Status Dramaticus

Every day, paramedics and emergency room staff stand at the fragile boundary between life and death. They see humanity at its best―and its worst. For Jonathan and his colleagues, years of working the streets and hospital corridors have forged a bond that few outsiders could ever understand. Together they respond to overdoses, violence, tragedy, and desperation, witnessing the same broken lives over and over again. The system demands they treat everyone equally, but experience has taught them that the world is far more complicated.

As the line between compassion and judgment begins to blur, the group finds themselves asking difficult questions about justice, responsibility, and the limits of their oath to save lives. "Status Dramaticus" is a gripping and unsettling novel that explores the psychological toll of emergency medicine and the dangerous moral territory that lies just beyond the edge of duty.

Mark Bartels retired from the military and currently resides in Audubon, Iowa and has previously published a book of short stories. "Status Dramaticus" is his first published novella.