BP: It keeps going up

When Marni, the nurse who took Leif's blood pressure, asked her what type of worries

artists have, Lief looked up at the hospital ceiling and tried to hold back the tears.

Page from Notebook: Blood Pressure 155/98

Marni inflated the cuff to restrict Lief's blood flow, keeping one eye on the sphygmometer, the other on Lief. "ABC news showed that painting of the man screaming on a bridge. Sold for 120 million dollars. Imagine, 120 million dollars for a piece of art?"

"I can't, I mean, I can . . . " Lief coughed.

"My husband said only dead artists get that type of money. Oh, um, it's going up." Marni takes the cuff off. "I am not sure why it won't go down. The oncologist will be with you in a few minutes. Put the gown on with the opening to the front."

Blood Pressure: original art and story by suzanne coley

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