We spent last night in the ER

I was in the kitchen taking 2 pizzas out of the oven to rotate them so they'd cook evenly. I heard a really loud scream and dropped one pizza on top of the other. I quickly finish taking care of the pizza and come into the living room to see what's wrong.

Ruby is standing in the middle of the floor COVERED in blood. It's just pouring down her face everywhere. From the first look I knew we were going to the hospital. I say, "We're going to the hospital. Keithen, Kaylee, get your coats and shoes." I swoop Ruby up and take her to the bathroom and get a wet cloth to clean the blood away and see exactly what we're dealing with. A huge gash right in the middle of her beautiful forehead. I tell Keithen to go get my phone. Ruby is screaming and crying, but holding the cloth on her head. I call Matt, who is at work, and tell him I'm taking Ruby to Community East.

I grab Ruby's shoes and coat and give them to Keithen to carry. I turn off the oven and grab up Magic Bunny for Kaylee, Jojo for Ruby, a hand-held game and homework for Keithen and carry Ruby out to the car without her coat or shoes. She's still crying but she's holding her rag up there like a pro. Kaylee is afraid she will get bloody and won't touch Ruby or hold her hand or anything to comfort her on the ride to the hospital. :( She screams and crys because I even suggested that she touch her bloody sister. Traffic was bad since it was about 6:00.

On the way there, Keithen explains that he was trying to get Ruby to give him a hug and she didn't want to. I guess she was trying to get away from him and somehow she fell into the corner of the wall that divides the living room and computer room. Geez girl....give your brother a hug next time! It's much less painful!

We got to the hospital about 6:15. Matt meets us outside and takes my van to park it. I take Ruby inside and we stand and wait. NO ONE is at the desk in the ER. There are lots of people. Ruby is totally calm now. Maybe if she'd have still been screaming and crying we'd have gotten some attention faster. Matt and K&K come in but they left Keithen's homework in the car. We fill out the papers and sit and wait forever. We finally go through triage and Ruby gets a little doggie pillow to hold and a piece of gauze taped over her wound. She is fine with the nurse, no crying or anything. We go sit in the waiting room again until they can get us a spot.

FINALLY they call our name. They room they send us to has a TV in it. We turn on the TV and wait for a doctor. The kids are now realizing they haven't had dinner. Doctor Rob comes in and looks at Ruby. She screams, crys and trys to hide her face in my shoulder. He thinks they might be able to glue it back together - it's a nice, clean cut and the edges match up nicely. I say my concern is scaring because of where it is. He says then we might want stitches and he wants his supervisor to look at it. We wait again. Two docs come back and look at her. More crying and anxiety on her part. Yes, looks like maybe 3 stitches. I ask Dr. Rob if it would be OK for me to nurse her to calm her down and he's says that's fine. (I remember with Keithen when he had to be mummy'd up for stitches they didn't want him to even have water. Yeah for Dr. Rob!)

I explain to Ruby about the numbing medicine and how they will wrap her up in a sheet so she can't move while they fix her up. I tell her it won't hurt and I'll be with her the whole time. The nurse comes in and puts a topical numbing agent on it. She's afraid it will drip in her eyes. She wants me to keep her lying down. So we lay together on the bed to nurse. Matt takes K&K to find the cafeteria. Guess what...it's 8:00 now and the cafeteria closed at 7:00. They have to find vending machines. Whoo hoo...kids get Cheetos, Fritos and blueberry muffins for dinner. Ruby nurses to sleep. (She was exhausted...she hadn't taken a nap all day.)

The nurse comes back and we try to mummy her up without waking her but of course it doesn't work. Tired, hungry and scared crying from my girl. I help the nurse and talk to Ruby the whole time. We get her arms pinned with the sheet and then they tape her legs to the bed so she can't kick or buck. I help to hold her face still while they clean her up, numb her and get ready to sew her up. Dr. Rob decides NOT to use the sterile drape over her face because he wants her to be able to see me. (Another yeah! for Dr. Rob!) I'm stradling her body, holding the sides of her face and another nurse is holding her chin and the top of her head. She's crying so hard. I'm talking calmly to her, trying to get her to recite "The Little Old Lady Who Wasn't Afraid of Anything" but she's not going along with it. I try to keep my head out of Dr. Rob's way, but above her so that she can see me well. I keep telling her to look at my eyes and talk to her through the whole thing.

She ended up with four stitches. She nursed again for a bit and then they came and put ointment on it and a bandaid. All three kids were so exhausted when we finally got home around 10:00.

I need to change her bandaid and put more ointment on it here in a bit. If she'll let me, I'll take a picture of her stitches.

I was holding it together for her last night but there were several times that *I* wanted to cry for my sweet girl. I really hope it heals well and she doesn't have a big scar right in the middle of her forehead! :( Poor thing...she'll still have a nice wound on her face for her birthday next week.

(Sigh...and 7 years ago today I was at Community East in labor with Keithen...tomorrow is his birthday.)