Where do We go from here?

Ed was discharged from the hospital Wednesday and has been released to return to work. Great news, right?

Well ... yes and no.

Being reassured the stents are working properly and Ed's heart is healthy enough for the rigors of his work in telecommunications is wonderful news. News he shared with his employer when he called them Thursday morning to turn in just a few sick days to cover his hospitalization and was told "we're sorry but you can't ..... we laid you off on Monday." That would be three days after his admission to the hospital and the day before his catheterization. Hello! Slap!

Can one be 'laid off"' without being told? There were no phone calls to his apartment, our home, nor to his cell phone. All phones are in perfect working condition. Trust me. Using the phone is like breathing for us. So, I ask again --- can one be laid off without notification? Can they DO that? What recourse, if any, do we have short of entering the unemployment system?

This, unfortunately, isn't our first time looking into a future filled with uncertainty. A few months shy of his 20 year work anniversary in the coal mines when "the call" came informing him there would be no more work because the mine closed due to ... you got it! --- economic constraints. I went back to work as a medical secretary and Ed went back to school. We lived on my meager part-time salary and his unemployment. Luckily for us, the day before his last check was to arrive, he began his career in telecommunications.

Now, it's a waiting game. Waiting for the unemployment checks to start and waiting for the economy to pick up in hopes his company's business will pick up so he can rejoin the work force.

Sigh.....