When you are alone, the universe comes to your support

 I was in the office when my husband called and informed me that he had been hospitalised. It was around 11:30 a.m. "They're saying I need to undergo surgery today," he said.

It took me a few minutes to grasp what he was saying. I knew that he had sustained an injury and planned to see the doctor. When I offered to accompany him, he politely declined.

But now, a hospitalisation and a surgery? "The surgery is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. So, there's no need for you to come immediately. Just plan to arrive around 3:30pm," he continued.

Alright, now I have time to digest this information. I sat idle for 2 minutes. Then I turned to my colleague, told her what happened. ‘Go now’, she said. And that really helped me make a decision.

When I reached the hospital, they were already preparing him for the surgery. ‘Infection started spreading around the injury’. We need to act quickly. The doctor explained as I was signing the consent form. 

After sending him to the OT at 4pm, I waited right in front of it. “How do I know when the surgery is done?”, I asked a hospital staff. “The doctor will come and speak with you," she assured me.

I made sure to sit right in front of OT. I didn’t want to risk the doctor not being able to find me.. As I sat there, I reflected on my blessings. Looking around, I could see pain in the face of every human there. The uncertainty that life brings in was evident in the atmosphere. I sat glancing towards the OT, hoping to see the doctor come out. 

One hour passed and I began to feel a bit uneasy. The fact that I have no information after one hour was worrying. At the same time, my stomach was growling from hunger. At a certain moment, I feared that I might lose my steadiness. 

“Why don’t you go and have a coffee?”I heard a voice beside me. When I looked up, I realised it was the hospital staff member who had been sitting in front of the operating theatre. “I’m fine”, I replied. ”I might miss the doctor if I go down” (the canteen was two floors down).

“Don’t worry”, she said. “Just give me your number. I’ll call you if necessary. You are looking tired”. She appeared angelic to me. 

As I was having my coffee at the canteen, I was thinking, “how am I able to sit here and have coffee when my husband is undergoing surgery? This isn’t the real me. The true Shiny, would not eat until the surgery is complete or until I see him. 

What is that making a difference now? What is making me stronger?” I realised that it was the fact that I don’t have a shoulder to lean now. I have to be strong to take care of my husband. It was a moment of realisation. When you don’t have a shoulder to support, the universe supports you. You gain strength to help yourself!