Day 20

After waiting an extra twenty-four hours, Burt had the second CT scan of his abdomen this morning at 8:30 a.m. And there it sat, unread for hours, much to the consternation of all. Back home, the rest of Team Stern took a few hours to take care of a few necessary life details. Gregory, who could no longer deny that his move to LA was little more than a week, went into packing overdrive.

By 12:30, tired of waiting for the phone to ring, David tracked down the nurse with the details. For all those out there eagerly awaiting the results of Burt’s CT scan… drum roll please… the hematoma in Burt’s abdomen did not increase in size. This fact, coupled with the normal hemoglobin levels, indicates that the bleeding has stopped. Burt’s blood thinner regimen has remained in place. However, as we have learned, you can’t have it all even when you totally recalibrate how you define ‘all’. The pressure in the abdomen has contributed to a problem clearing his bladder. So, the Louisville Slugger catheter is back in residence for a few days. Hopefully, baseball season is almost over.

By 4:20 Gregory had to leave to catch a bus down to New York that he made with minutes to spare. David went back to hospital where he and Connie spent an hour or so watching Burt take his newly traditional post-physical therapy nap. By 6:30, it was time to go and meet the newest member of Team Stern, Cousin Wendy, who arrived from Colorado on the 5 pm flight.

Jumping fearlessly into the fray, Wendy picked up her rental car and tore off in the direction of Pittsfield without getting her lesson on GPS. She drove boldly onto I-87 while it directed her to make left turns off bridges. When she could stand the blandly insistent voice no more, she decided to turn off the unit and navigate by the Force. When next she was heard from, she was in Woodstock, halfway to New York City. Yoda would be proud. Two hours later, after an anxiety-riddled nighttime tour of the Hudson Valley, David met Wendy at a nearby truck stop and led her home. She got into the house, popped a Xanax, gave Connie a big hug and asked, “What can I do to help?” Week Four begins.