Sick Boy

Robby happily skipped into school Monday morning. After giving me a hug he assumed his assigned position on the green carpet and waved goodbye. He was not the same child when I picked him up.

I took one look at Robby through the classroom window and I instantly knew that something was wrong. He was pale, had deep purple circles and bright red ears. He smiled when he saw me but he was not nearly as animated as normal. His teacher told me that he complained of being dizzy but did not register a fever when she checked. I suspected that would soon change.

Two hours later Robby was sobbing because of the pain in his ears. Seeing Robby's eyes swollen from tears broke my heart. I knew that he was in pain and, aside from trying to offer comfort, I couldn't do anything to make him better. It's so hard being a Mom when your child is hurting!

I made two phone calls. I called his pediatrician who asked me to bring him into the office, and I then called Scott who said that he would meet us there.

Scott was at the pediatrician's office when Robby and I arrived and carried our sick little guy into the office. We were immediately ushered into the examination room. Within minutes the doctor was examining Robby and confirmed my suspicions. Both ears were infected- again!

Although it isn't easy for me, Scott has a particularly difficult time seeing Robby sick. His face instantly melts and his heartache is evident whenever our little guy is in pain or isn't feeling well. When the doctor took Robby's temperature and said that it was 104 degrees, I was fairly confident that my husband was going to faint.

I put Robby down and took Scott's hand. Our pediatrician brought a chair over and instructed Scott to sit down. In a comforting tone she said, "Mr. Chenoweth I need you to take a deep breathe and try to calm down. Here, sit down and try to relax, let me get you a drink of water. It's going to be okay. He is sick now but he will start feeling better as soon as he has the medication." Scott kept shaking his head with worry while muttering, "His little fever is so high... poor little guy."

She handed him a cup of water and the prescription for antibiotics. I was instructed to make sure that they both drink a lot of fluids, stay comfortable and rest. Within a few minutes Scott regained his composure and went to the pharmacy to fill the prescriptions. I took Robby home and tucked him into bed.

Scott always rises to the occasion and earns "Super Dad" stripes when Robby is sick. He had to drive to five pharmacies before locating the ear drops to help alleviate the pain and discomfort. He made sure that the antibiotics were flavored "very cherry" and even had the pharmacist add an extra shot of flavor to the ibuprofen. After the sun went down and we were all in our pajamas Robby asked for SpongeBob macaroni and cheese. Without saying a word, Scott got dressed, put on his coat and drove to the grocery store.

He may not be good at seeing Robby sick, but he is fantastic at helping to make him better! Between the various cherry flavored medications coursing through his system, the ear drops providing numbing relief and a lot of tender loving care, Robby is on the mend. I think after another day at home, he'll be ready to go back to school. In the meantime, I foresee an afternoon of Scooby Doo and The Flintstones is in my future.