PHLEGM FILLED FIESTA

The harsh lights of the waiting room bounced off our faces reflecting unspoken fears. Here I was surrounded by my friend's family who without voicing their thoughts clearly showed I wasn't welcomed there. Who could blame them? I was after all the reason  their child was in there fighting for her life.

Events of the past two weeks came rushing through. I had invited Alexa, my friend, to join me on vacation. We traveled to Canada over the winter to watch hockey and do some fishing. After two days of highs she caught a cold or so we thought. She would complain about feeling the chills and her developed coughing but we didn't let that stop the fun. Huge Mistake!

Things went South after a short time. Her cough worsened and it was accompanied by phlegm. Lots of it. She then started experiencing pain in her chest. She described it as a knife picking at her lungs. Alarm bells set off in my head.

We quickly checked her in a hospital. She was taken to an emergency room because her breathing had been compromised. She was gasping for air desperate to fill her full lungs. They suctioned her lungs. I could see the fear and pain in her eyes. The eyes are the windows to the soul and this soul was hanging on its last thread.

They put a mask over her face which was the only thing keeping her from going into a coma. When the results came out we discovered that she had pneumonia caused by a bacterial infection. She was then scheduled for a later surgery to remove the bacteria from her lungs which was taking place now. 

I could sense the piercing look her mom gave me for she was opposed to Alexa joining me. Amid all these I couldn't help but think about all the months of recovery it would take for Alexa to get better. She would have to have respiratory therapy after the surgery to get back strength into her lungs. 

While I was thinking and sympathizing with her a funny thought came to mind that made me laugh out loud. Her family looked at me with a mixture of disgust and confusion but that didn't faze me. I knew exactly what I would first say to Alexa when she got out of surgery. I could already see how it would play out.

" Hey Alexa, why did the pneumonia cross the road?" "Why?" "To infect the other lung!🤭" If what they say about laughter being the best medicine is true then she would be halfway there.

Suddenly the lights didn't seem so harsh.