🕸 Halloween Isn’t the Only Thing That’s Scary

I’ve faced down a crashing patient with the calm of a Buddhist monk.
I’ve dodged vomit midair like I was in the Matrix.
I’ve held it together while families fell apart in front of me.

But nothing spikes my heart rate like realizing...
it’s my turn to bring snacks to the Halloween party.
And I’ve forgotten.
And it’s 7:12 AM.

So there I am — in scrubs, hair wet, keys in my mouth —
speed-walking the grocery aisles,
trying to find something spooky and peanut-free
that doesn’t scream I forgot until this morning.

This is not the kind of triage I was trained for.

And somehow, I pull it off.
Grab the last box of Batman cupcakes.
Stick in some silly Halloween napkins for flair.
And my six-year-old?
Walks into class like a hero just showed up.

It’s not homemade.
It’s not Instagram-worthy.
But it’s enough.
And honestly?
That smile makes it feel like I aced a code blue.

And don’t even get me started on costumes.
I need one that’s “cute but not embarrassing” for school pick-up,
and “fun but won’t get me written up” for the unit.
All while running on two hours of sleep
and a half-melted granola bar.

But the wildest thing?
The panic doesn’t last.
Not really.
Because the same brain that handles chaos in the trauma bay
somehow clicks into gear
when I’m elbow-deep in Halloween chaos, too.

We laugh.
We improvise.
We keep it moving.
Because we’ve seen worse.

And this?
This is just spooky season.

P.S.
Got a Halloween horror story of your own?
A funny one, a chaotic one, a costume meltdown at the worst possible time?
We’d love to hear it.

Drop it in the comments —
or email us at stories@pagingapparel.com if you'd like us to feature it on the blog.
We’re happy to post anonymously.

Let’s make space for nurses to laugh, vent, and feel very seen —
even in glitter devil horns.

— Still Standing in Crocs