Misery and Her Company

My oldest daughter and I bonded last week over an impromptu hospital stay.  103-degree fever.  Red eyes.  Abdominal and lower back pain.  Chills.  Abject misery.  Her kidneys decided a mid-week infection would garner them the attention they so desperately required and obviously weren't getting!  For over two days, me and my girlie hung out with nurses and technicians and cleaning staff, waited on various doctors, watched the IV with it's hydrating fluids and Cipro anti-biotic drip, drip, dri-i-i-p, played with our iPhones, accepted visitors, ordered what I thought was decent-enough food from the kitchen somewhere down below our room (that's 607), made a few new friends, soaked up enough episodes of "Say YES To The Dress" to choke an engaged elephant AND wondered when home might appear somewhere in the not-too-distant future.  She was a trooper.  

I thought I'd share a few photos from our bed-and-breakfast stay.  

Start with one very illin' girlie.

Check-in service.

It's either Doppelganger vampires or the Valdez men with red-eye checking in on the patient. 

REcyclable flowers from Earth Diva Melissa: double-bloom bi-color beauties that will be planted this fall out of Hankie Mutt's range.  My tired brain is drawing a blank on what is a very common and delightful flowering bush!

Earth Diva Gayla and her hubby, Rodney (also our pastor and good friend), stopped by to amuse us with their grins and giggles.
[Earth Diva Val and her husband also dropped in to comfort and check in on Ash.  However, they did not want to appear in my 'photo expose!'] 

One of our highly capable nurses taking charge!

Our pretty patient during a walk in the hall to enjoy the view and her latte.

A mama and her girlie.

Her boyfriend, John, stayed the night, uncomfortably so, covered from head to toe to avoid spreading his miserable case of poison ivy.

The wonder drug o' the stay . . . 

Entertainment in the palm of your hand.

Had the scan revealed a troubled appendix or a kidney stone blockage, this guy here would have done the digging.  He ran to work; the headband was a gift from his older children.  Think about what famous president he resembles before I tell you his name.  Got it?  Okay: Jimmy Carter.  No kidding! 

Our friend and assistant pastor, Tim "Baconator" Baker, stopped in for a visit.
He thought maybe we were lying for attention.  We had a revealing conversation about the merits of the pork meat which is his fourth love, after Christ, his wife and his son.  He would appreciate my bacon-ice cream treat of last night.

This woman was a conversational delight.  Miss Brenda.  She also left our room spic and span.  Service with a smile and then some.  A true gem of a real person.
MTMC -- Middle Tennessee Medical Center ala Hipstamatic shot during a walk.

Another Hipstamatic app shot via iPhone of the sunset.

Room with a view: 6th floor vista on the NW side.