Titleless.

April 2000.

Me? 25.
Chickadee, seven years less than what she is today.

Freshlly married, first born on the way. I was communting from Olympia to Renton, she was working at a newspaper.

And ... my brother went in for surgery. Nothing small. It was to be a 6 to 8 hour surgery to remove a tumor.

It lasted 10 hours longer than the estimate.

Then there was the ICU, the waiting, the visits. My first time getting pulled over since our honeymoon.

Today, a call. This time it wasn't my dad, it was my brother. With his gentle meter, well thought out (he knew it was coming) message, he told me (with confidence and brotherly assurance) that it is back. But it would certainly be only a few hours. It won't entail any ICU or prolonged hospital visits.

I pray this to be true.

Its been a long, long week around here.