He Takes My Heart With Him

Twenty-Four Hours

Jack had to stay flat on his back for 24 hours after the surgery. This would keep the pressure off the incision and the bottom of his spinal cord. He was on morphine the whole night, which pretty much knocked him out, so we simply sat by his crib in the tiny hospital room and watched him. Whenever he would wake up and begin to stir, we would gently put pressure on his chest with our hand and whisper soothingly to him until he fell back asleep.

Amazingly, he looked good. He was pink and rosy, although groggy. He had an IV in his hand and in his foot, as well as a pulse ox electrode attached to his big toe, which measured his heart rate and oxygen content. But he was snuggled under his soft, fleece, truck blanket and more often than not, he sighed contentedly in his sleep.

The next morning, they told us that by noon we would be able to hold him. The sweetest pleasure.