Caution: NOT for the faint of heart
The kids slept 'til nearly 8:30!!! We'd been out late the night before at the valley for a meeting. I was excited they slept in a bit. Well-rested and ready to get moving, Izzie asks me, "Where are we going today?" I laughed because this has become a consistent question for our poor traveling babies. "No where" I was thrilled to announce.
Matt headed out the door to a monthly meeting about 30 minutes out of town. Maggie was finishing her breakfast while Izzie found a spot at the table to color in her newest coloring books. Jamin thought that sounded like a good idea so he parked it on the dinning table bench up against the wall. Maggie quickly finish so she would join them. I traveled the short distance back and forth from the table to kitchen, cleaning up.
Jamin suddenly stood up and yelled, "TA DA!!!!" I turned to see his beautiful scribbled black frog art work. "Way to go Jamin" we all cheered in unison. I walked over and checked out the other side he was showing me. "Wow, a Brown Doggy." Proudly he shoot his head with lips pooched out. He squatted as I suggested new colors for the dog's face and the flowers, grass, and sky surrounding the dog. Jamin was giggling as he scribbled each new section.
After getting him rolling again, he went to sit on his toosh as I walked away to finish clean up in the kitchen. Suddenly I heard a squeak across the tile floor and a loud couple thuds...then screaming. Crap, I thought. He's fallen Again. Boys. He hadn't fallen off the back of the bench because I had it up against the wall but rather it had kicked under the table and Jamin had fallen in the small gap created between the bench and the wall. I ran to scoop him up so I could check for the inevitable bump only to find blood splatter next to him.
My insides tried to shoot straight up my throat and out my mouth. I snatched him up. He was grabbing the back of his head and blood was already dripped onto the shoulder of his adorable capped superman sweatshirt. Scary redness started down his hand. Trying not to scream in an attempt to get the knot in my heart out, I may or may not have whispered frantically "Shh Shh, you're OKaaay." which quickly leaked out through my gritted teeth, "Shit Shit Shit, uuuuuhhmmmm, you're...okay..." as my heart thumped with every step toward the sink where I place Jamin's toosh on the counter. He plopped his head on my shoulder and sobbed. The girls staaaared at us from the table just feet away.
I grabbed a nearby washcloth and started quickly wiping blood off his hands and mine. When I removed his hand from his head, blood squirted. Eeeek! Yes Squirted across my arm. {catch your breath with me here...Now, I am usually the blood, Not vomit, parent but I almost passed out right there!} Sucking in gulps of air, I jerked back tears and yelps, attempting to not freak everyone out further.
With the faucet still revving out the water for clean up, I slung open the towel drawer right beneath Jamin's feet and grabbed the darkest towel I saw. When I tried to turn him around to cover the wound and put pressure on it, I found nothing but red hair. His pour toe-head was covered. I couldn't even identify where the injury was. I just grabbed his entire head with the towel slamming it into my chest. I turned to the girls...still staring with utter confusion. "Maggie. Bring me my phone now!" For what seemed like minutes I gazed off in shock, running through every name I knew..."WHO lives near us? Who could drop what they're doing and Help me? WHO Isn't Working?!?!" I. Had. Nothing!
Mags tip-toed toward us timidly. As I rushed her she said, "but...I don't want all Jamin's blood to get on me..." Finally getting the phone, I tapped at it one-handed, putting in the lock code, and then trying to find Matt {my hubs'} contact info. Still squeezing J's head against me, him screaming, I put the phone on speaker and used both hands for pressure.
I never heard it ringing in what felt like chaos but suddenly I heard Matt questioning, "HELLO?" I composed myself and said, "So, umm. I think I may need you to come home!" Catching my breathe again and trying not to panic, I said quickly as to not cry, "Jamin fell and busted his head open. He's bleeding. Badly." We quickly chatted back and forth only to find out he was at least 40 miles away and couldn't be the immediate hands and sanity I needed. He had me locate the wound. Hardest job ever. I knew I needed to know where the blood was coming from and how bad it was to assess what kind of attention he needed. I also knew if I found it...I might pass out. "Don't Cry! Don't Cry! Don't Cry"
There it was. A gash about an inch and a half long...depth, unsure due to the puddles still coming out of it.
I hung up and called my nurse friend to find out what I needed to do. "Hey girl...how are youuuu? Umm, Jamin cut his head open and probably needs stitches. {insert awkward nervous giggle} Can I bring him to your clinic or do I need to head straight to the ER?" I glanced over to the table where my girls sat in their night gowns. They had tried to go back to coloring but were still peaking over their shoulders looking for security; Maggie taking in every aspect of each phone conversations. "Bring him here. I'm here today and we do that all the time." is all I heard from my friend in my foggy estate.
to be continued...
