Who do I need to talk to?
The nurse doing her final rounds found the patient in Room 2 stable, his pulse strong, with very little indication of his heart attack that morning. He looked up with tear-filled eyes; ‘Nurse, would you phone my daughter? Tell her I’ve had a slight heart attack. I live alone and she is the only family I have.
She adjusted his nasal oxygen; ‘Of course, I’ll call her.’ He insisted: ‘As soon as you can - please.’ He was breathing too fast.
She phoned the daughter – Jane, from the next-of-kin list. The answering voice screamed: ‘No! He’s not dying is he?’ the nurse’s talk of ‘stable condition’ didn’t convince even herself.
Father and daughter had a year-old row over her boyfriend. Her departing words to her father were ‘I hate you’. She wanted to come for forgiveness for so long. All she needed was 30 minutes to get to the hospital.
Just then the alerts sounded for Room 2. Another cardiac arrest which sent the emergency team scrambling to attempt resuscitation and then… We’ll never know what happened. Did she/he make it?
More importantly, you know who you need to reconcile with. Life is as fragile as a snowflake. But delicate as life is, relationships can be mended. There is not a moment to spare. Do it now, do it as in the Gospel – privately and in a spirit of love.
Time Is Precious