Crash. Rock. Mess.

I got a phone call on Tuesday that I always fear...Nick calling me from his bike ride telling me he's been in an accident.  The kids and I were at City Market when the call came in - getting groceries for a 4th of July party that was not to be.  Nick's voice sounded weak and shaky, and I tried to keep him calm and focused.  He had already contacted a friend to come pick him up.  While we were on the phone, a BLM worker happened upon him and I was able to get a better idea of Nick's injuries.  By the time the BLM worker (Everette) got Nick down off the mountain and James (the friend) retrieved Nick's bike and belongings, I had headed back to Gypsum, gathered a few necessities, dropped Cayle off at Mack's house, and headed back to Eagle.  Everette brought Nick to me at the I-70 entrance ramp so that I could transport him to the ER.  We spent many hours in the ER (9+) before the following was determined:  Nick needed 46 stitches to mend his large cuts (44 of them on his face), he had three broken facial bones (1 of which will require surgery), there were countless cuts, scrapes, and bruises over Nick's entire body, his left shoulder and elbow were badly bruised (possibly broken), and there were no head injuries.  Nick ended up spending the night at the hospital and was able to come home the next day.

Cayle and Lindy were waiting here at the house for us to get home.  Cayle was being entertained by Mark and Mary.  Lindy was obviously oblivious!  Rob was also on-hand to help Nick move from the car to the make-shift bed I had set up for him on the couch.  We had talked about how Cayle might respond to seeing Nick, and hoped we would be able to calm any fears he had.  Cayle stared at Nick for long periods of time and he kept repeating the same words - crash (pause), rock (pause), mess (pause).  Cayle doesn't speak in sentences and has really just started putting words together, even though he has a huge vocabulary, but his few words spoke volumes about what he understood.  Yes, daddy had a crash.  He hit a rock.  And his face was a terrible mess!

just before being discharged

Although this bike wreck put a major wrench in the rest of our summer plans, we have so much to be thankful for.  We have been blessed with prayers, positive thoughts, offers of help, and lots of support from friends and family both near and far.  The night of the accident, Nick and I were chatting in the ER.  He reminded me everything happens for a reason :)