It’s insanity. My partner took half a bottle of Tylenol and wrote her note last night while I was asleep. She tried to play it cool and go to work but she collapsed before I even got halfway home from dropping her off, less than 10 minute drive. I took her to the hospital ER and we were rushed in. At the time I thought she was having a seizure as an adverse reaction to new meds as it’s happened to her before. Instead, while texting our loved ones with her phone because I left mine in the car in the rush to get her treated, I found her note. She expressed deep sorrow and much love to us but it’s obvious she needs help that we can’t give. The new meds 100% affected her and led to her hurting herself. So I make the decision to report it to the ER nurse and say she might have OD’d on Tylenol and they test her and sure enough, I was right. Acute Tylenol poisoning. They gave her the antidote almost immediately and within a few hours she went from incoherent babbling, actively dying before my eyes, and barely able to open her eyes, back to the wonderful, witty, beautiful, and strong willed woman I know and love. I stayed by her side all day and I’ll continue to. Her attempt has not changed how deeply I love her. If anything, my worry and terror and quite frankly prayers to my patron Baphomet have only reinforced that I want her for the rest of my life and want to help her.
At around 930 tonight I decided I needed to head home to sleep as she was well on her way to recovery and in good hands with the nurses, social worker, and doctor. I got a Dr’s note for herself and for me so I could continue to stay by her side and support her in this difficult time. I also decided I would head into my job and let them know what happened. I work retail. I told the MOD about the situation and presented my note. She outright refused it. Cited company policy. Instead, I’ll be receiving attendance demerits for any days I take off to help my partner and love recover from an attempted suicide. I absolutely cannot believe how fucked working in America is. I nearly lost my partner and it was entirely possible I could have woken up next to her corpse, and my job doesn’t even have the compassion to allow me two extra days off so I can tend to her and make sure she’s alright. I cried all my tears out earlier in the day when she was asleep and I got the opportunity for some lunch, otherwise I would have sobbed all the way home. I’ll have no wiggle room left in case of another emergency, complication, event that comes up, or god forbid gastrointestinal distress. I’ll be completely maxed out on attendance points and one more will be enough to fire me on the spot. I cannot believe how ridiculous and fucked this system is.
TLDR: Partner is okay, job denied my note and if I take time to tend to my partner recovering from a suicide attempt I might lose my job.