Heart keys

Today E had hernia surgery (no, not the type that is near the nuts) and it went very well. He lifted an 80 lb. item above his head some time ago and since ... well ... that is the reason for this post. We got up at 4:30 a.m., I took him to his scheduled 5:45 a.m. check in and then went to work. I monitored his status throughout the morning and got a nice call around 11:30 a.m. They said he was in recovery and would be ready for discharge around noon. He has been saying "it is worse than they know" for quite some time and low and behold ... he was right! When I went to the PACU (recovery) he said to me, "it was much worse than they thought" ... I simply smiled as there he laid, in total control of those taking care of him and yet, when I arrived, his eyes brightened and those words were finally true. He had a patch inserted, the same as you would to mend a hole in a pair of jeans. Once we arrived home, he rested, watched "The View" (which he taped) ate a snack, complained, took a pain pill and is now sleeping. I sit here and remember the words he said to me after we got home and those words were, "don't you ever leave me, you are all I have and I love you!" I think I will put the words in a more secure place in my heart as I feel that is where they belong.