Pumpkin Cookies and a torn up knee (an Emily story)

One thing that was stressed at the orientations for college was that your students really like getting packages in the mail. Well…who doesn’t? Anyway, Emily’s first week at school ended in her birthday, so her first package was birthday presents. The next week I sent her a package of pumpkin chocolate cookies, she got them on a Thursday, and Thursday night around 9 pm I got a call from her RA, “Ok, your daughter is on her way to the ER in an ambulance”.

Now I don’t know about you, but hearing that my little girl is 4 hours away, and heading to an unknown hospital with an unknown situation isn’t exactly conducive to a parent’s piece of mind. So I call the hospital….nope, not there, ambulance is still inbound. Call the girls cell...no answer, at this point I’m wondering if I need to jump in the car and head to Denver. Scott of course, isn’t home-(work-a-holic). Finally…about an hour later I do get hold of her. First of all WHAT HAPPENED??? Emily apparently got her package, sat down to open it, got excited to share her good fortune, jumped off the couch and…POP!!! Apparently, something gave way in her knee. She headed off in an ambulance and was awaiting the results of x-rays. I asked if there was any bones sticking out or blood pouring out – the answer was no. Then I asked if she had a ride home from the hospital, she said she had some friends that had followed her to the hospital, “Say Hi” she told them. Scott and I then heard a couple voices saying “Hey” which I then realized sounded decidedly masculine….hhmmm.

Since then, she was on crutches for about a week, has had a brace on it, and after two weeks it is finally starting to feel a little better, except that she is still having trouble bending it. I have offered to come over and take her to an orthopedist for a second opinion, and that might still need to happen. And when I talked to her earlier this week I told her it was sad that the professional hockey career was probably out…her response, “Mom, I don’t even ice skate or play hockey”. That’s my girl.