It was a phone call I worried that I’d someday receive. I was about to leave for work when my cell phone rang. It was our good friend, Nan, calling me to let me know that Linda had crashed her bike and they needed me to come get her – she was too injured to ride her bike home. 

As cyclists, crashes are a given. It’s said that there are two kinds of cyclists – those that have crashed and those that will crash. I’ve had my share of crashes and injuries. Fortunately, up until now, Linda has only had some minor spills.  However, this one was pretty bad. Her front wheel had drifted off the side of the pavement and, upon trying to correct the wheel, she was thrown to the ground suddenly and very hard. She couldn’t put weight on her right leg whenever she tried to stand up. She had some big abrasions and was a bit woozy.

There was a very big problem – I was leaving for my job as an emergency physician on a Sunday afternoon. I was 15 minutes away from pulling out of the driveway and she was over 20 minutes away in a rural area south of town. As an emergency physician, it’s not possible to just call work and say that you’re going to be late or that you won’t be coming in to work that day. Someone has put in their 10 hours and is expecting someone to replace them – just like I expect someone to replace me at the end of my rough 10 hours. 

But, this was my WIFE laying on the side of the road, injured and dazed. She needed help and she needed to go to the hospital. She needed ME!  But, there were also at least 20 people that would need me during my 10 hours of work; thy would need the attention that I’d been trained for and contracted to provide during those exact 10 hours. My heart sunk and my stomach rose up to my throat. I had to tell Nan that I couldn’t come get Linda. I asked if there was another alternative. Both of my daughters were also at work at the moment and were not available to help. I felt like the worst jerk of a husband. What kind of guy chooses his job over his injured wife? 

Really – what kind of jerk chooses his job and leaves his wife on the side of the road, hoping that someone else will step in and do what he should be doing without hesitation!?!?!

I was physically sick and my mind was racing. Fortunately, she was riding with a physician friend and other friends that are as close as family. Nan contacted her husband and he was readily agreeable to help. He had her retrieved and returned to his house in short order. By that time, Anna was available to pick her up and get her to the ER close to our house.  By the time Linda had arrived to her ER, I’d already seen several patients in my ER and was doing my best to keep my focus.

Linda was evaluated and cared for by a friend and former emergency partner – and found to only have scrapes and bruises. But – thoughtout the whole time, I kept asking myself if I did the right thing. What would I have exptected from any of my partners – would I expect them to leave their wife injured on the side of the road to come relieve me from my shift. Surely, no – but should I expect someone else to work longer hours for me? I really didn’t have time to try to contact any of my partners that were off for the day. It really was just the most worst possible timing. 

I have beat myself up over this for more than 24 hours. Linda tells me that she understands and states “That’s the price for being the wife of an ER doc”. Is that a price worth spending? I was taught that the priority to family outweighs that of any job – but I clearly chose my job over my family. But, I really didn’t see much of a choice in this matter. What a position to be in. 

I hope I never have to choose again between my duty as a physician over my duty as a husband and father.