Trixie Belden and the case of the errant commuter...

It was a horrible night last night. Truly horrible. It started well enough – after an odd but highly entertaining conversation with a friend about the pros and cons of grooming interspersed with open relationships I went to bed slightly later than intended, but in an effusively good mood. I got undressed, brushed my teeth with vigour and silenced the LHs protests at my late bedtime in the best way known to man.

A little while later, curled up snug and warm in bed around midnight I was ready for a blissful 6 hours straight of sleep… LH curled warmly at my back gently stroking my bare hip as we both drifted off into unconsciousness only to be woken 15 minutes later by the Elfling who was sobbing her heart out. The Elfling is the wunderkind of night time sleeping, so there is always something wrong if she wakes. Last night apparently it was some sort of traumatic nightmare involving monsters and sharp claws and teeth. So she crawled into bed with us – leaving elbows juxtaposed with necks and bony knees into backs and other such comforting, sleep inducing positions before LH finally got jack of it and moved her unconscious self back to her own bed.

This time not even bothering with the spooning LH and I flaked out into lovely, lovely sleep – for all of 2 hours before the Monkey decided she needed some night time cuddles. LH brought her into me and for the next hour I sleepily fed her, curled into each other happily stroking her hair etc, etc. Until I realised it had been an hour and it felt like someone had taken to my nipples with sandpaper. And she still wasn’t asleep. Sleep-y sure, but not asleep. And any efforts to disengage nipple from mouth were met by VERY strong opposition. So I kicked LH out of the nice warm bed again to go and get a bottle so I could have a turn at sleeping. Half an hour later she had finished the bottle and was perfectly happy curled up with her eyes closed in LH’s arms in the rocking chair – but if he so much as moved towards the cot she would let out an unearthly shriek.

In the end it was getting to the ridiculous stage – she was overtired as were we, and everyone had to get up relatively early so we put her in her cot where she yelled angrily for about 2 minutes before finally succumbing.

Then the day started, as per usual, at 6am. GAH.

This morning’s tutes were good though, and ward rounds were interesting and thought provoking. A wide variety of children in ages, diagnoses and prognoses with different systems being involved, and different family supports making for interesting management cases. Some where the parents were very involved and anxious, steadfastly observing their children as if they might suddenly vanish into the ether if they so much as glanced out the window. This contrasted with parents blissfully blasé about their barely breathing children as they stroll outside for a quick smoke. All concerned, but some more engaged than others.

It was here on the wards, being briefed about a little boy with a very peculiar set of symptoms and signs that I happened to glance up and made full eye contact with Commuter #4. Remember him? Star of such entries as this one? Well here he was looking me straight in the face with that slightly bemused “do I know you from somewhere” look, and me feeling a guilty flush creep up my face at the thought that I had actually blogged about this random stranger and here I was bumping into him at work. Strange! I searched for his ID badge so that a) I could put a name to him (sounds slightly less stalkerish) and b) so I could see what department he belonged to. I missed both though, and sat slightly stunned and still blushing furiously at the fact that I could actually potentially be working with someone who I’d written up as a sketch.

A little while later as we were leaving our last patient I saw him crouched on the ground next to a pram chatting away to a little girl of about 4 and encouraging her to hop out and try walking (with Mum encouragingly in the background). So I worked out then that he was one of the paediatric physiotherapists that work here at the hospital. How’s that for funny coincidences? And if you were wondering, he is as nice to very little ladies as he is with the older ones. I still have no idea what his name is though. But I feel like I just solved a mystery.