Scare Me to Death

Last night was one of our weekly skating lessons. All was going great.

Then with about 5 minutes left my sister in law fell and hit her head on the ice.

They got her off and had her sit in the hockey bench area. They got her ice packs and had her hold them on her big ole goose egg on the back of her head. The lady who runs the rink insisted on calling the paramedic just to be safe she was ok. They didn't want her to drive if she had a concussion or something worse.

My SIL really didn't want to go to the hospital, though. The rink lady told her that they would just come out and check her but that they wouldn't take her unless absolutely necessary.

While we waited for them to show up I took Jaclyn back on the ice for a lap. Once we got all the way around the paramedic were there. So we got off the ice.

There is a concession stand area that has lockers and benches in it that is over slightly from where my SIL was sitting getting her once over. Jaclyn wanted to get a drink of water at the water fountain in the concession area so I let her go in. I could see her through the glass doors as the water fountain is just inside the doors. There are also two sets of doors on either end of the concession stand.

While she was getting her drink of water the paramedic and rink lady called me over to see if I could take her to the hospital because they felt she should really have a doctor check her out just to be safe before she got on a plane. You see she was heading to San Francisco today for a week.
This whole conversation took maybe 2 minutes tops. I look back and......

Jaclyn is gone.

I didn't immediately panic but I started looking for her. I think she couldn't have gotten far. Maybe she sat on one of the benches. Maybe she went back on the ice. Maybe.....

I can't find her. Now I am starting to panic and calling her name. I look in the concession stand area again.

Nothing.

I look on the ice again.

Nothing.

I look over by my SIL again.

Nothing.

Now my heart is racing. Oh my God. Where is she. I am still calling her name and I head for the doors to the outside alcove area that is before the doors that actually go outside.

And then I see her coming back in the doors to the rink area.

She is crying really hard. I scoop her up and hold her tight. She is crying and saying "I couldn't find you, mommy." and I am still just holding her tight telling her that I couldn't find her either. That I was looking all over for her. And all she can keep saying is that she couldn't find me.

Once we were both calmed down and in the car we had a little chat. She had seen my sister and her friend leave and thought I was with them. I reminded her that I would never leave her anywhere and that she is never ever ever ever ever ever to go outside if she can't find me. I reminded her to find someone who works there and tell them that she can't find her mommy. I asked her if she was scared. And she said she was. So I told her to always remember how that felt so that she can always remember to stay right by me.

I pray that this scared her enough to never leave my side in the store again.

As for my SIL, we followed her to the urgent care since she insisted to me that she was ok to drive. The doctor checked her out and said she should be fine and was fine to get on a plane. That the swelling went down a little while she was there with the ice on her head. And that it was a good thing she didn't hit head first.

So all is well again but I am still freaked out.

I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to my daughter. I just don't know....