Key West Man Airlifted to Miami

So read the headline. The Key West man is my friend Henry.

He was riding his bike home Friday night at about 11 PM. He gets off work at about 7:00, so I don't know where he'd been. Dinner with a friend? A writer's guild meeting? Pedaling home, he turned from a side street onto the busy street ... and into a Chevy Van.

At about 6:00 AM, his partner, Reg, was notified by the local police. Henry had been taken to the local Key West hospital, but his injuries were beyond their capabilities and he was airlifted to a trauma center in Miami.

I spoke to Reg briefly during his three hour drive to Miami. My friend is in "critical but stable condition." A broken ankle, which in the scheme of things is no big deal, and traumatic brain injury. TBI, it's called.

I've since heard that Henry is still "critical but stable." I'm told that no change at this point is a "positive" thing, and "the hospital staff is hopeful." What are they hopeful for? His survival? His recovery? Will my friend be all right?

There is nothing I can do but pray.

And curse the fact that, even though they work three jobs between them, Reg and Henry cannot afford a second car. I have always hated the idea of Henry pedaling in the dark. He has always made light of my concerns -- reassuring me that he makes himself very visible to other vehicles with reflectors and lights. But, it seems, last night he was the one who wasn't paying attention. And what would have been a little fender bender between two vehicles is now traumatic brain injury.

I am desolate.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: Unbreak My Heart (1996)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Songs like this are enduringly popular in part because each of us has had our heart broken. Give us the name of a heartbreaker from your own life. Dan.

2) Toni Braxton sings that "nights are so unkind." What did you do last night? I watched the Brewers handle the Dodgers. (With my Cubs no longer in the playoffs, I'm all in for the Red Sox and the Brewers.)

3) While this song has Toni singing the blues, in real life her love life is happier. Now aged 50, she's engaged and has been sporting a diamond on her left hand. Do you believe that a bride is ever too old to have a big wedding? Yes. But then, I don't enjoy receptions. I think everyone who is not related to the House of Windsor should pass on big weddings so I won't have to go.

4) Growing up, Toni Braxton's parents severely restricted how much TV their children could watch each day. Ironically, today Toni and her sisters participate in a reality TV show on the WE-TV network, so TV cameras are a big part of their daily adult lives. What TV show do you try not to miss? This Is Us and the new Murphy Brown.

5) She is prone to dry skin and applies Kiehl's Hand Salve to her hands and arms throughout the day. Tell us about a product you're brand loyal to. St. Ives Swiss Formula Scrubs. I've tried 'em all, and not only is the St. Ives family of products is affordable, they're my favorites. (I use apricot on my feet, oatmeal on my face and green tea when my face is starting to erupt.)

6) Toni admits to being "a bit of a germaphobe," and always maintains a supply of hand sanitizer and wipes. What is always on your shopping list? It used to be bottled water, because the village is replacing the sewer pipes and warned us not to drink our tap water until the construction is done. How I resented having to pay extra to drink water! I'm happy to report that, last week, the warning has been lifted and I'm back to good old Lake Michigan water. I credit the fluoride for the way these old teeth are hanging in there.

7) While she is not shy about her body, and has worn revealing outfits on the red carpet, Toni Braxton refused a 2011 offer from Hugh Hefner and Playboy to pose nude. What's the last thing you said "no" to? Working on Friday. I had intended to take Thursday as a vacation day, when my bathroom was finally painted, but my boss talked me into taking it as a work from home day. I wrote four emails for my client's new cyber campaign. Throughout the day on Thursday, I learned that my art director was taking Friday off ... and our traffic coordinator was taking Friday off ... and our producer was taking Friday off ... At the end of the day on Thursday, I told my boss I'd be taking Thursday's vacation day on Friday. He hemmed and hawed, but I said, "Look, without an art director or a producer, nothing I write is going anywhere anyway." He (reluctantly) admitted I was right, so I got a three-day weekend!

8) In 1996, the year this song was popular, Mattel introduced a Star Trek Barbie and Ken set. Have you ever fantasized about space travel? The thought terrifies me! In the movie Gravity, there's a scene where Clooney fatally floats out into infinite nothingness and it thoroughly panicked me. I prefer small, defined spaces, thank you.

9) Random question -- Would you (or did you) invite an ex to your wedding? Maybe I would. There are a couple guys I dated, not too seriously, back in the day that I've stayed friends with.