Overheard at the ER

We are no strangers to the Emergency Medical facilities around town.  I should not be shocked by anything I overhear, and yet I found myself dumbfounded yesterday.  Partly because it was at a children's hospital.  Mostly because it was an adult who was saying it.

Before going any further, I will tell you my kiddios are all well and good.  The van door had closed completely with Little C's hand inside of it yesterday.  It seemed only prudent ("shrewd in the matters of practical affairs") to have it x-rayed.  Turns out there is nothing broken.  Just some bruising.  Now on to the real story...

A boy of about 12 was there for hand x-rays as well.  He appeared to have some contusions and minor lacerations on his hand and face.  I was thinking bike accident.  I think he was probably riding his bike past the house of a girl from his English class.  See, she helped him with an assignment and he developed a crush on her right at the end of the school year and he is worried that if he goes all summer without seeing her she will forget all about him and there is little chance of getting lucky enough to have a class with her again let alone sit close enough to rekindle the friendship.  Sigh... But the sidewalk in front of her house is a little rough and he was peeking back over his shoulder when he hit a section heaved up by the massive roots of a diseased Ash tree.  He should have seen it because it has the trunk marked to be cut down because of the Emerald Ash Boring Beetle.  But, as I said, he was looking back because he thought he saw her in the window.  Down he went!  But, and this is the exciting part, from the window she saw him take the diving header and ran outside to help!  She got him some ice and walked his bike home for him.  They had a nice conversation on the way and, just before she left him at the end of his driveway, she gave him a peck on the cheek and told him to call her.  She turned and ran all the way home.  Sigh...

I don't know if you know this about me, but I make up the backstory for strangers all the time.  If you are ever stopped behind me at a red light I will be watching you in my rear-view mirror making up the dialog to the terse, one-sided conversation you are having with the person in the passenger seat who has her head turned away from you leaning on the window.  You do NOT want to know what she is thinking right then.  Which reminds me, stop honking at me already, it takes some attention to rewrite your life story up to this point.  I see the light turned green and I'm moving already!

Our young hero was not as lucky as my Little C because it turned out he broke his hand.  We were walking out at the same time and I was in the middle of having pleasant thoughts about my child being fine and also maybe our hero will get a visit from the girl because she is worried about him and they will go for a walk to get a slushy or something.  In my head I was going on about budding and innocent first love when the sound effects kick in.  You know the one, the needle screeching across a record to signify an abrupt change in tone or understanding.  And this is what I hear:

mom: "Does that kid know who your mama is?"

boy: "I dunno.  But I told him who my daddy is."

mom: "If he knows anything then he'll be scared.  Your daddy's out looking for him now."

And it all comes into focus for me now.  There was no sweet crush on the girl who edited his paper for him.  It was a fist fight with another kid.  And now our "hero's" bad-ass dad is going to look for a child for what?  I am tempted to spin it again.  To think that maybe the father wants to know that the other child is not hurt.  To have a conversation with the boy's parents, and mediate a conversation between the boys to clear up the misunderstanding.  Maybe his goal is a peaceful resolution.  But probably not.

And I know I am a fierce mother when it comes to my children being hurt or wronged.  But never can I imagine myself plotting revenge against a child.  It makes my heart ache.