I absolutely spoke (wrote/posted) too fast! I was over here thinking the weekend would be slow, and I'd have a lot of time to just sit back and read - and write, but mostly to read what I have already written. That was the plan. It was a glorious plan. There was no reason the plan wouldn't work, since it was so well thought out. The weather was bad enough, with the big bad winter storm on its way; it made the plan's overall planliness be that much more worthy. Then...well, then Laura happened. Let me explain.
As I do most of the nights I've been alive, I sleep. I was doing that last night, too; just sleeping. I don't know, I could have been dreaming. It was around 2:35 a.m. when my 2nd child walked into my room apologizing the way she does when she has to wake me to tell me she's dying. It wasn't the first time. I really do hope (each time) that it will be the last. This time, however, she picked an incredibly bad time to fall apart. Yep, it could have been worse - but not by too much. We had about six inches of snow covering the ground, and that included my driveway, which leads to my garage where I keep my car.
I told her I wasn't sure I could drive (even the one mile) to the hospital if the road conditions were as bad as the internet made them out to be. We were warned just a few hours before to stay off the roads unless it was absolutely impossible not to. One of the anchors on KWTV-9 even said that police will try to respond to any emergency, but it may not happen. Again, they warned us to stay inside and not to be out on the roads unless it was 100% necessary. She called the ambulance. I don't know about you, but I don't do well when my baby isn't well.
I walked her to the ambulance that had parked at the end of my super long driveway. Why they didn't come into the yard is unknown, but they took her away, and I asked them to take good care of her. I knew what she was up against. She was going to make it to the hospital, tell them she's dehydrated again, and tell them which arm is best for the IV. She's been doing this for a while. We hoped that the removal of her gallbladder last time would have ended this, but apparently, it did not. I hugged her and went back into the house to await her call saying she would be discharged.
As soon as I let her go - and they drove off with her, it hit me: I'm going to have to pick her up, so why didn't I just drive her there in the first place? Turns out, as she told me, it's a good thing that she went with them. They started the IV, and she was halfway ready to come home by the time she got into the E.R. She did the admission thing and was seen, and within an hour, she was texting me saying she was being discharged. I knew I couldn't sleep - there's no way I could have rested until she was back home. I kicked myself. I should have just gone with her.
I prayed. I got out of bed, dressed again, and remembered to put my glasses on. I don't drive with them, so I don't always remember, but I did. I also took water, a blanket, snacks, and my wallet - if I got stuck in a five-foot snowbank between my house and the Emergency Room, I wanted to have something to drink, eat, and cover myself with. If I did die there on the road, at least I'd have my ID on me. That didn't happen. What happened was, I pulled out of the garage and barreled through about two feet of snow drift at the garage door and another two feet in the drive as I turned the car around to face the long drive, which leads to the street.
Let me say this: it's rather eerie to be on the road just before 4:00 a.m., in a snowstorm, when you're the only car on the road. One car passed my house before I pulled into the street, but from then on, I was the only one driving -- not even an emergency vehicle anywhere. I drove to the hospital; it's 1.2 miles from my house. I could barely see the drive but did see it, and I called her. She was ready for me, exited the building, and climbed into the car. She was still apologizing. I love that girl.
So, driving home was fun. Going to and back from the place, I didn't reach 15 mph. My car crept. It crawled. I think I saw everything in slow motion, hoping no one would be at the roundabout at that time, because I wasn't sure if I could put my brakes on. As it turns out, the roads were really dry. The snow was powder; very dry in fact. No ice to be seen. There was a layer of about four or five inches packed of course, and the normal four lane looked a lot like one big lane, but I assumed if I did meet anyone else on the road, we'd be OK passing one another. I didn't have to worry - no one showed up to pass by me.
Getting her home was satisfying. The dogs were worried. I was nervous, and just as we pulled into the drive, it began snowing a little harder. We're expected to have something like 12-15 inches altogether, so maybe when I think about it, she did pick a fairly decent time to go to the hospital afterall. It really could have been worse. I wish we knew more about what it is that triggers her body like that; we're studying, researching, asking, and she's drinking all the electrolytes they tell her to -- it was triggered by a bout of anxiety from an earlier event in the day, most likely. Her horse fell in the snow and hurt herself a little. Laura took it personally.
We slept in. Then, later, she slept more. I didn't do a lick of reading or writing, but it's OK. I don't have to. I made her pancakes, and we talked, and she's resting, and the dogs are all up in her lap and face now -- she'll survive. God is great; He is always there for us, for her, for me, for you -- He's just amazing. Maybe she can get a grip on what she needs to do to avoid these events, but until then, we thank the good men and women who come to her rescue. The EMTs, the doctors, the nurses, everyone -- so blessed.
Photo Credit: SSM Health
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