All right people, I haven’t updated for real in quite a bit, simply for lack of anything really interesting to write – it’s all been work, eat, sleep, library, walk. Now something really “exciting” has happened and BAH if it doesn’t put a damper on a lot of our plans.
Last week we headed to a friends’ house (gaming club), and while I was inside cleaning the basement and letting my friend train me in the art of bartending, my Dragonwolf was outside with our other male friends, allowing them to train him a bit in the art of FIGHTING. Well, wouldn’t you know it, one of the guys asked him if he’d be the example for a toss move, and he said, “OK, sure!”
Apparently, the guy tossed him and didn’t let go; Dragonwolf moved to a position he was supposed to be in when the guy let go so he could land all right, and the knee hit the ground at a high velocity and left him in the closest thing to shock you can find.
All I know is that the daughter of our club’s head ran inside, shouting, “They broke Dragonwolf!” My instincts kicked in; I grabbed a bottle of Aleve and filled a glass with water and dashed like a maniac out to the yard. What I saw was a Dragonwolf devoid of any color to the face, clutching his knee.
We had a few people there who were trained in the art of medicine and made a preliminary, on-site diagnosis of the knee being dislocated; they popped the plate back in (we heard a considerable pop sound), and we proceeded to move Dragonwolf to the basement and ice his knee down.
Over the next couple of days, us being unable to actually get to an emergency room, we began thinking of his injury as simply a sprain, but when we were finally able to get to a doctor (and this was Wednesday – the accident happened on Sunday!), they examined and poked and prodded (and made him very nervous, I might add), and took x-rays, and found that not only was the injury NOT a sprain, not only was it a FULL BREAK, but the bone just under the knee was shattered in about four (nearly five) pieces.
Just fabulous.
I am writing this from the waiting room of the surgery department. I’m not sure how long this’ll take but they woke us up a bit before 6:00 a.m. and wheeled him in around 6:15 (at least that’s when I was dropped off at the waiting room). All I know is that he desperately wants me to be here waiting for him and to be there when he wakes up from the anesthesia, and I promised him I would be. What’s an almost-wife for? Of course I’ll be there.
The only other thing that’s a bit of a trepidation for us is the length of time it’ll take to fully heal that leg. Not counting rehab it could be over 6 months. Dragonwolf is not the type to want to be called “disabled” for even that length of time. I’m not sure I even want to mention our financial situation – the fact that we’re applying for food stamps and Medicaid and the like – but you know what? We don’t really need this right now. We don’t need this, like, EVER. Of course, you can’t control what the world throws at you, but honestly, folks, we both need to be healthy to work!!
I’m going to be getting another job soon because if Dragonwolf can’t work for a while, we can’t live on one paycheck alone. Sometimes the world doesn’t give you a choice – and I don’t have one. I’m going to be hell of tired every damn day but in the end it’ll be worth it. I want to be able to take care of Dragonwolf in the same way he took care of me the first few weeks on the street. I want to show him that yes, I can take care of things during a time he can’t. Granted, this comes a bit too fast, a bit too soon, but I’m willing to do what I need to do.
Today is going to be interesting, to say the least. I’ll be with Dragonwolf out of surgery, see him out of anesthesia, hopefully have breakfast soon, then assure him I’ll be okay as I leave to pick up my paycheck, meet a friend, head over to Kingdom to take care of a few things, then bus back over and tend to him again.
We’ve been lucky – this hospital is a very good one, and all of his nurses have been super-cool. I’ve been allowed to stay nights to take care of him, and there’s TV and a phone in his room. I was surprised because we honestly thought this was just a sprain, we weren’t thinking he’d have to be admitted. I think we’re just lucky that they caught the break. While in the emergency exam room, after x-rays and the like, they fitted him for a brace so the leg could be comfortably rested and not snap.
I’m going to be honest, this is NOT easy AT ALL. I have a bedside manner, yes, but not much patience and I HATE being in the hospital, even to visit, plus I do have need for fresh air…
Fortunately I’ll have a bit of time out and then I’m back to my “wifely duties,” as Dragonwolf’s been joking… I love him so much it’s not funny… I just want what’s best for him and I want him to get better REALLY fast, for both of our sakes!!!!!
