Definition of a good friend

I was scheduled to throw an engagement shower for my friend Misty this past weekend, Saturday to be exact. All the plans had been made. The invites for the beach-themed shower had been sent out and excited responses had come back through my inbox. The clusters of white balloons had been strung throughout our little house in Durham.  The homemade seashell and starfish-shaped chocolates were ready to go on crystal serving plates. The champagne was chilled and fresh mojitos were being prepared in the kitchen. I had even planted some colorful flowers to help celebrate the crazy springtime temperatures in the mid-60s.
I started to feel nauseous around 2 pm.  The smell of crab cakes frying in the kitchen did not help matters. As shower guests began to arrive at 4 pm I found myself struggling to keep it together. I visited the bathroom 4 or 5 times within the first 20 minutes of the party. It soon became official that I had come down with a mean case of the stomach bug (as if there were a "nice" case).
Instead of entertaining the crowds of people congregated at my house to celebrate Misty's upcoming wedding, I lay either in bed or on the bathroom floor.
Misty - dear, darling, selfless Misty - chose to take off her party hat for a good portion of the evening and put on her nurse anesthetist hat in order to care for me in my sickly state. I must confess, it is very reassuring having friends in the medical field. She had phenergan (a drug that treats motion sickness) on hand, which allowed me to nap through most of the pain. She brought me glasses of water and pedialyte for hydration. She begged me to eat crackers and pretzels to help calm my tummy.  The whole production felt like being in a hospital receiving top notch care. My stomach bug was resolved by morning.
Misty was supposed to be enjoying her party. But she chose to take care of me instead. Misty called me Monday to let me know she had come down with the stomach bug. Yes, I feel terrible.  This wasn't supposed to happen!
But that my friends, is how you know you have a really, really good friend. They come around once or twice in a lifetime and you must cherish them for as long as you possibly can.