The Other Shoe

My husband has no immune system. It’s flu season, and there’s a shortage of vaccines. A lot of people who don’t need the flu shot have gotten the flu shot. Heaven forbid they miss three days of work because of a virus. Rather take it from someone whose life could be endangered without one. His disease (Ulcerative Colitis) seems to be getting as better as it can. We are not sure if he will need an additional surgery, but things are actually looking positive, according to his GI doctor.

When I hear “looking positive”, I know to wait for the other shoe. It fell this morning.

I was in the shower. I heard a crash.

I ran out into the kitchen to find my husband slumped against the counters, unconscious, with a whole lot of pills scattered around him. I called the ambulance as my husband came to.

I stood there in my bathrobe and wept while the EMT’s bundled him up. I left a voicemail on his brother’s cell that was little more than incoherent sobbing, and a similar one was babbled to his Director of Operations.

I forgot to bring his coat, or shoes with me. They gave him little booties at the hospital, and a blanket.

He’s home now. The told us at the ER that it's the flu AND strep throat. Though that sucks, it has nothing to do with his UC and won't kill him. He's had a fever that comes and goes, but it's not here now. I went out and got him the Return of The King dvd. He's going to be lying on the couch for the next week or so, I may give him something more entertaining than daytime TV.

You would think I’d be used to this kind of thing now. That something would just click every time I see the EMT’s. No tears, no irrational behavior. You would think that I would be calm. My husband’s medications and doses would roll of my tongue, I would cooly jot down the directions to the hospital, and make clear, informative phone calls to his brother, his employees, and his mother.

You would think.