Lucky : Live & Learn...

Reality

 Before the nurse left to organise a CT scan she asked if anybody knew where I was. I shook my head. She then asked if there was anyone I’d like to contact? I only know 2 phone numbers off by heart and neither were going to be of any help to me; My mum and my sister, who both live in Perth. Yes they’d like to know.. my mum was going to freak when she found out, but there was nothing they could do for me, and I couldn’t deal with them right at that time. So I said no and she left looking worried.

I was left with my thoughts. I was left with oodles of time for my current reality to sink in. I had worked so hard to get where I was with my life; with work and living and just everything in general and with one stupid choice,  a split moment I’d fucked it all up. 

I'd been in a car accident.. I’d caused that accident.. I’d smashed my car.. I had no car. I needed my car to get to and from work.. both jobs! I was in trouble with the police. My license was suspended pending my court date.. and would probably be lost. I needed a license to drive a car and one of my jobs involved driving a buggy. It was a requirement to have a standard driver’s license to drive a buggy (as much as people laugh at that)! What was i going to do? What was I going to tell them? What was I going to do about work?

Work! I had the day off from one of my jobs, but the other I was meant to be working at that evening, starting at 5:50. It was roughly 8 something in the morning, and I knew they needed 2 hours notice minimum, so I had time. I had no idea how I was going to let them know though! I didn't know their number. Although they were a massive company with an office and what not, the direct contact number we had for them was a mobile one. I had it saved in my mobile. Did I have my phone?

It’s funny how much we rely on our trusty mobiles to memorise our lives..

 I remember eyeing up the bag in the corner of my hospital cubicle, also known as my ‘belongings’ bag. Was it in there? I didn’t remember grabbing it, but I didnt remember much.. there was always hope. I had no chance of reaching it though; I couldn’t move. I just had to lay there and wait for the next person to come along.

Eventually one of the people who move the hospital beds around the hospital came along to take me for my CT scan. It was the strangest scan I have ever had and I never want to have again.  As it was of my abdominal area I was required to place my hands as best I could, above my head. The man doing the scan then informed me that for the clearest results a liquid is injected through the drip in my arm that will travel down my body and into my abdominal area. He said it would have a burning sensation in my body and eventually I would feel like I need to urinate. Greattt..

 I lay there and awaited the sensation. 2 seconds later he was back again saying there was metal on my shorts that would cause a problem, so I’d need to pull them down. If the scan I was about to have wasn’t embarrassing enough, being told I need to pull my pants down, knowing I couldn’t and having someone do it for me, really set the scene for me. It was done though and time for the scan.

5 minutes later the liquid was injected and boy did it burn. I literally felt like my whole body was overheating from the inside out. When it got to my abdomen.. I’m not going to lie.. I thought I was weeing myself. Not NEEDING to urinate; I actually thought I was! Not a nice feeling. Fortunately I wasn’t though.

The scans were done, I made an embarrassing attempt at trying to pull my own pants back up again and then I was taken back to the emergency ward to await the results. The orderly pushing me was a good guy. He talked to me the entire way about how he goes to one of the theme parks every year for their White Christmas event and dresses up as an elf. He was funny, but very calming. When we got back to my cubicle, I asked him to check through my ‘belongings’ bag for my phone. He looked, but didn’t find it.. It was 100% alone.