Dinner was canceled en lieu of an ER visit Monday night. Gabe and Lydia were playing a little match of pre-dinner golf when Gabe caught the club in the face during little sister's wind up. We figured the details out much later, as nothing made sense in the immediate aftermath of screams, sobs and protestations of both guilt and innocence. I had no idea what the unintended weapon had been. The iron had been dropped in the grass like it was caught sin itself. The cause of the open gash was left to my imagination. I was relieved to see eyes, teeth, and features intact. The gash was clean and straight, right in the smile line before the swelling. I was running around like... a crazy woman but managed to procure sane actions. Marshal was just rousing himself from catch-up sleep and readying for another night at the hospital. I let him know in a fly-by that stitches were in order for the evening. He continued his preparations as if nothing was amiss, calm, stoic, steady, contemplative. He checked out Gabe and came up with his action plan. He made his coffee and microwaved an Amy's lasagna I had stowed for a year, for such a time as this, and sent me to the hospital ahead of him.
Now, having a fine doctor for a husband and dad does have its benefits! Gabe, Lydia, and I checked in at the Naval Hospital ER and sat for awhile. Just before Gabriel was called back we caught sight of Daddy, already in his scrubs, looking for us. After the stats were taken, and we were ushered into a procedures room, Marshal met us, and it was just us.... Gabe on the bed, his eyes big, vulnerable and brave, his hand in mine; Lydia on my lap, being Mommy's little helper by being quiet and still, holding in her myriad of questions; Dr. Daddy bending over Gabe, talking him through the work of his proficient hands, cleansing, anesthetizing, irrigating, and stitching the wound. Now how is that for a first emergency room experience?! Almost makes this whole crazy life worth it! Nothing like going to the ER to spend an extra hour or two with your hubby. Too bad we set the stage for a busy night at the ER that kept Marshal hopping without reprieve. He was too spent to recover today before he headed back in tonight. We are praying, hoping for some rest for him this night - last shift - clinic tomorrow - four day weekend on the horizon.
This was a first experience for us all, both sets of grandparents included! Wasn't there a Mark Twain tale, Jumping Frog of Calaveras County? That's my only recollection of frog jumping contests. This is supposedly a long tradition in our town, and it definitely piqued Gabe's interest. Grandma helped him find a beautiful specimen of a frog in our forest wetland just in time for the noon contest. Gabe allowed Lydia to enter the frog in her age division as well, and Freddy Frog earned 2nd place for length from tip to toe and 2nd place in Lydia's division for distance in three consecutive jumps even if he tried to outwit all with plan of escape and reverse of direction. He didn't earn a kiss from the court princess, but he was a real prince of a frog in our estimation.
