Chapter Eight: Red-Letter Day

Monday, January 19

Dad called early from the hospital, "needing" Pilot pens and moisturizing cream. He was excited that the intern had heard activity in his abdomen.

After our Evans' breakfast and quick shopping trip, Mom and I made our habitual trip to Emory Hospital. As we told Adrian, "another exciting day of watching the IV drip" (and my parents nap!). It turned out to be a stellar day.

Dad was up in his chair with feet propped on the other chair's footrest, his head leaning against an improvised towel-pillow taped to the wall. When he'd just settled into bed for a brief nap, some visitors we'd known were coming but forgotten about showed up--Ben Haden and Wendell Jones. We enjoyed wonderful fellowship, enhanced when Dr. John Galloway showed up. He was accompanied by a quiet pre-med student named Laura, who attends Erskine College, John's alma mater.

Dad was pretty wound up, feeling lots better than the previous day, especially since his pain meds had been adjusted to better encompass the top sector of his incision. As Ben and Wendell were about to leave, the tech who was to transport Dad to X-Ray knocked on the door. We asked him if we could delay a few minutes to say our goodbyes. Ben prayed with us before he and Wendell departed.

Dad returned from X-Ray elated. They'd allowed him to look at his pictures, and no obstructions appeared. All the backup appeared to be in his colon, he surmised, because he'd begun his pre-surgery prep too late in the day on Wednesday.

Then nurse Laura, whose own mother ironically had died from pancreatic cancer, sadly after being diagnosed in stage four, brought Dad the highlight of his hospital sojourn--a tray for lunch!
Of course, it was all liquids, but he did get a variety of those--apple juice, tea, beef broth, jello, and Italian ice.

Dad and I took off on his triangular laps around the floor and finished eight, so engrossed were we in conversation.

Trey came by before Gary was to drive him, Ann, and Jack to the airport for their flight back to Kansas. I'm so glad he came to spend time with Mom and Dad.