At about 4:15 this morning, my phone began ringing.  The caller I D told me
it was the hospital where Sandy works.  My first groggy thought was, Sandy
isn't even home.  Why would the medical transcription supervisor be calling
Sandy and at this time of the morning, too.  Then I thought, Oh man.  I hope
Gretchen has not been out and fooling around and gotten hurt or overdosed.
I dragged the phone off the hook on the last ring, thinking I was too late,
and a man started asking me questions about Brook.  She had been brought to
the hospital by ambulance, I found out later, because she had been at a bar
with friends.  They thought she had dropped off the edge of the world,
emotionally, so some dummy called 9 11 and she was transported to the
hospital where my wife works.  They had her all night and put her on an IV
because they guy said they knew she had been on something but they didn't
know what for sure.  I answered some other questions and since Brook doesn't
have insurance, they don't like keeping people like this because they know
they will never see the money.  Additionally, the guy I was talking to was
from the part of the hospital called West Pines which is the psych hospital.
I told him we would be there within the hour to pick her up and went and got
Gretchen up and told her the story.  She began getting ready to leave when
the same man called me back and said that it would be a little later because
a psych doctor was going to be in at 7 and wanted to evaluate her.  This
cost, alone, 1500 dollars I found out when George was here and he got so
bad, we thought we might have to go to the Emergency Room.  So, ambulance
cost, 600 to a thousand dollars, nearly 12 hours in the Emergency Room, and
a psychological evaluation for 1500 and you can see why they did not want to
admit her to the psych department of the hospital.  So later we found out
they had checked her out and they wanted someone just to be with her for the
next 24 to 48 hours.  They said they believed she would be ok but they
didn't want her to be alone.  He said, if we could take her and be with her,
even if we felt it wasn't working and she wasn't getting better, we could
bring her back.  So, about 9:30 this morning, Gretchen goes and gets her.
Gretchen spoke with the doctor about Brook and he began asking questions
about who Gretchen was and who I am, since Brook had given them our names,
and he wanted to know if her dad, Gretchen's dad, was in drug rehab.  Well,
not exactly, Gretchen told him.  Well, what is it he does.  Gretchen kind of
talked around the question but finally said, well, doctor, it is sort of
like an inner healing type ministry.  What's the name of the treatment? he
wanted to know.  Gretchen really felt backed into a corner on that one but
she finally said, well, we call it Safe Place Fellowship.  Is it for
addicts? he asked.  Gretchen said, Well, it is sort of up that alley you
could say.  Well, he said, Safe Place sure is a good name for it then.  she
filled in other background information about Brook and explained how they
just met again after more than two years not knowing where the other was.
She also explained how Brook had no family any more and that her sisters and
brothers were unknowns to their where abouts, her mother died last year, and
her dad hasn't been heard or seen for literally years.  The doctor had Brook
sign all the paperwork so our names weren't on anything, as far as a
signature was concerned, and he released her.  After Gretchen left, somehow
Brook sneaked a phone call to our home and I talked with her.  She said,
They won't let me call anybody.  I told her not to worry because Gretchen
should be there any minute.  Gretchen told me later that when the paperwork
was done, Gretchen helped Brook get dressed and she saw something left on
the bed and stepped closer to see saying, Brook, what's this.  I thought
Gretchen was going to say a crack or meth pipe or some drugs or something.
It was a Bible.  Brook and had either asked for one or somehow, even being
half out of it and with her I V, hunted around for a Bible to have with her.
Gretchen asked her what happen at the Bar and Brook said she started
praying, apparently out loud, and her drinking buddies thought she had gone
off the deep end.  Of course, I don't know if it is true.  I don't even care
if it is or not.  Brook is in the basement apartment of our house, where
Gretchen lives, and sleeping.  Gretchen got it out of her that it had been
two or three days since her last meth smoke so it appears Brook has been
awake for several days.  Gretchen told me that sleep depravation is the
biggest worry with meth addicts and that she herself had been high for so
many days, when she did crash, she was at a families house and she slept,
without waking, for three full days and two complete nights without ever
hearing a thing.  Pretty scary stuff if you ask me.  Anyhow, I figured
something like this would happen to Brook right away and wasn't surprised.
Something, in this whole thing, has gotten Gretchen's attention spiritually.
She is acting and thinking suddenly different.  She told me, as she was
helping Brook get dressed, the Lord spoke to her and said, "So would you
like to have some more?"  the Lord was referring to people like Brook.
Gretchen is pretty emotionally effected by this because I think she can see
herself in Brook and maybe she really does have something to be thankful
for.  Brook just came up stairs and sounds very weak but totally different
than she did yesterday.  Frankly, yesterday, I thought she should probably
be taken to the hospital then.  Anyhow, pray for her because I truly believe
she wants to be free but without the Lord, it is impossible now.  She also
said to Gretchen that she wants the Lord to take over her life and she wants
to be taught what is right.  So the desire is there, thank God, and
hopefully our prayers, too.

Phil.