The Awful, Awful Place

Daddy now had six vertebra made of titanium, and through the healing process he was not allowed to really move. And once he was off of the breathing tube and his blood pressure was kept normal for a while, our insurance company said we were no longer welcome to stay at the hospital on their tab. We knew we would have to pick a nursing home type facility so Momma was using her contacts at work to do some research. As she is doing that, we had the hospital's so called Social Worker come in and this is what she said to Daddy and I....

" Oh hello Mr. Lehnert, today we are sending you to _____ nursing facility, here's a pamphlet about their accommodations, transport will be here at 4 to come and get you, have a nice day."

Um WHAT?! No choices? No say in the matter at all? Momma was still doing research and this woman had took it upon herself to kick us out!! I immediately called Momma, she flipped her lid, I could only imagine how her face gets as red as her hair... Someone was about to get a good old angry Irishwoman yelling, I was just glad it wasn't me.

About 20 minutes later Daddy's nurse comes in and tells us the transport plans had been cancelled, then his spinal surgeon's resident came in completely apologetic. Momma had called the surgeon.... The resident said that he would write up a reason for Daddy to stay another night or two and that Momma would then have time to research.




The next day Momma picked a place on the water, but still in the city. At least she'd be able to stop there before and after work. It still made my commute to Daddy about an hour each way, but he's worth it :) I only had two more weeks left in the semester, then I'd have a month and a half off from school and work to spend with Daddy. When the transport unit came, they slid Daddy onto their stretcher and I rode along. Daddy let out a yelp as they drove
over every bump in the city streets, but we finally got to the nursing home. When you walk in it looks nice enough, hardwood floors and flowers, then we get off on the 3rd floor. The smell of urine and dust enveloped my sinuses. As we wheeled Daddy around to his room, there were elderly people just sitting in the hallway in their wheelchairs, looking into oblivion, sitting in their own filth. I was praying that Daddy couldn't see all the horror from up on the stretcher. The transport workers slid Daddy onto his new bed, his feet hung off the bed, and only one elbow fit comfortably. I remember thinking, at least there's cable.


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