The Stomach Bug Strikes Again

I picked a fine time to let us run out of paper towels. We (almost) never run out of them either since I normally keep a healthy supply on top of the freezer in the garage, right in front of my car, so I see it every time I get in and out of the car which is why I have no good legitimate reason for allowing us to run completely out, yet it happened anyway and at the most inopportune time...

Yesterday after church we had a big (early) Easter dinner at Momaw Pat's. She often does hers on Palm Sunday which, by the way, had to be the coldest, wettest, ickiest, Palm Sunday in the history of my ever. (WHERE IS SPRING?) Sunday dinner at Momaw Pat's is like food heaven on earth. I've never seen anybody walk away from there un-stuffed. 

We stayed for a good long while after we ate and as soon as Dracen got in the car to head home, he clutched his stomach and said he felt a little like he may throw up. I warned him to get out of the car quick if this was for real but he stayed. I told him it was most likely from the wrestling match with his brother he took part in just before we walked out the door. Wrestling with a stuffed belly is never a good idea.

But long after we got home he continued to complain, off and on, about his tummy, even going so far as to collapse in an over-dramatic fashion once in the hallway but since it is not unusual  for Dracen to exaggerate his ails, I still had hope that he just had a bit of indigestion. 

Turns out, it was a whole lot more than just a little indigestion because sometime just before dark last night, as Charlie and I were watching t.v. in the living room, Devin was watching Netflix on the laptop in the kitchen and Dracen (I assumed) was watching t.v. or playing XBox in his room, I thought I heard a muffled cry call out for MOM. 

I got up and went down the hall to his room and was surprised when I opened the door to find the t.v. and all the lights off (he's never in there without light, even sleeping with all his lamps on at night). I flipped on the light switch to find him sitting up in the bed, on the verge of tears and surrounded by a sea of throw up.

I did a quick assessment of the situation and was right there on the verge of tears with him.

I stood there, almost frozen, trying to figure out the best way to go about resolving this very unfortunate predicament so I said, "Just wait there a minute!"  and ran down the hall, alerted Charlie as I passed by him and then got to the kitchen, then the garage, to find no paper towels to speak of. 

NOOOOOO.

I'll spare you the details by just saying that it was not the last time it happened, he never made it to the bathroom in time, and I threw away a pillow, a foam mattress topper and several old towels before Charlie, bless him, decided to go to the store and stock up on paper towels, ginger ale, hand sanitizer, and crackers.

The good news is, Dracen hasn't thrown up anymore since last night. The bad news is, the nausea was replaced with a fever and body aches. It's going to be a looong day. 

Pass me that hand sanitizer...