Umm, so, I was in a car accident...

This morning this was my UP:

She said, "I hide it."

Can you see the strawberry Nesquick?

She keeps climbing up in the pantry to pull this down so she can pour into a bowl and eat it... no milk... just powder. I keep putting it back and saying, "No more." She snuck it again and when I went to put it back, hiding it was her solution.

She made me laugh!

AND

I just love her wavy hair after being in braids yesterday!

After carrying Baby into the bus again I had to hurry off to go pick up Brother from school for his new doctor's appointment. He wasn't really happy about that and made sure to let me know, but i got him to settle down by bribing him with a Wendy's hamburger—he agreed and we made it through the appointment successfully... well, to the best of Brother's ability. He didn't even look at the doctor to even acknowledge the questions he had for him. It's kinda hard for me to see Brother act that way to people. I hate feeling like he is being rude, even though I know he really isn't being rude and just hyper-aroused by the situation.

Anyway, he bounded out the door to head to the van and he reminded me of his Wendy's lunch that was promised.

We ordered 3 hamburgers, a 4-piece chicken nugget and a soda and he was SO excited to take it to school and eat it there. I was so excited for him and could only think of getting him back to school quickly so he could have his lunch at school while lunch hour was still going.

I remember being so happy for him that I forgot to take a left turn at the light I had planned on using, so I happily proceeded to the next light to take a slightly different, but equally great route home.

I stopped at the red light and checked my phone for some reason and looked back to check on Brother and then, I think, the light went green... at least assume so because I was moving forward...

The next thing I remember was seeing a gold car in front of me and I was coming fast on the back of it!

I slammed on the brakes so hard it felt like the pedal was going to fall out of the bottom.

I saw the license plate and the rear end of the car coming toward my van like it was in slow motion and then...

BLAM!!!

There was the smell of smoke and a hard pillow thing in my face!

I think I screamed, or yelled... I'm not really sure. I just know that the scenario played out a few times before I heard Brother screaming, "What happened, mom! What happened!!"

I had pulled over along the curb, at least I think I did because that's where we were and I got out because I thought my car was on fire or something like that with the smell of burning rubber and smoke floating out of the front hood of my car.

Brother got out of the car too and was in hysterics. Complete and total hysterics.

I ran to him and held him and squeezed him and asked if he was OK and checked to make sure nothing was wrong with him.

HUGE Crocodile tears were pouring from his eyes and he was completely frantic and asking me what had happened. All this while my car horn is blaring unstoppably. "Stop honking, your making this worse!" I thought in my head. Then, "ooh, my wrist hurts" and back to consoling Brother. But by this time he was completely over the top. He began darting for the road in an attempt to get away. He was hitting me and pushing me and squeezing me and yelling at me at the top of his lungs.

It was awful.

Seeing him that way.

He couldn't be calmed.

When the policeman showed up he approached me and I explained what was going on with Brother and he told me to just do what I needed to do to take care of my son and he would take care of the rest. It wasn't until that point that I realized the two other cars had been involved! I hit a car and that care hit the car in front of them!

Oh no!

I called Marc and told him quickly that Brother and I were fine, but that I had just rear-ended someone and I needed him there to get Brother.

Soon after getting off the phone the police officer had cut the electrical to the van so that the horn would stop. That kind of eased Brother a little, but not enough. He ran over to the police officer and told him, "Put her in jail," pointing at me, "This is all her fault! She is in big trouble!!!" Then he darted out to the road! Luckily everyone was going very slowly around the accident and Brother wasn't hurt but it scared me pretty good anyway.

When Marc came he hugged us both and I asked him to comfort Brother while I filled out the paperwork. Brother was still yelling at me, I wasn't holding the tears back as well as I had been and I had a silent breakdown that lasted 3 seconds before Brother noticed and started hitting me and yelling at me again.

It was time to take Brother back to school. Marc took him and I reassured him I would find a way home.

While I was filling out the papers I had noticed that my left hand that was stinging before was now shooting pain and causing my fingers to feel icy and numb.

My car wasn't drivable, my husband had to leave to help Brother so when I told the officer that I needed to have my arm looked at he asked me if I wanted to go to the ER or Instacare. I said, "Instacare" because I just figured that would be faster and cheaper. The police officer said he could give me a ride to the Instacare so I took him up on that.

I'm still crying at this point and feeling a sense of complete melt down coming on. I was so freaked out about how this was all going to affect Brother emotionally and in turn how his actions would affect Sister if he told her about it. I think I started to have a slight panic attack thinking about all the meltdowns and fallings-apart would be happening in my home for  the next few weeks... I couldn't bear it. I thought that maybe I would just have the breakdown on the outside that I was already having on the inside and then maybe I could be admitted to the hospital and not have to face it all right away.

Then, while waiting for the police officer I noticed my surroundings... I was sitting in the spot where they put the criminals... behind the protective shield and isolated... "Well, this is a bit funny. I've never been here before."

I started to chuckle a little at what people were seeing as the drove by: a woman in tears sitting in a cop car next to a mini van... hmmm.

When the cop got into the car I was in, she apologized for not having me sit on the guest side, but all her stuff was sitting there... OK. I laughed and said, oh well, this will make for an interesting picture back here as proof that I rode as a criminal in a cop car. She laughed.

I didn't really dare take more than this one... I wasn't sure if she knew I was serious and didn't want to get into trouble.

She drove me to the Instacare and then had to open my door for me (I am was in the criminal side and so they put the child lock on... ha ha ha! Do you see the irony in that?).

I walk into the doors she drove me in front of and I see a big sign that says:

OB/GYN

INSTACARE

I'm confused...

Umm, is this an Instacare for OB/GYN patients only?

I'm kind of in a daze and slightly delirious and in a lot of pain at this point and my tears are starting to emerge again.

I'm alone, I'm hurt, I have just been in a car accident and I have no idea where to go.

I decided to go ahead and just ask the lady at the front desk of the OB/GYN Instacare where the Instacare for injuries would be. She signals that it is "here" and I stepped in saying, "Oh, I just wasn't sure if it was just for OB patients and I certainly don't need that kind of care." She laughed and my joke had worked to keep my tears back.

I approach her desk and begin with, "So, umm, I was just in a car accident and I think I got hurt from the airbag..."

"OH! I'm sorry miss," she says politely and stupidly at the same time, "but we can't take care of car accident injuries, you'll have to go to the ER for that."

I stood there analyzing the fact that I was in pain and just wanted help and stumped with what I was supposed to do since my ride left when she dropped me off, "It's really not that far of a walk," she answers, I am guessing, in response to the transparent look of fear mixed with disgust on my face.

I guess, at least, she showed me a short cut through the back parking lots...

I was feeling slightly woozy and the tears were welling up as I walked in the heat of the back parking lots being stared at by local maintenance workers and then I started to see my situation from a sitcom perspective... this was funny. This kind of stuff only happens to me... I'm walking myself to the ER, people! I can't even make this stuff up! So I start to laugh and cry out loud and I am sure I looked like I was on my way to the mental hospital!

I asked a few more questions for directions and was finally in the ER waiting room where I was met by a nice woman who had been working there for too long or something because she just seemed completely and totally bored and totally uninterested in my plight, "Ummm, so, I was just in a car accident..." 

She told me it would be an hour to two hour wait... and then she complimented my shoes...

OK.

I guess I better get a hold of people to take care of the kids, and my mom to come hang out with me and get me to laugh. I was slightly starting to lose it at this point as the pain was getting worse and I didn't want to think of sitting like this for 2 hours.

"Rachael."

"Rachael!"

My name was being called, and I had only been waiting 15 minutes!

A little miracle...

I got right back and the nurse joked with me about getting me the fast pass to a room... I've never been to Disneyland, but I sure as heck hope the fast pass there feels as great as a fast pass in ER.

Another nurse set me up with a bed and such and as she was walking out complimented my shoes...

Well, my mom told me to wear clean underwear in case I ever got in a car accident, but my advice is to always wear nice shoes...

Maybe if I had clicked them 3 times I would have gotten home...

I waited for a while in there so I decided to take a picture of myself to document my experience and my feelings about the whole thing:

The doctor told me that my arm had burns from the airbag being deployed... I never new until today that airbags were deployed with gunpowder! That was the smell and the smoke in my car. Sheesh!

And after some poking, pushing and twisting he was able to diagnose me with a traumatized median nerve... it's that nerve that can cause carpal tunnel. So I have a splint that I get to wear for two days.

I didn't take a picture of it, but when I got home Brother made sure to sneak one:

My mom came to get me and it was nice to see her and feel like she could take care of me for a bit.

When I had called her she was doing her traditional midweek yard sale. She had to put a sign up that it was "closed" so that she could come take care of me. She found some paper but couldn't find a marker or pen... but, hey, she had her mascara! It's good to know that my mom loves me enough to pause her yard sale and on top of that use her mascara for a sign. Ha!

Brother made sure to take a selfie to commemorate his first ever car accident and to show how happy he is that he isn't hurt.

Notice that smile on his face?

He wasn't freaking out or anything and was actually handling it all quite well. I think the fact that he was able to go back to school helped him regulate his feelings a bit and he was able to talk about it calmly.

Then, to top that off! When I told Sister about me being hurt and the car not coming home until it is fixed, she was worried, a little panicked and then she gave me a hug and that was that.

I'm praying this continues!

To add to my happiness, my mom bought fun treats for all the kids and fed me a sandwich before she left. My sister came over with her three kids and cleaned up the whole house! McKenna and Lindsey had been there to get Brother off the bus before I got home and my sweet friends brought me dinner dessert and breakfast for tomorrow. And I was able to, at least, lay down while I took all the calls from the insurance and stuff.

How can I not smile?

This sucks! (and I never say that word so you know it really does)

The van really doesn't look too bad... this is the picture Marc took at the towing lot.

I just can't help but see all the blessings in the middle of it.

I just hope I feel this way when I see the accident report and pick up our rental car...

Day 238 of 365 Days of Up