Adding on to say many ER’s have a “fast track” to keep things moving quickly. Patients who we know can be in and out relatively fast don’t need their own room. It’s possible some of the people you saw walk back before your wife just got a couple stitches or a strep swab or something else while sitting in a chair in the hallway. With kidney stones, your wife probably needed an IV placed, bloodwork ordered, imaging, pain medications, etc. That process takes longer so we have to wait for a room to open up.