The OR waiting room was indeed cushier than the ER one. The couches and chairs were cloth instead of leather, and upholstered in a deep brown instead of neon orange or green. The walls were still industrial beige, and it still had a TV mounted to the upper corner, but there were several vending machines as well as a selection of magazines on the wide wood coffee table.
The hours ticked by with unbelievable slowness. It felt like swimming through molasses. He tried to read, but couldn’t concentrate on the magazine he’d chosen and finally put it away. He checked his work email and tried sending some replies, but he couldn’t concentrate. The banal sitcoms playing on the TV didn’t interest him.