With Freedom Comes Responsibility!

You will all please forgive the bags under my eyes and the slight dragging of my feet?  Once again last night found me impatiently waiting bedside by a gurney at Mease Dunedin Emergency Room until approximately 4 am this morning.  As they were woefully understaffed and filled to capacity we were placed in the hallway right near the exit doors making it impossible to hunker down and get comfortable for the wait.
Yesterday marked the first time Kaleb had some alone time (Oh, are you really surprised that his named would be mentioned?)  After having foolishly stayed up Saturday night until 4.30 am Sunday morning playing video games Angi and I finally crashed, only to be awoke bright and early a few hours later.  Suffice to say we went into Sunday quite tired.  Around noon time, after Kaleb had completed his chores he inquired if he could go visit his girlfriend.  In lieu of his recent almost all A's progress report we allowed him to go with the caveat that he return for dinner time at 6 pm.  He agreed and took off.  Now, I will say in the past, when he has been allowed to go out, he has always returned on time,  most often a few minuets early for good measure.  When 6 came and went we didn't worry too much as by this time it was raining steadily. As he as done in the past when out, we just assumed he was taking shelter until it passed.  By eight we were in full worry mode.  No call no show, we made the call.  Reporting him to the police as a missing child, all info passed and they informed us that a juvenile officer would be contacting us.  While waiting Angi and Elijah did a little cyber search, broke into his Facebook and read his communique with his girlfriend.  Turns out, at a little after noontime he had IM'd her to let her know he was on the way and would be there in 40.  As it turns out her return message was that her Mom had decided they were going shopping and she wouldn't be there.  At this point there was no response from Kaleb and his mention that he was entering an unsavory part of town on the way to her house as his last communication, got us all a little concerned.  Not being one to sit idly by waiting for new info, I grabbed my cell and bundled up against the rain and set out after him, trying to guess the route he may of took.  Around nine o'clock I was on Gulf to bay headed for Myrtle (his last known location) when I got a call from Elijah that Angi was on her line talking to Kaleb.  Seems he was at the 7/11 out on US 19N, with no clear reason why he was there or how he got there.  His speech was slurred and somewhat incomprehensible.  Other then the fact that he had been in an accident, had hit his head and lost consciousness, we couldn't deduce much more.  Quickly I called a cab to get me there ASAP, but in hindsight probably could have rode the distance in the amount of time it took them to get to where I was.  Finally around 10.30 I got there to find him curled up by the door, inadequately dressed, soaking wet and shivering.  No matter how much the boy works at pissing me off the paternal instinct kicked in and I couldn't help but feel my heart sink seeing him like that.  Loading him in the cab I saw just how banged up he was, incoherent and in pain, so we made a dash for the emergency room.  Once there I unloaded him and the bikes and cradling him, walked him through the doors.  Now apparently, at this point the sight of us was a wee bit confusing to the night clerk, as I helped him to a chair and went to sign him in.   I was under the misconception that he had been "hit" by a car, while in reality he had swerved to avoid a car, hit a curb and took a very bad spill.  The mention of him potentially being victim to a hit and run, sent the alarm bells ringing, as an officer there started asking a slew of questions I had not yet gotten the answers to.  In the meanwhile, the nurse had asked if I could answer the appropriate questions to process him in, and she introduced me to a colleague as his "friend".  Now, either she thought I was younger, or he was older or I was his boyfriend, for when I corrected her preconceptions and informed her I was, in fact, his father she looked perplexed and asked "your really his father?"  Needless to say, in the heat of the moment I let it go.  Now, I will say that I have to give kudos to the local constabulary as they seem to take pedestrian hit and runs very seriously.  Another of Clearwater's finest arrived shortly after admission to take Kaleb's report, but with a slight air of incredulity as he had already done his homework and discovered that no accidents had been reported in or around the immediate area.  And as Kaleb could not tell us exactly where he was when it took place, something about his story didn't smell right.  Oh sure, took look at him you could clearly tell he had been in an accident, but where, when and why still is not clear.  It took no time to realize that he had not been at his girlfriends, and that instead he was somewhere he should not have been, doing something he should not have been doing that slightly impaired his cognitive functions, resulting in reduced reflexes.  He is a skilled rider and this was definitely not in character.  Thankfully, no serious injuries occurred, after a slew of X-rays and cat scans he came back bumped and bruised but not broken.  In the end we may never know everything that transpired but we know enough that it will be some time before he has any "alone time" again!
ANYWAY!
 Elijah opened up for me this am so I could get a couple extra hours to rest as my wonderful wife, exhausted herself, took on the morning chores and allowed me to rest.  I'm still getting my bearings straight, so I'm not sure where I am at as far as works and goodies!  I will say I just picked up a REAL sweet vintage Schwinn 3 speed walking in this morning, so that will be out soon!  Other then that, stay tuned to these pages for when I get my head screwed back on straight! 
See ya soon!