A short time before Hurricane Ike, Phyllis Montis thought she was having a heart attack.

It turned out to be a gall bladder situation, so she had surgery right before the storm hit. Montis, general manager of the Holiday Inn Park Central, had plenty to worry about during and after the eye passed.

The hotel had some Ike damage, but it wasn’t as bad as when Rita hit in 2005. Back then the hotel suffered more destruction — and a stay from nationally-known reporter Geraldo Rivera.

After Ike, one of Montis’ main concerns was the staples on her torso.

“I had a lot of my employees offer to take them out,” Montis said.

She declined those offers, but was pleased to see her doctor, Issam Harmoush, stop by the hotel right after the storm. He figured she’d have a generator and the doctor asked to charge his cell phone.

Montis said she showed him the staples. The doctor and his son, Sam, agreed to return to complete the post-op procedures at the hotel, because medical access to hospitals was limited during the mandatory evacuation.

“Sam held the flashlight,” Montis said.

Harmoush, known for his firm and hearty handshake, recently met with Montis at the hotel to retell the story, and maintained modesty while Montis raved about his dedication.

Doctors are, after all, equipped to handle emergencies.

“You have to adapt to the situation,” he said.

“Everybody loves this man,” Montis said. “What doctors make hotel calls?”