Sunny - Where are you??

Last night I was getting ready for bed about 10pm and realized that it was getting late and Sunny still hadn't come home. Since I've been here, she's been pretty good about telling me when she's gonna be late or if she has an appointment. But she hadn't said anything about such this particular evening. I tried calling her on her phone to see what was up, but there was no answer. Then I paged her. She didn't return the page! After awhile, I tried again. Still no response or reply. Now I began to worry! What if something had happened? What if something was wrong?! We are living in the city, you know, and there is crime all around. In fact, the county next door is said to be one of the highest crime areas in the United States! (Lovely huh?! And this is where I now live!)

About 10:30 when she still hadn't showed up, I went downstairs and talked to her housemate Celeste and asked what she thought. When I told her that Sunny wasn't returning her pages, she too began to worry! (Now I had two of us worried!)

I thought I'd wait til 11pm, and if she still hadn't come home, I'd go looking for her. But by 10:45 I couldn't sit still any longer. I prayed and then got dressed and told Celeste I was going to go by the hospital and see if Sunny was still at work.

I got to the hospital, which was locked up tight for the night. No sign of her or her car! Then I drove over to Carlos and Dafne's, because she's been feeding their dog at nights on the way home from work. I'd only been there once and didn't know exactly where they lived, but praise God, I found their place quickly! Still no sign of Sunny!

I thought about calling some of her friends and asking if she was with them...but I don't have their numbers on my phone. (The one couple's number I do have on my phone are currently out of the country! That's why she's feeding their dog at nights!) If Sunny really was in need of help or stranded somewhere, I realized, I didn't even know the exact model of car she was driving, much less, her her license plate number. "Lord, I'm worried! What am I to do?"

I drove by one of her friends place, but the lights were off. I was almost to go back home where Celeste had begun to make phone calls, when I felt prompted to return to the hospital one more time. Again, it was locked. But I waited till some nurses came out, leaving at the end of the 11pm shift. And I snuck in the door!!

I've only been in this hospital one time, when Sunny showed me around, and I wasn't sure if I could remember where her office was. But I prayed again and followed my nose, and sure enough, I found it. The door was cracked open and the light was on. I peaked in! No Sunny! But there on the desk sat her purse and phone and pager. (No wonder she wasn't hearing my calls!) But where was Sunny????

I went back to the staff desks and asked if anyone had seen Sunny. They looked at me like, "Who are you and how did you get in??" I told them I was Sunny's sister and I had come looking for her because she hadn't come home as usual! They didn't know where she was, but said she had been seen about 7pm last they knew. So where was she now? Did she step out the door and get evaporated?? (Or was that translated?) Whatever the case, I was still uptight and worried and near tears! :-/

I went back to her office door and just stood looking in....wondering what I was going to do next! Just then a gentlemen walked by and asked, "Are you looking for Sunny?" "Yes!" I replied. Like I said, I was close to tears! "I'm worried about her because it's soo late and she didn't come home!" He gently took my arm. "She's here in the ICU! I'll take you to her!"

Wow!!! Just then Sunny came around the door, and I could hardly keep the tears back, I was sooooo relieved! "Praise the Lord, everythings ok!" And then I relayed the whole story and how I'd really gotten worried when she wasn't answering her pager. And then she told me HER story!!

Evidently she had just sat down to eat something and they'd had some emergencies in their small East Campus ICU and a couple patient's started crashing at once...and she'd gotten swept into helping with that. And that's where she'd been tied up for the last four hours...with no break to think about the time or even worry about the fact she had neglected to snap back on her pager. It was a stressful time, but with God's help, they gave the patient's the care they needed and everything turned out ok.

So...after we got our stories worked out, she got her stuff together and we headed out. She still needed to feed Carlos and Dafne's dog, so I gave her personal escort there and home!!! Needless to say, even though I was relieved, I had enough adrenaline to keep me awake for awhile! And once things settled down, we actually laughed about it all. But for awhile, it certainly was NO laughing matter!!!

At least Sunny knows she is loved and looked after by her Sister...and now I have her License plate number and car type and model written down. So if ever there is a next time, I will be prepared!!! :-) At least I can have something intelligent to tell the cops!!