After finishing my run with far-and-away my best over-50 time, I started walking the course to join up with the mrs. About a mile back I met her, and walked the rest of the way in with her. We had some breakfast and were still in the gym when they came in with the results. They were only awarding the winning men and women in three groups: overall, under-15 and over-50. I've always wished I could place in the awards in my age group, and have never managed it. I figured I surely wasn't the first finisher among the old folks; there were a couple of guys who were ahead of me the entire race who looked like they were my age. Much to my surprise, I won my age group! I keep telling everyone that it was only because the fast guy - way faster than me - who has won our age group every previous year wasn't there, but that doesn't make it any less special.
While we were finishing breakfast, Fr. Dave sat down next to us. Before we had a chance to talk, his phone rang or buzzed, and he proceeded to pick up a message. I could tell by the look on his face that it was about Jesse. We went home and showered and headed to the hospital, and the family came out from where they'd prayed together with him prior to Fr. Dave giving him last rights. I'd taken my guitar with me, determined to sing a song to him, but right after Fr. Dave left the room the doctors came in to examine Jesse. It was clear that he was not responding to what they were doing.
We patiently awaited a chance to go in and sing to him. After a few minutes, the doctors asked his parents to leave the room, too. As they stood in the hallway talking with another friend, it seemed as if they'd prefer a bit of privacy, so Teri went out to be with the rest of the family and I moved just a little further down the hallway, where I stood silently praying the rosary, leaning against the wall over my guitar case while awaiting a chance to go in and sing to him. A few minutes after I finished the rosary, the doctors came out and informed Jesse's parents that they'd hold a family consultation in a half hour. By then Teri had rejoined me, and Kathy gave us the go ahead to visit with Jesse. As I finished singing Healer of my Soul to him, a hospital chaplain came by, and after ascertaining that a priest had already visited, offered to pray with us for Jesse. So we did that, then headed back out to the family waiting area. Jesse's dad came in after the consultation to tell us that the doctors had declared Jesse brain dead, and that he would be evaluated for organ donation before being disconnected from artificial life support, which would also give people a last chance to say goodbye. Two of our girls came up to be with this dear family during this time; our oldest daughter was tied up with our oldest grandson and couldn't join us, but made it a point to have us express her condolences.
We were committed to be at festival for a while - Teri first, with me joining her later - so after our girls left we also shared hugs and love with Jesse's family and friends, and I dropped Teri off at the parish and headed to the other hospital for another short visit with our grandson. On the way onto the floor a quartet of young men were on their way out, one of whom had a cast on his arm. I asked them on the way by if they'd been visiting with Michael, and the one with the cast indicated that he had been the driver who had caused the accident. He was clearly remorseful for what had happened, and I looked him straight in the eye and told him that I wanted him to know that I forgave him. He was very appreciative of those words. I then went into Michael's room, where he was surrounded by four more of his friends, another one of whom had been in the accident, too. They left after a short while, and I visited with my grandson for a brief time before having to head back to the festival. It turned out that I wasn't on the schedule as I'd thought, but I was much needed to haul soda and ice from the trucks to the booth. Sometime after I got there we received a text asking us to observe a moment of silence for Jesse at 4:44, which we did; we later learned that was when they were disconnecting him from life support. It was hard to believe I'd only been working for a half hour at that point, it had been such a busy time; it remained that way through the completion of our shift at 7. After starting the day with 3 miles of running and another two of walking, it made for a physically tiring day.
At that point, we got dinner - I had my annual cabbage roll - and headed to the house. I'd been scheduled to babysit the younger set of grandkids, but had received a text in the afternoon that they were going to dad's instead. I thought Teri might go visit Michael in the evening, but that didn't work out that way; she was just too tired for the drive, and I didn't feel up to taking her, either. We hung out quietly at home and called it a relatively early night.
We were committed to be at festival for a while - Teri first, with me joining her later - so after our girls left we also shared hugs and love with Jesse's family and friends, and I dropped Teri off at the parish and headed to the other hospital for another short visit with our grandson. On the way onto the floor a quartet of young men were on their way out, one of whom had a cast on his arm. I asked them on the way by if they'd been visiting with Michael, and the one with the cast indicated that he had been the driver who had caused the accident. He was clearly remorseful for what had happened, and I looked him straight in the eye and told him that I wanted him to know that I forgave him. He was very appreciative of those words. I then went into Michael's room, where he was surrounded by four more of his friends, another one of whom had been in the accident, too. They left after a short while, and I visited with my grandson for a brief time before having to head back to the festival. It turned out that I wasn't on the schedule as I'd thought, but I was much needed to haul soda and ice from the trucks to the booth. Sometime after I got there we received a text asking us to observe a moment of silence for Jesse at 4:44, which we did; we later learned that was when they were disconnecting him from life support. It was hard to believe I'd only been working for a half hour at that point, it had been such a busy time; it remained that way through the completion of our shift at 7. After starting the day with 3 miles of running and another two of walking, it made for a physically tiring day.
At that point, we got dinner - I had my annual cabbage roll - and headed to the house. I'd been scheduled to babysit the younger set of grandkids, but had received a text in the afternoon that they were going to dad's instead. I thought Teri might go visit Michael in the evening, but that didn't work out that way; she was just too tired for the drive, and I didn't feel up to taking her, either. We hung out quietly at home and called it a relatively early night.
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