Full Life Circle

Tonight is a weekly dinner with Patrick and Abby, however, this time Kane is joining us as well. Jon left to pick him up at the airport at noon with plans to stop and get some time on the ice. So that left me in charge of a cranky Brooklyn. She is a whopping seven months old now that it is July. And today, the one day that I am left alone with her for the first time all summer, she is Mrs. Crankypants. She has only had two days like this the entire time I have been her nanny and Jon was around for both of those. But today seemed kind of different.

I had Brooklyn in her playpen in the family room while I prepped for dinner around two thirty. I was making a lasagna with garlic bread. I was about halfway done preparing the seven layer lasagna when Brooklyn erupted into screams. These weren’t normal screams for attention, so I quickly stopped cooking and washed my hands to go check on her. When I got there, she was still screaming and her face was really red. I put a hand to her forehead and immediately found her to be super hot. I picked her up and cradled her to me. She still didn’t stop screaming and wailing. I went to the medicine cabinet closest to the kitchen and found it equipped with a thermometer. I quickly got it set, while she struggled in my arms, and got a temperature reading. She was at an alarming one hundred and four. That freaked me out and so I went back to the kitchen, turned off the oven, and picked up my phone to call my sister.

“Hey, thought I would just see you later?” she answered. Then I heard an “oh,” as she must have heard the wailing little girl in my arms.

“She has a 104 degree fever, is that high enough to go to the hospital?” I was quick to spit that information out and wasn’t quite sure if she understood me. She might be a mom of two, but me being that snippy is unusual.

“Yeah, you should take her. How long has she had it?” She was almost screaming at me, but she had to so I could hear her over Brooklyn. I was rocking the little girl the entire time, but it was no help at all.

“I don’t know. I didn’t get her up this morning, but she was asleep in her playpen from the time her dad left to about twenty minutes ago. She then started wailing like this about two minutes before I called.”

“Take her to the hospital closest to your place, Seven Oaks, I think. I will leave Pat with the girls and I’ll be there as soon as I can. Traffic is going to suck from this side of the city, but I’ll be there. Do you want me to try calling Jon?”

“That would be great, he probably won’t answer the first call. You can try Kane too, they are probably on the ice by now. I’ll see you at Seven Oaks.” I got off the phone with her, and set about getting the still screaming little girl and I ready for the trip. I had to put her down in the playpen, but it hadn’t helped by picking her up so I figured it was fine. I got my purse and the spare car keys to the vehicle that Jon let me use. I then made sure that the diaper bag was packed to the brim and good to go. I then went and got Brooklyn so that we could head out. My phone was in my pocket and the bags on my shoulder as I got the crying child into the car seat. I was quick to buckle her in, wiggling around and everything. Then swung myself into the driver’s seat of the SUV to get on the road.

I got Brooklyn and I to the hospital where we were admitted immediately because she was a screaming baby less than a year old. They immediately gave the baby some medicine through an IV, which she absolutely hated, as I filled out her paperwork. I was so freaked out by this whole situation, I really wish that Jon was here. Not just because he is her dad, but because he would be the calming person I need right now. I don’t think Abby will help much with that either, she will just stress me out.

I finished filling out the paperwork and tried to get comfortable next to the crib they had Brooklyn in. She still wasn’t calming herself down and she was still kind of screeching. It was hurting my ears and I hate that I can’t help her. I just ran my fingers through her hair and sang to her. I tried lullaby's first, then moved into a more popular country song. By the time I was on the fifth song, she was tiring out and sat down in the crib. I kept singing and on the seventh song, she fell asleep. Nurses had been coming in and out quite frequently to check her temperature or see if she was reacting to the meds. Abby hadn’t called yet, but it had been about 45 minutes since we arrived. I was concerned that maybe she hadn’t gotten a hold of Jon yet either and might have tried to track him down at a rink. But then, like out of nowhere, Jon is standing in the doorway of the room they had us in.

I stood and he came to look into the crib and then looked at me. His face was of concern, I could see it all over his features.

“How is she? Hell, how are you? I couldn’t imagine being the only one with her when this started. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I should’ve been there, I’m her dad. I should’ve been there when she was this sick. God, I’m an awful parent.” I had to stop him. He was not a horrible dad and he shouldn’t have to think of himself like this.

“Jon, stop. You aren’t an awful parent. She’s doing much better now, the nurse said her temperature is slowly dropping. The doctor hasn’t come in yet though. And you are here now, so please don’t worry about not being there before, this is the important time. I promise.”