The ferry dock in Bridgeport, Connecticut was drab. Utility depots, power transfer stations, grey buildings in need of paint. Signs prohibiting photography in the area gave me the creeps.

And then the dumb shit people — so many running around with masks under their noses! Then there are the shiny blondes at the wheels of giant, shiny SUVs idling for the entire wait to board (what else is new?)

We scraped off our Warren bumper sticker before hitting the road. Long Island is hostile territory.

The ferry wasn’t very crowded but crowded enough for me to think it probable that at least one person on board had covid19.

Ugly kept going on the Stonybrook Medical Campus. I gasped to see what had to be one of the ugliest buildings in the northeast (and I went to UMass, Amherst!)

Visiting is restricted both because of Covid and the ICU protocols. We are being accorded professional courtesy since my brother works here but there are still hurdles to clear.

On entry, they take your temperature, ask a few basic health questions, and demand to know where you’ve been. Thank god Massachusetts is an acceptable point of origin. They give you a sticker.

Then you have to be cleared by a skeptical visitor clerk. Who are you? You know visiting doesn’t start for five more hours? You know only one can go up at a time? This basically requires that one of my brother’s doctor-friends comes and provides an escort up to the eighth floor.

The only health update is this: scans show the bleed unchanged. Very good news, I’m told.

So many people streaming by to say hello. This morning an ED fellow (who honestly looked about 12) paid his respects. Everyone is so nice. So unbelievably nice. My brother is beloved in ED circles (unless you’re one of a handful that reviles him) and on both coasts.

I’m glad he missed the debates. Seriously, he might’ve had another stroke. I feel lucky that I didn’t have a stroke! Even though K and I were in a Hilton, I yelled and yelled at the TV, mostly along the lines of : SHUT HIM UP. We lasted an hour and that was waaaaay too long.

Thank you for all your loving and supportive comments yesterday! Lifesavers come in many forms.