<span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 14pt;">Monday August 20th 1973, around 8.30 a.m. </span><br/><em><br/>In the news this week: Three days ago, NBC broadcast the last of the live Watergate hearings, and President Nixon is squirming uncomfortably in the seat of power. </em><br/><br/><strong>THE FAT MAN</strong><br/><br/>Dr. Simon Goldwasser, The Fat Man, all 279 pounds of him, made his way up to B Ward from the cafeteria while munching his third breakfast bagel and sipping a cup of coffee. He passed the nursing station just before the ward's entrance, where he said a quick hello with a peck on the cheek to head nurse Fairchild.<strong>"Morning, Maggie, have fun with your own new kids!"</strong>Calling Margaret Fairchild "Maggie" would probably have had the same effect on her as if an intern had called Goldwasser "Fatty" to his face, had the good doctor been anyone else.<br/><br/><div class="floatleft">(http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQOjAb3vmvnM2gjJAYOpEzDyMxahuC22OerRKgXR2n1f1FiSFeM&amp;t=1)<br/><em><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: courier;">The Fat Man reassures a patient's family</span></em></div><br/><br/><br/>The Fat Man sat down in his office, marked<em> S. M. Goldwasser M.D., Resident Physician</em>, across the corridor from the door to B Ward. Rather than ruin the surprise of what today held in store, he calmly finished his coffee and paged through a sports magazine while waiting for his shift of 'terns to show up. It was relaxing not to have to deal with his patients just yet.<br/><br/>After less than five minutes, at 8.24 a.m. to be precise, the first arrival of his new platoon stood in front of his open office door. In<em>her</em>brand new doctor's outfit. Oh well, at least she was on time, and had seemed eager and talented enough when they'd met before. He got up and brushed a few crumbs off his tie.<br/><br/><strong>"Doctor Markum, good morning! Sounds good to be called that, doesn't it? If you're looking forward to your first day, well, enjoy the fun bit while you can. Welcome to Coolidge Memorial. If you want a cup of coffee or something, just grab hold of a nurse. They're used to it."</strong>Oh, how they were.<strong>"And if anyone grabs <em>you</em> and asks for a coffee, well, you look like a lady who knows how to handle that."</strong>He gave her a firm handshake with his meaty paw; somehow, it didn't feel right to kiss the hand of a lady with a stethoscope in her pocket.<br/><br/>Lighting a small cigar, he walked to the door of the office and looked towards the elevators and nursing station to watch out for new arrivals.<strong>"I'm just waiting on the rest of the new interns like yourself before I start us off on our morning rounds. There's so much to explain, and only so many times I feel like explaining everything, after all. And not all of your colleagues had such exemplary grades, so maybe you'll find them a little slow. I managed to get you a teammate with ovaries though!"</strong>he chuckled.<strong>"Show some brains and <em>chutzpah</em>, and the boys will struggle to keep up with you as they ogle the nurses."</strong>