ER, we're back

right before the ambulance arrived


after being released from the hospital the first time, we ended up right back there with a 911 call. that morning he woke up and needed help walking to the bathroom and the couch, the walker wasn't cutting it anymore. his right foot began to turn purple and he couldn't feel it. he was up all night peeing every thirty minutes with stomach pain. he asked for a sleeping pill so i gave in. i called my brother mike, as i always did for help, to come over because i was worried. my mother hesitantly went to breakfast with my theo louie that had just arrived from chicago. my girlfriend emma was in town as well. once my dad made it to the couch, he just slumped over, he was so tired. a few minutes later he had to pee again, he was so stubborn, instead of using the pee cup (since my mom wasn't there to help him), he sucked it up, grabbed the walker as my sister and i followed with our arms around him. he shut the bathroom door and tried to pee on his own and change his boxer briefs. i stood outside the door and heard him struggling, breathing hard as he began to cry. mike had just arrived and he went in there whether my dad liked it or not. my dad, defeated and short of breath asked me to call an ambulance. i did, they arrived, i gave them his mediacl history, mom came home, freaked out, we were on our way back to little company of mary hospital.

mike and i made the calls and slowly but surely everyone came to visit pops during that day in ER room number 4. We waited about 10 hours again for a room, like we did the last time we went to the ER. the docs said he had another minor heart attack and his purple foot is the product of the blood clots having a field day. my dad got diagnosed with DVT in late February (deep vein thrombosis) and since then his legs have been swollen. the problem this time was that a clot got into an artery instead of the veins, thats a bad sign. that day we were told the cancer has taken a turn for the worst, one by one we went in to share some words with dad. i told him how much i loved him and ill miss him. he joked and said, "get me the hell out of here, lets take a train to portland stace." he always loved portland, but my mom would never consider moving there because of the rain. he started getting all loopy and shit, he was seeing cats and vans in the room! he told me not to tell mom, so i didn't. we got a room finally and my mom stayed with him every night for the whole week he was there. i'd trade off with her in the early morning hours so she can go home and shower. i would watch old john wayne movies with him while he rested. we would look at old pics, i asked him what his wishes were, i assured him we were going to be ok, i fed him a crappy breakfast. everyday felt the same, mike would bring me a REAL cup of coffee in the morning, mom would come back, visitors would come, helen always came by after work and some other family members of ours would roll in before night fall too.