One of John's heart crises resulted in a stay at a Vet's Hospital about a 2-hr drive away. Since the drive was so long they let me spend quite a lot of time with him and one of his roomies was a real character. Old, grizzled guy, wearing a 10 gal. hat, fancy cowboy boots, a shirt with those metal type snap fasteners and contrasting piping. Things move slowly in a vet hosp. and he sat regaling us with stories of his life for nearly an hour before a nurse came in. He'd been everywhere, done everything, rode broncs, been in the Merchant Marines, and had been a truck driver for the last several years.

Altho his stories were entertaining they were nonstop, and we were both beginning to wonder why this dynamo was in the hospital at all. Altho we never did figure out what he was in for this was obviously not his first trip. The intake nurse came in, swished the curtain round his bed so the rest of this was sound effects only. First he was told to take off his hat, a moment of silence and the nurse says "Whoa..that's quite a scar you've got there!" and much talk followed about the metal plate in his head. Then she says, Do you wear false teeth? Please remove them...yes, both uppers and lowers. Then we hear her say, Yes, you can keep the hand prosthesis on for the time being. I'm afraid both boots will have to go. Then, from under the curtain, we see both boots come off and hit the floor, one with a wooden leg fitted into it!

By this time we are both in silent hysterics...as one piece after another comes off the Bionic Man. He was so good natured about it all, so matter of fact, and apparently had had all these accoutrements for many years and was doing very well, thank you. Later, John found he also had a glass eye....