Thermometer

So my daughter developed a fever at school the other day, I had to go pick her up and bring her home.  I was telling my pediatric nurse widow friend this via a text and she inquired to what her temp was, so I grabbed the thermometer, got her temp, took a pic, and sent it via reply text.  The response I got was, "wow, how'd you get a hospital thermometer".  Well I bought it on e-bay of course.  This whole thing led to a conversation later on, and my response to "why" I bought it was simple, and one that I'm sure anyone widowed secondary to their spouses long term illness, especially if there was outpatient chemotherapy involved, probably understands with no further explanation needed.  Here was my answer: "When the difference between spending the night with your wife at home in your own bed or driving back into Manhattan to spend the night in MSKCC's Urgent Care unit is 0.1 degrees you go and buy a good thermometer."  For over a year that 100.4 ruled our lives, changed out plans, caused us to spend both of our wedding anniversaries in the hospital.  You don't let some $10 Walgreens thermometer have that much power over you, it doesn't seem so bad when the Welch Allyn Sure Temp tells you that it's time to go.  You don't second guess it, you don't wonder if maybe it's not really that high.  This thermometer is still mounted in it's wall cradle under the keyrack inside my bedroom doorway.  Everyone in the house still uses it whenever they think they have a fever.  With the case of probe covers I bought my supply will probably last another few years.  I still remember when she'd feel warm and I'd grab the thermometer my wife complaining that "I'm your wife, not your patient." and my reply of, "Yes, but I want a living wife, not a dead wife, now open your mouth and let me take your temp."