the rundown...

I was sitting at home on Saturday afternoon, having just baked a carrot cake and deciding what to do with the rest of my day when my phone rang. Call display said it was Brad's cell phone, so I answered it, but it was his friend Vince on the other end. He said "oh, so now you're answering your phone?" and I said "uh...yeah...was I not?" and he told me he had called a few minutes ago and I didn't answer, then he said that he was going to hang up and go inside and Brad would call me in about 5 minutes. I said ok and hung up and waited, having absolutely no idea what was going on, but having a dreadful feeling like something was really wrong.

Brad called me about 5 minutes later and sounded really really strange. I asked him how he was and he said not so good. I couldn't control my voice when I asked what was wrong, and I'm pretty sure it was unnaturally high pitched and frightened sounding. I was totally certain that his brother had been in a car accident and died or something like that. He didn't say anything but I could hear him crying. Then there was a pause and his mum came on the phone and told me they were in the emergency room at the hospital and the doctors thought he had had a heart attack. She said they didn't know anything else at the time, but that she would call me as soon as she knew something.

We hung up and I sat there in my living room for about 30 seconds totally stunned and then I frantically tried to think of someone I could call. I called Mare and freaked out on the phone, sobbing and shaking and being utterly panicked. Then, when she helped me get my senses back I booked a plane ticket to Regina. Vince called me back to say that they were taking Brad to the hospital in Regina for more tests, and he told me that he and Shayla would pick me up at the airport the next night when my plane got in. I called Bill and told him what had happened and that I wouldn't be at work. He told me to take as much time as I needed. Then he and Jessica came by with a chai latte and a magazine for me to read on the plane and their dog LP to make me feel better and they offered to take me to the airport the next day.
My flights left PG at 10:25 Sunday morning and I had a 3 hour layover in Van, then another 2 hours in Calgary, and by the time it was all said and done, I got to Regina at 10:20 Sunday night...10 hours of travelling. It was horrible, I was pretty sure I was having an anxiety attack the whole trip. Vince and Shay picked me up and I had a neat little breakdown in the airport and sobbed and shook for about 30 seconds while Vince told me that everything was alright and that Brad was ok and he was being taken care of. He told me that I had special privaleges at the hospital and that they were going to take me there. I met his brother, Nick, at the hospital and he took me to Brad's room. I can tell you one thing, it was the worst thing I've ever felt to look up at the sign in the hallway and see "Cardiac Care Unit" and know that my 24 year old boyfriend was in there.
Nick picked up the phone at the doors and the nurses said we could come in. He took me to Brad's room and it broke my heart to see him lying in that hospital bed hooked up to heart monitors. I hugged him and told him that if he wanted me to come visit so badly he could have just asked. He was in that unit until Thursday, and I spent every day with him, only leaving the room to get some food or pee. They moved him to another room on thursday where he had roomates and wasn't hooked up to monitors anymore. Thursday and Friday his mum and I slept in a little later and did a little bit of shopping. I didn't really feel like it and would have prefered to be at the hospital with Brad, but he was doing much better and besides, it was probably good for me to get out (and I did buy some cute shoes).
The cardiologist said that there was no blockage in his heart, so it wasn't a typical heart attack. The type that he had only happens about 4 times a year in Canada, and is most often in young men. Brad was snowmobiling with Vince on Saturday and the snowmobile got stuck so they hauled it out of the snow, then the truck got stuck and they had to get it out of the snow. He over-exerted himself to the point that so much adrenaline was pumping that it cut off the oxygen to his heart, and part of his heart died. He didn't even notice until later when they were at supper and his shoulder was really sore. He thought he had pulled a muscle...which I guess he sort of did...the most important muscle, anyway.
We were in Regina until Friday and then went back to Swift Current where we stayed until Sunday when Nick and Kim and I drove him to Rosetown and they took me to Saskatoon to catch my flight back here. Brad's doing fine now; on a lot of blood thinners and blood pressure meds. The good thing is that he has quit smoking for over a week now, and he's going to change his lifestyle and be more active and less stressed, and eat better.

(oh, and I take back what I said about the happiest day of my life being the day I met the trailer park boys...it doesn't hold a candle to the days I spend with my babe)