My Fathers ordeal.

On Wednesday I got a frantic call from one of my brothers, Dad has been in an accident! He said. Where is he? I asked. He is being loaded into an ambulance, was his answer. Shock waves of fear thundered through me. I feared the worst! Selfishly I have to admit I said to myself , my God I don't need anymore bad news in my life I just can not handle this stress. I dropped everything grabbed my keys put on my runners and darted out the door.
Traffic was heavy; rush hour is the worst possible time to be out on the road. What the hell was he doing out? I kept asking myself. I hope he didn’t have anything to drink, that was my greatest fear. My dad known for having more than his share more often than not, I just drove and I was stunned, I truly felt numbed, I was mortified by the possibility that he had caused the accident under the influence of alcohol. My brother calls me back on my mobile and asked where I was, I am five minutes away, I said.
Well they just took dad away; I feared the answer to my next question. Is he OK?
I don’t know I think so but I am not sure. As I arrived at the scene I could see allot of commotion, flashing lights police everywhere and the usual entourage of Tow trucks.
Disbelief is what I felt when I saw my dads car. A mangled wreck, the lady the hit him was standing by a police cruiser in tears. An older woman, a mother maybe even a grandmother i pondered , I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. However she was responsible for the unfortunate turn of events that had landed my father in the emergency room. She admitted through tears not seeing my dad as she made her left turn and rammed his car on the driver’s side. I noticed both her air bags had been deployed and her front end was in bad condition. My God! It will be a miracle if my dad survives this I thought. I took a closer look at my dad’s car and I just stood there in silence taking it all in. His whole driver’s side was caved in. They had to use the Jaws of Life to cut him out. Fuel and other vital fluids to the car where spilling out. Shattered glass every where, not a window was spared from the destruction. After the police took my name and number we quickly emptied my dad’s car of all his belongings. I know my father is famous for carrying all his personal banking information in the car and I didn’t want to risk anything being lost when they tow it away.We couldn't open the trunk as the fire department had cut all electrical system off in case of a fire igniting from the spilled petro.
We then rushed to the hospital’s emergency room. We were in constant contact with our other brother and he had reached the hospital before us. He found dad and called us back. He relayed to us that dad seemed OK but he was pretty bruised up and had actually passed out once. The hospital was concerned so they kept him there for observations. We were there nearly 10 hours, my mother in tears most of the night, I felt the stress all of us were under and the fear for dads well being.
He finally had some x-rays done and was cleared to go home. The doctor prescribed pain killers, muscle relaxants and suggested he see his family doctor the following day.
My father has survived two knee replacements, one hip replacement that most likely will need to be replaced again since it was done more than fifteen years ago. He has also gone through major reconstructive shoulder and bicep surgery. He has had a tough time through the years. Although my father has not been the greatest father a challenging upbringing I had to put it mildly. Nonetheless this was now a time of need and I have always risen to the occasion, whether it is a friend or family and at times even foe. I am a man of honor and a man with a good heart and will always help anyone that needs me as long as I live, give and the Lord shall give back I believe.
I am very proud of my younger brothers they were there in a hearts beat, my sister eventually agreed to come with me to the hospital, she is a caring person (but in her own way).Funny I think this is the first time the whole family has been together in one room where no body was yelling or cursing in probably years.
My father is shaken up, in allot of pain but he is a survivor. I thank God, for I truly believe a higher power was at his side. His car beyond repair and now they are faced with the daunting task of dealing with the insurance carrier.
(I like to call the legalized mafia).
Well his family came to his aid after all that is what family is all about!