I was busy finishing the dishes and putting laundry away when my cell phone rang around 6:30 pm. It was Hayden's soccer coach on the line. It is amazing how many thoughts can flood your mind in a matter of seconds. I remember thinking instantly that I could hear something in his voice and I thought to myself, "please tell me Hayden threw up." His tone carried a heaviness even in his hello. I knew that him calling 30 minutes before the end of practice wouldn't be for a good reason. He quickly told me that Hayden fell and a teammate accidently kicked his arm as he was going for the ball.
Ryan jumped in his truck and drove to the field while I quickly reached out to a neighbor to watch the other boys. Thankfully, a pediatric nurse was at the soccer fields and created an arm splint using a roll of paper towels, an ace bandage and duct tape. Hayden was in a lot of pain but suffered quietly and showed a really brave face and attitude despite seeing his arm in the shape of an S. He completely broke both the ulna and radius. This entailed the painful process of resetting the bones. He did have some medication to help muffle the agony. The cast goes all the way up his arm ending just under his armpit. Throughout the process Hayden remained polite to all the hospital staff (using please and thank you) and showed a brave face in adversity. It really is something to be in a situation and admire the person your child is becoming blurring the lines as to whom is teaching whom.
