Joey's Visit to the Victorian Hospital

52 Stories in 52 Weeks: ## 25: Joey’s Visit to the Victorian Hospital

By: Mr. George D. Patnoe., Jr.'s Ambidextrous Brain + Mind.

The tall white steel fences were overshadowed by the tall green trees; trees from around the world. Flowers from around world fenced in the long black tar driveway as it curved around the freshly mowed green grassy lawn. The black driveway curved around to the front of the white Victorian Hospital. Valet parking attendants were helping everyone get out of their nice shiny cars. Especially the rich people who are the good tippers. Many older people were dressed in very nice clothes, almost as if they were visiting a museum. As dressy people walked up to the Victorian Hospital, they walked onto the brand new flower pattern carpet; with the light brown curvy lines that surrounded the yellow and pink roses and flowers.

Walking onto the carpet, they would also notice the coatroom; where they would hand over their coat, only to be handed a coat ticket to retrieve the coat later. After leaving their coat behind, the visitors are now free to walk up the huge signs, which help them make their first decision. The first sign read: The Best Food West Of The Mississippi. Another sign read: Today’s Best Sellers. Another sign read: Gift Shop + Cards + Gifts for your loved ones. One sign read: A Church For All Faiths. And then the sign for mourners: A Church For Mourners. And of course, Visitors: Floors 2-9.

Some people needed to buy cards and flowers or a gift for a patient at the Victorian Hospital, while others wanted to eat food before they visited the patient relative or friend. Everyone knew what the unspoken rule is, ‘Never Visit A Patient With An Empty Stomach. Joey first thought the Victorian Hospital looked like an old house from his Victorian neighborhood, but he knew that he was only visiting his Uncle Ron. They walked into Uncle Ron’s hospital room with a gift or a card, but the family had eaten before they visited Uncle Ron.

Uncle Ron laid in his bed, wondering to himself about the topic of microbiology. Uncle Ron did not enter the hospital from the fanciful front entrance. Instead, Uncle Ron entered the hospital from the rear entrance. The rear entrance of the hospital was basically for the Emergency Ambulance and the individual stragglers who hope to receive medical treatment for their seemingly helpless and death causing physiological problems and conditions.

When Joey entered into Uncle Ron’s hospital room, he looked all around at all of the instruments that were surrounding Uncle Ron’s bed. There were lights everywhere, though most of them were turned off. But the window had a grand view of the towns’s edge and of the long mountain, with trees located in every direction. People were walking in the parking lot, while the birds flew all around the sky.

A beeping noise turned everyone’s attention from Uncle Ron to the nurse who walked into the room. She walked directly to the beeping machine with flashing lights and she pressed a few buttons to stop the beeping and flashing lights of the machine. Uncle Ron looked over the wide eyed Joey and said, ‘That machine is for the IV or intravenous drip feed that is dripping very powerful antibiotics into me by way of this needle that is in my arm. The very powerful antibiotics are fighting off deathly the inflection that is making me sick. Joey said to Uncle Ron, ‘What is wrong, Uncle Ron?’

Uncle Ron carefully responded, ‘Well Joey, I popped a tiny little pimple that immediately grew into a big 3/4 inch growth in my skin. And then I got sick, which force me into the hospital ER or emergency room, in the rear of the hospital. Understand Joey, It grew to over four inches long in only two days, so I walked into the emergency room and a doctor looked at me and he said, ‘You are staying overnight because you have been inflected with the bad bacteria that was located on your skin’s surface, but which creep into your popped pimple, or open skin, which is the same as a cut on your skin. Without the powerful antibiotics, I would have died because the white blood cells were fighting off the inflection and without the antibiotics, the growth would have kept on growing and growing. But more important than that, my blood was being poisoned by the whole process; so I had blood poisoning too. But I am feeling much better now. So before you pop a pimple Joey, tell your mom first so she knows what is going on, like cleaning your skin before and after you pop the pimple.’

As they left, Joey turned around to waved good-bye to his Uncle Ron. Joey was so happy that his Uncle Ron was healing ok in the hospital. After Joey’s dad handled the valet the car ticket, Joey’s parents waited for the parking valet to get their car. Joey looked at the front of the hospital as he wondered what the emergency room entrance looked like. He saw the nice white paint on the fences, and he looked at all of the green pine trees that surrounded the nicely mowed green grass, and he noticed all of the new looking cars in the parking lot. As Joey turned around, he looked at the windows to the ten story high building. He wondered what was happening in the other rooms of the building.

Are there that many people who are have trouble with their bodies?

So young Joey pondered the mysteries of the Victorian Hospital: the buildings, the people, and even about microbiology. Joey had learned that a pretty building with pretty people entering it does not mean that everyone in the building are healthy. Joey learn that Uncle Ron’s strong muscular body could be hurt by a very tiny, and basically unseen and concealed microorganisms, only because he popped a tiny pimple. Joey realized that there were living little unseen creatures that could have a very big influence on human’s bodies. Joey thought that he might want to be a doctor when he grew up, but he was not quite sure if he wanted to be a doctor.

Joey still had to go to grade school and high school and then to college. One day, many months after his hospital visit to his Uncle Ron, while Joey was playing outside with his friends, he saw a tiny pimple on his skin and without thinking, he pinched the pimple and then he wiped it off with dirty hands. Joey had forgotten visiting his Uncle Joey in the hospital. Joey kept on playing as if he was the toughest kid on the block, which indeed he was. Later that day, Joey’s mom looked down at Joey and she shockingly remarked, ‘Joey, what on earth is that on you?’ Joey looked down and he responded, ‘Oh, I popped a pimple.’ His mom said, ‘You popped a pimple? Don’t you remember visiting Uncle Ron in the hospital? Oh man! Joey’s mom went over to the medicine cabinet and she grabbed a bottle of cream for Joey’s popped pimple. A little band-aid over the creamed popped pimple.

Little Joey went to bed as normal, sleeping away in his dreamworld. Neither he nor his mom had the slightest idea that the infected bacteria was growing and growing and growing. An interior fight of white blood cells were fighting off the infection of the popped pimple. Joey’s mom should have brought Joey to the emergency room when she first realized that Joey’s tiny little pimple was growing and growing. There was nothing she could do to stop the enlarging growth of dead white blood cells that had fought off the infection.

When Joey woke up in the morning, he told his mom that he was feeling sick. His mom looked at the three inch growth and all she could say was, Lets go.’ He said, ‘Where are we going mom?’ She said, ‘We are going to the emergency room at the hospital because you popped a pimple which is now over three inches long.’ They hurried into the family car, as his dad waved good-bye. ‘Be a man Joey. Do not be afraid.’

Joey felt sicker than he had ever felt before; but nevertheless; as they drove up to emergency room’s entrance, he was not afraid because he trusted his dad’s words. Joey remembered his visit to the front of the Victorian Hospital’s front entrance, with its purest white painted white front wall, with the tall tress and green grass and colorful flower. Joey looked at the emergency room’s dull red brick wall that surrounded the emergency’s gray door. Ambulances were arriving and departing from the emergency rooms’ entrance, causing Joey to become a little frighten of entering the gray door. ‘Mommy, can’t we go in the front door? It was so much prettier.’

His mommy just looked into Joey’s eyes and remarked, ‘Joey, the sick people enter from the rear, while the visitors enter from the front. The sick people do not care what the door looks like because they just want to be seen by a doctor.’ As Joey entered the emergency room, he noticed all of the moaning people as they sat waiting from the care of nurses and doctors. There were white people and black people and yellow people and red people and green people and purple people, but they all wanted a doctor’s help. Old and young people, rich and poor people all needed a doctor’s help. Joey was feeling a bit fuzzy so the just kept quiet., even as his mother was writing on a clipboard.

After Joey’s mom had finished answering all of the questions, a nurse walked up to them and she asked Joey and his mom to follow her. She asked Joey to change into some hospital clothes and then she asked Joey to sit on the bed. A few minutes later, a doctor walked into the room and he looked at Joey’s three inch growth. ‘We want to keep him overnight so we can start to give him an IV feeding of antibiotics.’ Joey’s mom looked at Joey and said, ‘We have to do whatever we have to do.’ The doctor looked at Joey to state, ‘Do not worry Joey, you will be ok. But if you were alive a hundred years ago, you would not be alive very long. Back then there were no antibiotics.’

So Joey was put on a stretcher and he was wheeled to a hospital room on the fifth floor. Being wheeled down the hall, Joey simultaneously felt good and bad. Joey felt like he knew he would be treated, but he knew he was feeling sicker every minute; all because of a popping a tiny pimple. Joey did not understand what was happening to his body, nor what was happening at the hospital, but he had learned to just accept the situation for what it was, a situation of bad luck.

As Joey laid in his bed, he watched a nurse walk up to him as she said, ‘Hi there Joey. My name is Mary and I am going to stick this needle into your arm so we can do a blood test. This only sting for a second.’ Joey watched as the nurse aimed the needle towards a vein and she pushed it into his skin, pushing it deeper until red blood flowed into the needle’s plastic container. After the nurse withdrew the needle, she connected the IV feeding tube to the plastic end of the needle that was still in his arm. Joey looked over to the IV feeding plastic bag as he notices a drip, drip, drip, drip, drip. ......

Joey looked over to his mom and he felt sad, mainly because he saw her sad. But somehow, he felt as everything was going to be fine, mainly because the doctor and nurses did not seem worried. An hour later, Joey’s dad walked into the hospital and he looked at Joey. Opening the briefcase, he grabbed a little surprise visitor’s gift for Joey. Joey’s eyes widen as he saw the five comic books. ‘Thanks dad.’ His dad just said, ‘Next time, ask your mom before you pop a pimple.’

When visiting hours were over, Joey’s parents went home, leaving Joey alone; except for the body in the other bed. When the nurse walked into to take a blood test, she pulled open the blue hanging cloth wall that separated Joey from the other person in the room. The other patient laid very still, like he was already dead. Joey asked the nurse, ‘What was wrong with him? He never talks or moves his eyes.’ The nurse replied, ‘Oh Joey, he was in a bicycle accident and he was not wearing a bicycle helmet. He is in a coma. That is why he is always sleeping, but everyone hopes that he will wake up as soon as possible. So Joey, always wear your bicycle helmet when you are riding your bike. You never know when you will fall to the ground or get hit by a car. Your skull and brain will never win against the impact of the cement or a moving car. Promise me that you will always wear your bike helmet Joey.’

Joey looked at the nurse and then at his comatose roommate. ‘Sure, I promise.’ And the nurse reached out her hand and shook Joey’s hand. Joey felt like he had made a deal for life. To wear a bicycle helmet every time he rode his bike. Wow, Joey’s first promise to another person. Joey felt more like an adult at the moment than at any time of his life. Of course, he was making a deal with life too.

‘What is his name?’asked Joey. ‘His name is Frank.’ answered the nurse. ‘His parents will probably visit him tomorrow. You can talk to them tomorrow. Ok Joey, take this pain killer. It will make you sleepy, so do not be surprised. Good night Joey.’ as she left the room. Joey laid there all alone, with a needle in his arm, the IV feeding drip dripping away, and a comatose boy as a roommate, with no television; just air and a blank wall. Joey starred onto the blank wall for a long time, as he began thinking about his life and about life in general. As Joey looked onto the blank wall and the comatose boy next to him, Joey started to become a bit comatose himself.

Slowly, Joey entered a different state of awareness, an awareness transcending space and time, and even planet earth. Joey slowly felt a different part of himself leave his body. As Joey’s other self lifted high above his body, as a featherless air-bubble; lifting higher and higher until Joey was looking down upon his body. There was no screaming from his air-bubble self because his mouth was laying on the bed. There was no calling for help because he was even more alone than when he was laying next to the comatose body. Until he felt a bump on his air-bubble self. 'Joey, it is me, your guardian angel.’

‘What do you mean guardian angel?’ a surprised Joey said. ‘Am I dying?’

‘Well I have going to help you along your life mission; a mission that you will discover later on in your life. But you have to always remember to respect your human life, like keeping your promise to wear your bicycle helmet because you never know when you will need protection from life’s unexpected events. And be careful from whom you take advice from. Some advice is good and some bad. Be very careful Joey. I will be in touch.’

In a flash, Joey heard a cough and he was swept back into his body. His body seemed so very heavy compared with his air-bubble self, but he knew that he was stuck with it. Joey looked around and he saw no one, except the comatose body’s head lightly coughing. Joey hit the nurse button and a nurse walked into the room. Joey said, ‘Frank just coughed.’ The nurse walked over to Frank and Frank lightly coughed again. ‘Oh my.’ said the nurse. Joey saw Frank’s eyes twitch and she watched Frank wake up from his comatose state of mind.

She ran out of the room as Frank smiled at Joey. ‘The bubble world is ok.’ said Frank to Joey. ‘Would you like to like to be my biking buddy?’ Joey smiled at Frank and said, ‘Sure, if we live close to each other.’ In a moment, the nurse and a doctor quickly ran into the room, over to Frank. They closed the blue cloth wall as they inspected Frank. After a while, they open the blue cloth wall and they left the room.

Frank started to talking to Joey as if he had been awake for a long time. Joey asked Frank, ‘Frank, what happened to you.’ Frank smile over to Joey, ‘After I disobeyed my mom’s command to put on my bike helmet, I went for a bike ride down my street, and a car went through a stop sign and it hit my bike and my head went flying into the car’s front bumper.’ Joey pictured the event as he remembered the nurse’s strange facial expression as she made Joey promise to wear a bike helmet every time he bicycled. Soon, they were fast asleep, normal sleep.

The next day, everything started as normal. Joey’s mom arrived early, and the doctor arrived too, to check out Joey. A new nurse, getting another blood test. A few hours later, two guys showed up with a tall wheeled stretcher. ‘We need to take Joey down for a CT scan.’ They loaded Joey up on the stretcher and the two guys guided the stretcher out of the room. Joey looked around the hallway and into some rooms as they moved passed room after room. Joey tried to look inside as many rooms as he could. One of the guys started to whistle a tune. Other nurses smiled and waved, Joey felt good about getting better, although he had no idea what a CT scan was.

As they entered into the CT scan room, Joey saw the huge round steel donut. They placed Joey into hole of the donut and it made some noise. Painless as it could be. After all that, the two guys wheeled Joey to the ultrasound machine. The pretty lady squeezed some stuff from a tube onto a thing in her hand and she rubbed the thing all over the infected spot. Joey could see the inside of his body on the screen. ‘Cool!’ Joey said. The pretty blond haired ‘Joey, I think you are going to be just fine. See ya later, but probably not.’ The two guys wheeled Joey through the underground hallway, up to the front of the building. Joey saw the beautiful white Victorian Building, with the tall tress, and green grass, and the colorful flowers. ‘Sure is a nice day, Joey.’ remarked one of the guys. Joey responded, ‘Sure is.’

Three days late, back in Joey’s hospital room, Frank was talking to his parents and brothers and sisters, when Joey’s mom and dad walked into the room. ‘Hey there Joey, are you ready to go home?’ asked his mom. Joey simply said, ‘I sure am. When can we go home.’ After the doctor had looked at the CT scan and the Ultrasound results, he said you are ready to go home; since that growth has shrunk. Everything is ok, you can now go home, but you will still have to take antibiotic pills for a week. But did you learn anything?’

Joey smiled and said, ‘I learned a lot mom.’

After a nurse wheel chaired Joey out the front door, Joey stood up and he looked out to the blue sky with its flying seagulls; after pausing for a second, Joey said, ‘I learned that everyday is a precious day.’