January 23 – “Crisis in the Night”

There we were, relaxed and enjoying the aftermath of a marriage counseling session that went really well.  Chris had even joined us around the table as we talked about tuxedo-front t-shirts vs. the real thing – you know … typical wedding decision making.  And then came the first text.

Kel and Christina and their brood were all up in Cypress at Christina’s Mom’s house.  Big family birthday party, I think.  And with nine or eleven children, most of them boys, all playing together apparently rambunctiously, something was bound to happen.  And so it did.  The text to us (Well, it was to Nurse Nana) was a picture of … The Injury.  One of the children had taken a fall and the result was a gash just under the lip and onto the chin area.  Whether the gash had gone all the way through was still to be determined.  Triple ouch.  They were on their way to the Katy version of Texas Children’s Hospital for what was a sure bet at stitches.  Maybe even a plastic surgeon.  But hey, Chicks dig scars, right?  Badge of honor?  Right?  Well ….

See, that was the problem.  It wasn’t one of the guys.  The victim was dainty, petite, gorgeous little Noa.  Kind of intensifies the concern, doesn’t it?  Not that one would care less about the well-being of a rugged male.  But a tiny, sweet little girlie-girl?  Believe me, we watched the text feeds for constant updates.  The boys had stayed at their cousins’ house, so they were all right.  The problem came when Noa’s case kept getting bumped back further and further as more serious emergencies arrived. 

Finally, a little after ten, we advanced from texting to an actual phone call.  I knew as soon as the phone rang that Nana Instincts would be totally overwhelming my lovely wife.  It had to be coming … road trip.  Our soon-to-be bride and groom realized it as well, so they hastily said their goodbyes.  And sure enough, a plan was hatched to get the boys from Cypress to their home in LaMarque.  Uncle Chad on that end would start out with the packages and head south.  We would head north.  Somewhere in between we would meet and make the dropoff.  Very exciting stuff.  Late-night.  Precious cargo.  High emotion.  Better than a zombie movie. 

We finally made connections at a Denny’s just inside Loop 610 in Houston.  The cargo was transferred over to our car and we made our way to LaMarque.  Cargo delivered somewhere around midnight, and they were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.  Mom and Dad and Noa finally arrived around 2:30 or so.  Two stitches carefully placed and hopefully she will be as good as new.  We made the final leg of our journey back into Galveston right around 3 a.m.  Took a while to wind back down, but by 4 we both drifted off.  Great ending, right?  Now to start our Saturday and maybe plan a nap?

Psalms 18:3 says, “I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.”

Father, please heal Noa quickly.  Amen.