I didn't sleep very well due to the nurse who kept coming in every three hours to check my vital signs and blood pressure. It's also awkward trying to sleep with an IV hooked up to your hand. Just incase I haven't made it clear by now, I hated that thing. Happy Valentines Day to me!
I couldn't fall back asleep and they brought me breakfast on an American flag tray. I started to wonder when my parents would arrive and anxiously tried not to watch the door. I couldn't remember what time Stoney said their flight would land probably because when we had previously talked I was busy wallowing in my own misery.
I was overwhelmed with joy when they finally walked through the door. I thought I was going to start crying when they finally got there but I couldn't because I was so happy. Stoney squealed, bounced over to the bed, and enveloped me in a hug. Daddy Skip greeted me with a "Sweet Teale!", one of his famous thunderous laughs, and a bear hug. It's funny how just their presence changed my mood, brought a sense of security, and gave me assurance that everything would be alright.
My parents and I exchanged stories and caught up on all the craziness the last two days had entailed. I kept making jokes about the whole situation. Like how I bet my parents never expected they'd have to one day fly to a third world country to rescue their kid, or how they would've never gotten to visit Belize if I had chosen a conventional career path! That afternoon two people from the Belize Tourism Board stopped by the hospital check on me. Stoney asked if they had a recommendation for a local restaurant with amazing ceviche and they gave her directions to their favorite place before leaving.
An hour later Stoney and I were in the middle of an intense card game when the Tourist Board people showed up again carrying a take out box of ceviche! Stone squealed, of course, and gave the woman a big hug. Too cute. After devouring the tasty seafood dish, Stoney and I cuddled up and watched season one of Friends. Before it got dark that night, they took a taxi back to the Raddison hotel they were staying at. I was sad but hopeful I'd get to join them tomorrow.
February 15. Friday.
That morning my power couple parents, Skip and Stoney, arrived at the hospital to spend another day with me and my IV bag. in the spirit of true Southern hospitality, they brought a cake for the hospital staff as a thank you for taking care of me. Adorable. Skip worked on his laptop while Mama Stone and I watched more old episodes of Friends. The doctor came in and gave us great news that I would get discharged that afternoon! I was ready to go. My hands had swollen up like balloons and my veins burned like acid every time the nurse injected more medication. This experience proved that its possible to feel better and worse at the same time.
I was still in pain and feeling weak but that was nothing compared to the joy I felt leaving the hospital! The port agent had booked a room for me at the Raddison right next to my parents. After being the the hospital and living on a ship for five months I felt like I had just checked into a five star hotel. The three of us walked across the street for dinner at The Smokey Mermaid. Delicious. Mama Stone begged Dad to let them stay in Belize for a few days after I left. She'd heard the reef there was the second best in the world and was desperate to see it. He wasn't very interested. We all assumed I would be flying to New Orleans the next day so we treated it as a lovely last supper and celebration that I was getting better. Little did we know what news the next day would bring.
February 16. Saturday.
That morning we all slept in and woke up to a gorgeous view of the ocean. It reminded my of my own Clearwater Beach. I still hadn't received any flight details from the Port Agent and after researching online we realized there were no flights the following day and that leaving that afternoon was my only chance in meeting my ship in New Orleans. I started repacking my suitcases and feverishly tried to contact the Port Agent. He finally answered and told me that he hadn't been given any instruction to book a flight from the Miami NCL headquarters and that I would just have to wait until Wednesday when my ship returned. I was stuck in Belize. Before Daddy Skip could even say that there is no way he was going to let his blonde, American daughter stay in a violent third world country by herself, Stoney starting screaming and jumping around the room. Her Belize vacation wish had come true!
After all the excitement died down, Skip booked his flight home to Florida for the next day, and we ventured out into the city. Stone wanted to stock our hotel room with groceries for the next week. After our shopping adventure, which Dad made is promise to never ever so again for safety reasons, we went back to the hotel and headed to dinner! We ate outside on the hotels deck that overlooked the water. I was extremely excited because that night was the final performance of Step Sing at my alma mater, Samford University. (Wow. I just had a moment. That's the first time I've ever said that. I'm so old!)
Anyways, Step Sing is an old beloved Samford tradition that happens once a year and is basically a singing and dancing competition. I use both of those words very lightly, but several of the groups are usually very impressive! This year I think there were 15 different groups comprised of a maximum of 70 members each. It's hard to explain so just YouTube it if you're super curious. My first two years at SU I wasn't in a group but was involved in the show in different ways. When my senior year rolled around I was recruited by some adorable girls to join a brand new all-girl Greek and Independent group they were starting called IGnite. I love anything that's new and exciting, plus they asked me to be the Emcee that introduced the show. I was sold. Our theme was "nuns" and we won second place. This year my girls theme was "Bears". They were hilarious. This story is turning into a very long bunny trail...
Anyways, it was very surreal sitting there, in a random third world country (have I mentioned that fact enough times yet?), enjoying an ocean view dinner with my parents, while watching a live stream of an event at my University. It was wild thinking about everything that had happened in my life since that day last year when I was one of the screaming students in the audience. I miss Birmingham everyday but I especially missed it that night. The commercial interludes during the pre-show showing the perfectly manicured lawn, the gorgeous architecture, and incidentally happy students laughing on the quad brought a tear to my eye. Calling me nostalgic was an understatement. If I didn't love my current life so much, watching the show and reminiscing would have completely depressed me. I loved college.
The three of us had fun watching the show together and judging the different performances. I diligently live tweeted all of our commentary. Daddy Skip's fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, took home first place and eternal bragging rights. It was a fabulous night and made me feel a little closer to home.
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