There was an absence in the air
In the halls of CHUD – I was not there.

My Blog – untouched for a week or two.
No one noticed, only Ken Savage knew.

But the reasons for my vanishing act are clear:
My mother’s heart was in need of repair.

And I don’t mean that in a metaphorical sense,
Her health was fading; the situation was tense.

I got to her hospital room on Monday eve
Just in time to be ordered to leave.

It was then that the “Legend” entered the room:
A surgeon who carried with him the air of doom and gloom.

He kept my father behind to give him the news,
But ordered us out – leaving us all confused.

In the hall outside my mind started to race.
Who was this jerk, and can I punch him in the face?

His demeanor was certainly without song or dance.
And so began the Legend of Crabby Pants.

As we shuffled back in, my mother was in tears.
Her condition was worse than our collective fears.

A complication with her lungs meant she was barely alive.
The surgery was now a procedure she might not survive.

As we sat in the room, the air became thick
With the reality of just how much our mother was sick.

But the next few hours would prove to dispel
The worries we had based on further intel.

The nurses and doctors, with many we talked.
At the sound of our concerns, every one of them balked.

“That’s just the way he is,” they said one by one.
“She’ll be just fine, when all is said and done.”

“Instead of the lungs making things worse”, the pulmonary specialist said,
“The heart valves we replace should improve the lungs instead.”

And just to add to the relief we had earned,
The Legend named Crabby Pants returned.

His previous words he came to amend.
His harshness was something he didn’t intend.

In fact, he came to deliver more hope-
An identical operation with a woman at the end of her rope.

He performed the procedure and it was a success.
He felt optimistic, and wished our mother the best.

The next day we waited – nine hours or so.
Then they were done; to the ICU we would go.

We were all informed that everything went well.
Her health had already improved, we could tell.

Over the next few days she continued to progress.
And her recovery had continued to impress.

>From being on tubes to walking down the hall,
Our mother’s improvement continued to surprise them all.

By the time I left she was out of the ICU,
Walking and eating, and feeling healthier too.

And all of this would never have come to pass
Had that surgeon not started off by being an ass.

His initial impression left us all in an awkward stance,
But we’ll never forget the Legend of Crabby Pants.