I'm not sure who's here that really followed my whole "Boyfriend is leaving for Columbia for about a month" thing - he's been gone almost a week now (left last Wednesday).
Ultimately it's been okay. I was very upset the first 2 days, but when I got home from work the day after he left, there was a package on my doorstep from him with my birthday gift in it (a moonstone necklace, my favorite stone), along with a little note about how he couldn't wait to be home with me and to keep the necklace near when I was missing him most. He also gave me a wonderful birthday card the night before he left - said it hit him really hard the day before he left that he was leaving me, and going to miss me.
I got a surprise email Friday, he found an internet cafe (much to both of our surprise!). He was completely sweet... said he only lasted one full day before missing me and opening the letter I had him take with him. In another email Saturday, he mentioned basically how I deserved a better birthday celebration from him and he'd make it up to me when he got back - that the new house is a good thing because 'we now have a place to call our own and settle down together in' (though we aren't living in it together just yet - that was a really, really good thing to hear).
He called me Sunday with some very bad news... the day following what he described as a "magical" wedding (his best friend), the little brother of the bride (around my age, he's probably between 21 - 23) dove off of the boat they were coming back on - the water was shallower than they'd though, and apparently he broke his neck. My boyfriend, thankfully, took an EMT course last year (he is thinking about being a paramedic), so he was able to stablize the guy - but they were in the middle of the ocean and no one spoke english. It took them a while to get another emergency boat out there to take him to the hospital in Bogota, Columbia.
My boyfriend sounded really shaken, he said he just needed to hear my voice - that he was okay, but the trip might be over. The bride (Lina)'s brother might be a quadrapalegic now - unless by some chance it's just swelling that's keeping him from moving right now.
He's in surgery today, my boyfriend said he'd call me back at work sometime today to let me know what's going on - if he's staying or coming home later in the week - we don't know what's going on.
Ultimately, I feel really shaken myself. It could've been any of them, it could've been MY boyfriend. Thank goodness he was there to help...
I feel so horrible that his trip might have to end on this note. He has to be somewhat tramatized by all of this (I think the only thing that's probably going for him now is that he DID do a lot of medical training, so it's not as shocking as it may have been for others, though - still horrible)... I really REALLY hope the surgery today comes through and the guy lucks out so my guy can just do the rest of his trip. He worked so hard to get there, and he really wanted to do it - even though I was very sad and didn't want him to go, I never would've wished for him to have to cut it short and come home early for something like this.
I feel so horrible not being there to comfort he and Lina right now. I feel completely helpless, I can't even call HIM to try and comfort him, he's a million miles away...
I know he's going to call some time today, but my stomach is just in knots. The odds of this kid lucking out and walking again are so slim... his dream trip has turned into a disaster and I don't know how to respond.
This is awful!!
