Paybacks For Robert

Yesterday was definitely not a "banner day" for Robert. It started with his bank card being stolen, his account being emptied, and him now being overdrawn. As if that wasn't enough for one day for a kid about to turn 18, he ended his day and started this one in the emergency room.

Let me back up to share this story. When we were still living in DeWitt, Iowa, the boys were playing at church after a Royal Rangers event. Rob was there to pick them up & talking to the pastor- who didn't much care for our kids after this event. The boys were chasing each other or playing tag or something when Robert pushed Matthew (playing) and he fell into a row of bikes and busted two teeth. He came home with one tooth chipped but still holding together, and one tooth busted and holding the piece that broke off in his hand. There was Matthew with a bloody and painful mouth and crying and Robert looking very scared and sad that he had hurt his brother unintentionally.

Jump back to 2008 now. Last night, while Rob was gone delivering Barbara to a babysitting job, the boys went into the backyard to play a little hockey. They didn't have a puck so they improvised and used the next best thing- a chewed-up dog bone, of course! I know you were thinking the same thing- "What better improvised puck then a dog bone." Well, things were going along fine until Robert took a direct hit to his chin from just a few feet away. Yup, you guessed it, there was some blood. He came running into the house laughing a lot and asking me like it was a joke, "Where's the blood coming from?" As he turned to go to the bathroom, I could see that it was a BIG cut. I got up to follow him to the bathroom where he was realizing it was more serious than he knew. I saw white (I think the bone, but who knows?) under all the blood. I immediately started grabbing my glasses, keys, purse, cell phone, and trying to call Rob and get Matthew from the backyard (where he was probably waiting, scared to come inside). I had to help Robert find a shirt and put it on (he had taken his new shirt he was wearing off to keep it from being ruined from the blood). Stupid me put a wife-beater tee on him.

So, off we went to Primecare, me thinking it would be a $20 copay and they'd get him stitched up just fine. I called Rob and he got in the driveway just as we were pulling out. He stayed home to start dinner so it would be ready when we got home (both of us thinking it would be a couple hours at the most). When we got to Primecare, the nurses were just about to come out, only they looked like they were scared to come out with this kid in a wife-beater and a bloody rag and blood all over him standing there. They had just closed up and were going home. When they saw me, they finally opened the door. We had to go to the E.R., so off I went, speeding along like a maniac across town trying to go as fast as I could, not get us in a wreck and not get caught speeding too. Robert was starting to hurt by this point and hollering.

We got to the ER and signed in only to wait ........... and wait ..................... and wait............... and wait. Well, you get the idea. We were told we were looking at a 5-6 hour wait, but the other hospital in town was an even longer wait (and I knew from another experience visiting a coworker in the ER that this would be true). It was an "interesting" wait- the waiting room was full of people that looked like they might have the flu and many were wearing masks. Most of the people there looked miserable, but there were a few that were chatting away and looked fine. And there sits me- big, fat white woman- and the bloody kid in the wife-beater. We were drawing more than a few stares and the kid who had to sit by him when there were no other seats available looked positively scared to death of us.

We were called back to register after an 1 1/2 hour wait. Then we sat in the "Fast Track" waiting area another 1 1/2 hours. I'd hate to see how long the people in the "normal" track had to wait. YIKES!! The whole time we waited, Robert's chin continued to bleed- not bad, but still. I asked where I could put the bloody rag he had filled up & if they had some gauze or something I could get for him, and they looked at me like I was from Mars or stupid or something. They handed me a small puke-pan thing & pointed to the bathroom. I ended up getting some tissue from the bathroom for him (I hope it was sterile enough). Later when I asked the dr. where he could put the "new" bloody rag, they said, "Oh, just whereever, we don't worry about that." I am quoting! I couldn't believe it!!! And, we're not talking about some country, small hospital. We're in G'boro, a city of over 200,000! Go figure!!!!!!!! Anyway, we saw a doctor after we'd been there four hours, and then they finally were able to come stitch him up and we got out of there about midnight. We got home six hours later, very tired and very hungry!!!

We were all kidding him that this was "paybacks" from Matthew for the great "Bike/Teeth Incident of DeWitt." By that time, he was too tired and frustrated to laugh anymore, but he did smile a bit.

What a day! What a night! Welcome to adult-hood, Robert. :)