Quick Backstory: I work in a hospital as an ER Tech.

So I am walking past one of the little waiting rooms in the ER and I smell smoke.
Now considering the plethora of flammable materials in the area, the unsanitary nature of smoke in general, plus my own desire not to die a fiery death, you could say my interest was peaked.
So I knock on the door and proceed to open it. Inside I see “the King of the Idiots” calmly smoking a cigarette while sitting next to a sleeping old woman in a wheel chair, who coincidentally happens to have two tanks of oxygen strapped to the back which she is breathing out of. *TWITCH*
Somehow I manage to fight my natural survival instinct to flee long enough to say (perhaps a tad loudly)

“Sir, you CAN NOT smoke in here. Put that out NOW.”

He looks at me, blinks, and says, “Why should I?”

I respond with, “Put the cigarette OUT and I will tell you.” (At this time two of my coworkers have been drawn by the smell, and the alarm in my voice and so now there are three of us standing in the doorway and another running down the hall to call security)

So “Belligerent Boy” begrudgingly stabs out the offending smoke on the floor, right next to Granny’s oxygen tank, and leaves the still smoldering butt there. My co-worker Tim rushes over scoops up the potential fuse and dumps it in the sink.

I proceed to explain that since this is a Hospital (i.e. a Sterile Environment) and due to the fact the he is sitting next to two tanks of highly flammable material that could make a good sized crater outta the waiting area, and that there are sprinkler heads/smoke alarms and posted no smoking signs … Basically smoking is not allowed.

His response: “Not good enough, honey.” *as he takes out another smoke and lights it*

My witty rejoinder: “Well Sir I am calling Security and you will have to leave.”

At this point the Emperor Stupidhead says “I bet these things don’t even work.” As he stands up on tiptoes and waves his lighter under the sprinkler head…

Can you guess what happened then kids?

If you said the loud, obnoxious alarm bells began ringing, fire doors slammed shut, and a monsoon-like amount of water began flowing from the ceiling… well then you get a cookie.

But that wasn’t want made him… “sucky”.

Up until this point he was merely mind numbingly dumb. But suddenly the tide turned.

He looks right at me (standing just inside the door, soaked to the skin in my scrubs with my hair plastered to my head, frozen in shock and awe) and says, indignantly I might add; “I hope you are happy now . This jacket is dry clean only. I’m going to make sure you pay for it.” He then proceeded to push past me into the still dripping hallway calling for “someone in charge” and he was actually still attempting to make a complaint against me as the police were writing up the incident report.

I have not the words.

Perhaps one of you can tell me exactly what I did wrong here cause I just can’t seem to put my finger on it.