One phone call changed my life. For the better I guess, but it was an ordeal. My sister called me the middle of last week and said my father had been rushed to the hospital and all she could understand from his wife was "he is not responding to the antibiotics."
Not responding? Antibiotics?
My relationship with my father is strained at best. He has not been in my life on a regular basis since I was a pre-teen and even before then he was always working and I rarely saw him.
Later that night I found out he was in surgical ICU and was unresponsive.
ICU? Surgical ICU? Unresponsive?
Considering my car is 12 years old and it was holiday weekend, I was stuck in another state some five hours away as I waited by the phone for updates. Plane tickets were over $1,000 and try finding a rental car the day before a holiday weekend. Yeah, good luck with that.
To really add stress my cousins were riding down to Florida for the weekend on Friday but told me there was not room in their car. Yeah...I took THAT with a grain of salt. Such is life.
My sister (who is one year younger) kept me updated because my father's wife did not have the decency to call his first-born to give me any updates throughout this entire ordeal. I have no words for her right now and will probably have no words for some quite some time.
Long story short they found the source of his infection and he regained consciousness around day three. Yes, I sat by the phone for THREE DAYS waiting. His fever spiked around 104 but it also came down after day three. He was released from the hospital after a five day stay and made it home for the Holiday.
The good from this situation?
My father and I are talking again.
I spoke to him everyday while he was in the hospital. I think we talked more this past weekend than we have in life. Now that things are getting back to normal for him, maybe that new found relationship will stay that way? Near death experiences have a way of changing people.
Until Next Time,
Peace & Blessings...
I'm so glad he pulled through.
ReplyDeleteGlad Dad is okay. And that is good that it got ya'll talking again. I had a face-to-face with my father a couple of years ago. I didn't want to force a relationship, only wanted to meet him, and that was a good thing.
ReplyDeleteSo if it got you all talking and that's good for your heart and his, that is great.
Glad to here that your Dad made it through that scare and that it prompted you guys to begin speaking regularly!
ReplyDeleteThis is great news! I'm happy for you. We never get to choose who our parents are. No matter their shortcomings, they are the only parents we'll ever get.
ReplyDeleteScary. Your ordeal is one of my biggest nightmares as far as my mother goes. She is all I have left in this world - all other parents, grandparents have passed away.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Death and other life-altering experiences have a way of bringing people closer. I am sure your father is grateful to have such an understanding daughter.
God bless.
I'm glad your father recovered. The way you described your relationship with him before this ordeal is identical to what I've experienced with mine. Six months ago I got the call that he died. Every day I wish we had taken the time to make things right. Thankfully you and your dad have another chance.
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