2003-11-23 - 8:51 a.m. like attracts like, love When you've been seeing a boy for exactly a month, and he then goes into the hospital for serious surgery, and you're the person he keeps asking for, you find yourself suddenly catapulted into the role of girlfriend. This puts you center stage at all times for this real life hospital drama. No pressure or anything. I knew he'd be full of tubes and hooked up to a jumble of machines. None of that bothered me. But seeing his face twitch as the waves of back and chest pain shook him, or the pressure in his head increased, really upset me because there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it. No way I could help other than just by hanging out bedside. I'd arrived with my extravagent bouquet of flowers, but had to leave them in the car since he had not yet been moved to a room. Due to his recovery not progressing as expected, he was still in ICU, leaving no home for the flowers, which bummed me out. In keeping with his nature, he immediately asks me how I was doing when I came in to say good morning. I felt horrible that the new job transition thing made it impossible for me to get down there sooner. I spent 11 a.m.-10 p.m. in the hospital, with a 3-hour stretch wherein I wasn't kicked out of the ICU even. I held his hand, rubbed his head, and covered his cheek and neck with tiny crimson crescents (courtesy of my chanel russet moon lipstick). The bed across from his held a small Hispanic boy who was maybe 10 years old. He was completely unresponsive the whole time I was there, with machines doing all his vital functions. 12 or more members of the boy's family had been making a happy ruckus all day in the waiting room. After I said goodnight to my boy, we overheard a doctor encouraging the boy's family members to go say goodbye since the machines were going to have to be turned off tonight. With that lingering in the air, my boy's best friend and I walked out of the hospital to head home. I'd be back in the hospital again for a full day today, but my namesake best friend (who is 6-months pregnant) and her mom are coming into the City today to see me. I would postpone them, but her mom has just recovered from back surgery, and she won't be up for trekking this far again until well after the baby is born in February. Timing is everything, and right now the timing is terrible all around. AND I have to write my restaurant review for class. I am tempted to write about the cheeseburger and fries I had in the hospital cafeteria. any comments? (4 so far) previous - next recently on almostgoldsf... in defense of an email box I came to do battle with SPAM - 2008-05-17 hello 2006 - 2005-12-31 Happy Thanksgiving - 2005-11-14 bon voyage - 2005-11-05 October already? - 2005-10-09