Another Manic Monday

...CRASH*

The classroom goes silent.

I look over and see her on the floor, convulsing.

"YOU! Get Ms.C. YOU! Call the office! YOU call 911."

She's still shaking. Head down. Her long hair sprawled out, and she's gasping for air. Low, seizure, jerky sounds. She coughs and then starts to cry.

I see blood. I grab a huge wad of paper towels and crouch down.

"S? Can you hear me. I need you to say something...Look at me. Okay, I'm going to put this on your head. Let's hold tight."

The blood is rushing out of her, and now dripping down my arm.

The classroom hasn't exhaled yet.

Hall moniter comes over..."What's her name?"

I respond, and then ask for ice, or some wet paper towels.

Chatter breaks out at the front of the room.

"Is she okay?" "What happened?!" "Oh no!"

"S? Can you talk to me. Are you taking any medications? No, no, let's keep that on there, you've got a pretty deep cut. Were you feeling dizzy? Did you eat breakfast this morning? Has this happened before? Really?"

She's crying and trying to wipe the blood away, and answering my questions pretty well. She gets super pale, and starts shaking.

Another teacher approaches with a wet towel compress.

I smile at S. "Okay...it's Okay. Let's see if we can clean up a bit here. How's your neck? You keep telling me about the doctors. What did they say? Oh ,uh-huh? Nope, Hold tight! Gotta keep the pressure on that."

She insists on sitting up. "My head really hurts!"

"Let's see if we can make you more comfortable. Lean on me, we're going to the art office."

I lead her in, she lays down on the cold floor. I remove my jacket for a pillow.

"Can you move on your side?"

"What happend here!?"

"Oh, Hi Mr. M. Had a bit of a seizure. Going to need some stiches."

Finally the rest of the office, assistant principles, and hall moniters flood in.

The ambulence pulls up..takes vitals, gets her on the stretcher.

Some kid in the class yells out, "Get better soon!"

Nervous laughter, and whispers follow.

S's face is puffy and full of anguish as she's wheeled out the door.

I wash my hands 5 times....and go to clean up the floor with anti-bacterial spray.

I'm completely calm, I get the class back on track.

The bell rings. Dismiss the class.

Breathe....shake a bit...breathe some more.

Then I'm infuriated. Why don't we have ICE packs! Why don't we have blankets?! Why is the first aid kit two classrooms away? WHY DON'T I HAVE AN INTERCOM!?

Bell rings...
Back to class....no more seizures today.