I am sure I heard his monitoring machine flat line, before he got over the initial shock.
He was very good about it all and never even complained when he found out that I had called him "collect" from England.
Last night I visited an old friend in Hospital who is recovering from a bypass Op, his wife said that he was allowed visitors and was on a "normal" regime.
I was the only one there and we soon got into some reminiscing and he was in fits of laughter, enough to have a Nurse scurry into the room and tell him to calm down (I am sure she was just itching to slap the jump start pads on him).
He told her that we were just having a chat and I added that I had been very worried about him.
She said that she understood that I was a good friend and it was nice of me to worry.
I then told her it wasn't an emotional thing, but I didn't want him to die before paying me the $20 he still owed me.
He fell about again and she hustled me out of the room until he settled down.
I last saw her easing a pair of rubber gloves on and feel sure she punished him while I was gone.
When I went back in he was quite subdued and said she had told him he mustn't get excited.
I asked him if she knew about his rubber glove fetish.
He exploded again and I didn't hang around and was halfway down the ward with her shouting, "Out, out" after me.
