5:00Am this morning the phone rings.  I answer it, no one there.  I turn over, it rings again.  I realize from the caller ID that it’s a GA call.  Uh oh.  I answer it. It was one of my dad’s neighbors.  My dad was just taken to the hospital.  Needless to say, there was nothing I could do since it would be hours until anyone would be able to give me an answer.

I finally, 2 hours later, fall asleep after my mind is spinning and spinning in every which direction.  First attempt, he’s still in ER and hasn’t been admitted.  The operator transfers me, the ER gal transfers me and after 2 or so minutes of ringing, I hang up and start again.  This time I get a gal in ER and she tells me that he’s being admitted and he’s okay, but she can’t tell me more over the phone.  I explain that I’m in CA and there’s no other option but to do it over the phone.  She double-checks and finds out that he’s admitted upstairs.  I get transfered.

The 3rd floor nurses station answers and transfers me to his room.  He sounds fine (though it’s a very fuzzy connection).  Turns out he had a neurological stroke of sorts that took place in the part of his brain that controls balance.  He doesn’t know much more as he hasn’t yet seen a doctor.  So I have to call back towards the end of the day to see if we can get any answers.

What a horrible way to wake up.  And what a horrible feeling.  It’s not like I can just pick up and head over there (I tried a while back to get a last minute flight for my maternal grandfather’s funeral and it was over $1000).  Toss all this in with the waves of guilt for not being able to take care of him (or in his case, throw money at his problems that still wouldn’t fix anything – long story) and I’m just all in a funk.  Is it any wonder that I have a migraine coming on?