We were awakened around 4:00am Tuesday morning. Mom was sick - bad sick, and she wanted to go to the hospital. We got her loaded into the car and I drove her to the closest hospital, in Hope. It didn't take long for them to start talking transfer. Could she be transferred to Texarkana? Nope, to her surgeon in Shreveport we must go - to the hospital.
Mom gets the "royal treatment ride" (loosely translated - Ambulance) and I head back to the houses to grab stuff for the next couple days... Though, really, I expect we will be there for a few hours and be on our merry ways.. WRONG-O! Luckily, I had packed enough for three days...
She is doing better, though is still checked in. Hopefully, she will get to go home on Friday!
Fast forward to tonight (Thursday). I came back to Prescott because Tyler had a 'parents vs all-stars' game and I wanted to play and I knew he wanted me to play. I was really worried because many of the 'baseball dads' really (seem) to know what they're doing, and I am a hack... I do not say that as a negative thing.. I am a geek/nerd/whatever, and I accept that role in life - not a sports person (well, not a very good one anyway).
So, we get the game going and only by sheer luck, I am walked to first base. The next batter gets out, and I am still on first. The batter after that gets up, and HE gets out. Finally, I decide to make a break for it. So, with two strikes on the batter, the pitcher winds up and throws his pitch. As the bass crosses the plate, I take off. I slide into second and look to see the ball roll into mid-center, so I get up and turn for third.....
The following details are sketchy at best, as I have very little recollection as to the actual events as they transpired. That said, here is what I *think* happened... I take off for third, most likely pulling one of several muscles in my right leg. For some wacky reason, I turn to look over my shoulder as the ball is heading for (what seems like) my head. Now, when I slid in to 2nd, I did it fairly correctly... Whatever steps are involved in a 'correct' leg-first slide suddenly left my being at the sight of the ball coming at me. Then, suddenly, my right foot hits a rut, a hole, something and I feel my right foot being tugged behind me, followed by much of my right leg. The rest of my body, however, continues toward third. I truly have no idea what happened next, as the next memory I have is that of sitting on (or near, maybe) third base with my arms raised. The crowd was laughing hysterically, and I had all kinds of pain in my left leg. I looked down, and sure enough, I left much of the skin of my left shin on the field, replacing it on my leg with dirt.
Oh, and did I mention, the batter had struck out, so the whole thing was for not?
I put on my best face and hobbled my way over to the water spigot to wash off the dirt and assess the damage. I won't lie - it's ugly. Not as bad as it could have been, I'm sure, but it is one big long ugly scrape... I finished the game, which it turned out some of those 'baseball dads' didn't even get on base... Amazing what psychological traps we can put ourselves in, eh?
I got home and rinsed my leg. Can you say HOLY FRIGGIN COW!? Then, I got into the shower to clean off the dirt and stink and to clean off the wound... Can you say HOLY FRIGGING COW!? After my shower, I knew I needed to put some peroxide on it. Ahh, the nice cool feel of the peroxide running over the wound...and then POW! Can you say HOLY FRIGGIN COW!? After that, I put on some antibiotic and every so often feel the sharp pang of an exposed wound on the cool night air... HOLY FRIGGIN COW!
I have more to tell you - things I read while at the hospital, but those are still at the hospital since both Shan and my Mom were worried about me driving back to Shreveport so late at night. I will leave here in the morning to see Mom, and everyone (well, except for maybe the doofus that decided to demonstrate how NOT to slide into third) will sleep better tonight..... :-)
