Hospitals

What is it with me and hospitals? I just realized (after 13 novels, what can I say? I'm slow) in almost every one of those novels one or more of my main characters end up in the hospital.


L.A. Heat -- both Chris ends up in the hospital.

L.A. Mischief -- David hospitalized.

L.A. Boneyard -- Chris is in the hospital, allowing David to flirt with infidelity, which nearly puts him in the hospital.

L.A. Bytes -- should have been named L.A. Hospital. It was like a revolving door. It opens with David in the hospital, then Chris is working in one. Then Chris is in the hospital for real after nearly dying. Later, Chris leaves the hospital in search of David. At the very end, both Chris and David are hospitalized.

Anyone think these guys could get health insurance?

Bermuda Heat -- David goes in. He comes out, and at the end Chris is in yet again. No wonder Des calls him a trouble magnet.

Geography of Murder -- Jason is hospitalized.

Forest of Corpses -- it's Spider's turn under the knife

Lynx Woods -- Tyler goes in after breaking his arm in a car accident and gets comfort from Michael, his ex-lover because the man he loves has left him.

Fall Into the Night -- not exactly hospitals, but Seldhun, Nikoli and Lyssra all go into the 'Doc, short for nanobot doctor

None of my historicals have featured hospitals at all. Of course hospitals back then weren't serviced by ambulances, they had no emergency room and you were far more likely to die of an infection caused by the very attempts to save you. The closest one of my characters get to a hospital is a visit to a neighborhood healer.

But the only contemporary novel I've written that doesn't put one of the heroes in the hospital is Man's Best Friend. But I'm not entirely out of the woods (or hospital) since Keith, Todd's romantic interest, is a veterinarian. My short stories and novellas don't have hospitals in them. Maybe there's not enough room to get my heroes injured.

I haven't thought to look for it in other writer's books. Is there anything in your books where something seems to occur in every novel?

Or have you noticed it in authors you read regularly?

I'm just started number six in the L.A. series, called L.A. Storm. I'm going to see if I can do one book that doesn't see Chris or David anywhere near a hospital. Wish me luck. LOL