I am a registered nurse who worked the night shift. It worked out well for us as someone was always home with the children. However, we occasionally would run into some difficulties with transportation.
One New Year's Eve I was scheduled to work 11 to 7. It was icy and cold in North Dakota and our car was quite temperamental in the cold weather. I knew that if it stalled out on me I would never get it restarted and would be stranded . So I casually informed Mr. Wonderful that he would have to drive me to work and pick me up in the morning.
Somewhat annoyed, he informed me that everything would be alright and that if he was going to drive me that we would have to wake up the kids and put them in the car. Without arguing with him I started bundling up the kids and he reluctantly went out to warm up the car.
I was right and of course the car decided to act up several times on the way to work. I was so glad that he was there to get it started again and coax it down the icy streets of Dickinson, North Dakota. He dropped me off and I didn't think anymore about it till I was interrupted in report with an emergency call from home.
Fearing the worst (possibly being hit by a drunk driver) I grabbed the phone only to hear Boy Wondering screaming in the background. "What's wrong? I asked in silent terror.
"I just killed our son!" was the answer from a very frustrated and angry Mr. Wonderful. "You've got to come home now!"
"If you killed our son, who's that screaming in the background?" I asked trying to calm him down and knowing the sound of an angry scared cry.
"That's him," he said, "I dropped him while I was carrying him in from the car, you've got to come home now" he insisted.
" You dropped him?" I said.
"Yes," he said, trying to calm Boy Wonder down. " I was carrying him into the house and my boots had snow on them. When I carried him into the warm kitchen the snow melted and I slipped and dropped him. "
" Is he bleeding or just startled?" I coaxed knowing that he was in a padded snow suit and had several quilts surrounding him.
" He was asleep when I dropped him." "He's not bleeding but he needs his mom and I've got to get the girls out of the car now, so come home" he insisted.
"Honey," I said, very slowly ," in order for me to come home you'll have to put the kids back in the car and come get me, remember?"
"Just never mind then," he said. "I don't know why I married a nurse, you're never home when I need you!"and he hung up abruptly.
I called after report and found out that all was quiet and the kids were sleeping. Mr. Wonderful had calmed down and other than being jolted out of a sound sleep Andy was perfectly alright. He had been totally padded with all the quilts and buntings.
A standing joke in our household now is Andy telling his dad, "Just think how brilliant I might have been if you hadn't dropped me on my head when I was a baby!"
