Another ER Christmas
(Please excuse this out of order story. I thought it was too good to wait for. VW)
My family has a pretty unusual Christmas tradition. It involves somebody taking a trip to the emergency room.
Typically, that somebody has been me. As a child, I had a pretty tough time with asthma. I don't have too many memories of these visits other than my Mom retelling them for the billionth time.
There was another time when my dad awoke on Christmas Eve to find me pinwheeling in the bathroom. After getting cleaned up, this led to another ER visit.
I do recall going to the emergency room on Christmas when I was a tweenager. A bloody nose lasted for several hours. Finally, I passed out from the blood loss as I was asking my Mom to go to the hospital.
I managed to avoid the ER for a while on Christmas but the Commander hasn't been that lucky.
Ten years ago, she was driving into work when she was t-boned by another driver that ran a red light.
As I sat with her that day, I realized that I was going to be proposing as soon as she was back on her feet.
It had been a while since we had the opportunity to have another ER Christmas. I shouldn't have been surprised that we were going to have one this year.
This time, it was for the Chicken.
We have been passing around a cold here for the last week and the Chicken was the last one to get it. Unfortunately, it went right to her ears and she developed a painful ear infection.
We were visiting my Mom and her husband in San Diego on Christmas Day when it became apparent to the Commander and I that Christmas was prematurely over due to the Chicken's ears.
We scooped her up and left our presents behind (Number 2 was there and he was going to bring them to us tomorrow) and headed to the urgent care facility near our house.
Unfortunately, urgent care was closed and the emergency room was our only option. I quickly scanned the parking lot and felt like we might be able to get in and out quickly as there were not many cars in the lot.
There were only three groups of people in there ahead of us and I had a chance to scope things out while the Commander checked the Chicken in. There was a young couple sitting across from me that both wore pained expressions. I couldn't tell if both were hurt or if they were both that annoyed because the Chicken was screaming so much.
There was a lady sitting next to me with her shoe off. Looks like she sprained her ankle.
And there was an entire family sitting in front of me. They all shared the same mournful expression.
The Commander returned to where I was sitting and we passed the Chicken back and forth like Cal Bears return team scoring that amazing touchdown against Stanford. The Chicken wasn't happy with being with her mom and even more unhappy to be with her dad.
A nurse came to get the Chicken's vitals and the Commander took her in,
There's a football game on in the lobby. The Vikings are getting eliminated from the playoffs. Today's Times is sitting next to me and start thumbing through articles.
I also figure out what is going on with the family sitting across from me.
There's a mom with a bad mom hairstyle. She's probably in her mid-forties.
The grandma is there. She still has her apron on. It looks like they came her in a hurry.
Grandpa is there and on his cell phone (downright flaunting the ban of use in here).
There are two teenagers here too. A boy and a girl.
The boy looks like every other blond haired kid from the rich part of Orange. He doesn't look sad for the right reason. He looks like he's sad because his Christmas just went to shit.
The girl is crying. She's the older sibling. She's wearing clothes that she's really not old enough to be wearing. A tight black turtleneck sweater with equally tight jeans that disappear into a pair of brown cowboy boots that must be awkward to wear.
She is the only one crying.
The door that the Commander and the Chicken went into opens and two men come out.
One man is crying and wiping tears away with a wash cloth from home. The other is holding the older man's shoulders.
They both approach their family.
I pick up a paper and try to read an article but the story unfolding in front of me is more interesting. All of the players fall into place.
Grandma has just died. Grandpa and their only son have returned to the emergency room lobby. The in-laws have been waiting with their daughter and her two children.
The two grandfather's leave together. The widower just wants to go home and be alone. He is sobbing.
The son looks...relieved. This wasn't a sudden death. He tells his wife that his mom just wanted to make it through Sunday and she almost did. He has some additional paperwork to fill out and returns to the desk.
The teenage girl explodes in tears. She's mad that she didn't get to see her grandma before she passed. He parents wouldn't let her.
I want to tell her that it is going to be okay. That the memories that she has of her living are more important that of the missing memory of her dying.
I hear the Chicken let out a howl in the other room. Two words, rectal thermometer.
The living grandma is now explaining to her sobbing granddaughter about the circle of life and I just want to yell at her.
She's seen the Lion King. She gets it. It just hurts right now.
Grandma changes the subject and asks if everyone had a chance to taste that meat she cooked because it sure was good.
The Commander and the Chicken return to the waiting room and it is my turn to hold the Chicken.
Once a bed opens up, we'll be in.
The dad returns to his family and they are talking about funeral arrangements. The Commander thinks it is weird but that was what we were doing immediately after our dad passed.
The Chicken arches her back and lets out another howl. They family across from us packs up to leave.
I make eye contact with the mother. She gives me a slight smile. I nod at her.
She knows what I'm going through and I know what they are going through.
A different nurse calls the Chicken's name and we all go into the emergency room together.
We pass by all of the people that we had been waiting with in the lobby. We also pass a bed that appears to be the current resting place for the dead grandma.
The Commander holds the Chicken while I'll hold her new Snoopy plush that Galaxy Girl just gave her.
I'm glad the only reason we are here is an ear infection.
VW
My family has a pretty unusual Christmas tradition. It involves somebody taking a trip to the emergency room.
Typically, that somebody has been me. As a child, I had a pretty tough time with asthma. I don't have too many memories of these visits other than my Mom retelling them for the billionth time.
There was another time when my dad awoke on Christmas Eve to find me pinwheeling in the bathroom. After getting cleaned up, this led to another ER visit.
I do recall going to the emergency room on Christmas when I was a tweenager. A bloody nose lasted for several hours. Finally, I passed out from the blood loss as I was asking my Mom to go to the hospital.
I managed to avoid the ER for a while on Christmas but the Commander hasn't been that lucky.
Ten years ago, she was driving into work when she was t-boned by another driver that ran a red light.
As I sat with her that day, I realized that I was going to be proposing as soon as she was back on her feet.
It had been a while since we had the opportunity to have another ER Christmas. I shouldn't have been surprised that we were going to have one this year.
This time, it was for the Chicken.
We have been passing around a cold here for the last week and the Chicken was the last one to get it. Unfortunately, it went right to her ears and she developed a painful ear infection.
We were visiting my Mom and her husband in San Diego on Christmas Day when it became apparent to the Commander and I that Christmas was prematurely over due to the Chicken's ears.
We scooped her up and left our presents behind (Number 2 was there and he was going to bring them to us tomorrow) and headed to the urgent care facility near our house.
Unfortunately, urgent care was closed and the emergency room was our only option. I quickly scanned the parking lot and felt like we might be able to get in and out quickly as there were not many cars in the lot.
There were only three groups of people in there ahead of us and I had a chance to scope things out while the Commander checked the Chicken in. There was a young couple sitting across from me that both wore pained expressions. I couldn't tell if both were hurt or if they were both that annoyed because the Chicken was screaming so much.
There was a lady sitting next to me with her shoe off. Looks like she sprained her ankle.
And there was an entire family sitting in front of me. They all shared the same mournful expression.
The Commander returned to where I was sitting and we passed the Chicken back and forth like Cal Bears return team scoring that amazing touchdown against Stanford. The Chicken wasn't happy with being with her mom and even more unhappy to be with her dad.
A nurse came to get the Chicken's vitals and the Commander took her in,
There's a football game on in the lobby. The Vikings are getting eliminated from the playoffs. Today's Times is sitting next to me and start thumbing through articles.
I also figure out what is going on with the family sitting across from me.
There's a mom with a bad mom hairstyle. She's probably in her mid-forties.
The grandma is there. She still has her apron on. It looks like they came her in a hurry.
Grandpa is there and on his cell phone (downright flaunting the ban of use in here).
There are two teenagers here too. A boy and a girl.
The boy looks like every other blond haired kid from the rich part of Orange. He doesn't look sad for the right reason. He looks like he's sad because his Christmas just went to shit.
The girl is crying. She's the older sibling. She's wearing clothes that she's really not old enough to be wearing. A tight black turtleneck sweater with equally tight jeans that disappear into a pair of brown cowboy boots that must be awkward to wear.
She is the only one crying.
The door that the Commander and the Chicken went into opens and two men come out.
One man is crying and wiping tears away with a wash cloth from home. The other is holding the older man's shoulders.
They both approach their family.
I pick up a paper and try to read an article but the story unfolding in front of me is more interesting. All of the players fall into place.
Grandma has just died. Grandpa and their only son have returned to the emergency room lobby. The in-laws have been waiting with their daughter and her two children.
The two grandfather's leave together. The widower just wants to go home and be alone. He is sobbing.
The son looks...relieved. This wasn't a sudden death. He tells his wife that his mom just wanted to make it through Sunday and she almost did. He has some additional paperwork to fill out and returns to the desk.
The teenage girl explodes in tears. She's mad that she didn't get to see her grandma before she passed. He parents wouldn't let her.
I want to tell her that it is going to be okay. That the memories that she has of her living are more important that of the missing memory of her dying.
I hear the Chicken let out a howl in the other room. Two words, rectal thermometer.
The living grandma is now explaining to her sobbing granddaughter about the circle of life and I just want to yell at her.
She's seen the Lion King. She gets it. It just hurts right now.
Grandma changes the subject and asks if everyone had a chance to taste that meat she cooked because it sure was good.
The Commander and the Chicken return to the waiting room and it is my turn to hold the Chicken.
Once a bed opens up, we'll be in.
The dad returns to his family and they are talking about funeral arrangements. The Commander thinks it is weird but that was what we were doing immediately after our dad passed.
The Chicken arches her back and lets out another howl. They family across from us packs up to leave.
I make eye contact with the mother. She gives me a slight smile. I nod at her.
She knows what I'm going through and I know what they are going through.
A different nurse calls the Chicken's name and we all go into the emergency room together.
We pass by all of the people that we had been waiting with in the lobby. We also pass a bed that appears to be the current resting place for the dead grandma.
The Commander holds the Chicken while I'll hold her new Snoopy plush that Galaxy Girl just gave her.
I'm glad the only reason we are here is an ear infection.
VW
posted by JVW at 5:29 PM
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