When strangers become links in a chain of compassion
Hastily sitting down in the subway car, I stared at my plastic-foam treasure chest – a free lunch from my residency program. I hadn’t eaten all day: too many patients. Masks are mandatory on the train, so I couldn’t open it until I arrived at the Veterans Affairs clinic. The doors opened at the next stop, and a man about my age (mid-30s), leathery-faced and wiry-bearded, stumbled in.
He plopped down
