Flash back 9/11

On the beautiful morning of 9/11/01 (My office in Pennsylvania)

8:15 am M. and I walk to the coffee shop as usual, bought our favorite toasted bagel w/cream cheese. My co-worker, friend and neighbor M.

M: It is such a beautiful day let us walk a bit longer D.
D: I know, it is a crime to be indoors today but, we have so much work to do today, march! march! march! girlfriend!
M: Alright, I know, I know.....

8:45 AM checking my e-mail I find a new message from the secretary, reading the message, I look at M. and ask what is going on?

M: Did you read this e-mail?
D: yes, she is saying a plane flew into one of the towers in NY?
M: She is reporting from one of her relatives from NY, what appears to be a terrorist attack on one of the towers of the world trade centers.
D: The e-mail is very vague, check CNN, and I will check BBC.,..... Darn it! I have no access to the internet
M: Me neither! both sites are down.

Few minutes later, we found three employees K.,S.,T. storming into our office angry almost screaming at me.

K: It is the Arabs, it must be, they are responsible for everything aren't they?
S: (looking at me) I can't even look at their faces they are so sick.
T: Something needs to be done about them.


Suddenly we hear screaming everywhere, loud crying, employees wailing, my e-mail inbox keeps alerting, my brother W. from Canada, my cousin S., my cousin N., I rush to open my e-mail inbox and they are all asking me what is going on?! Please tell us you are Ok.

I page my husband R. he is not replying, he is in the same hospital but won't reply, M. and I are shocked, scared to go out of the office.

M: What do we do now D.?

D: We have to go out and find out M. I can't access any news sites, Radio is not working for some reason, we can't just sit here.

M: I have a feeling this is bad, since the three witches walked in and said what they said you need to stay here, let me go out and find out.

I agreed with M. and started replying to e-mails from my brother W. I write :- " I don't know, I don't know please tell me what news you have, it seems like I'm a prisoner in the office, people are angry, screaming and crying, I'm hearing bad comments directed at me and can't understand what is going on outside, I can't reach R. I'm worried about him, he is not replying.

Few seconds later I get an e-mail from my brother W. "the US is under attack, there is a war going on I heard"

I reply back "War, what war? give me details" I start shaking as I write "I can't find R., I have to go, I have to find R."

I rushed out of my office and see all office employees, in the hallways, talking to each other, risk management team running around. Security staff on walkie talkies, VP's are called for an emergency meeting.

M: (meets me in the hallway) You will not believe this D., some terrorists used commercial planes and flew through the two towers. The White house is under attack, there are rumors that there are more airplanes are going to hit, we don't know where they will hit next but they seem to target big buildings, here is a radio I found that works.

D: (crying hysterically) I don't understand why R. is not responding?!

M: Please calm down they are on the OB rotation (obstetric), they can both be delivering patients, in normal times we can't reach them, I don't think it is a good idea for you to try to exit the doors, this is a hospital and you know how they react to situations like this.

D: ok I will call the operator and let her get me connected to the nurses station, and if he is not to answer my call for no obvious reason, I'm walking to the main hospital to find him.

I call the nurses station and they reply in a rude tone, "we don't know where he is Mrs. A."

D: M. I'm going to the hospital to check on him are you coming or not?

M: Yes the radio is a mess I can't get it to work, we need to be with our husbands let's go, let me just call the nurses station one more time.

M: (To Nurse B.) Is Dr. A. or Dr. W. there?

Nurse B: I just told Mrs. A. we don't know where he is

M: With all due respect to my retired Catholic priest father, Don't you bitch with me and find me either Dr. A. or Dr. W. RIGHT NOW!

M: Here is your husband D. I will transfer him.

D: Hi honey, I have been looking for you.

R: Just got out of the delivery room beautiful baby boy 7 lbs 8 ounces (always sounds cheerful and describes the baby to me)

D: Honey listen to me, there has been planes hitting buildings all over the country while you were delivering the baby.

R: Planes? What planes?

D: Some horrible events and I feel a bit uncomfortable being in the office.

R: Ok, let me find out what the heck is going on and I will call you right back.

D: M. thanks for helping me.

Phone rings in few minutes

R: You need to go home now. I want you out of your office

D: What happened you sound very upset.

R: Yes, I am very upset and will e-mail the CEO of the hospital immediately to report Nurse B. and the three employees.

D: What did she do? Please calm down, you have excellent relationships with everyone, emotions are high, and people might say things they don't mean.

R: Well, as I hung up with you I heard Nurse A. Saying "we should go to war with them" and Nurse B. replied looking at me "why would we go to war, we have them right here".

D: let us just wait and see what the CEO will say or do.

Few minutes later I check the intranet with a message from the CEO warning employees from backlash on employees.

Phone rings

R: I did e-mail the CEO and there is an official announcement on the electronic bulletin board to warn from any attacks on us, I still think you need to go home. We will not be treated like Japanese Americans during WWII or like Iranians during the 80s hostage crisis.

D: Ok I'm leaving (M. overheard me and packed her stuff too..)

M: I'm coming with you, I want to make sure you get home safely.

D: I need to stop by the church across the street, I have to pray, I feel terrified.

M: Good idea, I think many people today will need our prayers.

M lost her cousin in the Towers, I had a big BDY party for R later that week that was planned before 9/11, I sent an e-mail to cancel the party due to 9/11, amazingly enough, M all physicians and their wives insisted that the party takes place.

Their reasoning, "Our lives will not change, we will continue doing what we do."

To M. and the friends of R. I will always remember you on 9/11, thanks for making America a better place to live.

Photo credits:
1. Palestinians East Jerusalem (pbase.com)
2. Schoolgirls in Palestine pray in a moment of silence. (September11new.com)
3. Marwa Adel Al-Sharif, 10, holds on to her mother, Sahar Al-Sharif, before the start of a prayer service at the Islamic Association of Greater Hartford in Berlin, Conn. (Washingtonpost.com)
4. Lena Beck, foreground, joins in a candlelight vigil Wednesday at McKenzie Park in Panama City, Fla. (Timesunion.com)
5. Palestinian children holding candles and flowers take part in a vigil Friday in front of the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem, expressing support to the victims of the terrorist attacks in U.S. (Timesunion.com)