Two seconds flat

Mumbling I rummaged through my purse, my cell was ringing off the hook and I muttered about needing to change my ring tone. Someone was calling back to back. Glancing at the id screen my grandparents name flashed,  but when I answered the voice on the line didn’t register in my arsenal of faces to match up to. “Kimmie, it’s Bill” My uncle sounded desperate, and his voice trembled with fear causing me to fight to keep my own composure, “What’s going on?”. His draw is much thicker when he’s upset, and I could feel a chill riding up my spine as I asked what was going on again. ”I need you to meet your grandpa at the hospital, the ambulance is here to get mom, someone needs to sit with him”.
I felt the blood run out of my face, in two seconds my Sunday went from just a normal trip to Wal-Mart for groceries to sitting in the emergency room holding my grandfather’s hand assuring him everything would be ok. I slide my stare to the DVR clock in the living room, 8:30am. There was no amount of mantra to get my head back on straight. After jumping in my car I was running nearly 90mph on 40/85 trying to get to Regional, my uncle did not have any details as to what was going on or if he did, he was not in the state of mind to share them. I pressed redial again to my father’s house, I knew he wasn’t there. Sunday was golf day. But I refused to give up waking his wife or her kids. I grabbed a parking spot half way up the lot, I swear the emergency room is always full. And those who work there probably know my name now thanks to the bout of episodes Tara had the past few years. I pulled down my visor mirror and winced, I looked like the living dead. Mascara and a hint of the shimmer eyeshadow I had worn the night before ran down the side of my cheek, I was white as a ghost except the freckles across my nose and my eyes showed my terror. I scrubbed trying to get the make-up off as I walked into the waiting room and glanced around, no sign of my grandfather. I had beat the ambulance there and had enough time to concentrate on being optimistic rather than my normal pessimistic self. After a run to the bathroom I walked outside with my wet papertowel still trying to get the pesky make-up off and saw the ambulance blazing into the lot, I watched quietly as they rolled my grandmother out of the back and into the automatic doors. She was awake, and apparently delusional. She had mumbled something to the EMT and he burst into laughter. Fairly good sign I suppose. Ten minutes later I saw my grandfather trying to walk as fast as he could down the sidewalk, he relaxed when he saw me smiling at him in front of the doors. He still was extremely thin from the radiation treatments last year, and was fragile looking. I found us some seats and set my purse in the seat I would be taking and gingerly approached the front desk. I wanted the lady at the front desk to write our names down to go see her when she was stable. The nurse instantly recognized me from working with her mother at Discovery Program, and promised that as soon as she knew we would. I was still trying to get my dad on the phone, four calls later his wife finally answered. After I left my message with her, and all we could do was wait. 

Finally the nurse allowed my grandfather to go back and see her and I stepped outside to call around again. After about 10 minutes my grandfather came out and told me she wanted to see me.  I walked past the other rooms and tried to keep my vision fixed in front of me, not wanting to pry into the other patients problems and make them even more uncomfortable. About the time I rounded the corner to her room my palms began to sweat again. I wasn’t sure what condition she was in or even why she was there for that matter. Grandpa was too upset about whatever had happened and didn’t want to talk about it when he first arrived. After making a bit of small talk, the ER nurse came in and I finally had to full story as to what happened. Apparently Saturday she had passed out but had refused medical treatment, and felt fine afterward just a little shortness of breath. This fateful morning she was trying to walk into the kitchen and she passed out cold promptly getting sick as it occurred, my grandfather had ran next door and he and the neighbor had gotten her up and washed her up and cleaned and what not and then called 911. As the ambulance arrived she began to have major complications with breathing. And they were keeping her, because they were not able to determine why these symptoms were happening. The nurse then informed me they had just given her a few drugs to help her “relax”, in other words she was about to trip on meds. I sat with her for a bit longer and she asked me to run to her house to pick her up a few items. I began to take note and at first it was the normal items, a brush, socks, another house coat and then she suddenly told me that I had to make sure I picked up the tomato out of the bottom left drawer. Startled I glanced up and her eyes were glazing over, and she began to giggle uncontrollably.  Holy hell my grandmother was higher than a kite. By the time I was leaving to go get the items she told me that she figured after grandpa had all the attention the past couple years because of the cancer she figured it was her turn to show her butt. I was met by my father and his wife as I walked back out into the waiting room, and I greeted them and explained what happened and that she was ok…just a little doped up.

Two days later we now know the following: 1. She’s diabetic  2. The new blood thinner her primary doctor had ordered was entirely too high of a dosage and was causing the blood flow to her lungs to decrease significantly 3. My Grandmother must have been a really great person to party with in her day.

Hopefully she will be released today, she looked much better yesterday when I visited her during my lunch. Her color has finally returned to normal and though she was very dehydrated the iv should be out today as well.

Much Love,
K