So Tired

Yesterday was my day off. I got up early, took Jacelyn to school. Included a note in her folder about her cough, saying I was medicating it (she reeked of Vicks) and that she feels fine but if I needed to come back and get her I would. Got home, cleaned up, did some laundry. Spent three hours at the commisary with Brian's mother and Michelle. Came home, unloaded the metric ton of groceries and got it all put away. I was walking through the kitchen, thinking about a ham sandwich, when the phone rang.

It was Jacelyn's school. Before the woman could tell me what was wrong, I said, "Let me guess, she isn't feeling well". She wasn't, but it wasn't because of her cough. "She was running in the playground and fell and hit the ground with her face" the nurse explained. I asked if she was OK, and the nurse said yes, she was, but she had a small cut on her nose and under her eye, nothing that needed stitches. "Do I need to come get her?" I asked. The nurse asked Jacelyn if she was feeling well, and Jacelyn said she was. Then she put Jacelyn on the phone, and Jacelyn started crying and saying she wanted to come home. That was enough for me - all thoughts of ham sandwiches gone, I hopped in the car - Michelle decided to come along - and went to get her.

I got into the office and the entire staff was around her, patting her, rubbing her face. Her back was to me at the moment. Sister Patricia was talking to her, and looked up at me. "She looks like a losing prizefighter" was what she said, and I laughed. After all, what's a little cut and scrape? When Jacelyn got up, I literally gasped a little. Sister said, "Well, I told you". She did look like she had been on the losing end of a fight - black eye, dirty, tear-stained face, cut up eye and nose. Poor baby.

We went home, and she seemed fine, but the eye with the cut underneath it was very red and watery. We ended up at an Urgent Care facility (which meant lots and lots of waiting), where it was discovered that Jacelyn had a corneal abrasion - a cut on her actual eye itself. Very painful, from what I've heard. They sent me home with a prescription for some antibiotic goo and a directive to return there today for a follow-up. We left there around 4:00 or so. I dropped Jacelyn and Michelle off at Michelle's apartment and went to Wal-Mart to get the scrip filled. An hour later her medicine was ready, and I went back and got her. Took her to Brian's mother's house, got her into a nightgown and pinned her down for an application of the eye medicine (not fun), and then had to meet up with the girl scout troop to drop off her fund raising money and pay her dues and for her ballet ticket.

At the girl scout meeting word had gotten out. When I walked in one mother said, "Gracie said Jacelyn got hurt and had to go home - is she ok?". I told the story, and there was much 'poor-baby-ing' all around. On the way out I ran into another girl from school who asked me, "How is Jacelyn's eye? Is she ok?". It was sweet and made me happy to know that she has little friends.

Back home, where Jacelyn was knocked out asleep on the sofa. I ate, cleaned up, woke her up and tried to coax some food into her. The poor baby was in agony. Worked around the house until 11pm, when I finally got Jacelyn into bed with me. She was restless all night - not crying, just tossing and turning and occasionally moaning. I couldn't sleep for a few hours, and when sleep finally did come it was fragmented. Every time Jacelyn moved I would wake up.

Got up early this morning, got ready for work. Got Jacelyn out of bed, fixed her some cereal and then went and picked up Michelle. Back to the house, medicate Jacelyn (a nightmare) and then off to work. I'm exhausted. At some point today I have to take her back to the urgent care center for a follow-up. I'm so tired. I'm so glad she's ok.

The Bernardo's are certain there's some sort of cover-up or conspiracy at hand at school. "I'll bet they were playing tag" I remember someone saying, in a very accusatory tone, as if they were playing with loaded firearms. Children, especially my child, are going to fall. Down, off things, out of things, onto things. It happens. And after some of the stories I heard yesterday about Brian and Michelle, I am not the only relative that added clumsy into the gene pool. They spent more than their fair share of time in the emergency room as children. No one pushed her, there was no plot, the child just fell. Good grief. Everyone wants to know "what really happened". Huh? They think there has to be more to the story. Because Jacelyn said that she fell on one of her classmates, and no one in the office mentioned that to me. Well, Jacelyn did say that she fell on Mitch, but she also said she fell on a rock the size of a car and had on three shoes at the time. Bless her sweet soul, Jacelyn has a very active imagination and her version of events cannot always be trusted.

I would like to know if she did fall on Mitch, and if she did, if he is ok. Other than I'm not worried. The doctor said these cuts generally heal in 24 hours. So hopefully by tomorrow all will be well. I'm not looking forward to a return trip to the urgent care - if we could have followed up with our doctor we could have made an appointment, been in and out, but whatever. As long as she gets better.