Things that go bump in the day

I had one of those makes-your-blood-run-cold telephone calls from school on Wednesday saying R8 had slipped during the swimming lesson, bashed her face and was on her way back on the bus.

The words set the level of worry. R8 has fallen and is in an ambulance on her way to hospital would have been so much worse. I parked my panic/worry on the next level down and headed to school.

The poor thing had slipped during a fire drill and had broken the fall with her nose. Apparently it had then done what noses do in such circumstances - it bled copiously. Swimming pool falls are never pleasant and those accompanied by lots of blood cause much shock to all concerned (judging by the calls from teachers and school friends in subsequent hours and days).

Brian was on an early shift and already on his way home so when he got back we had a family trip to A&E (H9 was material witness). R8 had a pretty star shape of butterfly stitches applied to her gash and gained an offended look thanks to the clip that squeezed her finger to monitor her blood oxygen and the cuff which (horror!) squeezed her arm really tightly to take her blood pressure.

The verdict was 'probably broken, look forward to swelling, snoring and two black eyes', and we left with leaflets on head injuries and broken noses.

We took the injured party to M&S (handily and newly built near A&E) and stocked up on ice cream (which, as every parent knows, is essential for such circumstances).

I'm not allowed to show you a photo of the nose.

Two days later R8 looks like a cross between a post-bout prizefighter and a Star Trek Klingon, especially at 6.30 this morning when her eyes were so swollen she could barely open them. Details have been trickling out about the incident too: I saw everyone else was out so I hurried up (then fell); I looked at my hands and they were all red; it took them (teacher and lifeguard) three bandages (to staunch the bleeding); I was really scared for lots of yesterday.

It could have been so much worse. She still has all of her teeth and both of her eyes and her nose will mend (hopefully without scarring). She could have broken her arm or collarbone. (My brain ran through all the what ifs on Wednesday once she was in bed asleep and the phone had stopped ringing).

Such things are character building. She's a bit self-conscious (I look weird), refused to get out of the car when we went to pick H9 up from school today (except to talk to one of her best friends) and she's refused a Friday library trip (because there'll be talking about noses).

Ah well. We've had two lovely days with no school, doing sewing and cooking and she watched the first of the last two Harry Potters last night as a special treat.