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psychiatric ho spitals, they think of straitjackets. However, in recent years straitjackets had been almost completely replaced by safer methods of patient restraint. The use of restraint, in general, had also been highly scrutinized. Now the only reason any patient would ever be restrained was to protect health and safety during an acute crisis. Restraining a patient required a staff member to have eyes directly on the patient at all times, and there were literally piles of paperwork to be done. As soon as the patient was no longer felt to be an imminent risk of harming himself or someone else, he or she would be released.
    Luther was nowhere near the point of being released. He was continuing to gnash his teeth, scream threats, and flail around on the bed. Despite the mask, he blindly attempted to head-butt anyone who might stray within his range. The leather straps groaned as he tried to pull his hands free. At one point he managed to tug his left arm from the bindings, but the staff members simply sprang forth to quickly re-secure the limb. He jerked at the leather straps until they began to excoriate his skin. Small droplets of blood began to emerge at the edges of the leather. Luther appeared to be in serious danger of harming himself due to his attempts to escape .
    Dave had joined the effort to subdue Luther, and he held tightly to a thrashing arm. He called out for a nurse to bring him an injectable medication, hoping the medication would calm the agitated patient. He knew it would take several minutes to draw up the drug into a syringe. He therefore continued to try to verbally assuage Luther in the interim. A few moments later he felt a hand touch his shoulder and a syringe appeared to his left. He grabbed it .
    “That was fast! Thanks!” he said.
    Dave released the cap on the syringe and inserted the needle into one of the large muscles of Luther’s thigh. As he focused his attention on the injection, he noticed the syringe was covered in faint streaks of orange dust. It seemed odd, but he did not have time to give it much thought. Within a couple minutes, Luther’s agitation started to subside and he began to relax. Within five more minutes, the giant man was asleep.
    Once the acute crisis was over, Dave headed back to the nursing station to start the paperwork. He spied Janet and asked her what had happened.
    “I was in the chart room, so I didn’t witness the whole thing,” she began. “But I did hear a thud, like someone hitting the floor. So I turned around to look, and I didn’t see anything.”
    “That’s because I was on the floor on the other side of the nursing station desk,” Dave interjected .
    “Yes, thank you so much, Captain Obvious,” Janet said, giving a small scowl. “Are you telling this story, or am I? ”
    Dave shrugged and held up both palms to signal his acquiescence .
    “So, I walked around the counter area to see what was going on,” Janet continued. “All the sudden Chester came running by me and he went flying through the air. He hit Luther like a dump truck. Wham!” She slapped her hands together for effect and then drew her fingers apart to imitate a small explosion.
    Dave interrupted again. “Wait, wait! Who is Chester?”
    Janet turned her head and gestured with her eyes to an orderly who was standing nearby. “Chester Wilkes,” she said. Dave’s eyes widened, astounded that he had not noticed the man earlier. Chester was a remarkably tall African-American man whose height was more than matched by his weight. Dave estimated Chester to be close to 400 pounds. While Luther had the physique of a body builder, Chester was shaped more like a rotund grizzly bear. His size was further exaggerated by a large afro and bushy beard that encircled his head like a lion’s mane. Chester noticed the pair looking in his direction and responded with a broad, gap-toothed smile.
    “Oh, man, thanks Chester! I definitely owe you a big one!” Dave gushed.
    “No biggie, doc. Just