After about an hour of trying to see if it was just a pinched nerve, or maybe a swollen join pinching the spine we decided to call Robert. A friend of ours, and more importantly an EMT. Rose grabbed her phone and hit the speed dial. I could hear the phone ringing and remember just praying he would be available and not on a run in to Fort Wayne or South Bend.
After a few seconds Rose started talking and I could barely make out Roberts voice on the other end as it came through the speaker on her Infuse 4G. She asked me a few questions about how I was feeling, what I could do etc, until she sighed, said "OK, thanks." and the call ended.
I can remember the calm on her face as she put her hand on my cheek and said "Robert's on his way honey. He said to wait till he gets here and we can figure out whats going on."
"OK honey," I said putting my hand on hers and kissing her.
The next few minutes passed silently as Rose kept moving my legs left and then right, inward and then out. We looked at each other and I could tell she was worried, but she kept calm and just kept repeating that it would be OK.
The phone rang startling Rose and I. It was Robert on the other line. I could tell it was him because the phone has a great speaker and it bleeds over into the surroundings a little. Rose started answering questions he must have been asking with short yes and no responses.
She grabbed put the phone down telling Robert to hold on a sec and looked at me with both her hands held towards me as if to assist me in sitting up.
"Hold my hands honey, and squeeze them as hard as your can." She said looking me in the eyes.
I grabbed her hands and did as she asked with a puzzled look on my face. I noticed it instantly, the weakness in my right hand. It was as if it was the first time I used my hand to do anything in months.
Rose told me to let go and relax as she picked the phone back up. "He's weak in his right hand." She confirmed.
After a few seconds more of talking on the phone she hung up and without looking at me called 911 and told me, "He said to call an ambulance honey. He's on his way, but he said we need to get you to a hospital."
I know she was panicked slightly now, because her voice was shaking lightly as the dispatcher answered the phone and she began nervously answering questions about where we were and what was happening. All I could think about was how in the hell this could be happening. Strep throat, then walking pneumonia, next was appendicitis requiring surgery, and now this!
The next 10 minutes where the worst in my life. Rose and I stared in each others eyes while we waited for either the Ambulance or Robert to show up. The sun was just now coming up at about 6:45 AM, and I could see the cool blue light coming through the window shades as I lay there on the bed, Rosemary sitting by my side holding my hand.
After about 5 minutes the quiet silence of the morning was broken by the sharp siren of ambulance as it entered the addition. "Well honey, I think that's my ride." I said with a fake smile on my face.
The ambulance showed up much quicker than I or Rose had expected. Rose went downstairs to unlock the door and let the EMT's in the house. I could hear Izzy, our 7 year old Golden Retriever let out her single bark as the door opened and muffled voices started filling the downstairs.
The EMT's were quick. They came upstairs, around the banister, and into the bedroom talking into their walkies-talkies. Beeps and static filled the silence of the bedroom as one of the men came to the bedside and started asking me the normal questions. Who are you, what's going on, how long ago did you notice to issue? All the while I felt completely embarrassed as they asked questions, pulled a tilted wheelchair into the room, and lifted on to it.
Before I realized I was being taken outside in the cold morning frost on a stretcher. "Where would you like to go today Mr. Rickard?" I heard the paramedic ask as they lifted my stretcher into the back of the ambulance.
"St. Vincent off exit 10 please." I answered awkwardly.
And with that we sped out of the neighborhood, taking the main route to St. Vincent with my wife and Robert close behind us.
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