flashback friday

{written by: dusty}

April 1997- Jane and I had been living in Korea for a year and a few months, teaching English at this time. We were well settled into the culture and life there and had a Korean speaking class we attended 2 times a week. To get there we had to take our scooter (our main form of transportation for the 2 years we were there). If we rode together, Jane would ride on back and I’d drive slower, albeit by not very much, than if alone. This particular morning in April it was cold and rainy… we were late as usual and hurrying to get to class.

We were coming up on a steady bit of stopped traffic with a double yellow median line so as we typically did, I attempted to pass them all on the double yellow line knowing they couldn’t turn against us since it was illegal. We were going pretty fast when a taxi made an illegal u-turn just ahead of us. We had nothing we could do but hit it. I laid down the bike hoping the friction of the road would slow us down better on the rainy surface. Just before sliding into the taxi we hit one of those road turtles used to notify you of changing lanes. The bike and us immediately flipped over and we went head first into the side of the taxi.

Jane was OUT cold. Everyone stopped.

I yelled for an American military ambulance since we were close to the base. A Korean ambulance and US military ambulance showed up nearly at the same time. We chose the military of course. Jane was still unconscious. Her helmet had took the brunt of the hit but I was so worried. The soldier paramedic asked if we were military. I told them no, but that we were US citizens and were friends with Colonel Stansworth (in our bishopric). They went against protocol because Jane was still unconscious and took us onto the base and to the American hospital. At the hospital they separated us and I watched Jane being taken away to the Emergency care unit as I lay being checked by a separate doctor.

About 10 minutes later, a nurse came in and told me she was in stable condition but asked if it were possible that Jane was pregnant. I said, yes, it was possible, but I highly doubted it. She left and didn’t return for what felt like an eternity. When she returned she said Jane had a major concussion but was going to be fine. Apparently it was during this time that the Relief Society President showed up as well as Colonel Stansworth.

The RF Pres was a sweetheart and sat and held onto Jane’s hand. Pres. Stansworth leaned down close to her and said, “Sister Rhodes, everything is going to be ok.” Jane, responded by saying, “Your F—ing breath stinks!” Hehe. Colonel Stansworth was shocked and caught a bit off guard knowing her quite well (to this point I had never once heard Jane even say damn). The RF Pres laughed and said, “She has a severe head trauma. She’s not herself.” Anyway, back in my room the nurse was leaving and I said, did you test her for pregnancy? She said yes and was trying to leave. I said, “AND??” And she said, “we can’t disclose that sir due to the patient privacy act.” I said, “I’m her husband.” She smiled and said, “Let’s just say we can’t take any X-Rays!” I was so excited I called everyone at home while Jane was still swearing in the other room at her visitors. I was the one that was able to tell her hours later. It was so exciting…

but she couldn’t shake the fact that there was no one left to tell (she reminds me of this to this day). Our joy and worry about Jane’s condition took second place when we realized we had to be out of the country the next day to keep our tourist status legal. We had already booked our flights and so the next morning, Jane in bandages we took our scheduled flight to Beijing…

photos: moi, in beijing walking around tiananmen square.
husband and i, the great wall of china.

photos taken: July 4th, 1997.