Note: A very little bit of blood can be seen in a couple photos in this post.
Yesterday was one of those days. A day when the unexpected happens and throws everything out the window. A day very similar to one a year and a day ago, with a different twist.
We'd had some fresh snow and Craig went out to shovel our elderly neighbor's drive. He stepped on some ice and down he went, only instead of face planting like last year, he fell backwards. He was actually knocked out by the impact, although the doctors could not tell us just how long he had been unconscious.
When he came to, he made his way back into the house and called up the stairs to me, "I need help. Grab some towels!" I knew then that it was bad.
I went rushing down the stairs and into the emergency cupboard I had just put together when I'd put away all the Christmas things. Never did I dream I would be using it so soon.
Craig was wearing a new winter hat, one that he'd been given by the blood bank for all the blood donations he's made. (Cue the irony.) That hat kept a bad situation from becoming much worse.
The yarn is very thick and it fits tightly around his head. That hat kept him from bleeding more freely than he would have without it, and the thickness protected his skull when the back of his head hit the concrete.
I was still Covid positive and very tired and weak. I knew I was not up to helping Craig in and out of the car, let alone if he collapsed and went down again. As it was, he was so woozy, he couldn't stand for very long.
Luckily, Lisa has a very understanding assistant principal who stepped into her classroom for the rest of the day so that Lisa could rush her dad to the ER.
It broke Tammo's heart when Craig left. Poor guy! I gave him some attention as the day passed but he was mopey and really missing Craig. (Pepper did, too, but as long as I am nearby, she is fine. Tammo is more attached to Craig than me.)
Our kids rallied behind us right away. Curt's neighborhood (out in the country) was not yet plowed and he was unable to get out of his driveway and physically come help us. So, he contacted all his siblings and started a text chain to keep everyone in the loop.
At the hospital, Lisa FaceTimed in Sarah who is an RN and she helped us understand what the ER folks were telling us as well as to know what to ask them. Jessica, Kyle, and Cole sent supportive messages and called to check on me. And so on. Their care, concern, and contact were a comfort to me throughout a very long day.
Long story short, "Craig is very lucky" as one radiologist told Sarah. There are no fractures but there is swelling around the site where his head hit the concrete and he has a concussion. There was a gaping head laceration that took 5 staples to close and a smaller one that will heal on its own.
Of course, my kids being who they are, the tone of the text chain changed and the quips and jokes began to fly once their Dad was out of the woods and on the way home.
Sarah: Stop at Arby's. Get that man a roast beef sandwich.
Kyle: No ice for his drink!
and
Sarah: I'm prepping a note for Dad's flowers now. "Stop being nice and falling on the ice."
And we all enjoyed the fact that, until he is allowed to shower and get his head wet, he has pink hair.
Lisa made sure we had everything we needed when she brought Craig home. She also offered to take Tammo home so he could run off some energy with Nash, but we declined. When the roads in his sub division were finally cleared, Curt brought dinner over and checked on us. Jessica called, Kyle called, and so it went for the rest of the day.
Whether they are physically near or far from us, when our children rally around us, their support and love is strong and we feel that all will be okay.
Thanks, kids. Love you so much. XOXY
Mom
