I woke up at 3:00 am, and there was no going back to sleep. I showered and began to get ready. I managed to make enough noise to wake Courtney from across the room. I don’t ever want to get too close during that process. She’s never appreciated my morning humor and good spirits, going way back to her Jr. High years.

We left the condo at 4:30 and headed east towards Lousiana. We found a McDonalds drive-thru around 6:00 am, and continued on our way, arriving in Baton Rouge right at noon. We stopped at a “Cane’s” for lunch, and then drove over to the Haven for our visit.

We hoped to catch her at the lunch table, but she was already back in her room when we arrived. She was thoroughly confused when we walked in! Had a great time talking and visiting!!! Around 3:00, jet lag was beginning to set-in, so we left to go to our hotel. The plan was to return at 5:15 and take mom out to eat.

We walked back into The Haven at 5:05 and as we neared mom’s room, one of the attendants stepped out of the room, letting me know mom had fallen, and that EMS was on the way. UGH!!! She was lying on the floor by her bed, equally hurting from the pain, and angry about the fact that it had happened. She had been sitting on the edge of the bed, reached for something on the nearby dresser, and slid off the bed to the floor. She’s convinced she’s broken a hip.

EMS arrives, loads her up, and heads to the hospital. Courtney and I make some quick contacts with Robert, Susan, and Geoffrey, and we all meet at the emergency room at the hospital. X-rays show a broken left femur, near the hip. Surgery is scheduled for sometime tonight to insert a rod. It’s a busy Saturday night in Baton Rouge, and she eventually rolls into surgery at 3:00 am. The surgery goes as well as could be expected for an 86 year old. She’s back in her room after recovery at 6:00 am. This has been a long 27 hours.

Since I’m back in the US, I’m going to take a writing break. I’ll get back into it when we start back to China, unless “the writing spirit” strikes me earlier.