WEIRD START TO PHASE VIII
September 18, 2012
The trip back from Texas was long and taxing. We did not know as we drove back to start Phase VIII that we would face a challenge lingering from the final days at home. Early yesterday, Bear suggested we go to the emergency room immediately. The symptoms were shortness of breath and a look of panic in her eyes. That is a look I have seen very few times in our life together and mostly because of some stupid situation I got us into. This time it was different. We headed off to the nearest emergency room thinking all the while how glad we were that we were not offshore on in some very remote anchorage. We answered the usual million or so questions and the suspicion was heart related. Fortunately that was not the case. Bear tripped a few weeks back on a broom Scurv relocated in the night and landed on her side. That was in an effort to protect the new hardware in her spine. She successfully did that all right. She felt soreness since then. It turn out that the fall resulted in eight breaks to seven ribs. She has been living with those fractures for almost three weeks thinking they were mere bruises. Anyone ever experiencing broken ribs will admit that the pain is substantial. I know from personal experience. My guess here is that she is one tough West Texas lady. I know she is.
We transferred to a hospital with a thoracic surgeon by ambulance. That took us to Washington, DC. In the midst of gunshot and knife fight victims in the emergency room, she received a drain tube and which relieved the pressure on the lung. She is breathing with both lungs again and resting well. We expect to have Bear, now due to her toughness, the Supreme Admiral of the boat. What a way to start Phase VIII. By the way, Scurv will not face charges before the court martial and retain his ABSD rank.

We are to experience a gale of sorts in a few hours. The weather system trails back into the Gulf. More later.