Happy New Year

As we approached the automatic doors, I drew a tense breath. I feared what they would reveal when they opened. I’ve spent many nights in Emergency Rooms, and it’s never a pleasant experience.
I held my arm around Anne’s shoulders, and we walked into an empty room. A television hung from one wall, and Dick Clark counted down the remaining hours of 2002 for several empty chairs and a threadbare couch — the only occupants of the very small waiting room.
Anne pressed a towel to her mouth, hoping to slow the flow of blood. The shock was wearing off, and she was beginning to feel the pain.
I walked to the check-in window and thought, this is a fucked up way to spend New Year’s Eve.
Since the kids were with their dad, this New Year’s had presented Anne and me with several options. We could have attended numerous parties, eaten dinner in several restaurants, stayed home alone, or even walked to Colorado Blvd. and staked out a spot to watch the Rose Parade.
Two of our friends had recently bought a new house, and they were having a quiet gathering there. Most of our friends would be in attendance, so that’s where we went. Quiet and low-key would be the perfect way to end the year.
The evening had been pretty fun. A trip to the ER was the farthest thing from my mind as I played Munchkin with some of my friends, and Anne sat on the floor, trying to convince our friend’s new dog that he and Anne should be friends.
The dog, however, is the anti-Ferris: he’s really aggressive, and not good with people at all. He was recently rescued, and is still getting socialized around strangers. During the evening, he’d snapped at pretty much everyone there, and kept growling and barking at my friend Darin. Anne has the animal empathy of an 18th-level Druid Ranger, though, and she was determined to bring out the love in this animal.
She was doing a great job, too. She sat on the floor with him for close to two hours, calmly talking to him while his master held his leash, and the dog eventually relaxed. Everyone at the party was amazed, except for me. My wife is the very definition of boundless love, especially for animals. As soon as we were warned about the dog, I knew that Anne would have it eating out of her hand by the end of the evening.
While Anne continued to pet the dog, my friends and I prepared to follow up Munchkin with a rousing game of Naval War. We were laughing and fooling around, and then, like a bad made-for-cable movie, everything went horribly wrong.
I was holding the instructions in my hand, looking for the number of cards to be dealt, as my friend Cal shuffled them. KROQ was counting down the top 106.7 songs of 2002, and our friends Pat and Shane had just arrived. I heard the dog begin to growl at Darin, and thought nothing of it — he’d been growling at Darin all night long.
Then the dog barked, and I heard Anne’s voice cry out, shrill above the din of the party, “Wil!”
I turned, and saw something no husband would ever want to see (unless he was OJ Simpson): my wife was holding her mouth, as blood poured over her hand.
Anne went into shock, more from the emotional trauma than the wound, I thought. Before last night, Anne had taken 44 stitches in her face, and eight of them were not from a dog. When that dog bit her lip, Anne was five years old again, helpless and terrified.
We packed ice into a towel, pressed it against her mouth, and drove her to the hospital. Since it was empty, we got through triage and into a bed very quickly. While Anne was being prepared for closure, I walked out to the waiting room, to tell our friend Joe what her status was. He owns the dog, and he and his wife felt terrible about what had happened. We told him that he should go home to be with his wife at midnight, but he insisted that he stay with us until Anne was cared for.
As I walked to the waiting room, I passed an old man who was on a ventilator. A woman, possibly his daughter, sat at his feet, and leaned over the bed, clutching his legs. Sobs rocked her body. My heart went out to them, as I thought, “it’s just a dog bite. It could be so much worse.”I told Joe that we’d be leaving soon, and walked back to be with my wife. The doctor put six stitches into her lip, and we were out of the ER by 11:45 PM. We walked back into Joe’s house with 2 minutes remaining on the year. Anne drank a champagne toast, and we hugged our friends goodbye.
Joe and his wife walked us to the car, apologizing the entire way. We weren’t upset with them, and still aren’t. It wasn’t their fault. It was just a terrible accident. I thought back to that man on the ventilator, and told them that it could have been much, much worse.
We drove carefully back to our house. Each car on the freeway was a potential drunk driver, especially the one who was weaving across three lanes on the 210. I pointed to the car, a white Toyota, and told Anne that things like that made me wish I’d outfitted my car at Uncle Albert’s. She didn’t get it.
We were in bed by 12:30. Anne watched “Sex And The City” and I read “Watchmen.” We were asleep by 1. Yeah, this was not the way I planned on spending New Year’s Eve.
Anne woke me up in the middle of the night, crying. Her Advil had worn off, and she told me that the pain in her face reminded her of when she was a little kid. I wished that I could take her pain away from her, but I did the best that I could: I held her in my arms, and let her tears fall against my cheek and roll onto my pillow.
We fell back asleep, and slept until two Stealth Fighters flew over our house at 8 a.m. to start the Rose Parade.

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253 thoughts on “Happy New Year”

  1. We felt genuine horror reading this, and honest and sincere hopes for Anne’s recovery. Then we realized that it struck so deep because we tend to think of you guys as sort of extended family. Weird, isn’t it? I hope you both recover soon.

  2. We felt genuine horror reading this, and honest and sincere hopes for Anne’s recovery. Then we realized that it struck so deep because we tend to think of you guys as sort of extended family. Weird, isn’t it? I hope you both recover soon.

  3. We felt genuine horror reading this, and honest and sincere hopes for Anne’s recovery. Then we realized that it struck so deep because we tend to think of you guys as sort of extended family. Weird, isn’t it? I hope you both recover soon.

  6. Wow I got so wasted last night.
    I drank 2 beers, 3 mike’s hard cranberry juices, one too many shots of J.D., 1 hard lemonade and a shot of god knows what.
    Good thing is I don’t have a hangover, and whats even better is that I didn’t have to pay for any of it!
    Oh yeah I’m 18 too.

  7. *Much Healing Mojo to Ann*
    *Even more healing Mojo to the guy on the ventilator and his daughter*

  8. Hey Wil and Anne,
    I know how it feels to be mauled by a dog, and to be the owner of the dog. I have a 5 year old golden retreiver who treats me more as a brother than an owner. That is fine with me and I have always played roughly with him, and so has my dad. Unfortunately the pup is very territorial and has some issues about being forced to be moved.
    Whenever he is around strange people I am always on edge and demanding that I be allowed to seperate the dog from what I know could be a violent situation. When he bites me, I can deal with it immediately. I take the bites, and I am strong enough to wrestle the dog to the ground and hold him until he calms down, but the main problem we seem to have with him is that little kids have a tendency of not being sure of their surrounding and ends up stepping on him which makes him snap.
    Right before he flips he gets what we call his “mean face.” Normally a stern word as it starts is enough to settle him down, but there is nothing more frusturating than trying to stop him, and having people stand in your way. I’ve gotten into many a fight with the family as they say that the dog will be find and are careless enough to let the very thing i warn them of almost happen over and over again.
    Most of this wasn’t related to your post, I certainly don’t blame Anne or the dog owners, just something I’ve needed to articulate (although it appears horribly) for some time and suddenly had a forum to do so.

  11. hey, here’s a GREAT load of healing mojo for you Anne, as my thoughts are with you. i hope the year goes on better than it started out. As i read your entrys each time Wil, i think about what a wonderful love you have for eachother, and it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! its so great, and it keeps me hoping that i’ll find my perfect match one day!
    We love you guys!
    love Rach
    xxx

  12. Wow, that really sucks, and I speak from experience.
    When I was about 10 years old I got bit on the face by a dog and I ended up with 36 stitches on the outside of my face, and some more stitches inside some of the deeper cuts. It was bad, but now you can only see the scars if you look closely for them.
    Also, two years ago on New Year’s Eve I had my first kidney stone. That was five days of the worst pain I was ever in until I finally passed it.
    But, as miserable as both of these experiences were, things got better. So, tell her to remember that while things may seem bad now they inevitably do get better.
    …or tell her to be glad it wasn’t a kidney stone. Whatever works. 😉
    Get well soon, Anne!

  13. I’m sending all the healing mojo I can spare for Anne. Lets hope for a seedy and as painless recovery as possible.
    Happy New Year Wil and Anne. Thnks for the past year too, it’s been good.
    CookieMo

  14. Lots of prayers for Anne’s healing and fast recovery. And your recovery as well – as you said, it was certainly not anybody’s idea of starting the New Year!
    But you have each other to see it through. That’s a wonderful thing, and I’m glad that’s how it is.
    Take care, and have a blessed, prosperous New Year!

  15. Hrm. No offense to Anne, but was it really surprising that a dog you’d been warned about did the sort of thing you’d been warned it might? “Dude! That there electric eel just shocked me! How surprising!” I was bitten by a dog myself at the age of 10 and I learned, quite simply, not to mess with strange animals. I’m sorry for Anne, because I know it’s no fun, and I hope she recovers and all, but maybe in the future she shouldn’t wrestle with alligators unless she’s wearing kevlar, ya know?

  16. Wil & Anne,
    I’m so sorry that you have both had to deal with that scary, painful situation. I hope this doesn’t dampen Anne’s special bond with animals.
    Have a GREAT New Year!!
    *Healing MoJo*

  17. Hey, she can just tell everyone she got a collagen injection so she would look more pouty. j.k.
    Get well soon Anne, I had a dog bite around my eye, my arm, and my leg. I never learned I’m not the beastmaster either.

  18. Please give Anne my best, and tell her that healing vibes are on her way from Little Rock.
    Have a wonderful, and hopefully dog bite-free, 2003!

  19. hey wil,
    here’s a little tidbit,guess who else got bit in the face when he was younger?
    Jerry O’Connell had to have alot of stitches in his face, he has the scars to prove it,I think it was after stand by me.
    Anyway I hope she is feeling better, nobody should have to go through that, so I wish her the best recovery and may she find it in her heart to go on loving dogs.
    happy new year!

  20. Sorry to hear about the ER visit. I too had to visit the ER on New Years Eve . . . My girlfriend cut her left pinky while chopping onions for a lunchtime soup. She called me at work, so I drove home, checked out the cut, and drove her to the ER (where my cousin is a nurse). My cousin inspected the cut and decided it would probably need stitches so we went through triage. My girlfriend now has two stitches in her little finger.
    I hope Anne heals quickly and feels better soon. My best to you also, Wil: I know what you mean about wishing to take the pain away from Anne.

  25. Good luck on your recovery Anne, you have one of the best husbands a woman could have. He’ll take great care of you. Happy New Year.

  26. Hey Wil,
    Same thing happened to my stepdaughter this year. Except it was the day after Christmas. I know the pain you were feeling. She only had 4 stiches in her lip. And it’s starting to almost be finished.
    And it was one stealth bomber, not two stealth fighters that flew over the hosue to start the Rose Parade.

  27. wil and anne, this painfully reminded me of our own family’s experience when our dog bit the neighbor girl when she walked into our house through a never-used door without knocking. it still breaks my heart when i think about what happened and what we had to do with our dog. i wish anne healing, not just from what happened the other night but from her five year old child’s memory. think of it this way, if that’s the worst thing that happens to you this year, it can only get better… right? feel the mojo all are sending. take care.

  29. Oh, Wil!!!
    I am soo sorry that you and Anne had to start off the New Year in such a tramatic way, but as you said it could have been worse. That is a good way to look at things. Please let Anne know that we care and are wishing her well, and no pain soon!
    Neph
    *give her a hug for me*

  31. You poor guys!
    I hope Anne is doing better — those childhood traumas are the tough ones. My heart goes out to her, and to you, Wil.
    (Note to self: never forget to let the wife know how much you love her.)
    My cat got his paw stuck and his leg twisted way around on New Years, he bit me as I released it. No hospital, no stitches.
    Hope all of Wil’s family and his readership have a great 2003.

  32. Will I know where you are coming from. My husband and I fostered a dog one year ago and had a similar experience. Owning an Alaskan Malamute I should have read somwhere that they don’t necessarily get along with others of their own kind. Long story short, I broke up a fight between my malamute and the foster malamute with my hand and ended up in the emergency room.
    Having a big heart sometimes means getting a few bumps a bruises along the way. Stay the course!

  34. Sorry to hear about Anne’s bite. I hope she is feeling better today. Definately not the way New Year’s should be. The upside is that it happened in 2002 and NOT in 2003 🙂 (If there is an upside to a dog bite that is.)
    Happy New Year Wheaton Family!

  35. Wil, please give Anne my good wishes. When I was 10 years old, I saw two dogs in the street playing. I went over to the smaller one, who immediately rolled over in a submissive position. I petted her and then turned to hug the big sheep dog she’d been playing with. He bit the side of my face and my ear. I know what you meant when you said Anne was in emotional shock. The pain didn’t even register for me. I was so hurt that the dog didn’t respond to my loving overtures that I cried for hours. I didn’t need stitches, to my parents’ relief. They chided me about approaching strange dogs (of course, I still do it) and kept me at home the rest of the day. I’m so sorry you and Anne had to go through that. It must have been very scary. I hope both of you are feeling much better today.
    Love
    Tracey

  37. Wil, That’s a hell of a way to spend New Years, but I’m glad you can see beyond the event to look at everything with a sense of gratitude for all that is. It was only a few nights ago that my wife made a similar trip to the ER after the ambulance and fire truck pulled up to the house. She is OK, but it was scary as hell.
    I will keep you guys in my thoughts and prayers and look for Anne’s speedy recovery. All the best to you both and the kids in the New Year. Rob

  39. A little more *Healing Mojo* for Anne. If Anne sees the dog again, I suggest two things. Bring Ferris along, he’ll be the best gauge as to when things might be getting dicey since he’ll pick up on the vibes we can’t quite sense, and buy the owners a new gentle-leader collar for the pup. They look for all the world like a halter that a horse wears, but the part that goes over the nose both has a calming effect and keeps them from opening their mouth really wide. My $.02 worth of random and probably not terribly useful advice. 🙂
    -Jase

  41. Happy New Years, Wil and Anne and all Wil Wheaton dot com groupies!
    I’m so sorry to hear about Anne’s accident. My heart and a fair whack of empathy goes out to her. I was savaged by two German Sheperds when I was 11, and though I adore dogs, and have an adopted moster of a dog of my own, any time a large dog even growls I’m 11 again, and I’m lying in my mum’s arms bleeding from the lacerations.
    So I kind of know how she feels. Emotional trauma… where would we be without it? *drips sarcasm*
    Take care, Anne.
    Look at it this way, it happened at the close of 2002! The New Year is hopefully still unblemished for you both and still full of a lot of promise.
    Wil I look forward to your book, I hope it makes it’s way to Australia. If not, I guess I’ll just have to buy it online!

  42. kassll, you’re an idiot.
    The dog was acting on instinct. Wil is right, correct the previous owner, the current owner (but I think they’re suffering enough with what happened), but not the animal.
    Moron.
    Wil & Anne, despite the last horrifying event of 2002, have a happy 2003.
    You rawk, Anne is lucky to have a Significant Other like you.

  43. What a horrible start for the New Year! I am sorry this happened. Lots of healing mojo for Anne… it’s unfair that it had to happen to a great person like her.
    So all the best to you two! Bless ya and all the best for the New Year.

  44. *hugs* for both of you…doesn’t sound like the best new years…poor things. *lip healing mojo* Anne.

  45. I hope Anne is feeling better. Give her a hug for me.
    And I hope the rest of the New Year goes much smoother for the both of you!!
    ALSO – the “Classic Posse Thong”…do you really think that a Large is big enough to cover this fat a** ???
    HAPPY 2003!

  47. Wil,
    My best to Anne I hope she recovers quickly with little to no scaring. May your new year be far better than the last, but always remember it can always get worse. I think you know that.
    FEEL THAT???? it is HEALING MOJO COMMING YOUR WAY ANNE.
    My best to you both now and always,
    Matt……

  48. Good Thoughts to a swift healing of Anne. Both of the physical and emotional wounds.
    Everytime you write about Anne, I can feel the love you have for her.

  50. I’m sure Anne is getting major feel fetter mojo, so I wanted to add mine as well.
    Feel better Anne!
    A bit late, I know… but I also know the healing time seems endless when there’s stiches involved. Best wishes!

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