Bees and Bikes Don't Mix!

As I sit here on the couch, my mind churning with thoughts, Madeleine is propped up next to me in our Lazy Boy.  Stuffed animals surround her on both sides, her thumb is in her mouth, and she is sleeping peacefully.  Seeing her that way makes me feel at peace because just 9 hours ago we both felt anything but.   

The day was supposed to be a fun-filled one at Grammy's house.  The girls were going to swim in the pool she had set up in the back yard and maybe Daisy would join them as well.

Aunt Natalie was also going to be there giving me the split second decision to bring the girls' bikes over (a decision I would later regret).  Ever since receiving a bike for her 7th birthday, Madeleine has been terrified to learn how to ride it.  She struggles to trust that the person teaching her will not let go before she's ready, causing her to fall.  I thought having her cool Aunt Natalie teach her would do the trick.  I was hopeful that she would be more trusting of her than Steven or I.  I was sadly mistaken.  She struggled to trust Natalie as well.

Take note of her facial expression.

Even though Madeleine was not the most eager student, Natalie was extremely patient and accommodating.  She would take breaks to show Madeleine pictures of herself learning how to ride a bike as a little girl or show her video clips of Lance Armstrong riding in the Tour De France.  She would often remind Madeleine that she loves her very much and would not let her fall.  It was very endearing.

Encouraging Madeleine was a group effort.  Grammy hopped on her bike to show Madeleine just how much fun riding is.

I did as well, yelling "weeeeeeeee!!" as I sped off down the street.  I haven't ridden a bike in years.

While Natalie worked with Madeleine, I helped Audrey on her bike that we just removed the training wheels from. She is the complete opposite of Madeleine telling me, "you can let go now".  Here she is looking adorable in her helmet.  It is hard to take pictures of her on the bike while trying to keep her on it.

After our efforts and a promise from Grammy to see Mr. Popper's Penguins, she turned a corner.  Her grimmace from earlier turned into a smile

However, looking at that picture now haunts me because it was shortly after it was taken that the accident occurred.  The last time I looked up, Madeleine and Natalie had stopped.  Natalie was holding up the bike while Madeleine stood straddling it.  They were waving their hands at what I later found out was a bee.  Madeleine is terrified of bees.  Her excessive flailing caused her to lose balance and fall, hitting her knee on the bike as she did.  I did not see her fall, but I saw her laying on the ground.  At first I chuckled and said to my mom, "it looks like Madeleine is being a drama queen".  Then Natalie looked up with wide eyes and said there is something wrong with her knee.  I jumped up and ran over to discover that Madeleine's knee was disfigured.  At this point she was wailing in pain.  I ordered someone to call 911 while I lay over her, instructing her to hold on to me tight.  I did my best to comfort her, knowing that my efforts were in vain.  She was delirious and her pain was excruciating.  She was letting out sidesplitting screams while saying gut wrenching phrases like "take me out of this world!" , "put me to sleep!" (she did not mean euthanasia, rather she wanted to be knocked unconscious) and "I want to go home"! All of this while we waited for the ambulance.  It felt like they were taking their sweet time when in reality, I later found out, it only took five minutes.  It was the longest five minutes of my life.

When the ambulance finally arrived, they immediately started an IV drip with morphine.  While I knew it was going to give her relief from the agonizing pain she was in, it felt like she was being tortured.  After multiple failed attempts in her right hand they eventually had success in her left.  All the while she was screaming, "what are they doing to me"?

My mom told Natalie to take this picture.  Madeleine later got a kick out of looking at it.

Once we arrived at the hospital, she was cut out of her shorts, suffered through x-rays and the uncomfortable ordeal of waiting.  Once it was discovered that there were no fractures, a doctor came in and reset her knee, something that I was pleasantly surprised to discover only took a split second.  Once that happened we began to see glimpses of our old Madeleine. 

I took this picture on my phone shortly after they reset her knee.  It was the first time we had seen her smile in hours.

This one was taken shortly after she was discharged.  Her wheel chair was big enough to hold Audrey as well.

While we were in the hospital, she was tickled pink by all of her visitors which included her aunts, both sets of grandparents, and a friend of Grace who drove her to the hospital (Grace had just returned from Haiti hours before).  After our ordeal in the hospital my mom and dad brought dinner to our house which was greatly appreciated.  This evening Madeleine is looking forward to more visitors which will include her best friend, Abby, as well as Grandma and Grandpa who promised to bring over a carton of her favorite ice cream. 

This afternoon she has an appointment with an orthopedic doctor.  It is at this appointment that we will find out the specifics of her recovery.  At this time she is in a brace and has been instructed to sit with her leg elevated.  The only time she is allowed to get up is to go to the bathroom at which time she is wheeled there in a computer chair.  We are hoping to find out this afternoon how long she needs to be bed ridden and in a brace.  Please pray for good news and a speedy recovery.  I will post updates on my blog as well as more specifics as to how brave our little girl was yesterday.  For now, though, my brain is fried and I need to get my courageous princess some lunch.