Was he screaming my name? Was he calling 911? I wanted to ask him not to leave me, but the words stuck with me.
A woman lying on the kitchen floor | Source: Midjourney
The ambulance arrived. Tests were performed. Words like “moderate ischemic stroke” and “partial facial paralysis” hovered around me.
The hospital room was like all the others: sterile and cold, with machines beeping too loudly and nurses speaking too quietly.
Half my face refused to function. My speech was slurred, as if I’d had one too many glasses of the cheap wine Jeff always bought.
A woman in a hospital bed | Source: Midjourney
My whole life changed in an instant. At first I was very scared and relived that terrible experience.
As I spent my second awake night in the hospital, fear and worry swirled in my mind, intense and chaotic like an angry mob. It was then that I realized I had to persevere if I wanted to see this end.
It was then that I remembered the trip. Since last year, I’ve been saving carefully so I can celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in the Maldives with Jeff.
