Wake Up Call

It happened

The phone call came.

Those words I heard on the other side of the phone are ones that have only haunted me in my dreams. Today, though, it was real.

My husband’s cell number came across my phone. I could hear the nervousness in his voice.

“We were in a car accident.”

Thank heaven for the quick words to follow.

”Everyone is okay.”

The interrogation for the details began. I did not give my husband a chance to answer one question before I asked another…

“What happened?”
“How is he?”
“Did he cry?”

“Is he scared?”

“Are you sure he is not hurt?”

Then, the following questions flooded my own mind and heart.

What if he did get hurt?

What if my husband (or I) was unconscious and he was not?

How would the “First Responders” know anything about my son?

How would they know he had autism?

How would they know he could not speak?

How would they know if he was hurt?

How would my son react to strangers?

How would they treat my son?

Would my son understand what was happening?

Where would they take him?

How would I find him?

Then came the conviction of negligence.

What would I ever do with myself if something happened because I did not do everything possible to help my son in a crisis like that?