Didn't take that job obviously.
I actually like to avoid hospitals at all costs, because just the smell makes me nervous.
But this past weekend I had my first ER visit as an adult, and it's sure to be one I'll never forget.
On Sunday, my sisters, my mom, newborn niece and I decided to drive out to Peddler's Village (by New Hope, PA) for a little girl bonding and to look for some of the things my older sister still needed for Maggie's Christening in 2 weeks. It was a relaxing afternoon and Maggie Jane was a perfect baby as always.
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| Isn't she perfect? |
While enjoying a quick lunch, my younger sister Kate got a call from my Dad. Kate had asked my Dad if he'd vacuum out her car while we were gone, which he had no problem doing and also wanted to surprise her by waxing up the dashboard. So while crossing an intersection in her car to the local supermarket to get the wax, he was t-boned by a car speeding through the red light. Worst part of it, the car didn't stop, but just kept going.
People are legit assholes.
My dad was okay--the majority of the damage was to the back driver's side door and luckily the airbags did go off. He was very dazed, pretty bruised from the airbags deflating and he blacked out for a good 10 minutes. Luckily people around him pulled over to make sure he was alright and called the cops. But he wanted to go to the hospital--which if you know my dad is a rarity. He almost cut off his foot a month ago when we dropped a power saw on it, but instead of having my mom look at it (my mom's a nurse), he bandaged it up with duct tape.
So naturally, we hauled ass home and my older sister called her husband to go over to the accident and make sure he was okay. Five minutes later, my brother-in-law calls my sister to say my dad had decided to drive the car home--not thinking of himself but not wanting my sister to have to pay for a tow. Yeah he's crazy. And then when we finally get home, he's not laid out on the couch but in the garage cleaning it out.
We wanted to kill him.
So like a small army, we all herded into 3 separate cars and coordinated who was going where--my sister needed to drop the baby at home with her in-laws, my other sisters had to pick up my mom's car there, and I was taking my parents to the hospital. Luckily, we live 5 minutes from the closest hospital and besides the car that was speeding and cut us off--to which my dad replied, "Are people trying to kill me today??"--we got there unscathed.
When we walked in, we immediately had to sign in, my dad was given a wheel chair and he had to fill out his medical information. He turned to my mother and goes;
"Jane what's the date?"
"It's the 27th."
"Oh ok....don't forget to pay the Macy's bill later."
I almost peed myself laughing. My dad had just been in a major car accident and that's what he was worried about. My mom shushed me and looked very embarrassed as the triage nurses took my dad back to examine him. After they gave him the once over--and gave him a neck brace to wear--they wheeled him into the waiting room and told us to hang tight until we were called to go back in to the separate rooms.
So we waited and waited. About 2 hours in, my Dad finally got called back. Unfortunately, only 2 of us could go back at a time so I had to wait even longer. About an hour later, this is what I walked back to
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| Sorry, I couldn't flip it for some reason |
I stayed out in the waiting room for awhile lol.
While waiting again, the ER started to fill up pretty quick. It was standing room only for the last 3 hours of our time there--in total we were in the ER for 6 hours, which my Dad was NOT happy about. And I guess I forgot that people come to the ER with actual emergencies. Like my Dad was relatively okay, he just needed a once over to make sure. But the people I saw were not. There were babies crying, a man sitting next to me in a wheel chair who had 3 rather larger puncture wounds in the back of his head--I don't wanna know how he got those-- a girl who wouldn't sit down until she was allowed back to the rooms (I have a sneaky suspicion that she was incredibly strung out or high), a family of 5 people whose father just had a heart attack and were waiting for test results (very sad, I wanted to reach out and hug the little old lady who I assumed was his wife), and a man who had a lacerated hand whose bandage kept falling off and was dripping blood everywhere.
That last one I almost passed out. But generally, it wasn't as bad as it could've been.
Time went slowly, and eventually--3 hours later--my Dad had an X-Ray and a CAT scan and everything was fine. They gave him some pain meds and told him to take it easy. My sisters and I all snuck back to his room at that point to figure out what we were doing next. All my Dad wanted was "a huge slice of pizza and a cheesesteak." So my sister and I started calling around to all the local pizza places, trying to find one that was open at 11 on a Sunday.
And I guess I made the mistake of turning towards a commotion in the hallway outside of my Dad's room at the exact moment they were wheeling a patient back. Well the patient was a firefighter who had just been brought from a fire and had extreme injuries. Of which I saw all of them. I can't even describe it without feeling sick. After they wheeled him by I had to run to the bathroom and puke. Oh god it was awful, and I found a new respect for that profession.
Needless to say, I texted my sisters from the bathroom and asked them to meet me outside. I was NOT going back there again.
So, Sunday was an extremely eventful day. My Dad is fine, back to his old self and not in an ounce of pain. My sister's car is totaled and she is now dealing with the insurance side of the accident. The cops aren't hopeful that they will find the fucker who did this, but we are just happy my Dad is okay.
Really hoping it's awhile before my next ER visit.
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| Even in a hospital, can't change him |
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