07-09-09 Just so you know

07-09-09
Originally uploaded by blisschan

If it were not for the Blue H signs I don't think I would have made it.

Today I received a phone call from Carolyn Sterger about 8:15am stating that my wife had been shot. At first I could not understand what she was saying, it just did not make any sense.

Then after the initial shock wore off Carolyn told me that the paramedics were there and that she was talking and that they were going to the hospital. But she did not know when they would be going. I told her that I was coming there to the Clarion Hotel to be with my wife. On the way there Carolyn called me on my cell phone and told me that the ambulance was taking Jan to Tampa General Hospital.

When I arrived at the hospital I asked for Jan Bliss. At first I was told that someone by that name was there but I could not go back and see her. The nurse on duty told me she would go back and tell Jan I was there. While she was gone another nurse told me that Jan was not there and they would like me to wait in one of the private waiting rooms and he took me there.

At this time I was told that I could not have any information on my wife because she was a gunshot victim and that all information was confidential.

I felt like a suspect.

Once Jan arrived she began asking for me and I was brought back to see her. There was a change in the attitude of the staff toward me and I no longer felt like a suspect.
I found Jan on a stretcher in the trauma ward surrounded by what looked like 15 to 20 doctors and nurses. My heart sank and I felt weak to the knees. I ran up to Jan and the crowd parted to let me through. I held her hand and kissed her to see if she was okay. She looked at me.

There was what looked like gallons of blood on the stretcher next to her left thigh. I did not say anything to her about that the nurses seemed to have things under control.

I was then brought a chair to sit in; I must have looked as bad as I felt. I sat while the nurses finished what they were doing. Then a police Officer came in with the hospital chaplain who was checking on Jan and I to see if there was anything that we needed. Jan asked for water and she went off the find that for her. At this time Officer Jacobs introduced herself and asked Jan to tell her about what happened.

Jan explained about going to the bathroom and hearing a loud noise. Standing up and seeing blood everywhere.

I felt a little woozy at this time, this is a story I never expected to hear.

Some time about 11 or noon Jan was moved to another room down the hall.
At about 12:30pm Officer Jacobs called to say that someone named Debi had confessed to the shooting, that the pistol had fallen out of her pants and gone off when it hit the floor. She then asked if Debi could call us, at this time I reluctantly said ok.

Later the nurse came in and began getting Jan ready to be released. Jan said she would need something to wear because her pants were all bloody and her underwear had been cut off during her examination. The nurse got her a pair of paper surgical pants.

At this time her gunshot wound was still uncovered and bleeding. I suggested that it should be covered and the nurse was surprised that it had not already been dressed. So she got the proper gauze, tape and other dressings and attended to Jan’s gunshot wound. After that Jan slipped into the blue paper pants and sat down to put her shoes on. This was painful because till now she had been lying down. When she stood up a few minutes later to get into the wheelchair to be discharged I noticed a large puddle of blood on the chair. In just a few moments Jan had soaked through all the dressings and the pants and bleed all over the chair. We had to start all over re-dressing the wound and getting new pants.

The hospital released us at about 3pm.