Alone?

I had an experience today that made me think about what it means to be alone. I'll preface it by saying that on Friday I received notice that the IRS is "examining" my taxes from 2006. I know nothing about the 2006 taxes - Charlie did it all. Then during the wee hours of Sunday morning, I suddenly had a kidney stone. It's not fun to have a kidney stone, but it's even less fun to have one all alone. I was lucky, this one was quick. And small. I thought back to the last time I had a kidney stone, a little over two years ago. I never go to the hospital until I absolutely can't stand it anymore. After hours of pain, I went - Charlie took me. We laughed together when the stone made it through right after we pulled into the hospital parking lot. Then came today. It still chills me to think about it. I had gotten home from work, had gone inside and put my purse, keys, and cell phone on the table. Then I went back out into the garage to get some bottles of water out of my trunk. As I turned, a couple of bottles started to slip right as I was slamming the trunk down - closing it on my right thumb. To put it mildly, it was excruciating. Fear set in when I realized my thumb was stuck - I had no way of unlocking the trunk because my keys were inside the house. I couldn't call for help, because my cell phone was inside. My neighbors are out of town, so no one would hear me if I yelled. I knew that at best, it would be hours before someone had reason to worry about me not answering my phone. While this injury probably wouldn't cost me my life, if I didn't get my thumb out quickly, I would in all likelihood lose it, maybe even my hand. I couldn't help thinking that if Charlie were here, he would have been coming home right about that time. The sense of loneliness was overwhelming. I could only cry and pray. I can't say that I suddenly had a feeling that someone was helping me. I can't say that I heard a voice answering my cries. I can't say that I felt a sense of comfort. But I was able to pull my thumb - very painfully - out of the trunk.