An Aries knee-d

I received a call from Aries' school this morning. She injured her knee while in her morning "daycare" before school started. I dropped everything (i.e., watching the news) and shot like a bullet up to her school - which was easy to do in my Mustang.

There, inside her daycare and still lying on the floor, lay my little one.

AP: I'm looking for a broken little girl I can take home.

AA: I'm down here, Mommy.

AP: That's too bad because I only want to take an uninjured girl home. Sorry!! [I turned to walk toward the door].

AA: Oh, very funny, Mahhhm.

Apparently she was walking across the room when someone behind her said something. She stopped and quickly turned, her foot stayed facing forward. She hyper-extended her knee, heard it pop and dropped to the floor.

By the time I had gotten to the school only 15 minutes after the fact, it was swollen about twice as big as normal. All the other kids headed to class and the only teacher present with her is seven and a half months pregnant and couldn't help her up.

There was my little girl crumpled on the floor, ice on her knee and covered with a blanket. The principal brought in a wheel chair and we got her into the car. I got her home and put my patience cap on while she hopped (VERY SLOWLY) toward the front door.

AA: One, two, three, HOP.

AP: this is going to be a long 20 feet to the front door

AA: One, two, three, HOP.

AP: OH MY HELL, BUCK UP LITTLE SOLDIER AND MOVE IT

AA: One, two, three, HOP.

AP: oh for cryin' out loud, stop being an impatient asshole, she's hurt

HT: Does she need help getting in the house? Is she hurt or something. [There before me stood my ray of light, my vision of hope, Hot Toddy's Toaster Oven].

I informed Hot that she "blew" her knee but I didn't know how bad it was. Bless his heart, he picked her up and carried her to the front door and then picked her up again and carried her up the stairs into the livingroom.

Blah Blah doctor booked solid and can't see her. Fast forward to the emergency room at Mt. Hood Medical. I run in and get a wheelchair for Aries. She maneuvers herself out of the car and into the chair and immediately realizes just how "zippy" wheelchairs are.

AA: These chairs are fun, I want one!!!

AP: Yeah, well you might want to talk to someone who doesn't have working legs. I think they might disagree with you on that point.

I went through all the usual b.s. of admitting her and she wheeled her little ass all over the waiting room. She finally stopped by a rather large woman in another wheel chair who had fallen asleep and was snoring so hard Aries started to laugh and couldn't stop.

Then she moved her chair to the other side of the waiting room and realized she had planted herself right next to a woman who had the flu and was vomiting in a barf bag. She couldn't wheel herself away from her quickly enough. I don't think Aries is a sympathy puker, but I didn't want to find out.

She ended up parked in front of the vending machine while we discussed our favorites in order of "can't live without."

AA: [out of nowhere] I was thinking. You know how when people are going too get married they get cold feet? How cold do their feet really get? I mean, what is it about being married that makes their feet cold? I don't get it.

AP: [laughing hysterically] You are the cutest kid, ever.

She was in good spirits considering she was in pain and couldn't walk. The docs and nurses all fell in love with her. The doc said the pop she heard was likely her knee cap. Said it's not uncommon for it to pop out and back into place and that it is very painful when it happens and will cause swelling. X-rays didn't show any damage that he could see. He's calling it a sprained knee and she's donning a knee brace for a week.

I stopped by the pharmacy and picked her up some crutches as she's supposed to be non-weight bearing for a couple of days. Segue to tomorrow's post, The Crutches.

Goddess give me strength.