He's late, what should I do?

Dan is never late.

He walks in the house exactly at 5:40 PM if he takes the bus home.

It was 5:50 PM when we arrived home. "How long should I wait before I begin to worry?" I wondered.

At 5:55 PM, I called my father to tell him about the competition and seeing my brother Billy and some of the good skaters and I mentioned Dan's being late. I asked how long I should wait before calling the police to report a missing person. My father told me not to worry and suggested that Dan may have missed his bus. I explained to my dad that Dan could not have missed the bus since it left from a downtown station after 5:00 PM and Dan got off work at 4:30 PM. My dad told me again not to worry and told me he was in the middle of a TV show and had to go.

I then tried to call Dan's cell and Dan's office. Of course, there was no answer at his office, and I noticed the cell phone didn't sound right -- no recorded greeting, just a message that the phone was not working. I tried the cell number again and then, my phone rang and it was the police.

The police asked who was speaking and when I identified myself as Dan's wife, I was asked to report to Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital's Emergency Room immediately and that my husband had been in an accident. When I began to ask questions, the phone connection was lost.

Finally a call came through on my caller ID from Memorial Hospital. The policeman explained he could not give any details over the phone and asked again if I could come to the hospital ASAP. I asked if my husband was dead, hit by a car, or shot, but I could not be given an answer over the phone.

So, the children and I quickly put away any groceries that needed refridgeration, locked up the house, and headed for the hospital. Everyone was very excited and all three children, I recall, were crying.