Dad...a horse...his head

My mom found me at the school picking up the kids and was all smiles.  However she put her arms out to give me a hug and I knew something had happened.  We're really not that huggy of a family.

"What it is mom?" I asked with a questioning look.  

"Well... dad's in the hospital." She looked at me with a shy kind of smile. 

"What happened?" I questioned her again.

She answered in a kind of comical way ,"Well... there was your dad.... and a horse... and his head."  

"Is he ok? What exactly happened?" 

"Last night your dad went out to rope and the horse he was riding wouldn't stop running, so dad tried to pull him into circles and then...  he was sitting on the bench against the wall?  He looked up from there and seen the 2 horses standing there unsaddled and haltered.  He can't remember doing that though." 

I stared at her for a second and then said "well either he did it and doesn't remember because he hit his head too hard or there were angles there."  We both smiled but I knew there was more going on so I asked again. "So how is he?"

"Last night he took the horses to the barn and finished the chores and came in for supper. This morning he started throwing up and I convinced him he had a concussion and that he needed to see a doctor and he finally agreed and let me bring him in.  He's still not able to keep things down and his head hurts so bad that he's keeping his room pitch black.  They said that there's a bit of swelling and that there's a pool of blood the size of a tooney outside his scull.  They're keeping him in for a couple of days to keep an eye on him." She told me.

"Does he want a blessing?  I can take something to him when I go up to visit?"

"He got a blessing from some of the EMTs that just happened to be there. Again, he's not able to keep anything down and his head hurts too much to read or watch tv. Just go and see him but don't...".  She paused and smiled.  "Take the girls, I don't think he up for that just yet."  I smiled back.

"I was thinking the same thing."

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I went and seen dad he's still in his wranglers and button up shirt lying on the hospital bed in pitch darkness, is he a cowboy or what.  His demerol shots are only lasting for about 3 hours.  He was in and out of sleep and he's slurring his words, no doubt from the demerol, at least I hope.  My dad has migraines regularly and he said this head pain is right up there with worst migraine he's ever had.  Kevin was there and so he and I visited quietly for about and hour in the dark room, with dad adding his 2 cents here and there.  Dad was sleeping when Kev and I left, hope dad's able to rest and not worry about all the things he thinks he needs to get done.  He was telling Julie, when she stopped in to see him, about the several phone calls he was going to make and the 4 bull ropes he needs to braid, let alone that his cows are still calving and he needs to be there. *sigh*  I'm glad my mom is capable as she did go home, after she found me, to do the chores.  Uncle Leonard is just up the road too, so everything will be fine.  Right? I'll post an update when I learn more about how he's doing.