Tuesday, September 23, 2014, G picked up the girls from after school. As usual, they stopped by the park for a little free play before coming home to make dinner. The girls played as G chatted with a friend at the park. They played tag when s finally asked to take a breather. She started roaming quietly around and under the slide. The game of tag continued in earnest. One boy climbed the slide ladder to try to get away from his chasers, not knowing that from the other side of slide the other contingent of chasers were soon cornering him. He reached the top of the ladder, realizes that he is trapped. In that second, he chose to jump. In that same second, s stepped into what would be his landing spot. She broke his fall.
I sat in my office, waiting for colleagues as we were preparing to go to a client dinner. I got a call from G. He said casually, "hey, what are you doing? Are you at dinner?"
"Not yet. Leaving soon. What's up?" I said.
"There's been an accident. S got hurt at the playground. She may have dislocated her leg. She seems better now. We'll bring her to the ER since we are with K (her aunt). We'll meet you at home." he said calmly.
"ok. Let me know what happens."
We left to meet the client at the bar. Ended up needing to go to Edwards. I kept checking my phone when my colleagues (both dads) insisted that I should just go.
So I dropped them off at Edwards and started walking casually to the hospital. I decided to pick up dinner since the kids haven't eaten and strolled over. I didn't think much of it. g dislocated her arm before and it was no big deal. It happens.
I realized at the ER that gravity of the situation. I learned there that she broke her leg. Her bone pieces are perpendicular to each other.
I entered the ER to see my little girl being a subdued version of herself. She had been given morphine to manage her pain and her leg bent in a weird angle. She was watching TV.
Surgery. Cat scans. Xrays. She will need to be admitted.
Then there's g. She cried as she told me that s was in pain and that she couldn't stand it. g told me what happened in the playground as she was amongst the kids playing tag. She needed to go home, to shower, to sleep, to prepare for school. I was torn between staying with s and taking care of g. I needed to make sure she was safe and happy. I texted a friend, a lifesaver, g's bff's mom, "can g stay over tonight?" She called within minutes and the plan was hatched.
The hour after was a blur. I could not figure out how to get out the parking lot, couldn't find the parking ticket, couldn't find cash. Somehow I managed to get home. I prepped g's dinner (gone cold), packed her bags, packed myself and G a bag for the hospital, drove g to our friend's and made it to hospital just as s got her hospital room.
S was comfortable as long as no one moved her leg. The doctor likened it to being stabbed from the inside as the shards of bones poked at her muscles. She ate a little of the cold chicken and went to sleep. G ate his cold dinner. He fell into bed, exhausted.
I could not sleep so I tapped away on my laptop until my eyes grew bleary and dry. I settle into my side of our single hospital bed for the evening. The hospital bed was about 3 ft wide. It was cozy as we slept on our side, side by side.
Tomorrow, there's surgery.
No comments:
Post a Comment