Pass the Smelling Salts

I'm one of the queasy ones, and it was in a follow-up visit at the hospital today that I remembered this fact about myself. My light head might have come from standing on one leg for too long, not enough lunch, the after-school rush to the appointment, but it was probably from the bandages she had just removed for the first time in almost a week. That blood-rush-from-the-head-sensation reminded me of the time I was in the emergency room of the same hospital several years ago. I stood over my 3-year-old, and in an attempt to be an attentive mother, I zoomed in on his split forehead right along with the doctor. He looked, I looked, he spoke about options, and everything went black.

I heard, "She's out!" and the metal rings slid across the rod as help pushed through the curtains. Two nurses lifted me up to the hospital bed that was designated for my little boy, and when I opened my eyes, he and I were sharing the space. Of course I was embarrassed, just as I was today, but with some sips of water, I willed quick recovery. I managed to stand by as his still-perfect head was stapled up and we were discharged to go home.