Don

Charlie and I went in our respective cars to the hospital. Guilt plagued me heavily. If I had been faster, sharper, I could have saved my baby sister from the fall.

Rach spent time in the ER, then in the children's ward. Pediatricians and nurses treated her injuries, while a neurologist went to see her several times. Head traumas, are much more hazardous for small children, as their smaller brains bounced around more within the skull, which to begin with, isn't quite closed until the age of two. So far, almost everything seemed normal, though only time could tell how much she's been affected. Sadly, though, she couldn't see. Poor kid! Not only did she not understand what went on as she got poked and prodded, but she now lived in darkness!

"The doctors hope that the blindness is temporary..." Dad whispered to me a few days later. We were all at Rach's area. Natalie, sitting on the bed tried read her a book about some dog named Spot, but the kid soon lost interest.

"Maybe the MRI results might help..." I said hopefully.

"It's just gonna show that the part of the brain in charge of sight is dead..." Dad sighed .There were circles around his eyes. "Doctors don't know squat about the human brain."

I noticed Natalie, using her own penlight looking at Rach's eyes, and then squeezing her favorite toy, the stuffed puppy Charlie gave her, at either side of the kid, in front, and in other directions. Rach seemed to be using her ears to track its location. She didn't focus on the toy, but turned in the direction of the noise.

"She's gotten some peripheral vision back" Natalie told us, finally letting the poor kid have the toy. Rach hugged it tightly, while her mother stroked her head, kissing it. While very anguished over what happened, she tried to stay calm, and cheerful in front of the kid. She also pestered the nurses alot about changing bandages, keeping things clean, and having clean sheets on the bed. Doctors were subject to her interogations. Charlie and I brought a lot of Rach's favorite toys and took time off.

Soon, a nurse's aid came in with a tray of food, and Natalie with a smile tried to get Rachael to eat. My sister didn't like the so called mashed potatoes and spit them out. It was a little trickier, but almost like feeding her when she first started eating solids.

It was a struggle for Natalie to get the kid to eat something. The distress started to show in the woman's voice. Dad took a shot, and between the three of us, she ate a little something.

"I could get her some food?" I offered. Having been shot a few times, I knew how nasty and crappy hospital food could be. "I know you guys want her to learn to eat what she's given, but the kid needs her strength"

"I'll go home and prepare something" Dad nodded and left. Soon, it was just me and Natalie.

"I contacted a client of mine who's blind" she remarked. .. "He gave me the names, of a couple of Orientation and Mobility Specialists, who mostly work with small children."

"I take it they'll teach her to walk around?" the thought of my little sister using a cane pained me.

"Yeah. We'll also need someone to teach her living skills. The lessons are starting as soon as she gets home" Natalie continued.

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Over the next few days, Rach's vision improved very little, through she could still hear, walk(somewhat), and talk. The doctors told us that Rach might have learning disabilities, as a result of the head trauma, but it would be impossible to tell until she started school. For now, we we all grateful that she was alive, and that the fall hadn't resulted in paralysis, or a coma.

Finally, they let us take her home. The poor kid had been getting very fussy over the last few days. We only had a semi private room, and three days before, an autistic boy had moved in. The medical staff couldn't do a thing without him screaming as if he were being put on a rack or something. Rach, with her better hearing, got distressed from the sound. She hated the food and the loss of her independence, as she, at the moment needed guidance for walking around. However, she seemed to be adjusting a bit. Charlie, bought several toys with sounds, and that didn't need vision to be enjoyed.

Once we were all home, Dad happily went to make dinner.

"When is that Mobility specialist coming?" I asked Natalie.

"Next Monday, but I've been with him on the phone. He recommended that Alan and I buy Rach some noisy things and push toys, like a mini shopping cart and such. I'm going to get some more for her as soon as possible. " She gave her to me. "I'm gonna go put this in her room real quick."

With her gone, I asked Charlie

"What did you and Dad fight about?" I had noticed them arguing in the hallway.

"I went to the cashier and paid most of the hospital bill" he admitted. "Dad insists on paying me back. " Of course Charlie would do this. He was a very generious guy. The insurance Dad had now th he was retired was rather limited, and Natalie's, from what I heard, wasn't too hot either. Thankfully, as a federal employee, I don't have to worry about that. Like me, Charlie loved Rach like a daughter. "Natalie told us to discuss it when Rach was settled in here."

"Aren't you lucky to have such a generous brother?" I directed this question to Rach. So far, her personality was almost the same except she seemed to have less patience than before. I don't know if it was from being hit in the head, or just the stress of being in a hospital. Hell, I found it stressful, and I'm an adult!

Natalie came back, with a toy, that Rach had gotten for her birthday. I had forgotten about it until now. She had more toys than even Charlie could count. Anyway, tt was a dome filled with red and yellow crap on wheels and a stick for kids to push it with. The damn thing made an annoying, high pitched sound.

"I just remembered that she had this. I saw it while putting some stuff away." she explained. I put the kid down, and Natalie gave her the handle, gently guiding her hand to remind her that pushing it caused the sound and that it should stay in front of her. Rach seemed to like hearing it, and started to push it around. All too soon, the dome hit the side of Dad's recliner and Rach realized that she couldn't push it anymore.

"Bata!" she tried again, but failed and started to, in frustration complain in baby talk, which turned into her yet again pushing, but much harder.

Natalie got up to fix this, but Dad, put a hand on her shoulder. He had just come in.

"Give her a minute or two" he told all of us.

"But..."

"Look, she's not in danger, and it's a good way for her to learn. Trust me on this" He told his wife softly. In my heart of hearts, I wanted to help my sister. This was a new problem for her. Sure she'd hit furniture before, but had her eyesight then and could just know to turn around.

The poor kid started to whimper and it broke my heart. In that moment, I knew that I would have rather been blinded myself than see her go through adjusting to having no sight. I didn't care that the neurologist said that kids could adjust easier to being blinded.

Charlie, unable to stand it when our sister went into an all out cry, gently guided her to another direction. Happily, she continued on her way until the dome hit a wall.

Rach had a long and winding road ahead of her.

TBC