Dignity and the Wet shave

[Eric_75]

So glad your son is ok.

Likewise, Mark.

 

[blethenstrom]

Did not get to shave yesterday.

Thursday evening at 7:30, my son (29) was at his corporate Christmas party. 300 people at some hotel in NYC, in the financial district. My wife and he had been texting back and forth about some Brooks sneakers my wife was getting for Christmas. The conversation was normal. According to people at the party, my son had had about 4-5 drinks over a 3 hour period. Was he tipsey? Sure, but he was not over the top.

30 minutes later, my 29 year-old is Facetiming with my younger son (who is 26) from outside somewhere. The GPS said downtown NY, which made sense. Older son was wandering in the street with cars honking at him. He was yelling into the air "can someone take me home!". Older son says to younger son. "I need help. I need to go home!"."Where are you?" says younger son. "Right here!" Shouts older son from the middle of the busy street. "Get out of the middle of the road!!!" yells younger son

"I need help. I'm in Stamford. Somebody take me home!" yells older son into the sky.

My younger son was able to convince older to get out of the street and onto the sidewalk. He raced upstairs, discreetly told me to come with him (so my wife would not freek-out), and put me to the phone.

"Dad, I want to go home! Please help me. I need help!".

"Where are you son?". Right here, dad. I'm RIGHT HERE!".

"Where is here son"?

"RIGHT HERE DAD! I need to go home. Help me dad. I need help!"

"I'm right here son. I'll help you. Did something happen at the Christmas party?"

"I need to go home dad. Please help me. Shouting into the sky "CAN SOMEONE TAKE ME HOME?!!"

"Son, are you with any friends? Is there a coffee shop or restaurant near by? Is there a policeman in sight?"

"I'm right here, dad"

"Can you call for an Uber?"

"I need help, Dad. I need to go home!"

My son was wondering around lower Manhattan all alone and had no idea of where he was. He was incapable of basic communication, was unable to use the smart features of his phone and had no ability to reason at all.

At the time I thought he had chugged a bottle of vodka (which would NOT be something he would do).

He clearly needed an ER and someone to get him there safely, but I did not want to lose my connection with him and could not trust him with any rational behavior.

I asked him to pan around with his camera so I can see if there was someplace safe nearby.

"I'm in Stamford, dad"..."Somebody take me home".

All he could say was "I'm in Stamford"..."Somebody take me home" and "I live in Greenwich". Of the three, one of them was factually wrong. It took me 40 minutes to get my older son into a cab

In the mean time, my wife came in and heard what was going on. My younger son was trying to track down a friend that could help, and my older son's Fiancée was wailing in tears on another line.

I'm thinking to myself. "At least he's in a cab". Now to get him to an ER. Of course, the cabbie did not speak English and I do not speak Hindi. Older son is telling the cabbie "Take me home". The cabbie says "Where you go?". Older son says"Greenwich". Cabbie says "Where Greenwich". I tell my son to put me on with the Cabbie. I tell the cabby "Hospital. Nearest Hospital. Go to nearest hospital. Emergency room". My son is starting to fade in the backseat and his phone slips out of his hands. He is able to find it. I hear him say to the Cabbie in Spanish "Traiga-me a casa. Vivo en Greenwich". I ask the Cabbie..."English. Do you know someone who speaks English?". After a few minutes of back and forth with my son repeating "Take me Home. I live in Greenwich", the Cabbie calls his sister on his phone and puts her on speaker. She is confused and a bit annoyed.

"Ma'am. Can you ask your brother to take my son to the nearest hospital?". She replies,"Why is he in a cab? Why did he not call 911?".

Ma'am, can you please have you brother call 911 or take him to the hospital? My son is unable. I think he has been drugged or poisoned". After a few minutes of back and forth between them, the car is moving. They are going to Metropolitan hospital on 97th street. I guess the sister figures that her brother should at least earn some money for a trip across the island of Manhattan, rather than go to the nearest ER or call 911. But OK. The cab is on its way to a place of safety. It's now 9:40pm.

In the other room, younger son is managing his frantic mother, older son's frantic Fiancé, and locating a friend that can intercept the cab and provide trusted assistance.

I'm still on with older son, desperately trying to keep him awake and keep the phone connection active. "Older son is getting maudlin. "I love you dad. I'll always be there for you, dad. I need help. I need to go home!". I tell him I love him and keep him talking for the 20 minute drive to the hospital.

Forever later, he is at the ER. The Cabbie gives the phone to an ER nurse. "Sir, what happened?". I explained the facts and circumstances to her. As I'm doing that, one of my older son's best friends shows up. He had been at his Fiancé's apartment on 91st and 1st, 6 blocks from Metropolitan hospital. The friend (Chris) is a successful, capable and loyal friend of my older son, and was my older son's college roommate.

I explain to Chris what's happened. My older son is in near tears of happiness seeing Chris.

A few hours later, we learn that my older son had been roofied. Miraculously, he still had his wallet, still had his bag and was on his way to recovering. Chris and I were connecting every twenty minutes on status.

Once I was confident i no longer needed to be sure of having multiple, stable lines of communication open, I grabbed my wife got in the car and started driving. By mid-afternoon, my son was in the arms of his Fiancé, in Greenwich.

We stayed with them for a few hours. By 7pm on Friday, we were heading off to sleep back at home.

Mark that must have been awful and feel powerless in that situation. I'm so happy that he made it to the hospital and got some help. Praying for a full recovery from whatever that was.

 

[LRod]

What a horrible feeling that must have been.
I'm sorry you all and him had to go through all that. Just glad he's ok!

 

[Goblin]

Thursday evening at 7:30, my son (29) was at his corporate Christmas party.

A few hours later, we learn that my older son had been roofied.

I am so glad you managed to get him safe but what an ordeal for everyone, and whatever they did to him it sounds like a really frightening state to be in.

I hope your son is okay once whatever it was is out of his system, not just physically but emotionally too.

I also hope they get the sick ****** responsible. I don't know how things work in the USA but over here it's a police matter with up to 10 years jail time and the venue has a duty of care to help identify the culprit through provision of CCTV footage, etc.

 

[BigAlVista]

I am so glad you managed to get him safe but what an ordeal for everyone, and whatever they did to him it sounds like a really frightening state to be in.

I hope your son is okay once whatever it was is out of his system, not just physically but emotionally too.

I also hope they get the sick ****** responsible. I don't know how things work in the USA but over here it's a police matter with up to 10 years jail time and the venue has a duty of care to help identify the culprit through provision of CCTV footage, etc.

Honestly, in NYC, I doubt anything will become of it.

 

[BigAlVista]

Mark that must have been awful and feel powerless in that situation. I'm so happy that he made it to the hospital and got some help. Praying for a full recovery from whatever that was.

Thank you, Boris

 

[BigAlVista]

What a horrible feeling that must have been.
I'm sorry you all and him had to go through all that. Just glad he's ok!

Thanks, Larry. Me too

 

[Phoenixkh]

So sad to read that account. Unfortunately, corporate parties can be the worst.

I’m glad it ended up OK, but I felt the trauma as I was reading. I can’t imagine going through it in real time. The condensed version was troubling enough. I’m glad you made it through and together with your younger son got him to safety.

 

[Darth Scandalous]

That's wild. Glad he's ok.