Don't promise an ambulance sighting or you will get 8 hours of hospital fun :-(

I think the Vinson family is carrying on the curse of the Hendricks family of seeing the inside of an Emergency Rooms related to vacations. I could write a book of all the ERs I went too seemingly always on vacation with my family.

Starting last night Ben was very lethargic, running fever, and in general all he wanted to do was lay on us while we watched Wall-e. We packed up and left Kure Beach early this morning and decided on the way home to take him to the Quick Med instead of waiting until morning for the Pediatrician to open. We thought he only had a bad cough and maybe the start of an ear infection. In the middle of unloading the car I got a frantic call from Bill saying "get up here now" Ben might have pneumonia.

It is never good when you pull up and an ambulance is sitting out front and a nurse is waiting for you at the door. "Oh God, it's that bad", I asked as she took me by the arm and lead me to the hall where Ben is on a stretcher. Bill visibly shaken by what has gone down in the last hour (IV antibiotics, bloodwork, chest X-rays). They take us by ambulance and directly into the Peds ER at Big Wake Med across town. On the ride over the EMT is telling me he might have to be admitted or at least it will be a late night while they run more tests. Surprisingly enough the EMT knew me from my old high school where she was a student. I am WAY too old!

We get there and true to form they run more tests. By 9 pm they are satisfied with Ben's progress and we won't have to stay the night. Ben was awesome! I don't know if it was being doped up or watching endless hours of the Thomas and Pooh videos they had in his room, but he did the best job of the 3 of us. It's funny that as he was pulling down the driveway I told Ben maybe he would get to see an ambulance while at the doctor, never mind ride in one before the day was out.