For the last few days, Johnny quietly suffered a throbbing pain in the area of his belly button. He had thought about staying home tonight but decided that he could just as well be miserable in a crowd of friends than sitting at home on the couch. Besides, he thought, maybe a few drinks and laughs could make things better.
After an hour at the pub, Johnny was starting to regret that choice. He felt like his abdomen was swelling, and the pain started to get worse. He thought he would throw up when someone suggested getting another plate of food.
Finally, someone noticed that he was sitting in the booth, silently grimacing and sweating. Stacy was a nurse at the local hospital and asked the normally talkative Johnny what was wrong. When he told her, she asked if she could press his abdomen Johnny reluctantly agreed.
When she did so and Johnny practically screamed, Stacy leapt into action. “We’ve got to get you to a hospital right away!” The scene became frantic as everyone leaped into action, dragging Johnny out to the parking lot and into a car.
Fortunately for Johnny, Stacy’s quick action may have saved his life. The pain was caused by appendicitis, and if he had waited much longer to seek medical attention, it could have burst, creating conditions that could have cost him his life.