where do these people come from?

This week i made a rather impromptu trip to the ER. While we were there we got quite the show. Somehow i must have missed the memo that says that you must be slightly..interesting to look at.. (it took me a while to think of a nice way of saying that) to visit the er. There were a few normal looking people, but for the most part? Complete whackados.

I don't get it. Where do these people come from? 

They come in groups too, like its the cool late night hangout. ("hey what are you doing tonight? want to come hang out in the er with me while i wait for some pain pills") And they run into people they know, and that's when you hear the fun stories of why they are there. Stories like their docs won't give them any more pain pills, so they have to go to different ER's. (true story). And then there is the group that came in followed by no less than 4 county cops. While i was in the triage waiting for a nurse, my impressive eavesdropping skills helped me to learn that a shooting victim was on his way in. This group had something to do with that, but i wasn't able to find what the connection was because his public defender that came in shortly after they did, kept them all at a whisper.
Seriously? I just want a doctor to tell me my heart is good and to go home and go to bed. I wasn't aware that a trip to the er was like watching an episode of a bad reality show.
Chris and I got in the car and just looked at each other. There were no words for what we had just experienced.  I hope it's a long, long time before we have to experience that again.