The world is full of Crazies
I absolutely HATE driving into Riverside now that I moved away from there but for the past few weeks I have had no other choice. All my mum's doctors appointments and her surgery were all preformed there. I knew I would be so relieved to pick her up from the hospital and bring her up to my house for a week or 2 during her recovery.
The plastic surgeon had come in and gave my mum the clean bill of health to leave the hospital Wednesday evening but first we would have to have her original surgeon come in to sign her out and at the moment he was away completing another surgery. "well since there is going to be a wait, why don't you and your dad go out and grab a bite to eat?" My mum suggested. I felt a bit bad leaving her behind to eat Hospital style macaroni and cheese but I was STARVING. I hadn't eaten anything all day while waiting for the doctors to visit so I jumped at the opportunity.
On the way back, my dad and I were stopped at the stoplight leading into the hospital when several police cars flew past us turning into the drive way. From where we sat I could see as they whipped into to the space occupying the front area to the hospital and jumping out, they charged into the front lobby.
"whoa, wonder what's going on there?" I commented as the light changed and my dad turned leisurely into the lot. "Why don't you drop me off closer to that end ?" I said pointing to an open area to the left of the hospital with outside seating. It was nighttime now and dark outside so I wanted a little shelter with lighting. I knew the doctor hadn't returned yet and thought I could sneak in a quick smoke before heading back in for the hellishly long wait. Why do hospitals always take so long when it comes to discharging their patients?
Opening the car door to slide out, a helicopter flew over and it's search light swept over to land on the car- lighting up the entire interior and causing my dad to squint out at me. Something was DEFINATLY going on. "are you going to be okay?" he asked? That's all I needed, my paranoid dad worrying about me on top of the stress of worrying over his wife. Only the night before he had been crying uncontrollably in the waiting room. "Yep, it's all good," I replied hurrying him along," I will give you a call in a little bit." I slammed the car door and hustled up to the out side resting area and watched as he navigated the parking lot to leave.
Once he was out of sight I found a nice quiet place to sit undetected next to a detached structure in the shadows and pulled out my book and a cigarette (Everywhere is nonsmoking now days but I also try to avoid people when I smoke anyways- its not a habit I am proud to have.) "Code Silver-Front lobby.. CODE SILVER!" a woman's voice reached out from one of the over head speakers. Code silver.... I knew that code, I work in a hospital. But what was it? Not something I commonly heard. I thought for a second... CODE SILVER...like metal... oh yeah.. a gun! Someone in the main lobby had a gun!
I strained my neck around the building to look. Had I chosen not to smoke I would be inside right now with the gunman. I anxiously texted my mum, "Gonna be outside for a few... there is a gunman in the hospital's lobby." Moments latter I see the policemen drag a man from the building in hand cuffs. I looked down to text my mum again. "I think it's all clear now" my fingers flew over the small hand head screen. I happened to glance up as a cluster of policemen started in my direction. Oh God, I hope they aren't going to say something to me about smoking- was my thought about the same time I noticed a stretcher sandwiched between them. They were aimed towards the outer building, the one I was sitting beside. It was only then that I recalled that OUR hospital had one of these detached structures themselves. They are the "Explosive containment" rooms. Oh Crap... it wasn't a gun the man had but possibly a bomb. It was DIFINATLY time for me to move. "Code silver, all clear".. of course it was... he was outside now! As for me, I would be heading IN.
Up in my mum's hospital room, I tossed my bag down and started telling her all the things I had witnessed. If their hospital was anything like ours, the whole fact a man with a weapon (let alone a possible bomb) would be swept under the rug so fast that one would second guess if they ever even saw anything. I had no sooner started to tell my tail when an old woman with a cloud of back combed white hair came crashing into my mum's room.
"HELP ME!... HELP... ME!" She was screaming. From where I stood I knew there was someone on the other end of this old lady. She was clutching the opened door and hanging onto it with one hand for dear life. On the other was a nurse, tugging in the opposite direction and trying to pull her back out of the frame. "Now Miss BlahBlah, you have to calm down. I am not trying to hurt you." The smallish nurse stated, her white shoes squeaking on the linoleum as they searched for traction.
The old lady's eyes locked on my own. "Save me, Get this woman off of me. She is crazy! She is holding me captive!" she screamed. And I am not just saying she was talking loudly- she was SCREAMING. I walked over to her and she jerked away just on time to dart behind me like a child and grasp my hand. "Whats going on?" I asked her calmly.
The old woman and the nurse began talking at the same time. "I'm trying to get her back in her room"
"She is trying to keep me here against my will!" and leaning in to whisper in my ear, the old woman added, "I don't know... HER (she hissed). I will pay you fifty dollars to get me outta here!" I smiled down at the little old woman and slipped her soft wrinkled hand into mine.
"well lets see what we can do, shall we?" I asked leading her out of my mum's room and down the hall. The nurse smiled at me apologetically and fell in behind us.
"I think she is following us" the old woman said, her head darting around to find the nurse who dodged and weaved stay in her blind spot. I mouthed to the nurse, "which room?" to which she mouthed back "570". I began leading her in that direction.
"I just need to get outta here. I live up off of Adams and I can go if I get a ride. ... can YOU give me a ride?.. is she still following us?" At last I spotted her room. It was large, dimly lit and empty.
"I'm not sure but lets duck in this room and wait it out," I say and walk her into her room. I sit her down in an empty chair. "I'll tell you what... I will go find you that ride." The old woman's face lights up and she no longer looks scary to me.
"You will!" she sprung back up clasps her hands together. "Yes, but you gotta sit down here and wait.... if you go with me and I come back to find you gone, I wont be able to get you home. Can you wait here for me?" I asked edging her back towards the seat.
"oh yes... I understand. I will wait right here!" "Good... I will be back in a few," I say and with that I slipped out of the room and escaped the crazy lady.
Back at my mum's room AGAIN, she is getting a new 'room mate'. They have wheeled in a bed and drawn the curtain that separates the two beds. Its a woman from India. My mum, forever the friendly and talkative woman she is, perks up and says, "why hello! Welcome to my little palace... I MEAN ROOM!" she catches on at the last second that she has called this place a palace and it might sound racist. The woman smiles, she apparently doesn't speak English (Thank God). Another nurse comes in carrying a jug of liquid, she tries to explain how the lady MUST drink all the liquid as she will need to have empty Bowels for the operation. The minute I hear this, my eyes open wide. Oh no... the room only has one toilet and it's on my mum's side of the room.
The nurse leaves and comes back with a toilet chair... that's even worse! Not only will I have to smell what is going on but we wont even get the privacy of having a wall separating us from this trauma. They expect this poor woman to use a porta-potty. NOOO! I am already imagining I will smell it and start to get the dry heaves crawling up from stomach.
I lean in to whisper to my mum and that's when I see him... the woman from behind the curtain's husband. He has come to our side of the curtain and is standing there at the foot of my mum's bed. It isn't like he stepped over to give his wife privacy, if that's what he was doing there was plenty of room along the wall. He is IN our private little space AND he is staring right at us. My mum and I both stare back in shock. He places his hands in his pockets and walks away.
"That was kind of creepy" I state. "Ya... it was kind like he was watching us." and then BAM... there he is again.
Every few minutes he would walk back into our side of the room and just stand there, looking at us. I slip out of the room to phone the doctor to see if he is out of surgery yet and when I look up- the man is standing in the hallway now, directly across the door frame from me listening to my conversation.
Finally the doctor arrives and I practically jump in his arms in excitement (Get us out of this nut house!). "Hello Karen,... how are you-" the doctor starts and then turns his head slowly to his left. The "Peeper" mans has slipped back into my mum's bed area and is standing directly beside the Hot doctor looking between him and my mum. "Sir? do you belong here?" the doctor ask? The man continues to say nothing and stands there for a second longer with all of us staring back at him, eventually he gets the point and leaves us alone.
Yep... the world is full of crazy people and if you ever need to know where they meet... I will be more than happy to point you in the direction of the Riverside Hospital because apparently they like it there.
The plastic surgeon had come in and gave my mum the clean bill of health to leave the hospital Wednesday evening but first we would have to have her original surgeon come in to sign her out and at the moment he was away completing another surgery. "well since there is going to be a wait, why don't you and your dad go out and grab a bite to eat?" My mum suggested. I felt a bit bad leaving her behind to eat Hospital style macaroni and cheese but I was STARVING. I hadn't eaten anything all day while waiting for the doctors to visit so I jumped at the opportunity.
On the way back, my dad and I were stopped at the stoplight leading into the hospital when several police cars flew past us turning into the drive way. From where we sat I could see as they whipped into to the space occupying the front area to the hospital and jumping out, they charged into the front lobby.
"whoa, wonder what's going on there?" I commented as the light changed and my dad turned leisurely into the lot. "Why don't you drop me off closer to that end ?" I said pointing to an open area to the left of the hospital with outside seating. It was nighttime now and dark outside so I wanted a little shelter with lighting. I knew the doctor hadn't returned yet and thought I could sneak in a quick smoke before heading back in for the hellishly long wait. Why do hospitals always take so long when it comes to discharging their patients?
Opening the car door to slide out, a helicopter flew over and it's search light swept over to land on the car- lighting up the entire interior and causing my dad to squint out at me. Something was DEFINATLY going on. "are you going to be okay?" he asked? That's all I needed, my paranoid dad worrying about me on top of the stress of worrying over his wife. Only the night before he had been crying uncontrollably in the waiting room. "Yep, it's all good," I replied hurrying him along," I will give you a call in a little bit." I slammed the car door and hustled up to the out side resting area and watched as he navigated the parking lot to leave.
Once he was out of sight I found a nice quiet place to sit undetected next to a detached structure in the shadows and pulled out my book and a cigarette (Everywhere is nonsmoking now days but I also try to avoid people when I smoke anyways- its not a habit I am proud to have.) "Code Silver-Front lobby.. CODE SILVER!" a woman's voice reached out from one of the over head speakers. Code silver.... I knew that code, I work in a hospital. But what was it? Not something I commonly heard. I thought for a second... CODE SILVER...like metal... oh yeah.. a gun! Someone in the main lobby had a gun!
I strained my neck around the building to look. Had I chosen not to smoke I would be inside right now with the gunman. I anxiously texted my mum, "Gonna be outside for a few... there is a gunman in the hospital's lobby." Moments latter I see the policemen drag a man from the building in hand cuffs. I looked down to text my mum again. "I think it's all clear now" my fingers flew over the small hand head screen. I happened to glance up as a cluster of policemen started in my direction. Oh God, I hope they aren't going to say something to me about smoking- was my thought about the same time I noticed a stretcher sandwiched between them. They were aimed towards the outer building, the one I was sitting beside. It was only then that I recalled that OUR hospital had one of these detached structures themselves. They are the "Explosive containment" rooms. Oh Crap... it wasn't a gun the man had but possibly a bomb. It was DIFINATLY time for me to move. "Code silver, all clear".. of course it was... he was outside now! As for me, I would be heading IN.
Up in my mum's hospital room, I tossed my bag down and started telling her all the things I had witnessed. If their hospital was anything like ours, the whole fact a man with a weapon (let alone a possible bomb) would be swept under the rug so fast that one would second guess if they ever even saw anything. I had no sooner started to tell my tail when an old woman with a cloud of back combed white hair came crashing into my mum's room.
"HELP ME!... HELP... ME!" She was screaming. From where I stood I knew there was someone on the other end of this old lady. She was clutching the opened door and hanging onto it with one hand for dear life. On the other was a nurse, tugging in the opposite direction and trying to pull her back out of the frame. "Now Miss BlahBlah, you have to calm down. I am not trying to hurt you." The smallish nurse stated, her white shoes squeaking on the linoleum as they searched for traction.
The old lady's eyes locked on my own. "Save me, Get this woman off of me. She is crazy! She is holding me captive!" she screamed. And I am not just saying she was talking loudly- she was SCREAMING. I walked over to her and she jerked away just on time to dart behind me like a child and grasp my hand. "Whats going on?" I asked her calmly.
The old woman and the nurse began talking at the same time. "I'm trying to get her back in her room"
"She is trying to keep me here against my will!" and leaning in to whisper in my ear, the old woman added, "I don't know... HER (she hissed). I will pay you fifty dollars to get me outta here!" I smiled down at the little old woman and slipped her soft wrinkled hand into mine.
"well lets see what we can do, shall we?" I asked leading her out of my mum's room and down the hall. The nurse smiled at me apologetically and fell in behind us.
"I think she is following us" the old woman said, her head darting around to find the nurse who dodged and weaved stay in her blind spot. I mouthed to the nurse, "which room?" to which she mouthed back "570". I began leading her in that direction.
"I just need to get outta here. I live up off of Adams and I can go if I get a ride. ... can YOU give me a ride?.. is she still following us?" At last I spotted her room. It was large, dimly lit and empty.
"I'm not sure but lets duck in this room and wait it out," I say and walk her into her room. I sit her down in an empty chair. "I'll tell you what... I will go find you that ride." The old woman's face lights up and she no longer looks scary to me.
"You will!" she sprung back up clasps her hands together. "Yes, but you gotta sit down here and wait.... if you go with me and I come back to find you gone, I wont be able to get you home. Can you wait here for me?" I asked edging her back towards the seat.
"oh yes... I understand. I will wait right here!" "Good... I will be back in a few," I say and with that I slipped out of the room and escaped the crazy lady.
Back at my mum's room AGAIN, she is getting a new 'room mate'. They have wheeled in a bed and drawn the curtain that separates the two beds. Its a woman from India. My mum, forever the friendly and talkative woman she is, perks up and says, "why hello! Welcome to my little palace... I MEAN ROOM!" she catches on at the last second that she has called this place a palace and it might sound racist. The woman smiles, she apparently doesn't speak English (Thank God). Another nurse comes in carrying a jug of liquid, she tries to explain how the lady MUST drink all the liquid as she will need to have empty Bowels for the operation. The minute I hear this, my eyes open wide. Oh no... the room only has one toilet and it's on my mum's side of the room.
The nurse leaves and comes back with a toilet chair... that's even worse! Not only will I have to smell what is going on but we wont even get the privacy of having a wall separating us from this trauma. They expect this poor woman to use a porta-potty. NOOO! I am already imagining I will smell it and start to get the dry heaves crawling up from stomach.
I lean in to whisper to my mum and that's when I see him... the woman from behind the curtain's husband. He has come to our side of the curtain and is standing there at the foot of my mum's bed. It isn't like he stepped over to give his wife privacy, if that's what he was doing there was plenty of room along the wall. He is IN our private little space AND he is staring right at us. My mum and I both stare back in shock. He places his hands in his pockets and walks away.
"That was kind of creepy" I state. "Ya... it was kind like he was watching us." and then BAM... there he is again.
Every few minutes he would walk back into our side of the room and just stand there, looking at us. I slip out of the room to phone the doctor to see if he is out of surgery yet and when I look up- the man is standing in the hallway now, directly across the door frame from me listening to my conversation.
Finally the doctor arrives and I practically jump in his arms in excitement (Get us out of this nut house!). "Hello Karen,... how are you-" the doctor starts and then turns his head slowly to his left. The "Peeper" mans has slipped back into my mum's bed area and is standing directly beside the Hot doctor looking between him and my mum. "Sir? do you belong here?" the doctor ask? The man continues to say nothing and stands there for a second longer with all of us staring back at him, eventually he gets the point and leaves us alone.
Yep... the world is full of crazy people and if you ever need to know where they meet... I will be more than happy to point you in the direction of the Riverside Hospital because apparently they like it there.