Heartbreak

Lynda Miller
Feb. 23, 2011




Sue pounded on the bathroom door. She could hear the sounds coming from her daughter on the other side. It wasn't a moan; it was more like a raspy, low humming. Nothing anyone could describe. She had to get in there, but the door was locked. As her panic worsens, she yellsloudly for help. Her husband runs upstairs.He doesn't know what's going on. Realizing he couldn't kick the door down, he runs downstairs to the garage and gets a tool to open the door.

The young boy stands there by the door, in his underware, waiting with his grandmother, a phone in his hands. In a small voice he ask if he could call 911. A look of fear and sadness show on his little face. He’d turned eight not too long ago, but he was much wiser than his years.
His grandmother tells him to wait. She must get in the bathroom and see what's wrong. The child becomes anxious. He wants to help and he wants to call 911 now. He's no stranger to his mom being sick. Yet his grandmother calmly says, "Honey, lets wait until Pops gets the door off."

His grandfather is back and working to get the door off the hinges. Finally it's off and he moves it to one side. Sue walks in and sees her daughter lying naked on the floor, seizing. There's no way of telling how long she's been there. Gently, she turns her on her side. She knows what to do when someone has an epeletic seizer, but this one is different. She tells the child to give his grandfather the phone and telll him to call 911. Then she asked him to bring her some large towels to cover his mom. When the child comes back with the towels, his grandmother has him talk to her and stroke her face. She tells him his mom can hear him and will be okay. In her gut she isn't sure this time. The pounding of feet running up the stairs tells her the Paramedics are here. The grandmother feels relief. As they work on his mom, he is told to step back out of the way.They place her on a back board and transport her to the hospital. He has seen to much. The child picks up his toy guitar and turns it on.The song, “Born to Be Wild” vibrates throughout the house. The paramedics stop for a moment and look into his bedroom. He is wildly prancing up and down in his underware, pretending to play the guitar. His grandmother sees him and doesn't stop him. Her heart shatters.


When the mother,father and child arrive at the hospital, they are taken to the Emergency room. It's busy. The grandmother walks into the room and sees their daughter continuing to seize. Nurses come and go.The grandmother sits down on a wooden chair. The grandfgather has to go back to be with the child.A young nurse walks in to ajdust the saline sloution going into her daughter. As she turns to leave she says, “Oh, you look just like your daughter.” The grandmother does not respond. She sits and waits. Soon the older daughter comes into the room. Her father had called her. She looks in contempt at her mother. Goes to her sister and looks at her then goes out to look for a doctor. The grandfather has taken the boy back home. A friend is coming over to stay with him.The mother standsupt out of the chair and sees her daughter talking to a doctor down the hall. She leaves the room and goes over to where they are, and introduces herself to him. He says he doesn't think she will live through the night. The mother asked him several other questions, and then goes back to be with her younger daughter. The older one follows. Another doctor comes into the room and explains they have to transport her downtown to the Trauma Unit. He says their hospital is not equipped with the machines she needs. The grandfather arrives and they go home to wait for the phone call telling them what hospital and ICU she is in. And the child continues to play.The phone rings and the grandfather is told what hospital, and unit she is in. It'getting dark, so the grandfather puts the child in bed, and stays with him until he is asleep. They attempt to sleep, but it doesn't come. They keep listening for the phone to ring and someone saying she is gone. Late in the night the child comes to their room and climbs into bed with them. They all curl together and fall asleep.


787 words