Practice

"In deep gratitude, we thank you," the doctor said. "Every possible care will be taken in the procedure out of respect. Your benevolence is ... " "Hey, can we do this?" the immortal interrupted. "I love a grovel, but I'm meeting a friend for lunch cocktails, so I need to be sewn and fancied back up before the first martini." The residents' mouths fell open. "Yes ... yes, of course," the doctor replied (bowing again). "The pacemaker practice surgery should take only an hour - two if both of them can try." "No problemo," the immortal said. "I'll listen to a couple of podcasts." It didn't feel great (because anesthesia didn't work on their kind), but it was temporary and recovery was nearly immediate. "Besides," the immortal thought silently, "anything's better than the crap I endured during the Civil War."