![]() ![]() ![]() We headed to a restaurant a block away where far-flung friends had gathered for his birthday dinner. Richard was X-rayed, diagnosed with a severe muscle spasm, and discharged. When his father died, he said, it was different, more peaceful. He talked about being in the hospital with his father the night his mother died, the machines all going crazy, the medics rushing in and telling them to leave. Half an hour later, Richard was given a Valium and two extra-strength Motrin. We went quiet. Richard explained that “code blue” usually meant a death. She poked her head into our room and explained there was a “code” on the floor-the doctors had been dealing with that. I asked a passing nurse about pain medication. Richard is an unusually polite and considerate man, but as he waited and waited for some relief, I began to worry about him. He was experiencing some excruciating back pain. Last November, on his birthday, I accompanied Richard McGuire to the emergency room. ![]()
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