affect me.

Well, that's the saddest thing

I've ever heard, son.

Ivan, I just came in

to get the f***ing films done.

I didn't come in for a lecture, man.

All right, all right.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

It's none of my business, I know.

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