Who Do You Want to Answer the 3 AM Phone Call?

Why my husband of course. Just like he did Sunday morning, when the phone rang. We all hate those calls in the middle of the night because we know it's not somebody calling just to say "Hi, how 'ya doin'?" We all get the slightly panicky sick sensation in our stomachs as we brace ourselves for what we might have to hear. We all expect bad news.

So when our phone rang we both jumped from bed. Our bedroom phone wasn't in the holder. Does anyone ever put the phone back where it belongs? We stumble through the house to the kitchen to find the next closest phone. We finally locate it. My husband picks it up just in time for the line to click dead. We look at each other in a sleep induced stupor. "Check the caller ID" I said. He recites the number and we look at each other again. It's our daughter. One of our pregnant daughters. Now the panic sets in for real. He quickly hits redial and in a moment I hear him say, "You want me to come?" I grab for the closest chair as my knees suddenly feel weak. Then he says, "Oh, you want to talk to mom." And he hands me the phone. Somehow in that split second of time I realize if it were really bad news, she would have told her dad. But she wanted me. So that meant she must have a problem that needs a mama. I relax -slightly. And I take the phone. She is having pain in her lower right side. Pain that won't go away. "I just don't want anything to be wrong with the baby" she says. I can hear the tears in her voice. So I tell her what every mom would say. Go to the ER. And they did. Five hours later they go back home. She is okay. Baby is okay. They aren't really sure what is causing the pain but appendicitis is ruled out. Thank goodness. An ultrasound showed the baby moving and playing, oblivious to the chaos surrounding it's little secure world. Prescriptions are given for pain and a slightly elevated white blood cell count. They come to our house to spend the day, to have a good hot meal and a little TLC. We all are glad to be together and breathe prayers of gratitude that everything was normal again.

But the words keep replaying in my mind - "I just don't want anything to be wrong with the baby".

Honey, those words are going to be your mantra for the rest of your life.