I got Zuzu to the emergency room at 10:20 P.M. Her symptoms were ambiguous but unnerving: lethargy, distension, moaning. Only two cases were ahead of us. The first must have been fairly serious, since the doctor sent the family home without the patient.

We should have noticed something was up when a call to Yellow Cab from my friend Tracy's apartment brought a Checker cab to her doorstep. Since when are the Yellow and Checker guys even on speaking terms? But, then, headed out for a night on the town with the girls -- Tracy, Kelly, Kerry, and me --…