The Day the Tour Stood Still
October 7, 2009 Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I suppose John's blood-curdling yell at 8AM should have tipped me off that our day in Dallas was going to be a wee bit difficult.
As it was, when I skidded into the hotel bathroom, still half-asleep, and saw the golf ball-sized lump on John's forehead, I was hoping it was merely a flesh wound. (Heh.) The irony, of course, is that it was merely a flesh wound, and would soon be the least of our worries.
Since John was laid out on the bathroom floor, my first order of business was making sure he was conscious (and would stay so), ordering a car to get us to the hospital, and getting us both decently clothed - in that order. In addition to the head wound, John was beyond miserable with what we thought was the flu, so the walk-in clinic we first went to turned us away (none too nicely, I might add), since they couldn't tell if his symptoms were from the flu or the head bonk. So, we called another cab, and waited. The clinic doctor came out and threatened to call an ambulance if we didn't leave quickly, or if John closed his eyes for too long, so it was a long, tense wait. (John was alert enough that we didn't think an ambulance was necessary, but we both had only had a few hours of sleep that night, so he kept trying to put his head down.)
Skipping past a few hours of tedious misery: John was laid out in the ER and on an IV. His head seemed Ok, and the flu test came back negative, so they planned to get just one more bag of fluids in him and then release him. It was getting late, though, so I had to head back to the hotel to get ready for the show. I figured I'd do it solo, and then meet up with John afterward at the hotel.
I should mention that at this point I thought the show at Legacy Books started at 3. It did not; it started at 2. Yeeeah. (Thanks, Amy, for that phone call. And sorry 'bout the screeching.)
I arrived at 1:50 to a lovely crowd of cake-hungry Wreckies:
However, thanks to a host of technical difficulties, all the store's horses and all the store's men could not get my slide show together again. (Not for lack of trying, mind you. Kyle & Jeremy, you guys are awesome.) I really would be doing the show solo: no slides, no John, and not even a mic, at first. Heh.
But here's the crazy thing: it was a great event. Seriously. The crowd was so enthusiastic, and so happy to be there, that I think we all had a fabulous time. It didn't hurt that we had a gorgeous cake on hand, courtesy of Bronwen Weber's Frosted Art Bakery:
Mmmm. Chocolate.Plano really turned on the Southern charm for me. Check out these girls' shirts:
Some even brought gifts, like this gorgeous apron Brooke W. made for me:
Isn't it cute?(This is Brooke's photo, not mine. I only wish I had a Lucille Ball dress like that.)
From left to right: Kayla, Nicole, & ChristyHere are their entries:
It's Snappy! Haven't seen him in forever.
She even added the rose petals. Awesome.
Fondant censor bars FTW!
John was in critical condition for the next two days, and we are still finding out all the many and colorful ways he could have lost limbs or even his life had the infection taken a nasty turn - or if he hadn't been admitted when he was. Yep, all told, we are very happy he bonked the bejeepers out of his noggin.
So that's the story, my dear Wreckies. Well, not completely: I could go on about my fractured emotional state, the tears, the worry, the hotel that locked me out of my room that first night when I was trying so desperately to get to John, the kind nurses who still let me in when I got there late, the fact that John was calling hotels from his bed in ICU to get me into a better & closer hotel, the cab driver who spread the word about us, so that I had other drivers telling me they were praying for John, the ICU food staff who brought extra meals when I hadn't eaten all day, my amazing contacts at Andrews McMeel (Kathy & Amy) who repeatedly told me not to worry about the tour, but to take care of John...yeah, I could go on about all of that.
Or, better yet, I could go on about all of you. The e-mails, the stories, the jokes, the offers of help: you Wreckies made us laugh and cry by turns, but most of all you made us feel like we had one big, snarky family pulling for us. If you'll forgive the gushiness for a moment - I promise we'll get back to poo jokes soon - please know that John and I will always be indebted to you for your kindness these past few days. You've shown us that you are not just our readers, you are our friends. I only hope we can thank each of you personally someday.
Today John is out of the hospital (wahoo!!) and recuperating in our hotel here in Dallas. We're still figuring out what's going to happen from here, and when we'll get to go home, but I believe a rescheduling of the missed events is in the works. So stay tuned. In the meantime, I'll do my best to keep the Wreckage coming. ;)
Reader Comments (347)
am so relieved to hear John is going to be okay. Sounds like he had a very lucky escape.
I couldn't belive the way you were treated at the first clinic. I am appalled that they would turn away someone with a head injury. To me that breaks most of the ethical rules of medicine. New blog... "Clinic Wrecks" just a thought
I am very glad he is feeling better... please give your man a hug from yet another worried wreckie!
what a relief that John is now out of hospital - I hope you are back on tour soon!
Yea! That was sooo awesome!!
This is the first time at this web site & now I'm in LOVE with it.You have done a fabulous job here & I can't wait to do more reading,looking & laughing!!!
I will be praying for your John.(he needs to get completely well not just "I'm feeling a little better" NO it has to be "Wow! I feel like my old self again maybe even better!"believe me I really do know from experience)& Jen my dear you need to go to the spa a few times & get pampered the right way,go all out for YOU! Get a massage,facial,medi/pedi,hell get everything on your beautiful body rubbed down & just relax.You deserve it! I'm sure that one of your fans/friends will be more than happy to make sure John is doing well & let you DESTRESS!!So I hope you are going to do the spa thing.(I was afraid to have a massage,it was the undress & wear this robe part that I had a hard time with I keep my panties on made it easier, but the first time will have you coming back for more!)
So in closing God is with you & prayers are being said. It may take some time, being that sick will take a lot of time, but John needs to think of him first!
If you get the World Tour 2 anywhere near Northern California I will be the first in line!!
Much love always,Beckie/Mauiboo
This is the first time at this web site & now I'm in LOVE with it.You have done a fabulous job here & I can't wait to do more reading,looking & laughing!!!
I will be praying for your John.(he needs to get completely well not just "I'm feeling a little better" NO it has to be "Wow! I feel like my old self again maybe even better!"believe me I really do know from experience)& Jen my dear you need to go to the spa a few times & get pampered the right way,go all out for YOU! Get a massage,facial,medi/pedi,hell get everything on your beautiful body rubbed down & just relax.You deserve it! I'm sure that one of your fans/friends will be more than happy to make sure John is doing well & let you DESTRESS!!So I hope you are going to do the spa thing.(I was afraid to have a massage,it was the undress & wear this robe part that I had a hard time with I keep my panties on made it easier, but the first time will have you coming back for more!)
So in closing God is with you & prayers are being said. It may take some time, being that sick will take a lot of time, but John needs to think of him first!
If you get the World Tour 2 anywhere near Northern California I will be the first in line!!
Much love always,Beckie/Mauiboo
Wow, what a nightmare! So glad everything is better!
SO glad that John is ok!
on a side note: you can always tell when youve arrived in Texas cuz half the people are so huge :( its so sad. PS: i live in texas and i'm a dietitian and rabid baker :) so its not meant as an insult. its just true.
Soooooo when are you selling the movie rights to this story? Or writing the book about the book tour?
I'm so glad to hear John's out of the hospital and recovering!! That sounds like some really scary stuff he went through, and thank gods it didn't get worse. You give us laughter and smiles every day, I'm just glad that, even if it was in the form of bad jokes and good thoughts, we were able to give something back.
Here's hoping that when the (much less chaotic) World Tour 2 rolls around, I'll be able to come to it!
Oh wow. I'm not religious, but it really seems like something or someone was looking out for you & John, and I'm so relieved he's okay. Hugs & best wishes to both of you.
By the way, your book arrived just in time to cheer my husband up from his own family illness worries (for a little while there they thought his mother had pneumonia too---thankfully not). Every time things got tough I handed him the book again and they got a little easier. Thank you. =)
I cried reading this post. I can completely empathize with your situation, Jen. I am so glad you were there for John when he needed you and that he got the care he so desperately needed. From the taxi drivers to the nurses to the readers, you are cared for by a lot of people. This is not just about a blog! Thank you for sharing your story.
This post is so sweet, and I am very happy to hear that John is on the mend.
Hurrah! So glad John's better. Perhaps one day you can do a "world" tour over here in England!!
Best wishes to you both. I wish I had a poo joke I could share but I can't think of one now. And I'm supposed to be working....
*breaths sigh of relief* Thank God that you are out of the hospital and doing much better John. I'm so glad to hear that you are going to be ok.
I am glad he is feeling better.
I'm so glad to hear that John is on the mend and that you carried on through Jen.
I love Cake Wrecks to pieces and think you have a wonderful blog. All the best to both of you on the next rescheduled parts of the tour!
Oh I am so pleased that John is out of the hospital.
I'm sorry that it's been such a trying time for you guys. Here's to a speedy recovery for John and some lovely band aids for you emotional fractures. They have magical sticking qualities so, when the fractures heal, you'd never know they were there in the first place.
Much, much love and thank you for being such a trooper. xXx
So glad everything is working out and it is fantastic that you're able to reschedule the missed dates. I'm no stranger to medical emergencies turning into those blessings in disguise... so I'm going to quote Sophia from the "Golden Girls"-
"Why do blessings wear disguises? If I were a blessing, I'd walk around naked!"
Thanks for the updates and many more get-completely-well wishes for you both.
I'm so happy to hear he will make it! I've been thinking about you two since it started.
You two are the BEST! What an incredible ordeal John went through, and you by association. I am so relieved that he's feeling better and that you're back on the road. I wish you a relatively drama-free remainder of the tour!
Oh my goodness! I'm happy to hear that John is doing better, and I'll be rooting for a full recovery. I wish you both the best!
So happy to hear John is out of the hospital, I was really worried about you guys.. World tour! World Tour!! Just think of how many things could possibly go wrong and turn out oooh so right if you went through this in, oh let's say, Taiwan!!! dooo iiiiittt....
Wow... thank goodness he hit his head!
I'm really glad he's out now and ok, and the many, many raindances and prayers and good energy and etcs that people sent from all over might have helped, and really, fair play to you both (and all) for continuing the tour after all this!
I really hope you've had all the bad luck you can possibly have by this stage, and the rest of the tour runs as smoothly as icing with too much water in it all over the top of the cake, in best Wreck style! (with sprinkles)
Hope he is feeling better now! How scary.
-Christina
God bless you both!!! What a scary time to go through, especially being away from home!
Holy scariness. I'm glad John is doing better, you two take care and your wreckies will be waiting for when you are both well enough to get back.
Jen, my father nearly died from the same infection. It was touch and go for him - we were ready to say goodbye when finally the antibiotics kicked in. So glad, he's better.
Sending you and John lots of hugs! So glad he is feeling better!
You make it up to us with the blog, and the amazing thank you! So glad that everything turned out all right... Have fun and get better John!
I'm quite tardy with the wishes of wellness here but hope John gets well soon. It must have been a very scary bump on the head for you to not make an Epcot joke. But glad it got him sent off to hospital in time.
I do love Texas, they do have a special kind of "friendly" that I'm glad provided you some comfort during your terribly scary adventure. I'm so relieved John's feeling better! My best wishes still go to you both!
I have been a cake-wreck fan for a long time now, though I've never commented! I just wanted to say that I am so glad John is on the mend, and to take your time healing! Thanks for your commitment to your fans!
I love Cake Wrecks!
Glad John is recovering. I've not checked your blog for a few days so had no idea this was all going on.
Very bestr wishes to you both.
I am just catching up on my Cake Wrecks for the week (I've been in and out of the hospital myself for the last month), so just read this post.
I am so glad to hear that John is out of the hospital. I hope that he is on his way to a speedy recovery.
Take it easy, John. Enjoy all the doting you can get - you know it won't last once you're well!
I too have been away from the computer and only just read this. I am so glad to hear that John is out of the hospital, and amazed at the massive outpouring of kindness from strangers. I teared up reading about the cab drivers. Both of you will be in my thoughts. Get some rest and don't worry about the tour. Anyone who would be there would much rather have the two of you in good health rather than trying to suck it up for the sake of the tour. {{{hugs}}} for you both.
Lisa
oh, my gosh! sounds like you have been spending way to much time with Murphy..!
Glad to hear that John is out of the hospital and feeling better!
Sending love and best wishes to you both!
Wow! That's a lot of disastrous stuff that happened! I am so glad that John recovered okay. And thanks for getting "back to business" so quickly after all of this! I love reading this blog.
Oh my... I always read your blog & Twitter, but never comment. I read this post and got misty-eyed, and then saw John's comment and lost it. I am so, so, sorry that you both went through that, but so, so, so, so, so happy that things are looking up. Please (both of you!) rest & relax before taking on the world again... pneumonia is very serious and needs to be treated as so.
Much love & well-wishes to you both.
As the daughter of a nurse, thank you for mentioning nurses and their kindness. And best wishes for John's swift recovery!
I only drop by occasionally and just heard about your John. Sounds like my Harold. He got sick a major blood infection on the First Day of an around the USofA trip we were planning. So here we are in Denver, and my husband collapses out of the bed and can't stand up again.
Yep, major MRSA infection. And yes, he is better now.
Just remember, to give him lots of time to get his strength back. This will take months for him to recover.
And remember to give yourself time to breathe. He's ok now on the road to recovery and you need your energy too.
*hugs* to everyone.
It was by sheer coincidence that I decided to log onto you today - & I am glad I can therefore add my prayers to everyone else's! While I still look forward to seeing you in Bethesda, I refuse to hold you to it.
Hi Jen
I am so sorry to hear about John being so poorly - my husband was taken seriously ill (again!) in May last year and it's quite a ride. It's so good to see that he's on the mend again. I'm thinking of you here over the pond.
The wrecks that everyone is coming up with as you go around your tour are brilliant and have me crying with laughter!
Best wishes to you both
Michelle x x
Hope you and your husband are doing better and I hope he's quickly regaining strength! As for some laughter, here's a gem a little child told a friend of mine...
Q: What's blue and smells like red paint?
A: BLUE PAINT.
hi, did you really like that dress??? l have those fabrics on my stash do you want one of those??? Silvia
I like this blog