It was Monday morning already, and I barely had my first cup of coffee when Rob called me in somewhat of a panic. “Rob, is that you? What is it? What is wrong?” For a few minutes, my thoughts went into a loud rush, like a run-a-way train.
Chip: “Please tell me, what is it Rob?”
Rob: “I heard this morning that there was a three car collision on the expressway. A girl by the name of Cindy Freeman was severally hurt, and two others are also in critical condition. Would that be the Cindy you have been dating?”
Chip: “Yes, replied Chip, oh, my gosh! I will call into work, let them know what happened, and head to the hospital.”
Rob: “Wait, Chip, if you are not family, they won’t tell you anything or allow you to see her. I would get ahold of someone in the family and ask if you could come up there with them.”
Chip: “You’re right; I will call her brother, Carl.”
I nervously dialed Carl’s cell phone, and he answered with sobs in his voice. “Carl, this is Chip, tell me what has happened? How is Cindy?” Carl, still sobbing, “I don’t know”, he declared, “They won’t tell me anything yet.”
Chip: “Can I come and set with you?”
Carl: “Yes, Chip, please do. I hate hospitals, and I am just in pieces, Chip.”
Chip: “Ok, I will be up there as soon as I call work and let them know what has happened.”
Carl: “Ok, thanks Chip.”
By the time I got there, Cindy had an MRI, and several x-rays. The ER nurses came out and told Carl that she was in serious condition, and it wouldn’t hurt to call all the family members. My heart dropped, and you could have knocked me over with a feather. I felt so bad for her.
Carl: “Can I go in and see her?”
ER Nurses: “No not at this time, the doctor will be out to talk with you shortly.”
Carl was biting his fingernails, and he couldn’t help from tearing up. I went over and sat down beside him, and I began to rub his shoulder and comfort him.
Chip: “Everything is going to be alright Carl. Let’s believe God for the best outcome.”
Carl: “Why is it taking so long before they will let me see her?”
No sooner than Carl spoke those words, the doctor showed up. He begin calling for the members of the Freeman family.
Carl: “Finally! I thought I would never hear from you, doctor.”
Emergency Doctor: “I am Doctor Sims, and I am afraid it will be several more hours before you will be able to see her. I am going to call in our specialist, Dr. Matthews for Cindy. He will be putting a drain into her head due to a brain injury, but before he can do that, we need to clean her up. When he is finished with his procedure, I will be coming back to set her left leg. It has been broken in two places; plus she has a crushed pelvis. First things first though, we have to take care of her brain injury due to the swelling. This is causing a lot of pressure on her brain, so hold tight guys, pray, and call your family members.”
After that, he disappeared, leaving us to wait.
Carl: “Oh dear Chip! I can’t even think right now, let alone, call anyone.”
Chip: “Ok, give me your phone and I’ll look at your contacts. You let me know who to call.”
The first one I brought up was William and Irene Freeman. I had met them just recently at Carl’s 34th Birthday Party.
Carl: “I am concerned about my dad, he just had a heart attack a year ago, and I don’t know how he will hold up under this bad news.”
Chip: “Yes, I remember Cindy shared that with me. I am going to pray before I call, and you just agree with me that your dad will go through this with flying colors. We bowed our heads, and I prayed a short prayer that God’s hand would be on him in a special way and that William would be stable and stay stable through-out the news of her condition and Cindy’s recovery.”
Carl: “Amen! Thanks, Chip! I am so glad you are here.”
I called them and broke the news as loving and compassionately as I could and told them Carl was beside me, but he just couldn’t think right now.
William (Cindy’s Father): “We are, as you know, a couple hours away. So, can you call my cell phone from time to time, and let me and Irene know how she is doing?”
Chip: “Dr. Sims told us she had a brain injury, two breaks on the left leg, and a crushed pelvis. He assured us it was going to take a good while before any of us could see her. He said he was going to call in Dr. Matthews. He has a reputation for being one of the best Brain Surgeons. But if I hear any updates about her, I’ll call you.”
William: “Ok, I will get off the phone and break the news to Irene, she just returned from the market.”
About that time Dr. Matthews showed up after his examination and would be performing the procedure on Cindy.
Chip: “Hello, Dr. Matthews, I have Cindy’s dad on the phone, can you just speak to him, and let him know what you will be doing?”
Dr. Matthews: “Of course.”
He explained the situation and the procedure he would have to do to relieve the pressure off her brain. He then asked if William would be coming to the hospital.
William: “Oh, yes sir, but we are 2 hours away. Chip called to tell me what happened when you came out to explain.”
Dr. Matthews: “That’s good sir, she goes in and out of consciousness; and when she comes around, I will let her know that family is on the way. She is in so much pain right now it’s hard to get through to her, and the pressure on her brain prevents her from having a clear thought.”
William: “Thank you, doctor. We will be there as soon as we can.”
I took the phone back and said goodbye, assuring William that I would be there with Carl until they got there. Chip got up and told Carl he was going to run and get them some coffee before he called anyone else.
Carl: “Ok, I could use some coffee too.”
“Ok”, I said, returning with the coffee.
Chip: “I am going to read some of the names listed, and you tell me the ones I need to call.”
I went down the list, and I managed to call all Cindy’s family members and close friends. They started showing up and soon the waiting room was taken over with chatter and condolences concerning Cindy. I felt sorry for Carl because with each arrival of family members or friends, he would have to repeat all the details of her injuries.
I finally told him to rest easy. Since he had told several of the family members the details, let them share with the new arrivals.
Another hour went by, and Cindy’s parent arrived with William’s youngest brother Ted. William was holding onto Irene. You could tell she was not taking the news concerning Cindy very well. Many of the family members ran to their side with hugs and tears.
It was another four hours before Dr. Sims made another appearance. Her parents jumped and rushed toward the doctor with a stream of questions.
Dr. Sims: “I am not going to lie to you, Cindy is in really in bad shape. Are you Cindy’s parents?”
William: “Yes, I am William, and this is her mother, Irene.
Dr. Sims: “Hello, I am Dr. Sims, and I am the attending doctor on staff here in the ER. It is urgent that you get with my nurse, Sonya; and share what you know about her medical history. We will need a list of all the medications Cindy is taking and any medical issues she may have. Please let her know if she is allergic to any medications and list any past surgeries she has had. Do you know if she has had any complaints about anything lately? We also need to get ahold of her family physician.”
Irene: “Her family physician is Dr. Ted Mitchell, but she hasn’t seen him in probably a year. I told her she needed to make an appointment with him because she recently shared with me that she was feeling extremely tired all the time. I asked her when she started feeling like that, and she said off and on over the last couple of weeks.”
Dr. Sims: “Ok, well she is stable right now, and I have had her placed in ICU on the 4th floor. She will have a long recovery, and our hope is that Cindy responds quickly and especially that the swelling starts leaving her brain in the next few days. I am going to order some extra blood work since you said that she was complaining of being tired all the time.”
Irene: “What do you think it is, doctor?”
Dr. Sims: “Well, it could be low hemoglobin, lacking iron in her blood, or heart problems. It could be many things, Mrs. Freeman; we need to find out as soon as possible because she is going to need everything working so she can get better.”
Irene: “Can we see her, doctor?”
Dr. Sims: “Yes, but only you and your husband; and you can only stay 10 minutes at a time. She will have around the clock care, and I will keep her sedated for the next few days. She will not be aware of your presence.”
Chip: “Hey Carl, I am going to leave, but I will call you and check on Cindy every day. Please let me know when she wakes up, and I’ll come and visit with her.”
Carl: “I will Chip, and thanks a million for coming and sitting out this trying time with me.”
Chip: “No problem, Carl, you know I care for Cindy, and I will be back when she can have visitors.”
Carl: “Ok man, I will see you soon.”
It was about 5:30, and I was starving so I headed to Jerry’s Diner, thinking to myself, “I hope I see Jimmie Sue and pray she was still there.” He opened the door and there she was with a menu in hand.
Jimmie Sue: “Hey, how are you today?”
Chip: “Oh, I have been better.”
Jimmie Sue: “Oh, I am sorry; did you have a bad day?”
Chip: “It has been a long and horrible day.”
Jimmie Sue: “What happened? Oh, maybe I shouldn’t ask. Just strike that question, and I will get your drink and your order started.”
Chip: “No! I do not mind you asking. If you’ll get me a big glass of Ice tea and a Cob Salad; and if you have a minute to talk, I would love to share with you.”
Jimmie Sue: “Yes, I have time; it is a slow night.
She brought my Ice Tea and Cob Salad and left briefly to give another customer his check.
Jimmie Sue: “Ok! I am all ears.”
Chip: “Well, I got a call from my friend this morning before my second cup of coffee, and he told me the girl I had been dating was in a 3 car collision. So I have been at the hospital all day with the family.”
Jimmie Sue placed her hand over her mouth, and gasped, “Is she ok?”
Chip: “No, she is in terrible shape.” I said, sharing with Jimmie Sue her injuries. “I feel so bad for her, and I will stay in touch with her and her family as far as praying for them and encouraging them, but it is pretty much over between us.”
Jimmy Sue: “Did you get close to her family while dating Cindy?”
Chip: “Not really, I went to a Birthday Party they had for her brother Carl, and I met her mom and dad. Outside of that, I had no connection with her family. We had only dated at that time for about 6 months. I will tell you rest at another time. It is a long, boring story, and right now I want to hear about your day.”
Jimmie Sue: “Oh, my story is probably boring too. It was quite an uneventful day. I worked this morning at the hospital and managed to study a couple of hours until I had to come into work. I haven’t been here that long myself. I told the boss I had to start taking some of our slow days to study. I also will be glad when this day is finished. I am looking so forward to graduation. It will be nice not to be knocking myself out with this schedule. I work Monday, Wednesday, and Friday’s. I attend my clinical training on Friday’s first hour, than I work until 2:00 pm. I don’t have much longer to fill this brain with the information before graduation. Not only that, you start thinking, “Do I have enough information to care for patients without making a fatal mistake?” The closer I get to graduation the more nervous I get.”
Chip: “I don’t know how you are doing it all. Working here, at the hospital, and trying to find time to study. You need a few days here and there for some much needed rest.”
Jimmie Sue: “That sounds so good, but I am at the end of my financial savings my dad left me when he died, and I will also need several hundred to pay for the Registry and Board Tests.”
Chip: “Have you taken the time to maybe sit down and take account of all your expenses, what you will need until graduation, final tests, and what you are making at both jobs? You might be surprised to know you can take a day off once in a while, especially as you get closer to finishing College. I also think you will do great with patients, because you seem committed to what you are doing, and you seem to be a compassionate person, as well as level headed. What I mean by that, is I think you will ask for help if you are not sure about something when it comes to patient care.”
Jimmie Sue: “Well, It hasn’t been easy, but I thank God every day to keep me sane and strong, and that is a great idea, Chip. I was just thinking about that when I made my last deposit. I have just been going to the bank and depositing my checks without being mindful of it.”
Chip: “I am sure the Lord is keeping you and making you strong, and I am really encouraging you to take a good look at your finances and your bills to see where you stand. I have made it a habit of looking at my finances about every 6 months, and it allows me some wiggle room to take a day off to go fishing, hang with my friends, or just relax. You are not going to know what to do when you have a minute to yourself.”
Jimmie Sue: “Yes, that would be nice. Just to stop and get off the merry-go-round for a bit would be a real blessing. I better get back to work and let you catch your breath, eat, and get home.”
Chip: “Yes, I am pretty exhausted and looking forward to a little rest. It helps to just stay relaxed and take one day at a time. Hey don’t stop calling me!”
Jimmie Sue: “Oh, I won’t, but not tonight, you need the rest; and thanks for the encouragement, Chip, and the great advice.
I was ready for bed, and it just seemed like I closed my eyes when the alarm started screaming. I hit the snooze to make it shut up. “Oh, just a few minutes longer”, I said as my eyes started closing; but my mind wouldn’t allow that extra 10 minutes. I needed to get to the office and catch up on all my orders. I was sure that I was backed up and getting there a little earlier would make a big difference in starting the day with all the arriving customers. I bounced up, gobbled down some coffee, and flew. I arrived at the office to find I wasn’t the only early bird. Everybody was there, and they were working to get the scheduled customers in the bays and collect the information on new customers that were arriving. The phones were also ringing off the hook, and the mechanics were pulling cars into the bays, trying to keep the customers in order according to their appointments. I ran past them into my office and grabbed my phone to take the calls coming in. I felt bad that I had missed yesterday, but I had no idea that it would be like this today. Finally, around 10:00 AM things slowed down a bit allowing us to catch our breath for a while. I went out into the lobby and declared:
Chip: “Wow, what happen this morning?”
The employees: “I don’t know, declared the workers, but it was like this yesterday too. We are glad you are here; and, by the way, we heard about your girl. Is she alright?”
Chip: “No, Cindy is in terrible shape.”
I explained her injures to them and told them she needs a lot of prayer.
The employees: “Chip, we will do everything we can to make this day as easy and light as possible on you.”
Chip: “I appreciate your concern guys; but the truth is Cindy and me were pretty much calling it quits on our relationship. We haven’t seen one another for a couple of weeks now. I will continue to stick with the family by supporting them with prayer until she is out of danger. I want to see her make a full recovery, and I desire to visit with her when she does. She is a great girl; but I am a Christian, and she is not. We are pretty much heading in different directions and wanting different things, but your prayers would be appreciated.
It wasn’t long until Jeanie had brought me a fresh cup of coffee, and Bill had entered my office with a box of donuts.
Bill: “Here you go Chip, take yourself a couple of these to eat with your coffee.”
Chip: “Yum! I think I will. I flew out the door this morning just barely getting coffee down. This will certainly give me some much needed energy. Thanks Bill!”
Wow! Look at the time already! I have got to get back to the task at hand. I’ve barely got all my orders filled for new parts, and it is lunchtime already. The bay was still buzzing as the mechanics rushed to get the cars serviced to make room for more to come in. I am sure they are feeling the pressure because the parking lot was full of cars to be repaired yet. They split up, and a few went to lunch while others stayed and worked until they returned. I knew the end of the day was probably going to be as busy as the morning with customers swarming in to retrieve their vehicles. I will be glad when this day is done!!!