My poor grand-daughter

Thursday we had a bad shock.  

My daughter, Kate,  received a phone call from Chloe's (my eldest grand-daughter) school to say she had been knocked down by a bus!  Initially they said Chloe was OK, just battered and bruised as she was moving and trying to get up. 

However, the next phone call I received was that she had been air-lifted to Brighton Hospital for scans.  There then followed a long gap until I heard from Kate to say they had found a small bleed in Chloe's head and the film had been sent to King's Hospital. 

The next thing I knew was that Chloe was in great pain in her tummy and she had been taken down for an emergency laparoscopy through her tummy button.  She had lacerated her kidney and spleen, and her spleen was leaking, hence the pain.  Anyway that was repaired and things looked on the up again.  Then we heard her pupils had started dilating oddly and down she goes for an emergency CT scan.  Anyway that showed an improvement from the previous scan and everyone was happy.

I went to visit Chloe on Saturday with Emily, Chloe's younger sister.  Poor Chloe looked very battered and bruised.  Her tummy was still hurting but that was because of the operation and nothing sinister.  She didn't want to eat nor drink and was very sleepy.

Sunday Kate texted me to say they were coming home that evening!  I cooked a shepherd's pie and took it with me.  The hospital told Kate Chloe had to have bed rest for the next six days, she can't walk about until her spleen has settled down.  No school for two weeks, which has worked out well as Chloe's school breaks up next week. 

The Headmistress told Kate she didn't want to see Chloe back at school until next year.  The School have been very kind - they sent a big basket of fruit, a teddy and some chocolate for her and all the school groups Chloe belongs too have sent her 'get well' cards and because Kate lives very near school, some of Chloe's friends may come a see her from school.  As the accident happened as Chloe was coming to school lots of her friends saw what happened and some were very upset and traumatised. 

Here's the weary soldier lounging on the sofa watching the television or reading all the messages her friends had put on Facebook.  Everyone has been so kind.

Considering what could have happened Chloe was exceptionally lucky but at the time we didn't know that.  We are all very grateful and hopefully Chloe will pay more attention crossing the road.  x