Being There

On the first day of January 2010 The Amazing Bob was having, what he thought was, painful indigestion. We both knew it could be his heart as he’d had an attack (along with an angioplasty and stent installation) a few years earlier.

Calmly (no, for reals!) I suggested we head into Mass General to check things out. ‘No, no. It’s just gas,’ my dear TAB says to me. I gave him the I’m-humoring-you Look. 

When Jen rocks this attitude, this mien, she has one eyebrow arched so high it should submit flight plans to Logan Airport. When I do it, well, my eyebrows aren’t as talented so I quirk one side of my mouth up instead. More or less.

I gave The Amazing Bob my ultra stern I’m-trusting-you-not-to-be-a-tough-guy speech and popped next door to Jen and Oni’s for a bit. Upon my return, TAB allowed that, 'yeah, we should head into Mass General.'

Eek! Things had to be molto serious if TAB’s saying ‘yes, let’s go to the hospital’ without me having to nag and guilt trip him, more than I already had, into it.

In a fogged and profoundly fearful state, I knocked on the kids’ door to tell them what up and ask them to move their car so I could drive TAB to the hospital. Level headed Jen says ‘I’ll call 911. We’ll get an ambulance. You go sit with Bob.’

Damn, she’s fabulously awesome under pressure!

Within three (!!!) minutes we had a houseful of firemen, trained for just this sort of thing. At the five minute mark TAB was on oxygen. Eight minutes after Jen made the call, EMTs showed up and took over.

Before I knew it we were in the Mass General Emergency Room with a team of docs and nurses buzzing around -- all fast, efficient, cheerful and stunningly gorgeous. Really. It was pretty wild and a little funny. TAB was being worked on by four exotically attractive female docs along with a fleet of very pretty nurses. It was like being on a TV hospital show only all the actors were Miss Universe level beautiful.

Def not the stiff and grim scene I’d anticipated. It was like watching a whole cast of Gelsey Kirklands performing The Nutcracker.

In scrubs. Sort of.

That night flew past as I sat on the sidelines, watching the marvelous pros save The Love of My Life™.  Jen and Oni appeared a few hours later, after looking for us at the ERs of Quincy Medical Center, South Shore Hospital and Milton Hospital. Why? Em, I forgot to tell them where we were headed and the ambulance was traveling at light speed.

Could they have texted my cell? Sure and they did! The phone was at home with Coco.

By the time they’d come to the end of their Find TAB and Donna Scavenger Hunt, Bob was out of immediate danger. The docs advised me to go home, get some rest and come back the next day.

Bob wouldn’t be coming home anytime soon.