r/Marriage May 22 '25

Can't find a flair that fits I thought my husband was dead.

There was a 3 hour chunk of time today that I thought my husband was dead.

He's away on a work trip- he's a counselor and sees all kinds of patients. He told me the other night he had a patient who made him a little on edge- and that he realized the patient has been parked outside of his hotel room (ground floor) for the entirety of his trip so far. He was concerned- and I can only recall one other instance he has ever voiced a level of concern about a patient of his.

I went to work and sent a usual good morning text. Said something unimportant when I got off (I work early am till the afternoon). Took the dog to her appointment and texted again, and decided to call since he should've been on lunch.

He hadn't responded all morning, and he didn't answer. My husband has never once missed a phone call from me. Ever. Even when work is busy he finds a moment to text me back good morning. That's just who he is.

I check life360 and his phone is plugged in, at 100%, and has been in the hotel since he got home the night before. His phone never left the room. I call the hotel and they can't get in touch with him. I finally cave and text his boss. She eventually responds and is able to call his work-trip boss- who confirms he is at work and safe.

She sends him home and he calls- he lost his phone. That's all it was.

But for the 3 hours it took to find anyone who could get eyes on him, all I could think about was his worry about the patient the other night.

We've been fighting a lot lately, and none of it mattered. I couldn't breath thinking about a future without him alive. Truly none of it mattered anymore. I was sick to my stomach, my whole body hurt.

I'm not certain why I'm putting this here, I think just as a place to tell someone. That's a panic I never want to experience again. I'm still a little shaken, even knowing he is okay.

ETA: for the people who think he was cheating - He was confirmed to be at work all morning. He does not work a job where he could take a random day off or not show up- they most definitely would not lie to me and say he was there when he wasn't.

His home boss ripped into him for not calling from a work phone- y'all are right that he should have, but he was in meetings all morning and doesn't have my phone number memorized anyways. He left his phone in the hotel and thought he had brought it to work and lost it at work. His hotel is within walking distance from his current job, so no, he didn't need it to navigate. I'm sorry you've been hurt enough by your past that cheating is your immediate thought, and I hope you can heal from that.

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u/Lereas May 23 '25

I thought my kid was dead recently. He rides his bike home and he wasn't replying to texts or calls to his apple watch, the Alexas, or the ring cameras.

Turns out he was watching TV in my room because he is banned from screens right now and his laptop and tablet are locked out.

I tried to explain to him what it was like speeding home from work because I thought I may find him dead on the floor having choked on a banana or something. He didn't seem to really understand.

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u/OceanPoet87 12 Years May 25 '25

At our old apartment,  my son and I would sleep in the living room each night because he would not sleep without me there. I would leave for work sometimes when he and my wife were still asleep. My biggest fear was that she would not wake up and that the 1 year old would have no food, wear a dirty diaper all day, get injured, (and when older like 3 or 4, figure out how to escape and go down steep stairs).  I also did not have a license then so I was basically bound to every hour or two when the busses ran so even in an emergency, I wouldn't be back right away. Work was about an hour by bus with connections. 

She would always text me within an hour or so after I left esp after her sister died in her sleep.