Friday, July 13, 2012

You need to contact your husband now-- Part III

I used my iPhone to look up my email from Danny with his emergency contact info.  Danny had written in the email to call the base operator and give him the number to connect to him in case of emergency.  So I did.  It seemed like an emergency after all.
Granted, it was like 1:30 in the morning, but the operator was very confused. 

"How did you get this number?" he first inquired.

"My husband said you could connect me to his number in -------------------," I told him.

"That doesn't sound like a number for -------------------," he said.  "Tell me again."

So I start to repeat the first four digits again- only to be interrupted again.

He repeated the first four numbers back to me.

"Yes, that's right," I said.  "Do you want the rest?"

He repeated the numbers again.  "Hmm, that's not how that country's phone numbers start."

"Well how does it start?"  I asked him. 

He told me three of the four numbers I gave him.  Then asked me for the whole number.

So I recited to him the entire number.

"Yeah, that has too many digits.  It shouldn't have that many numbers in it," he said.

"Can you just leave out the number that you don't think fits and try it?" I asked.

He tried the number.  No answer. 

"Well, try it the other way please," I suggested.

He tried without the extra number.  No answer.

He mulled over the strange number I had given him with one too many digits. 

"Yeah, that just can't be right.  ---------- country starts with ***.  And this country starts with ***.  I don't know why you have that number," he wondered aloud.

"I don't know either," I said.  Seriously, I had never questioned it.  I never thought I'd use it.  And seeing as I'm not familiar with phone numbers in that country I didn't think to suggest it had to many digits before.

Sarah was giving me the I'll take care of this look.  But Mr. Base Operator tried again and I got through to a Captain.

"May I speak with Capt. Danny?" I asked. (Actually I used his last name-- but I'm not printing that on the internet.)

"He's at lunch right now.  Can I give him a message?" he said.

"This is his wife.  I'm 30 weeks and I'm bleeding profusely.  I don't know if I'm delivering here or if I'll be transferred," I told him.

"Do you want to leave a message for him?" he said.

"Could you tell him Nikki called?  And that I'm in the hospital trying not to have the baby yet-- but I'm bleeding a lot." I said-- wondering why this wasn't sinking in.

"He's at lunch.  I can give him a message," Capt. Could-be-more-helpful replied.

"Okay, well, please tell him I called and that this is an emergency.  I don't know if the baby will be okay," I tried to clarify.

"Oh!  I will have him call you.  We have a phone downstairs he can use," he seemed to be catching on.

Sarah was giving me the very serious I will deal with him look, and gesturing to me to hand over the phone.

"Well, can you tell him to call my cell?" I asked.  "I'm not in country, you know."

"Yes, I'll have him call you back in 5 minutes," he replied.

I relayed the message to Sarah and nurse Sandy.  Sandy said, "Oh, hand me the phone.  I'll take care of this."

But I said, "Let's see if he calls back like he said."

The person they sent to find Danny found him in the cafeteria.

He said, "Captain, you're going to have a baby. You need to call your wife."

Danny said, "That's not funny. She's not due for two months." But he recognized the serious look on his face.

And he did call me back.  But I couldn't give him a clear answer when he started to ask questions.

"Are they going to deliver you there?  Are they going to transfer the baby?  Did they stop the bleeding?  Do they know why you're bleeding?"

I just relayed to him whatever the nurse was saying. 

Danny told me that after I had called and talked to the other captain, he was told that I couldn't call that number ever again.  It wasn't a secure phone line in their classified area.  Danny said he'd get me a good phone number and email it to me.  He asked me to keep him updated on what was going to happen via email until I got a good number for him.  He also apologized on behalf of the captain who was confused.

Sarah called a couple brethren from church to come give me a priesthood blessing.  I think she called them before I called Danny.  But I don't remember exactly.  I just remember, they had to wait a little before they were allowed into my room. 

Around the same time Sarah was calling the brethren, I started to get worried about what my prospects were.   I decided to call my parents.  My dad answered.  That's when it started to sink in and I started to cry.  I think it was the point when he said, "Be comforted in knowing what will happen is the Lord's will."

to be continued...

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