While stepping into the room where the patient was supposed to be getting prepped for surgery, I noticed that it was strangely quiet. That’s when I suspected that I might be entering the wrong room.
Oops. I was right. It was the wrong room. But the burly man changing into a hospital gown laughed and said, “I’ve got nothing to hide!”
Actually, he did. But that’s another story for another day…
Then I found Eunice’s room. I could hear noise, laughter, talking, and a pre-surgical party atmosphere. Yep, now I’m in the right place.
After an hour or more of frivolity, we gathered together around her bed, held hands, and prayed. Then it was just about time for Eunice to be taken to surgery, so, each person gave her a hug. When my turn came, she pulled me in close and whispered so that the others couldn’t hear, “Dan, please, please, if you love me, please do something for me.”
Touching her cheek, gently, I said, “Of course, Eunice. Anything. What do you want me to do? If I can do it, you know that I will.”
The effects of sedatives were making her drowsy, but taking a deep breath and mustering one last burst of the world-famous Eunice energy, she looked at me and said, “Can you please take a couple of pictures of me in this big, silver hospital cap and post them on line?”
“Of course I can,” I told her.
She squeezed my hand and smiled. “It would make me happy.”
Yep. Of course I can.
P.S. Eunice may forget that she asked me to post these pictures on line after she comes out of surgery. This type of thing happens. The doctor had pulled me aside and said, “Dan, amnesia regarding pre-surgical, big-silver-hospital-hat picture requests is quite common.”
“I understand, doctor,” I replied. “I understand.”
And we both chuckled.
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