It happened Sunday morning, August 7. The caller was Josh, Molly’s boyfriend. There’d been a fall. A fall? Not a wreck? Just a fall. How bad could a fall be? Did she fall out of a chair? Did she slip on a wet floor?
“She fell ten feet – into a cement ravine.”
“What? How?”
“She was coming back from her apartment pool and somehow she fell into this ravine.”
“I’m coming. I’m on my way.”
I hung up and thought: On my way to where? I called back with the questions I should have asked before.
“Is she conscious? Is she able to move her arms and legs? Where is she now?”
Two “yeses” and “the ambulance” later, I decided to stay put until I knew more, since I live one hundred miles away. I even laid myself back down in my bed, head to pillow, eyes wide open. Optimist that I am, I thought they would patch her up at the emergency room and send her home.
Not long after, the phone rang again.
“They’re sending her to Macon or Atlanta. In another ambulance. She has a skull fracture." Josh was shaky, his voice belying the litany of information.
Oh dear God, a skull fracture. Sending her to a larger hospital. On my way to put on my clothes and brush my teeth, I stopped by Google. “For most skull fractures, the person is sent home with instructions to watch for certain things." She was supposed to be sent home, not to another hospital!
Josh called again to tell me she was en route to Macon. Better for Molly, farther for me. I was in my car, on my way.
I didn't cry. I was resolute, cursing the darkness and my old eyes, a prayer in the middle of my heart. I made it to the hospital in a little over an hour and found my baby within minutes.
The tears arrived when I heard Molly's voice through the door and I thanked God and Jesus and my lucky stars and her strong constitution.
Ten days, an ICU stay, and a tough recovery later, Molly is at home and mending. Aside from her skull fracture, she had a concussion, and a brain bleed.
Now an urban legend in her small home town, Molly is left with an inability to smell, which the doctors say may remain.
I'm left with a brimming over of gratitude.
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A couple of weekends ago, Joe and I, along with our friend Janice, attended a Christmas concert performed by the Marietta Pops Orchestra, ...
38 comments:
Sweet God Marcia. What could possibly be worse than that call about your child. That drive.... Thank God and all the angels and prayers that she is on the mend. My heart is heavy with your suffering. I am sharing your gratitude.
Anyway, the world doesn't smell that good most of the time.
Molly is in my prayer and we will put her on our prayer list at our center.
Love,
Paula
Marcia, is What is Marcia last name (for the prayer list)?
I's sorry, here I am again. I am so discombobulated with this news about Molly, I can't get my thoughts together. Will you be staying with her? I hope and pray that her physical and emotional recovery are far less difficult than the drs. prognosis.
Oh Marcia. I am right there with you in heart and spirit,
Paula, Molly is Molly Talbert and I am Marcia Mayo. Thanks so much!
You have just lived through every parent's nightmare. Praises Be, she and you are both surviving in good shape. I am sending love, positive and healing thoughts. How scary.
Mary B
Wow. What a scare. What a story. I'm so glad to hear Molly is on the mend.
What an ordeal! I am so glad this post turned out positive. Now you need to take some time for yourself!
Am praying -- for her and for you!
Prayers for you and Molly, Marcia. What an ordeal for all of you, and how wonderful that her treatment is going well.
Holding you and Molly and Josh close to my heart for your ordeal and complete healing! Wow!
Don't forget the contusion under my brain.....
Seriously, I'm doing great and I'm so fortunate to have the great family and friends that I do. I feel worse for Josh and the two friends who were with me when it happened. Their quick thinking helped saved me. I will always be grateful to them.
And thank you to all the nice comments on here. I'm getting much better, but I still have a little ways to go. All the nice thoughts and prayers are so appreciated!
Molly does have some wonderful friends.
My God. and here's me thinking you were busy with your new job and unable to communicate because of that.
Thank goodness all is well now. I hate those 3 a.m. calls. I hope Molly can regain her sense of smell which also affects taste. Dianne
My very best wishes come flying across the Atlantic. I am so glad that the worst is over and you can all breathe a sigh of relief.
How very very frightening to receive such a call out of nowhere. At the same time, how very sweet, that the one woman cavalry, Marcia, flies to the rescue through the night.
You must be feeling a little better otherwise you wouldn't have been able to leave a comment on my post. Thank God, as they say.
I learned something by doing years and years of psychotherapy with hundreds of patients. I learned that anything can happen to anyone at any time.
I wish I didn't know that.
May she be well. May she be fit and fine. May she smell again, if she'd like...and I'm sure she would, since it affects taste and taste is such a pleasure. May you be able to pick up a ringing phone again without shaking. May you all find life so good in the future that you find yourself forgetting this altogether for days at a time.
I could feel the intensity of the situation while reading. I am so happy all is well. Very scary! PTL!
Ann MOrell
Oh Marcia, my heart stopped for you. How terrible!
I am so glad she is on the mend.
I am forever reminded of that sliver between life and death, how quickly one can become the other.
Your baby is safe. Scentless but safe.
Small price.
{{{{{hugs}}}}
XO
WWW
What an incredibly frightening thing for you and all involved. Thank goodness she wasn't alone and got the help she needed.
That trip must have been a nightmare for you.
I do hope her sense of smell returns.
You are all in my prayers.
Scentless is definitely better than senseless, which is what she might have been.
The phone ringing at three a.m. just never seems to be an announcement about winning the lottery. A parent's nightmare, for sure. I am so glad that she is getting better. Thank goodness she wasn't alone.
Marcia, Thank goodness Molly is on the mend, and you can be there for her. Sending prayers and good karma. Hugs, Brighid
Terrible phone call, very good news in the end.
I had a serious concussion as a child - and my sense of smell was better afterward! Go figure.
Marcia know that I am praying continuously. God is able and in control.
I feel with you... it must have been dreadful listening to your little girl's boyfriend telling you what happened... thank goodness there was someone there with her...and it is great that you were not living so far away from her that you could not get to her... oh the small blessings in life...
Thank God she is on her way to recovery...
My thoughts and prayers are with you and Molly.... may God give her the strength to recover quickly.
What a terrible scare it was for you at 3:00 am. It is good that you had to go to Macon and not to Portland or other points west and it is great that your daughter is doing fine. As children grow our worrying about them does not go away. All my best wishes to your daughter for a great recovery.
Oh My goodness Marcia....I'm so glad she is doing better. Paula was right, the world doesn't always smell so sweet anyway but I do hope Molly has a complete recovery!
How is Molly doing?
How is Molly doing?
Paula, Molly is doing great. She's driving again and looking for a job. She will go back for one more CT scan tomorrow, but I can't imagine that they will find anything (knock wood). Thanks to all of you for your prayers and thoughts.
Oh dear...the kind of call none of us ever wants to receive. I'm glad she's on the mend and hope the sense of smell returns. It's little consolation, but she's fortunate because it could have been so much worse.
Oh Marcia, how awful, glad you were able to drive safely to Molly. Thank God she is healing and sensible. I'll keep her in my prayers and add her to our prayers at church as well as some for you.
Hugs to you.
Oh, so scary. I am glad you could be with her and that she is okay. What a thing to happen.
How awful, but things seem to be resolving themselves. Take care, Marcia and Every Blessing
Marcia, how is everything going?
Paula, much better on all fronts. Molly is fine, other than still no smelling. My job is getting better. For some reason, though, I can't seem to write. It will come back eventually.
Thanks for checking.
Glad to hear your dtr is doing well despite smell issue. Also, good you're fine though you're taking a break of writing. I've done the same in the past. Will look forward to your return when the spirit moves you.
Thanks Joared.
Marcia! I'm seeing this way after the fact, and SO GLAD to know that Molly is fine. I can't imagine that sort of heart-stopping feeling.
Sending blessings to bunches of hearts today: you, Molly, Josh, her friends, her docs, and all your friends and blog buddies.
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