Two Months
Tripp was in a hospital room recovering from bunion surgery. The man in the bed next to Tripp—who occupied the second bed—was suffering from a serious illness.
A doctor was appointed to deliver some bad news to the man in the second bed, but he was very tired and confused from working many hours. Therefore, the doctor accidentally spilled the beans to Tripp, saying, “Sir, I am sorry that I have to tell you this…but you have only two months left to live.”
Tripp was stricken with grief about this news and went home from the hospital very sad. Two months, two weeks, and two days later, Tripp was nearly dead when the phone rang in his home. His wife answered solemnly but—after talking to the doctor—immediately leaped for joy.
The priest who was by Tripp’s side asked his wife what the call was about. She explained how the doctor had given the bad news to the wrong patient. It wasn’t Tripp who was supposed to get the bad news—it was for the man next to him! Tripp was going to be okay after all!
The doctor’s next call was to the man who had been in the bed next to Tripp—the patient suffering from the serious illness. The doctor told him the news that he had initially given Tripp by accident.
And about two months later, he died.