by Gary Rushworth

Created on: October 01, 2008

When God Fires a Warning Shot

The pain was . . . unexpected;

Not bad or frightening, simply unexpected.

Worse, it was explainable, at least that is what I thought.

I was a firefighter then gone home after a long day.

I was sitting in a chair watching the news in Baltimore.

There was a pain to the right of my sternum, like a spasm;

strong enough to make me think - nothing much.

I got up and it went away as fast as it came; I went to bed.

The next morning, I found I was still thinking and wondering.

The E.K.G. showed nothing; not surprizing.

My Doctor wasn't impressed. He gave me a bottle of Nitroglycerine.

He said, if it happens again, take one and see.

That night it happened again; But this time, I had no doubts.

The pain started the same for the first few seconds,

then it hit, radiating into my stomach and up the back, right side of my neck.

I got up and reached for the bottle to make it go away; it did so, on its own.

I drove myself to the ER; Fool! I should know better.

God, it seems, looks out for fools who should know better.

Eventually, I went for a stress test - did fine on the flat;

But as the treadmill rose, the pain started again.

It was a quick trip to the Cath Lab but not so quick

that my life did not pass before my eyes.

My son was in Iraq; My daughter in school.

I thought, God not now.

Then I thought about how things work sometimes, and I prayed;

Not for myself, but for my son in Iraq and my daughter in school.

There is always a cost for favors.

I asked God to save them and take me if that was the deal; It wasn't.

Five intracardiac stents later and a night in Recovery,

They let me go home; It was my fiftieth birthday.

Happy Birthday to me I sang in recovery and embarassed my daughter

and her mother and my girlfriend.

They were the first voices I heard (all three) - talking.

I hadn't opened my eyes yet, but my daughter knew and said "he's awake."

After they left, three of the nurses came up and asked me to explain the interesting group.

It is one story I am glad to be around to tell.

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