Relief!
It was a quick drive to the CHUL. We arrived around 20:00 and Nicole checked in. We went up to the ward. The personnel was very competent and professional. They apologized for the chaos although we felt we were serviced very well and noticed very little chaos.
Service was given by females and male nurses. The rooms were mixed. It did not bother Nicole so I did not investigate further, but I can imagine that this can hurt some sensitivities. My guess is that the hospital was at or beyond operating capacity so they had to accommodate Nicole in whatever bed they found. I can’t believe that a hospital that size does not have an area dedicated to women undergoing this sort of procedure. There were at least six of them scheduled before Nicole when we arrived.
What did bother me was the TV rental in-room: 11$ for the first day and 8$ each additional day, for a tiny 12″ or so! Whoever has to go to hospital is better off passing at Wal*Mart and buying quickly a portable DVD player.
The nurse gave us a whole overview of the procedure and timings. The surgery itself lasts only a few minutes and after that they would keep Nicole for about three hours under observation. Nicole wanted me to be with her throughout the procedure but hospital policy was against it. And visitor hours close at 21:00. The nurse was very forthcoming. She offered to make an exception for me to stay after visitor hours because the exact time for the procedure was not yet scheduled and most likely Nicole could quit the hospital around midnight if there were no complications.
I did not want to cause trouble. Nicole and I agreed that I’d go home to rest and come later to pick her up A.S.A.P. But I could not even think of sleeping. I was too nervous. Lucky me I could go to my friends Simon and Catherine who are living nearby. At 21:00 Nicole called that she was going in. 3-4 long hours to wait. Simon kept me company over a small scotch and introduced me to some subtleties of classical music that I was never aware of.
I expected Nicole to call, as agreed, as soon as she is next to a phone after the procedure. That was meant to be around 60 to 90 minutes later. When at 23:30 there was still no news, I took initiative and called the hospital. I could not speak with her but I was told she was OK and I could pick her up at 2:00. Relief!
Simon had to work next day and I did not want to be too much of a burden. I left around 1:00. This was a quiet moment. Humidity had fallen and it was a kind of ghostly/foggy atmosphere. It was the second time in 24 hours I regretted leaving the camera behind in Trois-Rivières. The first time was earlier in the day, when driving with Nicole on Rue des Braves after buying her pain killers. There was a park with a church there that still had beautiful autumn colors. Next year.
I drove slowly from Simon’s place to the hospital stretching it and with the car’s ventilation at the maximum to get rid of condensation. I was slightly hungry and Simon recommended a Lebanese restaurant that is open 24 hours in Place de la Cité. I discovered there was a whole night life patch there, but did not really feel social, so I made another round of the block, parked, and walked slowly into the hospital.
It was so good to see Nicole doing better. We spent about half hour at her hospital bed, waiting for the last formalities and the official release. Then I drove her to her parents home where we could finally sleep. It was over.