All it takes is an instant, one moment, one nick in the tissue and it’s over. One rip, one rend, the fabric opening so finely then suddenly tearing – spilling a life, emptying a vessel. The aorta, largest vessel in the body and most explosive, a ticking time bomb without sound. A silent assassin, pulsating innocently until one day, one millisecond in time, it destroys. Life-giver, bringing blood and oxygen to each cell, and life-taker.

And that’s it. A life, so many years of growth, love, things beyond measure, gone in a flash of blood and tears and emptiness. Leaving a void, unimaginable to the ones left in the wake of the red tide inside you. You are gone, without even the time to say goodbye.

The aorta – nightmare of the emergency physician, demon of my dreams.