Disney World to Winnie Palmer
The fireworks lit up the sky, making it nearly impossible to hear anything. My brother’s family and mine were at Disney World’s After Hours Christmas Party, enjoying a festive night out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. We had each left our younger kids with my parents so we could focus on the older ones without worrying about height restrictions. My wife and I had recently welcomed our third baby, now just eight weeks old, and my mother-in-law was taking care of him for the evening.
That’s who was on the phone.
“What? I can’t hear you. He won’t wake up?” I managed to catch over the noise — the booming fireworks, the kids laughing and goofing off as we made our way from Big Thunder Mountain to Pirates of the Caribbean.
It was enough to snap me into focus.
My wife’s face was filled with concern. “He’s not eating and he won’t wake up. What should we do?” she asked, her voice tight with worry.
My mind raced. I knew her mom had a tendency to get anxious in uncertain situations, but I couldn’t ignore the seriousness of what she was describing. As I tried to figure out the right course of action, my wife said, “My mom thinks we should take him to urgent care.”
Without thinking, I blurted out, “No, take him to the ER.”
Then doubt crept in. Did I just overreact? Was it the right call?