However Ed had envisioned the day to end, it hadn't been taking his wife to the emergency room.
Lorraine had mentioned a pain in her abdomen earlier that morning, and as the day wore on it only grew worse. She tried laying down to rest, but by the time she got up she was not only in more pain that had suddenly shifted to her lower right, but she'd developed a fever as well.
"I think it's my appendix," Lorraine winced, trying her hardest not to move and cause a new surge of pain.
Ed wasted no time. As soon as Mary Ellen arrived to watch Judy, he helped Lorraine to the car and drove to the hospital as fast as (legally) possible.
Unlike non-emergency situations, the Warrens didn't have to wait long to see a doctor. Lorraine was examined immediately, upon which they were told that her appendix had, in fact, ruptured.
"We'll need to perform surgery immediately to prevent any further infection," the doctor told Ed after he'd taken him aside.
"Will she be all right?" Ed asked, almost in tears as he silently chided himself for not taking her to the hospital sooner.
"The procedure has come a long way since it was first performed," the doctor answered, "So yes, it is likely, though the recovery process will take some time,"
"Likely," In any other context, Ed would have been okay with that word. "Will it be sunny today?" "Likely," "Will we have cheeseburgers for dinner?" "Likely," But when it came to his wife's health, he wanted nothing less than a firm "Yes, she will be okay".
Ed was permitted a moment with Lorraine before she was taken to surgery. "You're going to be fine," Ed said as he stroked her pale face. It was breaking his heart to see her in so much pain, and on a patient transport cart at that.
"As long as the pain is gone when the surgery is over, it'll be a success," Lorraine pressed something into Ed's hand, though he didn't dare take his eyes off her as they began to wheel her away. "I'll be fine,"
Ed watched helplessly as Lorraine was taken to a room where he couldn't follow. It wasn't until after the door was closed that he looked down to see what she had given him.
It was her rosary.
*
And so Ed waited outside the door, alternating between thinking about Lorraine and praying the rosary.
"We have a chapel on the first floor if you'd prefer to pray there," a nurse mentioned as she walked by.
"Thank you," Ed said, "Though I prefer to wait here while my wife is undergoing the operation,"
"All right," she replied, "The surgery itself will take about an hour, so you still have time if you change your mind,"
Ed smiled humorlessly as the nurse walked away. No, he couldn't do that to Lorraine, even when she was under anesthesia. Ed knew he couldn't be in the room with her during a medical procedure, and he respected that. But that didn't mean he couldn't be as close to her as he could get. Besides, when it came to praying the rosary, he was sure God would listen no matter where he was.
While there were still aspects of Lorraine's gift Ed didn't understand, a part of him hoped she could feel his presence on the other side of the door. He wanted her to know that she was not alone, that he was praying for her, and that she was loved.
After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor finally emerged. "The surgery was a success," the doctor said. "Though we will need to keep her here for another 24 to 48 hours to ensure she is recovering as she should,"
Ed let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. She was okay, Lorraine was okay. "I'm glad to hear that," he told the doctor as he shook his hand. "Thank you for everything you've done for her. For us,"
Ed visited Lorraine as soon as he was permitted. She was still groggy from the anesthesia, but that didn't stop her from smiling when he entered the room.
"Ed," she said, her eyes half open as he took a seat next to her bed and held her hand.
"Hey you," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired,"
"That's to be expected. You take all the time you need to rest and get better, okay?"
Lorraine closed her eyes and smiled. The drugs were already pulling her back to sleep, but at least she was already on the road to recovery. "I'm just glad you're here,"
Ed brought her hand to his lips and gave her a gentle kiss. "I wouldn't dream of being anywhere else,"
