I was in Israel with my brother, sister-in-law, cousin, and husband. We were in Naharyia when I got a text from my son. “Mom, please call me when you get a chance.”
My heart dropped. I wondered why he wanted to talk. I spoke with him last night, I thought, and he was fine. I thought it was a little strange that when I spoke with him, he shut off his camera.
I called him.
“Mom, I’m in the hospital,” Derek, my son, told me. “It’s nothing to worry about. I just broke my wrist. But I will need surgery.”
“What??? How???”
“I was riding one of those electric scooters and went over a speed bump,” he said. “I’ll call you later the doctor is coming in. Surgery is Tuesday and I’ll need PT for six months after that.”
He hung up the phone.
I was floored. My first thought was – I hate those scooters. They are so dangerous!
My second thought was – Maybe I should end the trip early and fly back to Nashville. Derek’s never been in a hospital before and he certainly never had surgery. How can I let my baby go to surgery without me being by his side?
I am grateful that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law jumped in and made me feel like things would be okay. But, I was so on edge for those first few days. I couldn’t relax. I was nervous, anxious, and upset.
Thankfully, the surgery went well and his friend went with him to the hospital.
He was home that night and I spoke with him. As soon as I heard his voice, I felt at ease and was able to enjoy the rest of the vacation.
Have you ever been in a situation like that? What did you do to get through it?
