Bev Strikes Again

Tuesday night – well, it was actually Wednesday morning – at 12:20 a.m., the phone rang. Adam and I were, of course, still awake, but you assume that when someone calls after midnight it is probably trouble. Or else Norman, who is always up until the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, it was Jim’s brother, and, surprise, their mother was in the Emergency Room. How she got there, and why she was there, was unknown. I woke Jim up, but he was not even remotely interested in going to the hospital; I suppose because his mother has cried wolf one too many times in the past. Curious, and slightly worried, Adam and I set off to solve the mystery. We found Bev strapped to a backboard in the ER, grumbling about her ordeal. She claimed that she had fallen down in her bedroom, and could not get up again. Without her glasses on, she could not see the numbers on the telephone to call anyone, although she says she did attempt to dial 911 repeatedly without success. In a panic, she crawled outside onto the driveway and yelled for help. (Side note: If she could manage to find her way outdoors, why could she not manage to just grab her glasses, which were right there in their normal spot on the table?) Eventually, the neighbors across the street heard her, called 911, and were even thoughtful enough to light her a cigarette while she sat on the cement waiting for the ambulance.

To make a very long story short, Bev was not injured at all in the fall. She was diagnosed with probable pneumonia, though, which does not bode well for someone with end-stage emphysema. (Side note: How can you “probably” have pneumonia? Either the chest x-ray shows it, or it doesn’t.) Naturally, Bev is very confused, and her wild and convoluted stories at the hospital last night even had Jim chuckling aloud. Jim’s brother told us some wild tales about Bev’s recent driving, too, which include hitting numerous curbs, blowing through stop signs, and very nearly crashing into trees & such. (Side note: Why did he feel it was not necessary to tell anyone about this?) At least now I am certain that Jim’s sister will have to agree with us that their mother should never be allowed behind the wheel of an automobile again.

Anyway, the four of us, plus Nancy and my mom, are scheduled to leave for the U.P. on Saturday. Jim says that, of course, we will still go. He does not really set a shining example for Adam and Jacob of how a devoted son should act. Oh well! Our greatest hope is that Bev is required to stay in the hospital for a while – five or six months would be nice.