I’m going to start a new story today.
******
CRASH, FIRE, SMOKE, DESTRUCTION
Ned Morrison woke from his nightmare shaking and sweating. It had been four years since the accident that took his wife and their four-year-old son away. He somehow had been saved.
The drunk driver hit the car at pretty much full speed on the right side - killing Amanda, and James. The gas tank had been pierced and sparks from the collision had set off the fire. The airbags had deployed - and that maybe had saved Ned. The fire department was on the scene in about three minutes and managed to pull Ned out before ‘poof’ the rest went up in a hot fire.
*****
That was four years ago and still, Ned had this nightmare - maybe once a week. It was terrifying. He had counseling, he went through grief therapy, and he still cried. But, every day was a new day - yes, another day without Amanda, another day without James.
Two years after the accident, Ned sold their house and moved into an apartment close to campus. He gave away most of the furniture and tried to remove the tangible evidence of Amanda and James. But, by his bed, he had a family picture of when James turned four. The three of them were smiling and laughing. Gone.
And gone was the old Ned - the jokester, the man who smiled easily, the professor who always had a joke for his classes.
*****
Ned taught at Wisconsin State University - La Crosse. He was tenured and an associate professor in Economics. He could have applied for full professor status two years ago, but mentally he wasn’t ready. At times there were the old sparks, the old Ned walking across campus in the fall with the trees turning color, the bluffs surrounding La Crosse in a blaze of red, orange, and yellow trees. But, for too many days, it was his job. He was good at his job, but he had been great at his job.
Mavis Larson was the dean of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and had watched Ned since before the accident. She knew that some days he was just going through the motions, but also that someday that spark was there. A solid scholar in her own right, with her doctorate in psychology, she was hoping that some shock, some action, something might come back into Ned’s brain bringing him back from his zombie state.
Ned did enough publishing and presenting. He served on the Editorial Board for the North Central Economics Journal (and conference). He had between two and five scholarly publications each year. His student evaluations were above average (but not superior as they once had been). His service was solid. He was on the Student Disciplinary Committee (and maybe was the ‘softest’ representative when a student came before the committee for cheating or other academic integrity issues).
Yes, there were days that Mavis could see the glimpse of the popular, funny, Economics professor and great colleague that had been Ned before the accident.
*****
Ned lost himself in his work and in his working out. Almost every afternoon between 4:30 and 7:00, you could find Ned at the campus fitness center - walking the track, lifting weights, and on Mondays, he was a regular in the cycling class. It seemed as if there was little reason for Ned to go home to an empty apartment so working out helped bring endorphins and comfort to the economics professor.
The fitness didn’t stop there. On most pleasant Saturdays Ned would be in the LaCrosse cycling group as they did twenty to fifty-mile rides.
Sundays seemed to be sacred for Ned. He was always at First Lutheran Church for the adult Sunday School class and then in the fifth pew on the left side of the church for the worship service. He had served on the church board before the accident and had been asked to serve again, but these days, he said “no”. He also had taught Sunday School in the past, but that wasn’t on his horizon these days.
Sunday afternoons during National Football League games, either Josh went to Ned’s apartment or Ned went to Josh’s apartment to watch games. Of course, they both were Packer fans. Ned wore his cheesehead to the first day of classes just so students would know where his loyalties were.
Josh Kinross was a friend of Ned's. Josh was a retired professor about 35 years older, but on Saturday mornings, Josh and Ned would generally be at Rosie’s Cafe on South LaCrosse Street for breakfast. It was a casual relationship. Both were avid Wisconsin Badger football fans, Green Bay Packer, and Milwaukee Brewer fans. Josh had been a pitcher for local teams when he was in his twenties and thirties. During most home football games, Josh and Ned would be in their seats at Veterans Memorial Stadium cheering on the Eagles.
Sunday afternoons during National Football League games, either Josh went to Ned’s apartment or Ned went to Josh’s apartment to watch games. Of course, they both were Packer fans. Ned wore his cheesehead to the first day of classes just so students would know where his loyalties were.
And, Josh and Ned tried to get to one University of Wisconsin home football game on a day when UWL had an away game. Both were alumni of the University of Wisconsin.
*****
Ned had changed in the classroom. He was vaguely aware of the changes. Before the accident that killed Amanda and James, he always wore a suit to class with a striped tie. He took off his suit jacket and hung it over a chair as class started. Now he wore a shirt, rarely put on a tie, and some days his slacks didn’t match the shirt.
By the third class of the semester, Ned knew all of his students’ names and hometowns. For those that were in activities, Ned went to sporting events, band, orchestra, choir concerts, art shows, plays, and other activities. When he went to the Student Union with his sack lunch, he always dropped a five-dollar bill into the campus organization that was doing fundraising that day. He had stopped taking the cookies or other bake sale items as that just made him fat and slowed him down on his bike rides. He didn’t seem to care what the fundraising was for - he dropped five dollars in the bucket for the “Right to Life” group, and also in the “Pro-Abortion” group. Behind the scenes, he could be counted on for $100 for the Lutheran Student Groups.
Ned hadn’t dated since the accident. Josh sometimes kidded him about all the beautiful female faculty members on campus and in the community, but it had become a kind of a joke. At breakfast at Rosie’s Cafe, Josh would tell Ned that their favorite waitress, Maria, was just waiting for Ned to ask her out.
*****
This semester, Amanda Zilinski was in one of Ned’s ECON 101 MicroEconomics classes. It was hard for Ned to call roll the first few days of class. Just the name Amanda made him think of his wife. And, although she was about 15 years younger, her face, hair, and mannerisms just reminded him of his wife Amanda.
The fall semester went smoothly for Ned until the midterm. He had presented a paper at the Upper Midwest Regional Economics Conference in Ann Arbor Michigan and made it to all the UWL football games (he had three football players in class), and two of the women’s soccer games (he had two women soccer players in class). He had two cross-country runners but he didn’t make it to their only home meet as it was the same weekend as the conference in Ann Arbor.
*****
But, something happened on October 24th. He was in his second ECON 101 section for the morning, and suddenly just collapsed onto the floor. Lori Rohn jumped up to check on him and yelled to the class to call 911. Lori had been an EMT and she was coming back to school to be a hospital administrator.
Lori found his pulse and put her ear to his nose and could hear his breathing - normal enough. Amanda ran down the hall to the dean’s office. She told the department secretary that professor Morrison had collapsed on the floor in EH 205. The secretary interrupted Mavis who was reviewing scholarship applications, and the two of them ran to East Hall room 205.
No students had left the room, and there was a general silence but with a low buzz as students stood in groups of two or three to see what would happen. Lori was still on the floor checking his pulse in other places. Did he have a stroke? Seemingly not as blood was still flowing to his head.
Lori yelled for somebody to get a cup of water. Michael, one of the football players in the class, had a bottle of Dasani water which he gave to Lori. Lori took off the cap and threw the water onto Ned’s face. There was a sputtering as Ned coughed. He was alive, that was sure. Michael and Lori helped him get to a sitting position with his back to the front wall.
Blinking twice, he croaked out “What happened”?
Lori answered, “You blacked out”.
Not one of the students had left class. Mavis and Andrea, (the administrative assistant) were also there - now on their hands and knees next to Ned on the floor. Within two more minutes, EMTs burst through the door and put blood pressure cuffs on Ned, thrusting a thermometer in his mouth, and putting a finger into an oxygen sensor.
One of the EMTs (his shirt said Tim) said 90 over 50 blood pressure. The other one said, “That’s dangerously low”. Lori, Mavis, Andrea, Michael, and the class stood back while they worked.
Ned was becoming more conscious and aware. “I’m okay”, he said, but no one believed that maybe not even Ned. The EMTs helped him to his feet, but he couldn’t stand on his own. A third EMT came in the door pushing a gurney. Tim, who seemed to be the team lead, asked “Is this a class”, the class chuckled. It was pretty obvious it was a class.
Mavis spoke up, “Yes, it's a class. I’m the Dean, and Ned Morrison is a well-loved and well-respected faculty member. Seemingly he blacked out and fell to the floor”.
Lori and Michael nodded their agreement.
Tim said, “Dean, I think we need to take him to the hospital and get him checked out. We’ll probably need a brain scan and other tests.”
Tim asked, “Is he married? Does he have a family”.
Mavis answered, “No, his wife and son were killed in a drunk driving accident four years ago. I think his parents are in Madison - we will check on who to call. As for now, I’ll go with you.”
She turned to Andrea, “Cancel my appointments for the afternoon. I might be back, but let’s see how it goes.”
The EMTs were loading Ned onto the gurney. He seemed to be able to move some. They strapped him down and wheeled him out to the elevator and down to the first floor and loaded him in the back of their ambulance.
*****
Mavis addressed the class. “I don’t know what he was lecturing on today. I’m pretty sure the material is on Blackboard. Do check it out. Unless otherwise told, I’m assuming you’ll have class on Thursday.”
As an afterthought, she added, “He might have a more detailed look at health economics.”
Some of the class groaned, and the others laughed. Soon they were leaving. Mavis thanked Lori and Michael for their prompt help.
Lori volunteered, “I was an EMT and came back to school to learn health administration.”
Mavis said, “Well, young lady, you were at the right place at the right time!!!”.
*****
The ride to the hospital was uneventful. Ned lay on the gurney. There was no siren. At the hospital, the EMTs wheeled Ned in and into an examining room. And, shortly thereafter, he was wheeled into a room with high-resolution MRI machines and CT- machines.
It took twenty minutes for Mavis to get out of her office. She had a few calls she had to return, which she did. She gathered some documents and threw them into a briefcase and headed out the door.
Mavis said, “Andrea, I don’t know how long I’ll be at the hospital. Poor Ned needs somebody there and he doesn’t really have family, so I’m going. You know my phone if something needs immediate attention.
At the hospital, she parked in the visitor's lot. The reception desk told her to go to the fifth-floor waiting room and they will get her when they need her.
*****
Okay, week 1 of Ned Morrison’s life. Where will this go? (I have ideas, but not formulated completely yet!!)
LOVE WINS!!!
Karen
May 2022
