Hello Patty,
I had a private room and my wife was planning to stay with me. That *was* the plan. After the first night of trying to sleep in this funky little pull-out chair she opted out and ended up staying in a hotel. And I was glad. The hospital was noisy, even at night, and (at least USC/Norris) isn't really set up for company.
Don't get me wrong, I was delighted to be with her in the daytime, but at night I didn't really miss her too much. I was glad she was in a comfortable room and could get some sleep, even if I couldn't.
When Wayne walks down the hall he's also going to be pulling a "christmas tree" of IV tubes and monitors. I never thought twice about wearing the hospital-issue gown. If he is more comfortable with a shawl, Rosemary is right, Penny's would be a good place.
Don't forget personal items--toothbrush, shampoo, razor, shaving cream. They won't necessarily have them there.
Here's something I wrote a while back about surviving hospital boredom:
blcforum.com/smf/index.php/topic,1211.0.html
There is information about Advance Directives on that link too.
I'm thinking of you guys...
Zach
Afterthought--I'm not too sure about Wayne's lounging pants. He's not going to feel like moving around a whole lot, and the nurses are going to need to check him often. Pulling down those pants is not going to be comfortable. Those gowns are designed the way they are--open--for a reason. Plus, he is going to have tubes and a catheter attached to him--I'm not sure he can even wear the pants.