I’d been in my “interim” room only a day when John walked in with a big smile on his face.  “They’re moving you,” he said.  “And you won’t believe it, it’s back to the same room you were in on the Cardiac Ward before.”

He walked over and patted me on the arm.  “Hang in there, buddy,” he smiled, “we’re finally moving forward here.  Don’t rock the boat.”

I smiled and sat up in the bed.  “So what’s the next step, and how fast can I bust out of this place?”

“Hold on, cowboy,” he replied.  “Remember, they’re still deciding whether or not you need a pacemaker, though quite honestly, that’ll be a piece of cake compared to the last week.”

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Just then Carlotta, a large, attractive nurse, pushed the door open.  She’d been my night nurse over the last couple of days; a friendly sort, but one you knew you didn’t want to make mad or meet in a dark alley somewhere.

“Mr. Woodford,” she said, “get your things together.   The bus leaves in 10 minutes.”  She walked over and began checking my stats with her roll-away cart.  “This is what we like to see,” she said, “don’t want you staying too long with us.”

John walked around the room gathering what little I had brought into the room.  “No time like the present,” he said, picking up some magazines he’d brought earlier.

She’d barely had time to wrap the blood pressure cuff around my arm when the door swung open again and in came an orderly with a gurney in tow.  “Mr. Woodford, it’s time to get you back upstairs.”  He walked over and checked my arm band, asked me my name and birthday, and began lining up the gurney next to the bed.

“Wow, this is quick,” I commented.  “When you guys hit ‘go,’ you don’t mess around.”

“Need the room,” Carlotta replied.  “And since they have another upstairs for you, I want to make sure they don’t give it to someone else.”

I was so excited!  I would be able to see the sun again, look out a window onto the world at large, have my own bathroom — funny how the little things become so signficant at times like these.

As Jerome slid me onto the gurney, John stepped to the door.  “Room 347?” he asked Carlotta.

“That’s it!”  she said.  “Take good care of him, now.” 

As I rolled through the door, John stopped the gurney.  “I’ll go on up with your stuff,” he said.  “Meet you up there in  a few.”

I was out of Maximum Security and on my way to progress.  What was supposed to be a 5-day stay had grown to two weeks, with no mention of going home.  Still, the promise of real food, a private room and the joy of true peace and quiet made my newly rebuilt heart jump!

I thanked God as Jerome rode with me up the elevator, then momentarily wondered if the prayer had reached through the elevator walls, unlike cell phone conversations!  Oh well, didn’t matter — I knew the answer, and the answer was that God wasn’t done with me yet.

As John and I sat there watching TV, suddenly the curtain was pulled back. Standing with a gurney to his side, and orderly smiled.

“Ready to take a trip?” he asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Where we goin’?”

The nurse who had been so helpful to me in the last few hours was standing behind the gurney. “I’ve got you a room,” she said, smiling. “It’s not permanent, but at least it will get you off the unit and into a more quiet space.”

John spoke up. “What’d you do?” he asked. “Bribe the hospital’s administrator?”

She smiled. “Well, not quite that much,” she responded, “and I may never work here again. But there was no point in someone being stuck in CCU for 5 days, when there obviously is no reason for them to be here.” She paused. “Let’s just say I know how to scream,” she chuckled.

The orderly moved to the side of the bed. “Can you help me detach all these wires?” he asked.

“Not a problem,” the nurse said. She looked at me. “When you get settled and I’m off my shift, I’ll come by to check on you.”

John moved out of the way while the other two disconnected the multitude of wires and cords. When it was done, the orderly rolled the gurney next to the bed. “I’m going to slide you onto the gurney; it may hurt a little.”

“That’s o.k.,” I answered. “I’m on my way outta here.”

Sure enough, as the orderly had warned, it was very painful sliding me onto the table. I was thankful it was over in a second.

“O.K., let’s get you out of here,” he added. “Ready to roll?”

“Take me away,” I said, adding a heart-felt thanks to the nurse. “Thank you for all you’ve done for me.”

“Not a problem,” she answered. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

I wasn’t moved very far, just around the corner from where I’d been and down a hallway. The new room was large, full of equipment, with a wall of glass on one side so the nurses station could see me.

“Look, John, there’s a TV,” I said, as they slid me onto the new bed, him following the orderly quickly.

“I hope this will be o.k. until we can get a room for you,” the orderly said. “Are you comfortable?”

“Oh, this is heaven, I said,” adding “I can’t believe I’m finally here.”

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Just as the orderly rolled the gurney into the hallway, a nurse entered the room. “I’m Michelle, and I’ll be taking care of you until we can get you back onto the heart ward.

“You have TV, there’s a stereo system, and feel free to use the sink and commode whenever you want. This room is usually reserved for critical patients, but we’ll keep you here as long as we don’t need the room.”

She walked to the wall of glass and began closing the blinds. “A little privacy may be in order,” she said. “I’ll order you some food; should be here in about 30 minutes.”

I closed my eyes and relished in the silence. “Now maybe I can get some sleep,” I said, looking over at John.

“I won’t stay in here long,” he added. “I’m sure they’re watching you like a hawk.”

I lay my head back on the pillow. The next thing I knew, dinner had arrived and it was time to eat some real food. I gave thanks for the best meal I had enjoyed in a while, and also that I had escaped the ward which resembled a bus terminal.

On the third day, as any patient would, I became restless.  I tired of the constant interruption of the nurses, although they meant well, the stream of people in and out of the ward, and the restrictive visiting hours.  Though it was nice to see John, I was ready to see the outside — and there were no windows anywhere to be found.

On top of that, I had been in the  bed now going on the 4th day, without a shower, brushed teeth, clean hair, anything.  Admittedly, I wasn’t ready to run any races, but I didn’t plan on spending my retirement in that condition, either.

The surgeon dropped by later that day, while John was seated next to me.   “When you going to let him out of here?” John asked.  “He’s getting pretty tired of the noise, and he’s not able to get any rest.”

“I don’t know,” was all the doctor volunteered.  “It won’t be long.”  We chatted for a few minutes, him finally explaining what had happened to me in surgery, then turned and left.  His explanation was that because of the complications, they needed me to stay in the CCU for further observation.

“Think I’ll get back to the room tomorrow?” I asked.

“‘Seems no one’s concerned about it but you and me,” John replied.  “I’m going to make a couple phone calls when I leave and see what I can find out.”  Even the nurses had acquiesced that I needn’t be there.  I was clearly out of the danger zone, however, nothing seemed to be happening to get me back to a normal cardiac ward with a normal room.

I slept, and read, and slept some more, trying to make the hours pass more quickly.  But with the announcements going off, the lights constantly on, and the bed now feeling like a stone slab, I was definitely ready for some changes.

The fourth day was the same.  Nothing happened, no doctor visit, nurses knew nothing, and still I sat there.  Some of the equipment had been moved away, though I was still on a liquid diet, and dropping weight like a rock.  I was to lose 28 pounds in two weeks, I later found.  Though I probably needed to lose a few pounds, it was awfully quick, and instead of getting stronger, I found myself getting much weaker; even sitting up in the bed became a challenge.

By the fifth day, I’d had enough.  I awoke and observed a new nurse sitting at the station just across from me, one I’d never seen before.  I got her attention and called her over.

“I really need some help,” I said.

“What’s the problem?” she asked.

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“I’ve been down here 5 days, with no toothbrush, bath, or exercise.  I don’t know what the hold-up is, but I really need to clean myself a little.  You see, I’m not at all used to this, and it’s hindering how I feel.  I’m getting weaker by the day, yet the doctors don’t seem to care that I don’t need to be here.  Is there anything you can do to help?”

“Well, I’m a contract nurse, so I’m not sure what I can do to get you out of here, but I can certainly help you get cleaned up.  I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  With that she crossed the room and started down the hallway.

It wasn’t long before John came in.  “Well, I think I found out why your stuck here,” he said.  “They don’t have a room for you.  Stupid state rules,” he added.  “They won’t let the hospitals expand, yet the city’s grown so fast, there are not nearly enough beds to accommodate the citizens in the nearby hospitals.”

“So what do we do?” I asked.  “I’m about to go stir-crazy in this heart ‘mall’”.

Just then, the nurse I had pleaded with earlier walked up.  “Mr. Woodford, here’s a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a cap to put on your head to “wash” your hair.  It’s the best I can do right now.  If you’ll wait a few minutes, I’ll be back to give you a sponge bath.  This is ridiculous.”  She disappeared again.

“You’ve been busy,” John said.  “You didn’t happen to request  a room, did you?”

“I sure did,” I smiled.  “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to get me out of here.”

I shut my eyes and laid my head back on the pillow.  The equipment around me and in me was so numerous there was no way I could move.  I thanked God that I’d made it this far.  Oddly, I thought, the pain wasn’t bad at all – amazing what living better through chemistry can do.

I felt a hand on my arm.  “Mr. Woodford,” LaTrena said, “I’m going off-duty now, but I’ll be back tomorrow.  Jason is going to be your nurse while I’m away,” she added.

I opened my eyes to see a young man in his twenties, strong and tall, standing with her.  “Hi, Daniel,” he said, “I wanted to introduce myself and let you know I’ll take great care of you – is there anything you need?”

“When do the tubes come out?” I asked.

“I can get that for you in just a bit,” he answered, “you’ll be able to shift in the bed a little easier.  Won’t be long until we sit you up.”

“You behave,” LaTrena chimed in, laughing.  She looked at Jason.  “He’s been a great patient – treat him right for me, o.k.?”

“My pleasure,” Jason replied.  LaTrena turned and walked away.  “Give me a few minutes to check on my other patients, and we’ll get those tubes out of you.”

It wasn’t long before John appeared over my head.  “You’re looking better,” I heard, coming out of a light sleep.

“They’re going to remove the tubes,” I said.  “I hope it doesn’t hurt.”  I closed my eyes again.

“You’re on so much stuff, you won’t feel it at all,” John replied.  “How’re you handling the noise?”

“What time is it?” I asked.  “How long have I been here?”

“This is your second day,” John replied.  “I understand you slept well most of the night.  That’s a great thing.”  He reached to adjust my pillows and pulled a blanket up around me as best he could.

“My how time flies when you’re having fun,” I said.  “I’m hungry.”

“They’ll start bringing you liquids, soon,” I heard.  “The bleeding and draining has stopped and you’re much more stable than you were yesterday.”

I heard the privacy curtain pull back.  “Hi,” I heard; it was Jason.  “I’m Jason,” he continued, introducing himself to John.  “He’s doing much better today; in fact, we’re about to pull the drainage tubes out of him.”

“So I hear,” John said.  He looked down at me.  “I’m going back to the waiting room and I’ll see you when they’ve finished,” he said.  “Remember, this is a good thing.”  He turned and disappeared through the curtain.

“O.K. Daniel,” Jason asked, “we’re going to pull the tubes out now.  You may feel a little sting as they come out.”  He laid a large sheet of gauze on my legs.  “I’m going to ask you to take a deep breath when I say ‘NOW,’ let it out slowly.”

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I grasped the steel bed guards in anticipation.

“NOW,” I heard.  I took a big gulp of air and held on.  Jason took one pull and removed both tubes at once.  Oddly enough, I didn’t feel anything but a small sting.

“That was great,” he said, “you all right?”

“Nothing to it,” I answered.  “You’re good.”

“The meds have a lot to do with it,” he chuckled.  “But I’m glad I didn’t hurt you.”  He bundled up all the materials in the gauze and placed them on a table next to the bed.  “I’ll get rid of those shortly,” he added.  “Time to bandage you up.” 

He gently and carefully bandaged the points from which he had removed the tubes.  “These look good,” he said,” speaking more to himself than me.  He looked up.  “You’re a quick healer.”

“You ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” I managed to chuckle. 

He grabbed the gauze on the table.  “I’ll order you some food, now,” he added.  “You’ll be out of here in no time.” 

“Thanks, Jason,” I replied.  It looked like things were moving along well.

I opened my eyes, to see a nurse, LaTrena (and not just any nurse I might add), who unaware to me would become my angel over the next few days.

“There are tubes and wires in you, so try not to move.”  She touched my hand.  “You had us worried for awhile.”  She adjusted my pillow, covered me with a fresh blanket, and sat down in the chair next to me.

“I made it,” I managed to mumble from my now alleviating stupor.  I looked around to discover that there were machines and monitors all around me.

“Yes sir, you did” she responded.  “Don’t worry,” she said, “we’ll get rid of most of this equipment soon.  We need it to monitor your condition for a little while longer.”

“How did it go?” I asked.

“The surgery went fine,” she hesitated.  “You bled rather badly, and they had to open you again to stop the bleeding.  That’s why you see the hoses.”

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I lifted the blanket to see two rather large hoses running from my chest.  There were also lots of wires coming out of me a little farther down on my stomach.  “I’m bionic,” I muttered.

LaTrena laughed.  “Well, at least they didn’t affect your sense of humor.”  She stood.  “Would you like some ice chips?”

“That would be nice,” I answered, “where am I?”

“You’re in the Cardiac Care Unit,” she replied.  “I’ll be right back.”  She stepped away and I lifted my head to see my surroundings.

There must have been a dozen patients, from one end of the room to the other, all in various stages of recovery.  Beds were everywhere, and nurses moved from one “stall” to another quickly.

I laid my head down and closed my eyes.  “God,” I prayed, “you got me through the surgery, now help through the next step.”

LaTrena returned with the ice.  She spooned a small bit into my mouth.  “Take it slow,” she said, “you’ve still got a lot of anesthesia in you.  We don’t want you getting sick.”

I sucked on the ice cube and felt the wonderful coolness hit my throat.  I began to realize how long it had been since I had food.  “What day is it?” I asked.

“You were out for quite a while,” she answered.  “Surgery was early yesterday.  Today is Tuesday.  It was touch and go there for awhile.”

“Where’s John?” I asked.  “Is he all right?”

“He’s fine,” she continued.  “We restrict the visiting hours in  the CCU, so he’s in the waiting room.  He’ll be in shortly.”

She gave me another ice chip.  “Are you in pain?” she asked.

“Considering they’ve just split me like a chicken, I’m doing o.k.  Morphine got anything to do with this?”

“We have you on several pain killers right now,” she replied.  “As you improve, we’ll begin taking them away one by one.”

Another ice chip.  Just to have a cool liquid in my mouth was heaven!  As I swallowed, I heard someone walking up.  “Hey, there.”  It was the familiar voice of John.  “I see he’s eating a little bit,” looking at the nurse.

“He’s very lucid,” LaTrena said.  “If you’re going to be here a few minutes, I’ll check my other patient while you visit.”

“Thanks,” John answered.  He took the cup of ice from her and she disappeared through the curtain at the end of the bed.

“You had us on pins and needles for awhile,” he said.  “I’m glad to see you’re back with us.”

“Well,” I chuckled, “I always told you it would never be boring.”  I tried to move my legs but they were bound to the bed.

“They don’t want you escaping,” John laughed.  “They’ll get rid of this stuff soon enough.  Right now you need to do exactly as they want.”  He reached behind me and fluffed my pillow.  “‘Surgeon says the surgery went fine, and after they got the hemorrhaging stopped, you’ve responded quickly.”

“Must be all that Ibuprofen I’ve been taking for months,” I answered.  “Probably thinned my blood out.”

“They won’t let me in but 10 minutes out of every hour, so you need to behave,” John continued.  “I’ll tell you, being in that waiting room all day is starting to get to me.”

“Why don’t you go home?” I asked.  “You can’t do anything here.”

“I’d rather be here; there’s nothing to do at home.” 

“LaTrena’s great,” I said.  “She’s watching me like a hawk.  My slightest ‘groan’ brings her running.”

“That’s what she’s paid to do,” John said, “but I do agree, she’s very sweet.  She’s keeping me in the loop with whatever is happening with you.  And by the way,” he added, “you’re going to be fine.”

“I got a miracle and an angel in two days,” I answered.  “”Guess God’s getting me ready for the next chapter.”

LaTrena walked over.  “Sorry guys, I gotta kick you out,” looking at John.  “You can come back in an hour; we may have the tubes out of him then.”

I walked to the window, which thankfully had a view of trees, the entrance portico to the hospital and a nice seating area right outside the doors.  John joined me.  “Don’t worry, Sweet Pea, it’ll be all right.”

“I’ll go home and get whatever you need,” he continued.  “They probably won’t do much today, anyway.”  I quickly wrote down a list of things I had to have – sweat pants and tee shirts, socks, tennis shoes, toiletries, and some books and magazines.  “You won’t be gone long, will you?” I asked, trying not to sound petrified.

“Just as long as it takes with traffic,” he answered.  He turned and was gone.

Now there I was for who knew how long, laughing to myself to think that a “respiratory infection” had turned into so much more — so quickly.  Suddenly the issue of financing all this wasn’t the prominent issue; of more concern was what was going to be done with me, and how long all this would take.  I knew they’d have to squeeze me in, since I wasn’t on the surgery schedule.  That could take days!  And then there was the boredom of being cooped up in this pretty, albeit tiny room.  “Maybe,” I said to myself, “it’s time to find religion again.”   I was more frightened than I’d ever been, even though from the looks of the cardiac unit, there were 100’s of us in the same boat. Little did I know there were 80,000,000 people in the U.S. alone, daily facing this condition.

Logically, I knew literally 1,000’s of people were in my predicament every day, although this was me!  The one who had survived Hodgkins Disease, and believed I’d never have to be in a hospital again.  And now ironically, Hodgkins had been the culprit causing my current visit.

I sat on the bed, and in between the bells ringing in the hallway and the shuffling noises up and down the hall, I began to pray.

I had just gotten quiet and settled in when a nurse entered the room.  “Hi, I’m Randy, and I’ll be your nurse today.”  She tugged a small cart behind her with lots of equipment on it.  “I’m going to get your vitals,” she continued, “then I’ll need you to take off your clothes and put on a gown.  They’ll be up to get you in a few minutes.”

I gasped.  “You guys don’t waste any time, do you?” I asked.  “So what are they going to do?”

“Oh, just a couple chest x-rays,” she answered.  “You’ll be back up in time for dinner.  The menu’s on the table there,” she added. 

She rolled the cart to my bedside, took my blood pressure, temperature, checked for a pulse in my legs and feet, then wrote something down in my chart.  “You don’t have much circulation going on down there,” she added.  “We’ll change all that.”

She explained the menu selections, adding that I would now be on a “Diabetic Diet” until further notice.  I could order anything on the available menu I wanted, up to a point.  If I went “over” my allowance in a certain category, they would refuse my request.  “I’ll be back a little later to check on you,” she said, taking her cart and pulling it out the door behind her.

I looked at the ceiling.  “O.K. God,” I said, “I’ll do everything I can to make this work; just let me know what I need to do.”  It had been awhile since I recognized the power of telling the Universe what you wanted; now would be the test to see if I was still connected.

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