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Who You Gonna Call?

It was the middle of the night. The mobile phone rings. My wife answers it and says “it’s Rajia”, Frank’s on and off flatmate.

Rajia informs my wife that Frank has been taken, by ambulance, to the Alfred Hospital and can I go, to the A&E, to see how he is. Why she didn’t want to go with him at the time. I can imagine. Frank makes an ornery patient.

Even at this late/early hour I get dressed, book an UBER and go to the hospital. Thinking that he is seriously ill, knowing what we had been smoking. I’m thinking the worst.

I find Frank Howson lying in bed. He tells my that the doctor says the problem is a kidney stone. What an anti climax!

I thought to myself, if he thinks he’s in pain now wait till the stone passes.

I get another Uber home.

Later, that same morning, about 8am, I booked another Uber and returned to the hospital to see how Frank is. When I get there Frank is asleep. So I sit at the bottom of the bed, take a photo, one of the few where he’s not posing, and wait until he awoke.

As soon as Frank awoke he started to complain about, literally anything and everything. When he’s in that kind of mood it’s like walking on eggshells. You have to be careful of what you say, as anything could set him off.

It’s better to let him get it out of his system, if he can. Stay diplomatic and agree to appease him or just say nothing and smile.

He starts complaining allowed so as the patient in the bed across the room could hear him, which was intentional as it was about the other patient he was complaining about. Rather that talking to him directly which would of been the more diplomatic and polite thing to do.

Frank avoids direct confrontation whenever possible. Not one of his strengths. Prefers indirect, or one way dialogue via his blog or down-line, less chance of losing an argument that way.

Frank has passed the kidney stone, so he decides to discharge himself. As we leave he loudly rants about the nursing staff, so that they could hear. They obviously weren’t attentive to his needs that he believed he deserved.

We left. I was glad to get out of there. Frank can be so embarrassing when he’s in a mood.

I have to ask. Where were any of his “friends”? Why did they not turn up or even call to see how he was?

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