true confessions

Spent some time at the local hospital yesterday - long story for someone else to tell, as it is not my story. Anyway . . . you know how people do the strangest things when they are highly stressed - or upset - or the like?

Such a thing happened to me yesterday. It was terrible - well, okay, not terrible. It was funny - well, okay, not funny. It was me . . . yup, it was me all right.

I was visiting someone on the OB section of the hospital - we have a very small hospital here, btw. The OB section is just 4 or 5 rooms, set off the rest of the one-floor hospital.

Anyway - there we all were, when a lady two doors away began to scream. No, not grunt or moan - scream. High pitched screams. We were betting it was a teenager going through her first birth, but found out later it was an older than that person giving birth for the third time.

Oh - I should probably say that in our hospital the labor room is the birthing room is the room where the new mama will stay for the duration.

Suddenly I got the giggles - they bubbled up and threatened to spill over into guffaws. I had to clamp both hands over my mouth to keep anyone outside of the room I was in from hearing me.

It was contagious. Soon the other two people in the room were giggling also. But I think they were laughing more at me . . . Look! she's turning purple! I was even offered a pillow to smother (me) my laughter. Nothing worked until the final scream followed by a little one's very angry cry.

I wiped the tears from my eyes, recovered my breath, and said I'm a terrible person, aren't I? Actually I guess I am just normal - it had to be done - and I was the one chosen to be normal for the moment.

At least it didn't last long.

Posted by Purplemoose at December 7, 2003 10:47 PM