A day I want to forget!

Today started glorious, with my three cuties and a killer maternity session....the middle filled with a huge ugly, life threatening, emotional mess and ending with tears, depth and thankfulness.

Background

A couple of weeks ago I had a family session with my dearest friend's family as her mother's day present...in which I spotlighted her amazing 16 year old daughter (again, saying I'd post more of her sweetness but failed!).  

TODAY:

Her daughter, Ky, whom I love as if she were my own and my girls kinda worship...came over to babysit (a.k.a. playdate) as I went on a shoot. Everything was hunky doory as usual...I came back to kids beaming smiles ear to ear....begging their Ky to stay longer, her telling me how much she loves my kids and then us kissing, hugging her goodbye.  With me giving her the final hug and telling her to BE careful on her way home in my strongest, most concerning mother voice ....as the road (more like a speedway with steep hills on each side) she takes home is a dangerous road filled with idiot drivers and large trucks that don't pay attention.  

Within 30 minutes of her leaving, I get a phone call from her mother frantically telling me that Ky had been in a rollover accident on her way home, that she was far away and wanted me to go to her as she didn't know when she could be there.  And that a witness had used Ky's phone to call her father to tell him.

Okay...I don't always have the best reaction to situations like this so I pretty much POOPed my pants!  I put Easton in his carseat, loaded the girls and tried to get to my sweet Ky as fast and safely as possible.  My Ky was only 5 or so minutes away....as soon as I pulled up it didn't look good.  I saw her tire tracks that took her through her lanes, across a median and into oncoming traffic...ending with her car off the road with the car roof level with the hood and trunk.  I freaked...like totally freaked....like not the GOOD freaked you want kids to see!  BUT my girls didn't see any damage, just their emotional mother.  The police officer then directed me to a safe area...in which cars parted like the Red Sea for me to get to there!  

Once I got there, I found that her mother had made it there first but was walking up to me choked up and saying that she didn't look good.  All my girlfriend saw was her daughter completely covered in blood, the totaled car that resembled a smashed soda can, saw the markings left by the jaws of life, officers saying that she was being flown to the hospital known for severe head trama and that she couldn't fly with her.  THAT was all she knew... 

My mother's heart broke... at that point I was a mess!  I wanted to be with her but I had my babies with me, I had to be strong for them, I had to be in control, I had to know more details, I HAD TO KNOW SHE WAS OKAY!  I cried ongoing tears out of not only worry but tears of guilt that my baby Ky had just left me....left my house.  That I let her drive down a road that I KNEW was a accident waiting to happen...KNOWING that I was never comfortable with her driving it.  AND thinking I couldn't live with myself knowing that something happened and she couldn't recover from it.

At that point, I made the necessary calls for prayers to keep her safe and protected.  Contacted my husband.  Found the next best thing to me to take care of my kids and met up with my husband.  My husband and I were then off to the hospital.  The drive there was silent, filled with tears, thoughts of guilt, prayers that things would be fine and took TOO L O N G!  We then sat in the waiting room...waiting, waiting and more waiting!  We then finally got the test results that there appeared to be no internal damage but that her scalp was separated across the back of her head, from ear to ear and requiring surgery.  

MY prayers were answered.  If I reached out to you, YOUR prayers were answered.  My girls sweet Ky Ky was going to be okay.  There were no broken bones, her spine was fine, minimal cuts from the shattered glass...walking away with a HORRIBLE cut and partially having her head shaved.  

She is lucky!  She was safe!  She was part of a miracle and I witnessed it!  To see her car and know that she will walk away from it....IS a miracle.  Here is my girls Ky Ky!  I've watched her grow up since she was a shy, timid and meek 6 year old.  Today I am thankful she continues to be in my life.  I am thankful for seatbelts and answered prayers.

I also want to thank those that prayed for her...THANK YOU!  And give a thanks to the clients that are patiently waiting to hear from me, clients that offered to reschedule, and my sweet assistant for handling things for me at the drop of a text message.

My husband and I hugged our children TIGHT when we got home and are going to bed emotionally exhausted!  AND I'm going to bed KNOWING I will probably pay for a long, drawn out therapy session for the emotional wreck they witnessed me go through today.

TOMORROWMy blog post from my UNPLUGGED Sunday!