Just another day at the hospital.......

It's not much of a surprise when I get a call from Justin after he's played in the dunes for two days on his dirt bike and he reports of a broken collar bone, torn ACL, or a split open eye brow. I'm always concerned of course, but kind of roll my eyes in a "here we go again" kind of roll. I get off the phone and make all the necessary calls. I pray a baggilion times, and then make a check list of all the things I need to grab and take to the hospital. 


1. My make-up.


2. My book.


3. My computer. Cause it's all about me.


I line up a sitter for Ave (usually my mom) and make sure the dog is set up for potty breaks, and night time feedings. And then grab anything I think Justin might need for comfort or boredom and load up the car for the long 2 or 3 day journey to recovery. 


The drive time is filled with all sorts of thoughts "how bad could this be, will this be the last time he rides, and dang, I forgot my snacks".  I approach the hospital and drive in circles to find the closest spot since I know when we leave I'll have forgotten where I parked. I load up my arms like my waitressing days at Denny's and head straight for the emergency room, and it's then that I find ol' gimpy as calm as a cucumber. We exchange smiles, we hug, we kiss and he tells me all about this wild jump that went south mid air, how he landed, or rather didn't, and how the rush before the pain distracted him. I frown with concern and we smile again. 


It's not too long after that they move us to a more permanent room. I make home in my 3 by 1 couch space, he gets comfy in his new bed and we wait for the next step in the process. 


As crazy as this sounds, I actually look forward to my time in the hospital. I look forward to coming and going as I please, putting life on hold and most responsibilities for another day. I enjoy browsing the cafeteria without the helping hands of a five year old. I enjoy stocking my overnight bag with corn nuts and dried fruit, and drinking lots of heart burn induced coffee.


What I find most enjoyable though is the time Justin and I get to have together. We talk about things we never have time to discuss. We giggle and laugh about things we never have time to find funny. We talk about our dreams. We talk about our aspirations. We talk about all  we desire for our little Ave. And then we realize how big the hospital bills will be after the visit. And then we laugh some more. Maybe it's the pain pills. Maybe it's the dress attire. Or lack of. It's a time to succumb to the circumstance and regard it for what it is. A time to be lazy.


A couple days ago with the exception of a few changes, the situation wasn't much different in order. But this time it didn't include the dirt bike and this time I was woke up at 1 am with Justin's lower abdomen in it's most painful state. I did everything as usual to prepare for our trip to the hospital where we later found out he had an appendicitis. Not an uncommon thing, but none the less it was scary, it was unexpected, and worst of all, we missed our camping trip!


Justin was a trooper and the surgery was successful with little to prove it. Aside from our wait time (18 hours plus) we managed to keep our hospital routine up to par. We had time for uninterrupted visits. We had time to laugh at peek a boo hospital gowns. 


He charmed the nurses with humor and wittiness, and he milked it for all it was worth. I have three chocolate puddings to prove it.


At the end of his visit when home was just around the corner, there was only one request he had.




To see his little bunchkin.

She was dressed to her best and toted goodies for daddy.




She charmed the nurses with humor and wittiness.

She milked it for all it was worth.

Therefore you are the fruit of your parents, and as the saying goes "the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. Let's just hope my hospital visits don't increase.