In the Dark

He was rushed to Bethesda Naval Hospital for a complicated operation. He went under the knife in the early morning, and when he awoke, he saw that the curtains were closed around him and it was dark.
"Why are the curtains closed?" the President asked the Secret Service agent sitting beside his bed. "Is it night already?"
"No, Sir," the agent said. "There is a huge fire across the street and we didn't want you waking up and looking out the window and thinking that the operation was unsuccessful."
Originally published April 30, 2003.