We're all in this together

Today started like any other.  I stumbled, bleary-eyed out of my bedroom in the general direction of the coffee maker with two out of my three demanding cereal at a very high volume.  The house was dark because there were storm clouds outside.

Once I had some coffee and the kids were fed I noticed something odd about Charlotte's hand.  It was very red, hot and swollen.  I saw a bug bite on one of her swollen fingers.  I gave her a dose of antihistamine and proceeded with lunch packing and child herding.

Fast forward a bit to school drop off.  I notice in the brighter light of the parking lot a jagged edge to the redness on Charlotte's hand.   Crap.  This is probably cellulitis.  I grabbed a pen from her teacher, drew an outline around the swelling and told the teacher to call me if the swelling or redness spread..

I went about my errands.  No one called.  I pick up Charlotte.  Her hand is still swollen, red and hot.  There is a walk-in clinic down the street from her school.  Charlotte, Matthew and I sat here for an hour and a half and then my fears were confirmed.  Prescription in hand, we head to the store.

Everyone is tired, cranky and hungry.  I debate about just leaving the prescription and having Richard pick it up after he is finished work.  My nurse brain tells me to wait.  Cellulitis is not something to mess around with and hours can count.  We wait. While sitting in the pharmacy I remember I am out of ibuprofen.  I grab a bottle off of the shelf and toss it in my cart.  Dear little cranky Charlotte asks (in between fielding hits from her equally cranky brother) "Mom, what are those pills for?"  I tell her they are for headaches.  She very innocently asks "Mommy, what is giving you a headache now?"

A woman who is browsing the same shelf I am overhears our conversation.   She looks over.  We exchange knowing glances.  She whispers to me she has three boys herself.

It is nice to find an ally on the battlefield.

EDITED TO ADD:

I sent Charlotte to her room to clean it.  I asked her to take the sheets off of her bed and put them in the laundry room.  A little while later I heard screaming.  She came running up the stairs.  "There's a BIG SPIDER in my bed!!!!"   This girl is prone to hyperbole, but when I got down there I had to put on my best poker face.

There WAS a HUGE SPIDER on the mattress.

Now I am wondering if that is what bit her hand.

Can we keep telling her it was a mosquito at soccer practice?  I'd kind of like her to keep sleeping in that room.