Chapter
3

So, we arrive in the ER at St. Tammany Parish Hospital. It was really weird to go into this ER. I was wearing scrubs and looking like a doctor, but I was far from that role today. They wheeled Alex’s stretcher into a trauma room and began her assessment. They swarmed on her as they should have. They took vitals and asked questions. I gave answers as a doctor would giving a report to another doctor. However, I wasn’t a doctor today. I was a dad, holding my daughter’s hand as she lay dazed on the stretcher not saying a word.

 

Then the ER doctor walked in. He was big and gruff, and he walked in with authority. He said, “I’m Dr. Weissmann.”

 

I said, “I know who you are. I teach your nephew in Sunday School.” I then teared up and had to take a deep breath. It was starting to come together for me that God was putting a team around me that day. Frankly, he has always put a team around me every day, but today it was becoming clear.

 

Dr. Weissmann said, “You do what?”

 

I said, “I teach your brother Mark’s son in Sunday School at First Baptist.” I don’t think he was impressed, or maybe that was a new one that he hadn’t ever heard before. Dr. Weissmann had been the ER director at St. Tammany for many years, and I’m sure everyone claimed to know him. I didn’t know him, but I knew many strong Christians that were in his family. I was very comforted that he was the doctor in charge that day.

 

Dr. Weissmann started to assess Alex physically, then he asked her a question that I will never forget. He simply said, “Alex, do you hurt anywhere?” Alex looked so very scared to answer.

 

I said, “It’s ok, Sweetheart.”

 

She sheepishly answered with, “I have a boo-boo”

 

It was a sweet little answer that made me want to smile at first, but then Dr. Weissmann said, “Where is your boo-boo, Alex”

 

I bent in close to Alex holding her hand as Alex mustered up the courage to answer and says, “…………”

 

No one but me heard what she said in the noisy ER that first time, but I did.

 

Dr. Weissmann said, “What did she say?”

 

Panic and dread ran through my heart and through my body at that time. I said, “She said her boo-boo is in her head.”

 

Dr. Weissmann said, “Where on her head?”

 

I said, “She didn’t say “on her head.” She said, “in her head.” “Her boo-boo is in her head”

 

Alex then kind of zoned out as they stuck her for blood and got another IV started. She barely flinched as they did this. They ordered a CT scan of her head, and Alex and I went back for the scan. They had me wear a lead apron so that I could be with her throughout the scan. We then returned back to the ER to await the scan to be read.

 

When we got back to the ER, they asked if we could try to get a urine sample from Alex. There was a small bathroom in the ER, so I took her to the toilet where she gave me a urine sample while a little dazed. I then pulled up her panties, held her in my arms and opened the door to the small bathroom. When I opened the door, there seemed to be a million eyes on me with a dreadful look in each of them. They said, “I’m afraid she’s got a skull fracture.” As if on cue of hearing that, Alex vomited every possible thing out of her onto both me and Elna.

 

We brought her gently back to her ER stretcher and the nurses gave her medication for nausea. Alex was, of course, three years old at that time, but she was given a huge dose of Phenergan that would have been enough to treat any grown sized adult. It did stop her from vomiting any more, but it also put her fast asleep. At the time, I was very concerned of the overdose, because it hampered our ability to assess her neurologically. However, it was a God send. It put Alex to sleep, and it allowed her to rest while Elna and I began to process our grief.

 

 

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 New International Version

 

13 Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. 14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.