Changling Families

Scaarbach

Otto pulled out his phone while he walked with Toby back to the Domzalski house. He called Barbara.

"I hope this is important, Otto,"  the med student snapped,"I'm at the hospital right now."

'Somezing ees wrong vvith Nana," Otto waisted no time,  "Toby ees very upset by eet."

"Oh God," Barbara gasped, "Otto! You should have called 911!"

"I don't know vvhat ees  wrong yet!" Otto defended.

He and Toby entered the house. Nana looked at them from where  she lay at the foot of the stares.

"Ah. Hello, Otto," she said, "Um, I seem to be in a bit of a mess."

"Nana, I hat Barbara on ze phone,"Otto knelt be her side, "Was happened?"

Nana sighed, "I missed a  step and must have hit my head."

"Ask her if anything hurts," Barbara ordered Otto, "I'm going to get an ambulance on the way."

"Does anything hurt, Nana?"

The old  woman avoided his eyes, "I...I can't feel my left leg..."

Otto relayed the information to Barbara and then shut his phone.

"Barbara says zat zey are likely to keep you over night," He told Nana, "Vvould you  like me  to take Toby for tonight?"

"That would probably be best, Otto. Thank you. Danke," Nana looked  back at him, "His bag should be packed  save for clothes and overnight things. And you'll  have to get his car seat out of my car."

"I can do zat," Otto turned to Toby, "Bärchen? Can you keep  Nana  company vvhile I get your things?"

Toby nodded and took Nana's hand. Otto smiled at the duo and made his way up the stairs to  Toby's room. He grabbed the diaper bag first, then added a change of clothes, a set of footie pajamas, Toby's teddy bear from the bed, and the blankie from the floor. Once he had the bag packed, Otto went back downstairs and put it and the car seat into his car.  Only  then did he return to the little boy and his grandmother.

"All set."

"Thank you, Otto. Danke."

Otto smiled and pulled Toby into his lap and bouncing him gently. It was  only a minute more before the  ambulance arrived and the paramedics  loaded up Nana. Otto buckled Toby  into his  car seat, singing a little song to help keep  the frightened child calm, and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

Toby starred out the window the whole way. Otto watched him in the rear view mirror. Barbara greeted Otto and Toby when they walked in.

"They just took her back for x-rays and to do some work on her leg," she explained, "It might take an hour, it might be longer. It  just depends on how the x-rays go." (1)

Otto nodded and rubbed Toby's back soothingly, "Alright zen. I am  going to take Bärchen to get something to eat."

Barbara nodded and rushed off back to her class. In the hospital café, Otto sat with  Toby in his lap, trying to tempt the toddler  into eating a few dinosaur chicken nuggets or mac&cheese.

"Bitte, Bärchen,"* Otto begged, "You must eat. Just a little?"

Toby shook  his head and buried his face in Otto's chest. Otto sighed and put the food down. He put the lids back on the containers and put the containers in the diaper bag.

"Eet vvill be  alright," Otto assured Toby, rubbing his back, "Nana vvill be alright. Das verspreche ich, Bärchen."*

They went back to the waiting room and Otto continued  to rub Toby's back. It didn't  take long for Toby to fall asleep. Otto pulled the blanket from Toby's bag and  wrapped it around the boy. He noticed that the blanket was the same color as Toby's skin was in his alien form.