Chapter 1: Part 4

Continued from part 3
The staff was expecting him when we arrived at the emergency department.
He changed into a hospital gown and eased onto one of those uncomfortable stretchers while I stood beside him holding his hand, babbling on about how relieved I was that we could now get this pain sorted out once and for all. A resident came in to take some information and do some prodding and finally the doctor came in and sent me away while he did a more thorough examination.

It wasn't long before the doctor pushed through the door into the waiting room. Funny, what I remember most about that moment is that I took the paperback I was attempting to read and carefully stuck my finger in as I closed it, to mark my place. So tidy.

"Mrs. Tennant, there is definitely something going on in there and I don't know what it is just yet, but I am going to admit him for some tests."

He waited for me to ask questions but I couldn't think of anything to ask; I was just grateful that something was going to be done.

He told me to go back to Hal and disappeared into an elevator. I was overcome with a mixture of relief and apprehension. I was feeling the first stirring that this might not be a simple problem that could be corrected with a prescription.

Before I returned to Hal, I phoned our daughter M'Liss, who was home on vacation from her job. I managed to say, "I've brought Hal to the hospital," and then felt the sobs beginning to take over in my throat. I am a private crier and fought for control before continuing.

M'Liss pleaded, "Just tell me which hospital, and I'll be right there."

I finally choked out the name and she promised to get a cab and come right away.

When I returned to Hal he looked pretty chipper now that he was getting some attention for his problem. Surprisingly, he was free of pain and curious about what would happen next. M'Liss arrived and she stood beside the stretcher clutching Hal's hand, with tears running down her face.
"Hello Luvvie," he said as always.

All at once we began to get a sense of the terrible pressure we had been through for those frightening weeks. We clung to one another for a bit and then settled down to talk, returning again and again to this mysterious problem. When a couple of hours went by and no one had come to take Hal to his room, I sought out a nurse to ask what would happen next. She gave me our first clue.

"Your husband has a bowel obstruction and we are waiting for a bed for him."

I returned gleefully with this nugget of information and we behaved as though we had won a lottery. He'd get his bed soon, we hoped, and his condition now had a name. Bowel obstruction. Already I worked out in my head that "intestinal obstruction” sounded more discreet and I'd try to use that term despite the fact that the owner of those particular bowels loathed euphemisms and would ignore my prissy approach. I didn't know then that within days good old-fashioned bowels would be the chief topic and focus of our lives, but we were still new at this.
Continued in part 5