A few days ago, we did a below-the-knee amputation.  It was later in the evening and the pathology department was closed.  No one was around to receive the specimen and we couldn't just leave it in the dumb waiter all night long as it would start to decay and smell.

At the end of the case, I wrapped up the leg, put i.d. stickers on it and went to the charge nurse to see what we needed to do with the specimen.

She said, "it has to go to the morgue."

I swallowed hard and asked if someone would take it.  She said, "you will have to take it to the morgue.  I'll call security to let you in."

I swallowed hard again and asked "no one is there?"

She said, "No. You will have to put it in the walk in refrigerator."

My eyes probably looked as big as saucers because she then said, "Have you ever been down there?"

I said, "No" in my tiniest voice.

She replied, "you will have to meet security down there and walk in by yourself because they can't go in either."

Now, I have never in my life refused to do a job that my superior handed down to me but, this I was NOT going to do.  There was no way I was going to go into the morgue and walk through all those deceased people to get to the refrigerator at the back of the room to place a specimen in the there BY MYSELF.  NO way!  No how!

I've seen too many zombie movies to know that bad things happen to good people in morgues by themselves!

So, I kindly asked the circulating nurse to do it for me.  He agreed and I sighed a big breath of relief!