Grommet-y tears of joy
When a Rat undergoes surgery, there are a few people who hold their breaths. His mum and dad, for starters………everyone else is peripheral.
Sitting your child on your lap, placing a breathing mask over his face, have him fight you and cry every step along the way, and then watching his eyes glaze over and body go limp. It’s a fairly difficult situation in which to keep your composure together. In the time i’ve known the Rat, his body has always been anything BUT limp. Never had that experience that before, and i don’t look forward to it again.
Still, in the time it took to walk Rat’s mum up to the local coffee place and back, it was all over and he was crying.
Tears of pain, yep no doubt.
Tears of relief, certainly. (you see he had an abscess in each inner-ear behind the ear drum causing pain – surgery popped them and relieved that back-pressure).
Tears of fear because we weren’t there when he woke up, yeah but there’s nothing we could have done about it. It was over and done in 10 mins.
Tears, tears, tears and a grumpy little man all day
The next day, the page turned, the chapter was re-written, the engine was re-oiled (insert a metaphor of your choosing in here). He was happy to be awake. Happy to run around and play. Just happy. Albeit a little leaky and crusty around the ears from all the seepage, but happy nonetheless.
