Saying Good Bye...Another Pre-Christmas Story...

...Twas the day before...the Night Before Christmas...

...the office was decked out like a gaudy department store, and filled with buzzing and cheer...

We had planned an 8am party...that would finish up around lunch...we would eat and call it a day...and go to our families...

The party started on schedule...and...

It was about 8:15 am and he was not here...that was not like him...so I called his house...no answer...

I had driven, past his place on the my way in and his car was in the drive...2 hours ago...

Something was wrong...

He was looking really pale the day before...and even broke character for a minute to tell me that he wasn't feeling well...

...It didn't take much to decide to drive there and check in on him!

When I got there, his car was still there...I parked and ran up to his front door...he didn't answer the knocks and bell...so I unlocked the door with my key and immediately saw him lying on the floor...motionless...

He was lying in the perfect location between me and the phone...so I could check on him as I went to the phone...one less decision to make...

One's mind does really crazy things when in emergency situations...

I checked for a pulse...and he had one...and he was breathing VERY lightly and regularly...

As I quickly ran to his phone I actually thought,"I wonder what 911's number is...

Then one of the longest 8 minutes of my life began...

As I was on the phone...which was limited by a short cord...I ran between him and the phone...and after 2 trips gave up on the operator and just left it off the hook...

He was absolutely limp and cold as ice...

I tried like the dickens to revive him...
I got a afgan and pillow from his chair and made him comfortable...

He gained consciousness for a moment, just before the EMTs arrived smiled and told me that he knew that I would come to his rescue...then he faded away deeper than before...but he kept breathing...

To this day...I still am dumfounded at something...the door was open...yet...the paramedics actually rang the doorbell and waited for me...

They came in and totally ignored my update on his vitals and checked for themselves...All I could do was sit back and watch as they took his BP and other vitals...they started an IV...and gave him oxygen...

I think that they thought he had a heart attack...and to be truthful...so did I...

Shortly after their arrival...a police officer stopped in and actually took a statement from me...

and took my information...
He made me feel uncomfortable...with questions like...

Why would you even notice that he wasn't at work?

Why would you come to check on him?

Why do you have a key to his house?

What is your realtionship to this guy?

Why did you check on him before you called 911?

And the one that nearly killed me...Do you know his next of kin?

I felt like I was some prime suspect...
I kept asking if I could get to the hospital...?

Just a few more questions...and I'll run you over there...

I was not about to get in his car...and told him that...unless he hung around the hospital and promised to take me home...when I knew everything was OK...

Finally he asked me if I was OK enough to drive over there...and I assured him that I was...and I left...after locking up his place...

I walked into the Emergency Room and it was absolutely empty...except for a receptionist...who told me to take a seat...which I did for 15 seconds...then I paced...then I went to see if they had an update...the receptionist said that most of the staff had called in sick...and there was only two physicians in....and they were both with major emergencies and that the ambulance did bring some old guy who was dying in so they stabilized him and put him on the life flight that just happened to be leaving for the regional hospital...

Do you know who it was?

She didn't...She thought they simply "tagged him"  He was going "in and out" and was speaking a foreign language and they didn't have time to get an interpreter...but it seemed like he was in major pain...and he had a fever...

After a bit of begging she let me walk down the hall and check out one of the two patients that were being worked on...that way I knew if he was the one on the helicopter...one was a woman who cut her hand in a major way...so I excluded her...

When I peeked in the curtained area where a man was being treated...I immedaitely saw that it wasn't him...apologized and went back to the admitting area...and confirmed the regional hospital's location...and she offered to call the hospital and confirm his arrival...

She told me that he was there...and more than a two hour drive away...

I went back to his house and got his wallet and confirmed that his ID and medical card was in it...

It felt weird going through his wallet...I saw that I was listed as his emergency contact...
I grabbed a robe and pajamas, a book and his traveling toiletries...

I called work and gave them an update and told them I was going to go and find him and kick him in the behind, for ruining my day...they told me to give him an extra one for them...and that I should call if he needs anything...

I arrived and went straight to the receptionist...

Unlike the local hospital...this one was buzzing!

After waiting way too much time, I left...walked around the hospital and went to the front desk...

They told me that there was a John Doe brought in from our local hospital about 3 hours earlier...and that he was in ICU. 

I asked if I could go there and she gave me directions...

On the way I stopped at admitting...thinking I would make it easier...I got stuck with his paperwork...but being a friend I did my best to complete it...the admitting people were happy to see that he had insurance...and I showed them the emergeny contact card...with my name on it...

It had been nearly 4 hours since I last saw him...and I finally found the ICU.

I found a nurse and asked about the John Doe that they were treating...and she told me that he had died and they moved him...

I was crushed...then she said that he was in a really bad way after that car accident...and they needed someone to identify the body...

I think that she was shocked by my huge smile...

I then asked if they could possibly have two John Does...and she looked at some sheet of paper and sure enough there was another John Doe...

She took me to him and he was hooked up to more machines than I ever saw an individual hooked up to!

He was motionless...expressionless and his eyes were half open.  I said something to him and expected him to react...

He didn't...

I went into the common area and asked for a status update and they asked me if I were a next of kin...I showed them the emergency contact card and some ID.

I explained who I was and they reluctantly told me that they do not yet know what is wrong...the good news was that he was stable...just heavily sedated...they would call it a guarded condition...

I went back to his room...got a chair and and set up camp next to his bed...

There was no TV to kill the time...the book was in a language that I couldn't read...so I just sat there and...thought about all of the discussions that we still needed to have...and all of the questions that I have yet to ask...and how important he was to me...and how sorry that I was that I hadn't said all of the things that I wanted to say...

So I took the next 4 hours and did that...in fact I talked for him too...

I talked non stop... and in a macabe way...it was kind of nice to have him quiet...

As a form of emotional release I would ask him a question and then have him say that he didn't know...or never thought of that...or that I was the most brilliant person he ever met...or that he wished that he was as smart as me...then I would laugh...but even humor didn't help...reality would hit me over and over again...

I also told him how important he was to me...and many other things...

I got it all out...that was good...

then he rolled over and said, "That was really special!"

I nearly jumped out of my shirt!

How long have you been awake? 

"About 3 1/2 hours...I seldom get a chance to just lay and listen to you ramble!  Some of the things you said were really funny...I almost laughed a couple of times!"

I nearly killed him!
"By the way...I feel the same way..." he winked...

Then from a prone position...he took on his mentoring personna...
I have a bit of personal advice for you...that I have been meaning to share with you and never got a chance...I too have been waiting for the right time...

Never wait...to say what you mean to say or that way you feel...chances are that if you do...you will miss your opportunity...

...The "Mrs" departure taught me that lesson...


AND another one...


NEVER TELL ME GOOD BYE AGAIN! 

That was a hardest kick in the butt I ever got!

I was happy that he was back...and glad about his second piece of advice...It confirmed that I had fulfilled my short-term mission and my commitment to the company...
By the way...it was a kidney stone and temporary renal failure...and internal bleeding...and peritonitis...

Nothing that a little time and micro-surgery and a lot of antibiotics couldn't cure...

I held my Christmas celebration until New Year's eve...when we shared our gifts...and a touch of his rum together at my place...

...in almost pefect silence...

...because...

...Enough was said...for the time being...