The Aftermath at George Washington University Hospital
At first, President Reagan was unaware that he had been shot; he initially believed one of his ribs had been broken in the fray. Only when he began bleeding from the mouth did the presidential limousine cancel its original route to the White House and rush to the hospital. Upon arrival, the President stumbled into the hospital, dropped to one knee, and announced in a panic, "I can't breathe!" Hospital personnel helped him into the trauma area. It was only after the President's shirt was removed did the personnel attending him realize the president had been shot.
The First Lady, Nancy Reagan, arrived as Mr. Reagan was prepared for surgery. Even in this time of urgency, the President still had his sense of humor. He told Nancy, "Honey, I forgot to duck." Nurses wheeled him into surgery where the room was filled with anxious doctors. Surrounded by the bright lights and masked surgeons, Reagan whispered, "Please tell me you're Republicans." The lead surgeon, an avowed Democrat, answered, "Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans." The president then drifted into unconsciousness.
Dr. Benjamin Aaron took control of the President's operating team and commenced surgery for removal of the bullet. He encountered a great deal of bleeding from the President's chest; Dr. Aaron would later estimate that Reagan lost almost one-half of the volume of blood in his body before entering surgery. The surgery continued until the bullet was located shortly before 6:00 p.m. The bullet itself was flattened and appeared to be the shape of a dime. After removing the bullet, the surgery was finished around 6:30 p.m.
President Reagan made a quick recovery and left the hospital on April 11, 1981; just twelve days after the attack. This time Reagan was not taking any chances; he existed the hospital wearing a bullet-proof vest.