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was in the Critical Care Unit. I asked what had happened, but she
could only verify what little information she had other than the fact
that Sharon was critically injured, on life support, and the doctors
did not know at this point if she was going to live much longer. I
felt a sharp stabbing pain in my chest, my heart was pounding, and
I couldn t catch my breath. I felt like someone had just stabbed me
in the chest. I started to cry, and between the sobs, I told Carolyn
I would be there as soon as I could get a flight out of Portland. My
hands were shaking as I tried to put the phone back on the cradle. I
immediately called Ron, told him briefly about the phone call and
that I would meet him at home. When I arrived, I was greeted at the
door by my son Chris who was home from college for the summer.
I hugged him and cried uncontrollably. Ron, Chris, and I were
on the first flight out of Portland at 7 am the next morning. The
plane ride seemed to take forever, and I wondered if we would get
there in time to see her alive. We arrived in Phoenix at one o clock
and headed straight to the hospital. The Critical Care Unit was on
36 ___________________________Carol A. Freeman
the second floor. I failed to notice the sign that asked all visitors
to use the buzzer and announce who they were. Having worked
in a hospital before, I knew what button to push to get beyond
the cold steel gray doors and into the Critical Care Unit. I quickly
pushed the button and the doors opened exposing the hallway and
glassed private rooms with patients in very serious condition. The
patient rooms were equipped with monitoring devices and each
patient was hooked up to machines that were keeping them alive. I
passed the nursing station, and there was a wall of television screens
monitoring each patient s vital signs. I quickly looked at the board
next to the nurses station with the patients names on it. Freeman,
Sharon, Room 7 was written on the board. The room was at the
end of the hallway, and as we entered the room, there were two
nurses entering data into a computer. They both looked surprised
when they saw us, not expecting we would just walk in without
them being notified in advance of our arrival. I immediately went
over to see Sharon. Her red hair was still long, as she had always
worn it. Her eyes were closed, and she looked like she was sleeping,
except she was in a coma and being kept alive by a ventilator
and numerous tubes connected to her heart, lungs, and head to
monitor every vital function of her being. Her body was as cold
as ice, and I thought she was already dead. She was still wearing a
neck brace, which had been put on by the paramedics at the time
of the accident. I was in total shock and disbelief. This could not be
happening. I felt like I was living in a nightmare and could not wake
up. Ron, normally a very strong, controlled individual broke down
in tears. Chris stared at his sister in disbelief. Our emotions ran
between anger, denial, and shock. We were totally unprepared for
what we saw. The nurse in the room who was the first to see us said
someone should have prepared us before we came into the room,
and she immediately paged the hospital chaplain. The chaplain was
in the room within minutes. She was a slim, dark-haired young
female in a very professional business suit. I knew having worked
As The Eagle Cries___________________________ 37
in a hospital when the chaplain is asked to speak with the family
the chances of the patient surviving are not good. We went to a
conference room down the hall with the chaplain and Carolyn, the
social worker who had telephoned me the day before. The chaplain
shared with us the information surrounding the accident which
was very sketchy. The chaplain left the room after giving us her
card and asking us to call anytime we wanted to talk.
The social worker then told us that according to the hospital
records, on July 21, 1999 in the early morning hours, the Scottsdale
police were called for a domestic violence disturbance to Sharon s
apartment complex. Sharon and her boyfriend had gotten into an
argument. When the police arrived on the scene, they checked
their computer information to see if either one of them had any
outstanding warrants. Sharon s name came up on their computer
screen. She had an outstanding warrant for failure to pay restitution
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