Not much ado

Yesterday seemed endless, but it wasn't really so bad. I had the luxury of sleeping in in the morning and waking myself with a tall mocha from Metropolis. Then the waiting began: They were supposed to take Dad down at 11 a.m. but it was more like 12:30. Unlike other hospitals we've been to, they wouldn't let us into the holding area. Which normally wouldn't be that big a deal but kind of pissed me off in this case since they didn't put him under for another three(!) hours or so. Well, that's what happens when you get "fit in" after another five-hour surgery.

M³ took us down for a surprisingly non-sucky lunch in the basement cafeteria which helped keep us distracted for a while. It was very sweet of him to secure a private waiting room for us; too bad it was aboout 100℉ inside and the television didn't work. Also, it was within the secure area of the SICU so I was self-conscious about coming and going too much, as it required being buzzed in every time. He came up and kept us company for as much as he could on the day of a certification inspection and continued to introduce us to everyone he could find who had any impact on our father's care. Between him and e. we are now so well connected at that hospital I can't imagine checking in anywhere else.

monshu came over after a gruelling day of interviews and took me out to dinner at Duke of Perth while my stepsister kept her mom company. In the evening we had bunj and e. with their knitting and banter and proceedings continued to drag. It was about nine when we heard they were "closing up"; forty minutes later, they were still "closing up". We spoke briefly to the doctor, a compact soft-spoken Colombian, and later caught a glimpse of Dad through the window as they wheeled him past, but it was almost another hour before they let us back to see him and then only after I made a bit of a fuss. (I should feel bad about the dirty glare I shot the obstructionist receptionist but...no, actually I shouldn't; her colleague had no problem actually asking the nurse if we could go in instead of passively waiting for him to come to her.)

It was 11 when I left and about midnight when I fell asleep, so I slept in again today and called my stepmom when I woke up to find that Dad's already extubated, which means he's telling his story to anyone who'll lend an ear. M³ says that the staff is surprised by how quickly he's bouncing back; he was hugging a teddy bear when he swung by and it was all he could do not to pinch his pink cheeks. So maybe I can actually relax for a bit and get back to whatever the hell it was I had planned before any of this went down.