When It Rains, It Pours

Trey Smith

As I wrote earlier this afternoon, I feel helpless...and now I feel even more so. I learned about one hour ago that Della has been admitted to the hospital in White Salmon. She had gone to her doctor's office this afternoon and they discovered that her blood oxygen levels were far too low. Her doc said she could pass out at any moment.

I feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. There is no way I can get to White Salmon tonight -- I have no car! My buddy Dan has already moved away and my other friend, Paul, is out of town until mid-day tomorrow. I also have our pets to worry about. Even if I had a car, I just can't go drive off into the sunset and leave them here to fend for themselves.

I have my fingers crossed that, once the doctors run a few tests, they will figure out what's wrong with my wife and she will be released tomorrow or the next day. If it goes that way, then I'll work something out with Paul to get me to the train station in Centralia or to the rent-a-car place in Astoria and then, once I arrive in White Salmon, I'll bring Della back here in our car. Hopefully, I can get this accomplished in one day, so the animals won't be left alone overnight.

However, if it doesn't go that way -- if the doctors determine Della's condition is far more serious -- then I'm not sure what I will do. For one thing, she most likely would be transported to a different hospital, possibly one in Vancouver or Portland. At this point, though, there is no point in getting all worked up about the various possibilities. I simply need to try to keep my anxiety levels down and wait to find out what the immediate future holds.