On Wednesday (five years ago), John was not much better. Yet, out of concern that he had taken too much time off from work and out of commitment and loyalty to his job and in recognition that others depended upon him, John went to work that day. Nonetheless, the pain was too great and he had to leave early and go home.
On Thursday, John tended to his own needs and went to an orthopedic specialist as recommended by the ER. Nonetheless, by Thursday night, the pain was too great and once again John called Alex who this time took him to another ER. Fortunately, she also called us and we immediately drove up arriving about midnight on Friday morning (five years ago today). We are eternally grateful that Alex called us when she did, because it allowed us to spend John's last 24 hours or so with him, although we did not know it at the time.
John proceeded to spend the next 2O hours in the ER. Notwithstanding the pain, prior to being discharged from the ER, John turned to us and said he was sorry for ruining our Friday and he turned to Alex and said he was sorry for making her miss so much work. That's the way John was, even in the moment of his greatest need, he was always thinking of others.
They eventually discharged John from the ER. Although weak and in continued discomfort, John sucked it up and said he still wanted to come home for the weekend. John was determined to spend the weekend with his family to which we had all looked forward. And we were determined to nurse John back to health, doing whatever was necessary to help him manage the pain and do the necessary therapy for his neck.
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