Page 21 of He Saved My Boy
This piques his interest. His head tilts, and his brows lift.
“I’m not that scary. I don’t even nibble on toes.” I shrug as if that should explain everything. When his lips tilt into the slightest smile, I ask, “But I’ve heard you’re quite the little monkey. Do I need to worry about you nibbling on my toes?”
Blinking as if he’s unsure of what to say, I quickly add for reassurance, “I’m just teasing. But I’ve heard you’re hurt. Want to tell me what’s going on?”
Connor looks to his mom, and she nods in encouragement. “Tell Dr. Fallon what happened, sweetheart.”
At first, I’m not sure he’s going to say anything, but when Teagan squeezes his good hand in encouragement, Connor opens up. “I fell off da bars. First, I was swinging, then I fell and bonked my arm.”
Knowing the doctors before me have already poked and prodded him, I try to keep my observations to a minimum. “Mind if I take a look?”
Connor nods in approval.
While tracing my fingers along his arm, I distract him with conversation. “From your shirt, I see you’re a fan ofPaw Patrol. I have lots of nieces and nephews who’ve watched that show. Do you have a favorite character?”
Nodding, Connor smiles for the first time. “All of dem. But IloveChase. Mommy lets me watch it if I’m up before we go to Frannie’s.”
“It’s the only way I can get ready myself.” Teagan chuckles, then admits to the room, “That’s twenty-two precious minutes some days.”
“No kidding,” Hannah agrees. “You got to take every minute while you can.”
The two of them continue talking, but I focus my attention on Connor. “I really like Rubble, as I loved to build things when I was your age.”
“Really? Like what?”
“Hmmm… let’s see… I built forts and all sorts of things. I grew up in the country, and I spent a lot of time outside.”
“That’s cool. I can only go outside if Mommy or a grown up comes, too.” He shrugs, then winces slightly when his arm moves.
“That’s a safe plan.” Then I switch to the reason we’re here. “Hey, Connor, can you count to ten?”
“Uh… Yeah.” His eyes bug out like it’s the stupidest question in the world.
“If one was little or no pain at all and ten is the worst you could ever imagine, where do you think you’re feeling right this moment?” Holding up a card we use with younger patients that has different faces at each number, I watch him assess it carefully.
“A ten when I fell. But now dis.” He points to a seven.
“What do you say we get you fixed up? I’ll have to talk with your grown-ups, but after looking at your charts, I’m going to do everything I can to get you back to normal.”
Connor nods but says nothing in return.
Turning to the adults in the room, I keep my language simple enough for Connor to understand. “As I’m sure you already know, he fractured his ulna.” Looking to Connor, I add, “That bony part of your elbow.”
“The good news is that it appears to be a clean break. However, it requires surgery to put it back in place.”
Teagan looks warily at her son. “What will that entail?”
“The best course of treatment is to have an open reduction and an internal fixation to reset the bone. Basically, I’ll need to go in and realign the bones to make sure they heal properly. I’ll place temporary pins to hold it in place while he heals. Then when things look good, I’ll remove them.”
“Will there be permanent damage?” the other woman in the room asks.
“Given his age and type of fracture, I don’t think so. There’s always a chance it could affect his growth plate, but we won’t know that until he continues growing. But most who’ve had this procedure return to normal within a couple of months. We’ll monitor his progress every couple of weeks and when the final cast is off, he’ll likely need some physical therapy to regain his strength and mobility.”
“Since they live in Seattle, would it be best to have the surgery there?” the man who suddenly stands behind Teagan asks with concern.
“I wouldn’t recommend traveling until the injury has been repaired, as it can cause unnecessary pain and possibly further injury. But if Ms. Frost is willing, I can follow up with Connor’s surgery personally. I’m moving to Seattle and will be an attending physician at their children’s hospital right about the time Connor will be due for a check-up.”
Connor’s grandfather just nods as Teagan’s mouth drops.
