Inflection/Reflection

Chuck and I were sitting on the front porch early Saturday, enjoying the cool of the blue and green morning, sipping coffee and watching the sun come up. Emmi had spent Friday night with us; she was laughing and cooing at the birds around the bird feeder when her mama texted me and asked if she could stop by after work.

Summer works 7pm – 7am in a large university teaching hospital, a 40 minute commute away. Working in such a place, she is witness to amazing and wondrous things; unfortunately she is also managing a patient population that can be unsavory and difficult to deal with. She texted that she had had a hard night, and asked if she could stop by to see Emmi on her way home, and to play on her tire swing. Of course she could.

By the time she arrived, Chuck and I were on our third cup of coffee, and Emmi was asleep. Summer looked exhausted; so while Emmi slept, she just sat and told us about her night.

One of her patients was a twenty-something young man who had been severely injured; he was 6’9" tall, and weighed 225 pounds; quite a formidable figure, I’m sure. His main injury was to one of his extremities, but Summer was concerned that he was quite inappropriate and thought perhaps he also had a head injury. She spent the night not only caring for this patient (along with 4 others),  but also trying to convince the resident on call to order a head scan.

This patient was combative and yelling, cursing at her and calling her names. He also urinated on her, but what brought tears to my eyes was when she said he grabbed her hard by her long thick ponytail and she couldn’t get away. Twice.

The first time he grabbed her, she was sitting beside him on the bed, drawing blood for labwork. He reached around with his free hand, grabbed her by the hair and pinned her back. The needle was still in his arm and with her head pulled back, she could no longer see it. She said she knew one of her coworkers was a few feet away at the desk, so she just began yelling his name; he came running, and managed to free her.

The second time, she was assisting the doctor with this patient when he grabbed her again. This time, the doctor got her loose.

In my 40-plus year nursing career I have been hit, slapped, scratched, punched in the face, cursed at, spit at, vomited on. I have had my lip split, and  been kicked hard in the stomach while pregnant. There is probably not a name that I haven’t been called. I don’t think I ever cried from a physical assault by a patient, but the thought of my gentle-spirited daughter being held down by her hair just made me cry.

By now, Emmi was starting to rouse; Summer asked if she could run upstairs and take a shower so she could hold her. Of course she could. Minutes later she was back, fresh and clean from the shower; I made her a cup of coffee while she held her baby girl.

I watched her snuggle and cuddle Emmi, both of them laughing out loud. The horrible night began to melt away in the two blue pools of her baby’s eyes. "This is why I do it," she said. "This makes all of it worthwhile. I know I can take anything, because I get to come home to this."

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She got called in to work last night, on her night off. Because of a critical staffing shortage, the pay was much higher. With Tay still not working, Summer decided she needed to take advantage of this opportunity, so she called me and asked if I could keep Emmi.  Tay was conducting home church that night, and I was happy to take care of Emmi again.

I drove over to pick up the baby just before Summer left for work. She looked beautiful, but exhausted. I asked her if she had gotten any sleep; she said no. I remember doing the same thing as a young nurse, but it’s so hard.

Buckling Emmi securely into her car seat, I drove away, singing out loud to her as I drove. I thought about how pretty Summer looked, then I laughed out loud. Her long thick hair had been pulled up and pinned on top of her head. Securely. With no places to grab on to.

This daughter of mine. She looks like a delicate magnolia blossom, but she is as tough as steel.

uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

One Tired Mommy

 

 

Emmi of Arabia

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Sissy, Emmi and Me; 4th of July