Labor Day

After a big family Labor Day bash at my sister's house, Jay and I went to the hospital this evening. Christian was extubated today (I think that is the correct term... had the tubes removed from this mouth), so that means he can talk! He is not very lucid because of all the medication (they assured us it would wear off), but it's just so good to hear his voice and know that he is going to be OK.

It's kind of funny because he is so "out-of-it." It is sort of like he is drunk (which he never has been in his life)... his speech of kind of slurred (not to mention the fact that this lips and mouth are extremely dry which only makes it harder to talk) and the things that come out of his mouth are quite funny.

A couple of times he talked to an imaginary "Officer Hall" and thanked him for this service to his country. (The nurse said that just before we arrived Christian had been accusing everyone of stealing his dishwasher.) He said he needed to borrow someone's cell phone. I told him my battery was dead, but maybe tomorrow. Later he said he had some keys and he needed me to lock up some things for him. I pretended to take the keys and lock something, and he thanked me. I wanted to, but I didn't laugh.

It reminded me of when Christian was a little boy. He was a sleep-walker.... and talker! He would walk around the house and say strange things, and try to go outside. We would just laugh and my dad would lead him back to bed. Tonight was like that.

In between the goofy-ness, he asked us several times to take him to Mom's house. When we gently told him that we would do that soon, but not just yet, he asked to go to our house, and then he would say, "OK, let's go! I'm ready! Let's go!" and he would try to get up. When I assured him we would go there later, he said, "I need a safe place to go." I finally said, "OK, let's go," and pretended that we were going, and then said, "OK. Here we are, it's nice and safe here and these people are going to take good care of you." He asked me not to leave and I said I would stay.

A couple of times he asked Jay if he had anything to say. Jay mentioned sports and the party we had just come from, which seemed to kind of get a laugh from Christian.

When he got really agitated, I asked Christian if he would like me to sing him a song. He nodded vigorously, so I asked him if he would like to choose a song, but he didn't respond. Jay suggested a Def Leppard song, but since I don't know any (:P) I sang him a couple of hymns. I didn't know what his favorites are, so I sang two of my favorites.... "I Need Thee Every Hour," and "I Stand All Amazed." He was calm and seemed to appreciate it.

Finally, I told him it was time to go to sleep and that we were going to leave, but that Jay would be stopping by to visit him during his lunch hour tomorrow since his office is just a few minutes away. He seemed very appreciative and kept saying, "Oh, thank you so much." I was about to say, "I love you Christian," when he beat me to the punch. That didn't stop me from saying it though. It made me sad to think that I don't ever remember telling him that to his face before in my life.

I am going to make sure I say it more often to all of my siblings.