And Baby Makes...?

Chapter 23

Samantha was released from the hospital the next day. The doctor did another test on her - an EEG to see if lights would trigger a seizure and she passed that with flying colours - meaning she didn't have a seizure. The MRI was clean, but the doctor showed us the spot where Sam had had the small bleed on her brain from her accident. He said she's still pretty young and her brain might re-wire itself from anything that may have been damaged from that.

He assured us that her seizure had caused no damage and that it is possible she'll have more because of her brain injury, but that unless they're frequent, he'd hesitate to put her on any anti-seizure medications for now.  He said that there is a form of epilepsy that can be caused by brain injuries but he wasn't going to diagnose that unless she had more seizures, more frequently.  He told us that if she did have another seizure, to time it and if it lasted longer than five minutes, to bring her to the hospital. But that any others shorter than that, we could keep her home, comfortable, and probably let her sleep it off.

Sam went back to school the next day, and only called home once that week to come home because she was tired. And that was after a particularly hard physio session the day before and a long session with her tutor.

Samantha had been in a coma through September and October and had missed Halloween and we were coming up to Thanksgiving. Jenna and I decided to invite Debby and Josh to come out. They accepted and when I told Samantha when she got home from school, since she was now walking to and from school, she grabbed Rosie and danced and sang.

Samantha had worked really, really hard in physio and with her tutor since going back to school. Her gait had stabilized, she hadn't had another seizure since the one at the beginning of November, and she was speaking perfectly clearly.

Her physiotherapist thought she might be discharged before Christmas. Samantha had even learned how to change Rosie's diaper and sometimes we'd find the two snuggling in Sam's room in the morning, Rosie in a fresh diaper and a cute outfit her sister picked out.

Some days we'd walk to school with Sam to get Rosie out. Sometimes I'd walk with her just to spend time with her. Sometimes she'd walk alone.

She was just amazing. She was growing in so many ways. She was getting taller but also more confident. She was so compassionate and her bond with Rosie just grew and grew. It was incredible.

She worked hard with Dr Freud and a neurologist to overcome some of the issues caused by her brain injury and she just flourished.

She started talking about high school even though it was only November. She was starting to become the person Stanley had tried to break down.

Samantha was starting to see what life really could offer. And we were seeing the person she had the potential to become. She was so engaged in the world, was joining school clubs and tried out for sports. She was granted a tryout for the basketball team, since she'd been in a coma when tryouts were happening. The season extended into March. When she made the team, we celebrated. We had to. Not only had she overcome her injury, she was venturing out into the world on her own and on her own terms.

Her basketball games were a family affair. We'd bring Rosie and dress her in some version of blue and silver, the school's colours. When Sam saw that, she'd make us sit as close to the bench as possible so that she could give her good luck charm a kiss when she was out on the court.

I had a hoop in our backyard because I love basketball and had almost gone to college on a scholarship. Sam and I would sometimes play after school if she didn't have too much homework or wasn't too tired. Jenna and Rosie would sometimes come out and cheer us on.

Debby and Josh arrived the Wednesday before Thanksgiving while Sam was at school. I'd already told her I would be going to pick them up and couldn't meet her at school, and that Rosie would be down for a nap, if she didn't mind walking home alone. She didn't. She had her phone, ear buds and Spotify. And the walk was less than 5 minutes really.

She came into the house singing one of Brendon's songs and hadn't noticed, apparently, that there were people in the living room listening to her. She had such a beautiful voice.

"Bravo!" Josh said, as she put down her bag and kicked off her shoes and hung up her jacket.

Sam jumped, turned around and saw Josh. She flung herself into his arms.

"Uncle Josh! I thought you weren't coming until dinner time!"

"Surprise you absolute string bean! How much taller are you going to get?!" He asked.

Samantha smiled her cocky smile when she had a sarcastic remark.

"Taller than you, if I can help it," she smiled.

Debby went up to Sam and hugged her, too.

"Sam, you look amazing! How are you doing?"

"Hi Aunt Debby!" She said, hugging her back. "I'm doing good."

Jenna came downstairs with a fussy Rosie, who was teething, and Rosie, seeing Sam, reached her hands out.

"Awww. Rosie posey, are your gums sore? Poor baby," Samantha said. Rosie settled immediately as Samantha started singing to her. Josh and Debby looked at me, their jaws unhinged.

I shrugged and smiled.

"There's something between the two of them that I can't explain."

"It's beautiful. It's amazing," Debby said.

"It's also a bit of a relief. It's one way I know I can get Rosie to feel better," Jenna said.

Sam had Rosie in her lap and was singing to her and clapping her hands. Rosie, with the rosiest of cheeks from her teething, was smiling and laughing.

We had a lot to be thankful for this year.