Brendan and I were to supposed to go to Nashville last weekend to speak at the Ruby Hoedown. Unfortunately, life had other plans.
Just as I was about to head to airport, I received a frantic call from Brendan. He told me that Edel, his girlfriend, was at the hospital in critical condition after a bad car accident. He was so shaken up that he didn't know what to do. Edel was in Montgomery, AL and Brendan was in Atlanta, about three hours away. I told Brendan to get his ass in the car and get moving.
Pradeep, one of our coworkers, and a good friend of Brendan's, was in Austin for work but quickly dropped his plans and caught a flight to Montgomery. I knew immediately that I wanted to be there also to help out, but it took a bit of logistical planning to make it happen. Chris and Kim agreed to watch the boys for the weekend, so I ended up driving down the next day. The drive was about eight hours, so I didn't arrive until about 5pm. Amy had to work that day, but she caught an evening flight and showed up a few hours later.
It wasn't until the next morning that we were both able to see Edel. She was heavily sedated and breathing only by way of a ventilator. It was a bit surreal, as she didn't look like herself and I had to remind myself that it was Edel that I was looking at. She had several fractured ribs, a fractured pelvis, a ruptured spleen, and a punctured lung.
We visited with her every chance we had over the next 24 hours. Her sedation level varied by time of day, and if you caught her while only mildly sedated, she would wiggle her feet and squeeze your hand when you spoke to her. Everyone was very excited, as this was an obvious sign of improvement.
Many people came to visit while we were there. Friends and family of both Brendan and Edel crowded the intensive care unit. In fact, on more than one occasion, the staff asked many of us to wait out in the hall and take turns visiting with her.
Amy and I had to leave early Sunday morning to get back to the boys, but Edel's condition continues to improve. As of this post, she's off the ventilator and should be moved out of the ICU within the next day or two.
