What a Night

My oldest son Caleb, who will be 15 this year, made all region band. Second band, fifth chair. Not perfection but certainly better than anything that I accomplished with my pitiful attempt at the clarinet. He left during school yesterday to "go toot his horn" as Shawn puts it.
I went in to work with nothing remarkable going on. It was going to be a good night. At 11pm I get a call from my baby who has been throwing up all day. He was in a hotel room with one other boy and still throwing up. He needed his momma. Oh, I could have cried. My baby needed me. I don't think he has NEEDED me for anything other than money, food, or a taxi service in the last 4 years. I had to go!
I wasn't confident in going by myself or sending Shawn alone. Being up all night at work, taking care of patients, up and moving, with lights on is a whole different ball game than driving at night in a dark car. I came home and loaded the other three kids up, still in pj's with pillows and blankets in tow. Shawn made the drive two hours south. I went into the hotel to get him. You know, it was typical. I love my son and I know he was sick but he knew we were coming. I talked to him a few times while we were driving. I called to let him know that we were right outside the hotel and when I got up to his room, his stuff was everywhere and he wasn't even dressed. uuugghhhh!!! I didn't say anything though because he was so sick. As we were leaving the hotel, he was walking in front of me. I realized that I had to look up at him. No longer was he the little boy that only a few months ago I could still give a piggy back ride to. But it doesn't matter. The feeling is still the same. He is still "my little boy". I don't think that feeling will be any different when he is 60 and I'm 78.
So, the four hour trip ended up taking five hours. I'm more wore out than I would have been if I was working but my baby is home and can throw up in our own commode. I'm so thankful that the charge nurse that working with me understood that kids come before work and that I was able to go.
Oh, and thank goodness for XM radio. I'm sure that I would have fallen asleep driving on the way home if not for all the great 90's songs on channel 9!!!