A Quokka Dreeds its Weird

Well, that was an evening that did not go as I expected. As my readers probably know, we've been having some weather around here. But last night, the gym was open, and the Sparrowhawk thought it would be okay to go. I dropped some little nudges about potential difficulties, but they did not chill his confidence, so off he went. He forgot to text me on arrival as he usually does, so this caused me some anxiety. I said to myself "Oh, don't be silly, he just forgot." Then he texted that he was sorry, he forgot, he was on his way home and would arrive shortly. And then my phone announced "CRASH DETECTED" and showed me a map of the area with a little arrow on it. While I was staring at this with dread, Tron called me, because she's the Sparrowhawk's other emergency contact. We had both been notified. I was going back and forth between her call and intermittent pinging from the Sparrowhawk's phone. I heard his voice sounding somewhat shook up, so I knew he wasn't dead. When he was able to make himself understood, he announced that he was okay, the car wasn't, and he would call me back. In the background, I heard the voice of a first responder gently cautioning him that he might feel okay, but should probably go to the ER anyway, because "there was a lot of kinetic energy involved." My heart goes out to that guy, and I would send him candy if I knew his address.

The Sparrowhawk should get credit for crashing in a very good spot. He was at the exit to get off the highway and go home, so right in the middle of downtown, and very near the hospital. Once they had him strapped in, he called me back and told me where he was going. I then called Strawberry Star, and she and Nebraska so kindly came and drove me to the ER! I felt bad for Strawberry Star, because she has been in that ER five times already recently, between her Nebraska and his cancer and heart procedures, and her elderly parents and their emergencies. The Sparrowhawk was already there, and very cranky because he was in a neck brace, which he said was the most uncomfortable thing ever. The ER doctor was extremely nice and competent, and so were all the staff. The Sparrowhawk went off for a CT scan of his head and neck, and Strawberry Star and Nebraska went home, because you don't really know how long these things will take. The accident happened about 8, and it was 9:30 by the time everything was arranged.

ER Doc came back very quickly and said he'd already read the cervical results so he could free the Sparrowhawk from his collar as promised. So his neck was okay. While we waited for the brain scan results, the Sparrowhawk relaxed a bit and was able to explain what happened. Everything was fine until he got on the exit ramp and hit a slippery patch. The car started to fishtail, then went off the road and rolled twice. The Sparrowhawk was upside down in his seatbelt. Kind people pulled over to help him out of the car and put him in their car to keep warm until the first responders arrived. He was able to pick up his hat, his shoe, and his phone as he exited. The car was towed away and I imagine is totaled. We have a tag with the tow lot address and number.

Eventually ER Doc came back and said the radiologists wanted to do an MRI to get a better view of a certain spot. I expected to wait hours, but they took him down almost immediately. The result was that the spot was not a possible bleed, but a meningioma, which is a benign tumor of the meninges. ER DOC claims they don't usually require anything but yearly monitoring to make sure they're not impinging on anything. However, the Sparrowhawk's Parkinson's doctor is a neurologist, so they can discuss this. I don't want him to have ANYTHING, as there is quite enough already, but under the circumstances, it's fine. His brain isn't bleeding, and his skull is intact, so W00T! ER Doc did a double take at the speed of the MRI and its reading. He said it was the fastest one he'd ever seen, and I thought so too. We were going to take a Metrocab, but Strawberry Star wouldn't hear of it. Bless her, she came back and drove us home. We were home by midnight, and I've rarely been so happy to be there.

Our original plan was to go out and get a rental car forthwith, but it snowed another 4-6 inches overnight, and we agreed that neither of us wanted to go anywhere near any driving whatsoever. The news entertained us with pictures of a 30-vehicle crash in an area that is also on the Sparrowhawk's route to the gym. I dug out our porch, sidewalk, and a small path down the driveway before stopping to have a Zoom with Deb and the Prussian. The women's group was going to meet here tonight, but have canceled because of the weather. I have informed Madame's crew that once again I will be unable to visit. I think I'll just keep canceling things for the foreseeable future . . . . Instead I will stay here and meditate with deep gratitude on my good fortune.