Part II

Emergency Room usually means a long wait without a lot of urgency.

This was not the case this time. Everyone was very attentive and compassionate with us on this night. I think they could sense the seriousness of the situation and yet see that we had not yet come to that realization.

I stated the facts to everyone we talked to: Justin did not have a fever, he was walking and alert this morning, he has never complained of pain, and now he was pale and not responding to us. In a blitz, he was given an i.v., poked, tested, measured, xrayed, had an ultrasound and then sent off for a ct scan. Right before the scan, a nurse told us they were looking for appendicitis. We were shocked, Justin had not complained of any kind of pain, or showed signs of pain. At the scan the tech was very quick to point out that the appendix had already burst, he then looked at us and said the surgery team was on their way.

In a matter of minutes, Justin was being prepared for surgery. Looking under the curtain in his room, we saw what would become a friendly sight to us...cowboy boots. Our surgeon, Dr. Murray, was not like any doctor I had met before. Not only was he 6'5" plus he was dressed in baggie jeans, a sweatshirt, and cowboy boots. The nurse was kind enough to reassure us that he was a good guy.

Justin was taken into emergency surgery around midnight. By now, we had called the rest of the family and was just asking that everyone sit tight, help take care of the kids and we would know more in the morning. The staff had said we should just wait in the e.r. waiting room and the surgery usually only takes thirty minutes to an hour.
Darin's friend, a Moses Lake officer, just happened to be in the e.r. on a case; he sat and visited with us to help keep our minds off of the situation. After three and a half hours, surgery was over and we were taken back to wait in the recovery room with Justin.