Trust In Forever (Book 12 in the Forever Series)

Chapter 7

Jerry

The trip I wanted to take with my dad was supposed to be an incredible & fun adventure. I was sure it would be, since my uncle & cousin were going with us. It started out fun as we camped out in the wilderness, in the snow on Friday night. We all managed to stay warm & Dad had to stay extra warm, especially his hands & feet because of his Diabetes.

We only planned on being in the cold overnight, then we headed to the spot where we left our car that we drove from the cabin. While we hiked to the location, Dad started feeling like his blood sugar was getting higher, so we tried to hurry to the car, since his insulin was packed deep in his bag, where it was kept warm by an insulated pack.

Dad was holding up the rear of our line as we walked, so we didn't see how slow he was getting. We didn't realize he was several feet behind us until we heard him yell. I remember turning around to see half of his body disappear into the ground. I started running, toward him, even though it wasn't exactly running with the attire & equipment that weighed me down.

Uncle Joe & Joel both ran toward Dad, too & only when we got closer did we realize he had fallen through some ice into a frozen pond of some sort. Uncle Joe stopped me & Joel a few feet from Dad, just in case the ice was going to give way around Dad.

After Uncle Joe made sure it was safe, he had me & Joel hold his feet while he pulled Dad out. It took some time, but Uncle Joe was able to free Dad from the water. I was relieved until I saw Dad's face. He looked out of it & his coloring was off. His lips were a slight shade of light blue, so I knew his body temperature had dropped.

Uncle Joe was determined to get his brother somewhere safe as he practically carried him all the way back to where our car was. It was also somewhere we could get Dad some medical attention. The whole way there, Uncle Joe kept talking to Dad, keeping him awake & alert, telling him he was going to be okay & reminding him of the amazing life he had waiting for him at home.

I didn't realize I had been crying until my face started to feel colder. I wiped my tears, with my gloved hand even though that didn't help my face to get dry. Things happened so fast, once we got to where authorities were & my tears subsided, a little. I watched men & women, urgently check Dad over, then my tears started again when he was put into an ambulance. Uncle Joe tried to console me, but it wasn't working. It was useless, because I was scared & I blamed myself.

It seemed to take forever before we all arrived at the hospital. Joel & I waited, in the lobby, while Uncle Joe went to get answers from doctors. I was still crying & now it was Joel who was consoling me. 

"It's all my fault. If my dad doesn't pull through, it will be my fault. My mom & my brothers & sisters are going to hate me." I sobbed, into my hands.

"It isn't your fault. You didn't do this. It was an accident. It could have happened no matter if this trip was my dad's idea or yours. My dad wanted to come to Mammoth. Both our dads wanted to hike. Don't blame yourself. Your dad will be fine, so try not to worry."

I nodded, but didn't really believe Joel. I wiped at my tears & took several deep breaths, trying to get the flow of tears to stop. Eventually, Uncle Joe came over & sat down with us, looking extremely worried. I was afraid for what he was going to tell us, so I started praying to God, in my head.

Uncle Joe cleared his throat. "Your dad is in bad shape. His blood sugar was extremely high, which might have been why he fell. They think he was dizzy or even passed out. He is also dehydrated & has hypothermia from the cold water. After they brought him to the hospital, he became unresponsive, meaning he slipped into a Diabetic coma. I've got to call your mom & tell her. She needs to get here as soon as possible."