Hospital #1

After what felt like absolutely forever, I heard a car and someone calling, “Cynthia?” I recognized Deb and she introduced me to her dad, Paul. Deb asked if I was ok and then caught a glimpse of my hand and told her dad. At this point, my hand was a mangled mess.

My ring finger was going practically perpendicular to the rest of my hand. Every single one of my fingers was pretty clearly broken. My hand was hugely swollen. Paul helped me into the car and told Deb to call Carol to let her know and then call someone about picking up my car. He then drove me to the hospital. He asked me if I wanted him to stop at his house to get ice or a towel but I just couldn't think of anything other than getting to the hospital. The entire 30 minute drive all I remember is that every bump in the road made me fight back tears. I realized after the fact I never really cried. There were tears but I never fully released and cried. There was no cell phone service until we were a few minutes from the hospital. Paul was so kind and kept talking to me the entire ride even though I didn't have much to say. When we finally did have consistent cell phone service I called Matt. The conversation went something like this:

"There you are!"

"Hi..babe..."

"Are you ok?"

"I crashed my car...bad"

"Are you hurt?"

"I broke my hand. I am just getting to the hospital. Can you call my parents?"

Matt headed over while Paul and I went inside. When we got there they bustled around and made me get onto the backboard. (Even though I had walked up the hill to call, gotten into and out of the car and walked into the ER...I know its protocol but it still annoyed me.) They put me up on a stretcher and put me in a back room. They kept asking me if I hurt anywhere else and poking and prodding me making sure I wasn't injured anywhere else. The only other thing that hurt was my right thigh. All I could think about was getting off the backboard and dying for Matt to get there.

When Matt did get there he gave me the best kiss on the head I have ever had. (Sounds silly I know but it was the comfort I needed.) He told me later when he saw my hand, his stomach kinda turned but he held my other one.

"I did good, huh?"

"Oh yeah, baby."

"Can you take pictures?"

They did lots of x-rays and CT scans. They continually asked me if I was alright or if I needed anything and all I kept asking for was when I could get off the backboard which they finally let me off as soon as they got the CT scan back. They at some point or another put me on morphine and an IV which were definitely helping. Shortly after the CT scan came back clear they got me ready to be transferred to Johnson City because Delaware Valley doesn't have a trauma center.

Having Matt there made everything easier. I hated when they did the x-rays and CT scan cause I had to leave him and they kept moving my hand and it was cold and in general was horrible. But when I was with Matt I had a hand to hold and someone to distract me. They got me loaded into the ambulance just as Gary arrived. They opened up the doors to let me see him for a few minutes. He seemed a bit of a mess but told me he grabbed a bunch of stuff from my car and brought it over to the hospital and gave it to Matt. After a few minutes, he headed back to camp with Peter and Becky and I headed to Johnson City with Matt following the ambulance. It was about another thirty minute trip to the hospital and at this point I was coherent enough to talk to the EMT etc although still in pretty significant pain. Shortly before we arrived at Johnson City I fell asleep.