APRIL HENRY, WRITER
  • Home
  • Past News
  • Bio
    • Goodbye, 2021
    • How my Apple watch saved my life
    • Masks for Covid-19
    • In the name of research
    • Why I write scary things
    • Roald Dahl Made Me a Writer
    • Fun Facts about April
    • Questions teachers often assign
    • 10 Reasons I Love Martial Arts
    • Learning to Fight Back
    • Dear Teen Me
    • My Parents >
      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
      • My Mom, Nora Henry >
        • My Mom and the Round Rock
    • My great-grandfather, the killer
    • I come from a long line of criminals
  • Books
    • For Teens (and Adults) >
      • Future books
      • Girl Forgotten
      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
    • Foreign Covers
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • About My School Visits
    • A Sneak Peek at a School Visit
  • Fun
    • FAQ
    • Does Your Character Need a Job?
    • Girl, Stolen Alternative Covers
    • I Get Letters
    • Blob on the Side of the Filing Cabinet
    • Books I Like
    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
    • How to get an agent
    • Videos with writing tips
    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
    • Story starters
    • Write what you know?
    • What if you get stuck?
    • More tips about writing
    • Need to create a fake social media profile?
    • How to start a new book
    • My daughter is 14 - how can she be published?
    • I'm a teen writer-can you give me feedback?
    • Student Writing
    • How to get it right
    • Questions about writing from two teens
    • Should I pay to be published?
  • Blog
  • Contact

Five years ago: the fall I walked through hell

8/30/2018

8 Comments

 
Picture
Five years ago was the fall I walked through hell.

The accident
We were driving to dinner. September 1, 2013. I had my hand on my husband's knee and we were smiling and talking about nothing.

Suddenly past his shoulder: a black lab. Appearing so out of nowhere it's like magic. Running flat out toward us. Pink tongue streaming behind. Black leash streaming behind.

It looks totally happy. Happy and clueless.

No time to scream. No time to brake. No time to react.

A second later, the dog and car meet just past the driver's side front bumper.

And then we are screaming.

We pull over in the gravel, still screaming. It has to be dead. It has to be. Oh my god. It seems like we are a long ways away, blocks and blocks, but later I see it's not even half a block.

I get out. It's worse than I thought.

Not one dog, but two. Two dogs lying on their backs in the street, paws in the air.

I've never seen dogs lying like that. Cars are already stacking up. A young man kneels by one, a young woman by the other. Screaming, crying, begging. What will these people think of us? We killed their dogs.

As I get closer, I can see they are street kids. The girl with red-gold dreads and pants made of patches. The guy with red-gold hair and a black T-shirt. They carry their dogs to the side of the road. The guy is begging. "Aldo! Aldo!" The black lab is moving a little. And then it dies.

The little dog is still alive and whining.

I try to look up Dove Lewis, the emergency animal hospital, on my phone. I keep typing the wrong letters, and the harder I try the worse I get. The lady who answers says to bring the dogs in. I tell my husband to get our Subaru.

These two kids are wailing. Stumbling from one dog to the other, shaking, weeping so hard that snot runs down their faces.

The guy lifts the lab into the back - even though we all know it must be dead - and then climbs in beside it. The girl sits in the back with the little dog in her lap. I pick up their two huge packs (they were setting down their packs when they lost control of the dogs) and bag of groceries and somehow manage to shove them all in the car.

And then we drive. I keep telling my husband to be careful, that the guy is just loose back there.

Otherwise, the car is mostly quiet. The guy is curled over the dog, weeping soundlessly. The girl is trying to reassure the little black and white dog, named Karate Kid. Neither of these two are that much older than our daughter. But somehow they've gone from being someone's precious babies to two kids living on the street with their dogs.

At the vet hospital, a tech in blue scrubs comes out to the parking lot, puts her hand to the lab's neck and shakes her head. She's a tall girl, broad-shouldered, and she manages to carry his body in by herself. Three hours later, we are looking at X-rays of the smaller dog. (It turned out that another car actually hit him.) The ball on one hip joint has been turned into paste. Everything has been pushed to one side.

And after they say goodbye to both dogs, both kids stagger back out into the waiting room. Eyes nearly swollen shut with weeping. We were strangers thrown together, sharing a nightmare.

Becoming an orphan
Eleven days later, I drove down to my home town on a few hours sleep. I had gotten back from a business trip the night before. My mom had declared that September 12 was when she was going on hospice. She had congestive heart failure and interstitial lung disease and had been put on oxygen a few months before.

I think she had hoped that the magic of going on hospice would cause her to die right away. But then the hospice nurse said she might live for months. My mom and I exchanged horrified glances while the nurse prattled on, oblivious. It took her a long time to figure out that Mom wanted to die, and soon.

For years, my mom has been dying on the installment plan. She was ready to die. There was nothing unsettled, nothing unsaid. She thought it was funny when, after she had decided she would go on hospice, her fortune said, "You are soon going to change your present line of work." She firmly believed in God and and afterlife, although she had no preconceived ideas about what it would be like.

The nurse only took her off a couple of her meds. On her own, Mom decided to go off the others. She stopped her oxygen. Then she stopped eating. Then she - sort of - stopped drinking.

It was a very strange three weeks. Good conversations. Watching a lot of old movies and documentaries. Being bored. Wondering when/ hoping/being afraid she would die. Weeping in the laundry room and biting my hand so she wouldn't hear me. Being scared. Laughing. Telling her to stop apologizing for my being there. Trying to write a little. Eating my way through so much junk food.

I was getting an award October 5, and was going to cancel. Mom told me not to, that God told her it would be okay, and then died quietly October 1, a few hours after the hospice nurse said she would live for at least a week, maybe longer. Of course, I was flat out useless at the awards. I basically stood at the podium and wept. It got so bad that one of presenters gave me her already used Kleenex.

The leg
Doctors have a saying. "When you hear hoofbeats, don't look for zebras." In other words, it's probably a cold, not a rare fatal virus.

Or in my case, just before Christmas 2013 when my leg turned red and started swelling up, they thought it was probably cellulitis. And when it didn't respond to three different antibiotics, they decided it was MRSA cellulitis, and I ended up in the hospital for three days. In case I was contagious and might pose a danger to people who were already physically sick, they put me on the psych unit. Let's just say, that was interesting. Then I had a rare reaction to IV Vancomycin called hand-foot syndrome. First my hands and feet felt like they were on fire. Then eventually all the skin peeled off. Oh, and somewhere in there, the doctor thought I had a blood clot in my heart that was throwing off bits. It was another month or so of suck.

I did a LOT of lying on my back, staring at white acoustical ceilings, and crying. And wondering whether I would lose my leg or die. I actually came out okay (except a scar from a biopsy). It turns out that an errant kung fu shin clash probably led to something called traumatic panniculitis (dermatologist's theory) or a crush injury (orthopedic doc's theory).

Five years on, it's my mom's death that still resonates. I wish I could talk to her, hear her laugh, get her advice.
Picture
8 Comments
Christina Getrost
8/30/2018 06:16:11 pm

Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry you went through all of that, what an incredibly difficult series of events, any one of them, but to happen so close to each other and most especially losing your mom. My heart goes out to you. Thank you for sharing. A virtual hug from me.

Reply
Tita
8/12/2023 08:06:59 am

I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360








I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360








I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the

Reply
Wendy link
9/3/2018 12:07:35 pm

Well, shit. That was a whole lot of awful. The winter my mom died, a coworker, a beloved family friend, and a hiking acquaintance also all died--two of them were under 50. This is why people who say, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle!" need to be punched in the teeth.

Your mom sounds lovely. And gah--those poor kids and their poor dogs.

Reply
stephanie
2/19/2019 07:12:58 am

hey im sorry so sorry

Reply
Paula Perez
3/28/2023 06:10:14 am

It is true that this man known as Priest Odunga can help someone get their ex back. My daughter Melissa is 28 years old. She and Lyon have been dating for 3 years until they broke up for 8 months. I want my daughter to be happy as she was very miserable with the break up. At the office, a colleague told me to contact Priest Odunga and gave me his whatsapp number but I was not sure of what to do if it would be ok to contact someone as a Priest to help me. I reluctantly contacted him to help my daughter get her boyfriend back and I paid for the items he asked me for. I would say it was not easy trusting someone whom I have not met before. As a result after 3 days, my daughter came back home smiling and happy telling me how Lyon called her and how he came home being humble as if it were first day of connection from the very beginning. The love sparked in her eyes and I knew the work of this man have manifested. I would recommend this man to anyone who needs to get their ex back at his number Call or WhatsApp him at +2348167159012 or email him at odungaspelltemple@gmail.com

Reply
Maria Willie link
6/29/2023 01:43:53 am

Advice to save your marriage and get your Ex Boyfriend/girlfriend back ,contact drtrustspelltemple@gmail.com or WhatsApp +14242983869 for Urgent effective love Spell to get ex lover back or save you marriage fast and his result is 100% guaranteed.

I want to give thanks to Dr Trust for bringing back my ex husband. No one could have ever made me believe that the article I’m about to write would actually one day be written. I was the world’s biggest skeptic. I never believed in magic spells or anything like this, but I was told by a reliable source (a very close co-worker) that Trust is a very dedicated, gifted, and talented person, It was one of the best things I have ever done. My love life was in shambles, I had been through two divorces and was on the brink of a third. I just couldn't face another divorce, and I wanted to try harder to make our relationship work, but my husband didn’t seem to care. and he broke up with me again. I was confused and do not know what to do again, rather them to get in contact with Dr Trust. He did a love spell that made my husband come back to me. We are now very much happy with ourselves. Dr Trust makes him realize how much we love and need each other. This man is for REAL and for good, he can also help you to fix your broken relationship. I had my husband back! It was like a miracle! He suddenly wanted to go to marriage counseling, and we’re doing very, very well, in our love life. Contact

Email: drtrustspelltemple@gmail.com

WhatsApp: +14242983869

Facebook Page: https://facebook.com/trustspelltemplez

Reply
Corie Johnson
7/5/2023 06:30:08 am

Hello my name is Corie Johnson from USA I want to tell the world about the great and mighty spell caster called Priest Elijah my husband was cheating on me and no longer committed to me and our kids when I asked him what the problem was he told me he has fell out of love for me and wanted a divorce I was so heartbroken I cried all day and night but he left home I was looking for something online when I saw an article how the great and powerful Priest Elijah have helped so many in a similar situation like mine he email address was there so I sent him an email telling him about my problem he told me he shall return back to me within 24hrs I did everything he asked me to do the nest day to my greatest surprise my husband came back home and was crying and begging for me to forgive and accept him back he can also help you contact

universalspellhelp@gmail.com or universalspellhelp@yahoo.com

WhatsApp +2347054380994

Website: https://universalspellhelp.wixsite.com/priestelijah

Reply
Tita
8/12/2023 08:07:21 am

I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360








I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360








I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the kids for 2 weeks when I called him he didn’t pick up when he came back home the 3rd week he told me he wanted a divorce I was so sad I cried all night he left again I was so lonely the next day I was searching for something online when I found a spell caster called DR PETER who have helped so many people with their problems so I contacted him with my problems he told me it will take 24 hours and my husband will be back to me I did everything he told me to do and the next day my husband came back kneeling and begging he canceled the divorce we are now happy together DR PETER can help you too Email him at drpeterspellcaster21@gmail.com read on his website
https://drpeterspellcaster.mystrikingly.com/
https://drpeterspellcaster.wixsite.com/my-site-1
Read more on his Blog
https://drpeterspellcaster.blogspot.com/

WhatsApp +1 (646) 494-4360







I`m happy sharing this experiences to testify about a great and powerful spell caster, my husband left me and the

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I kill people, but only on paper

    Archives

    April 2022
    October 2021
    January 2021
    October 2019
    March 2019
    October 2018
    August 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017

    Categories

    All

    Old Journal

    aprilhenry.livejournal.com
  • Home
  • Past News
  • Bio
    • Goodbye, 2021
    • How my Apple watch saved my life
    • Masks for Covid-19
    • In the name of research
    • Why I write scary things
    • Roald Dahl Made Me a Writer
    • Fun Facts about April
    • Questions teachers often assign
    • 10 Reasons I Love Martial Arts
    • Learning to Fight Back
    • Dear Teen Me
    • My Parents >
      • My Dad, Hank Henry >
        • Witnessing Nat King Cole's Greatest Hit
      • My Mom, Nora Henry >
        • My Mom and the Round Rock
    • My great-grandfather, the killer
    • I come from a long line of criminals
  • Books
    • For Teens (and Adults) >
      • Future books
      • Girl Forgotten
      • Two Truths and a Lie
      • Eyes of the Forest
      • Playing with Fire
      • The Girl in the White Van
      • Run, Hide, Fight Back
      • The Lonely Dead
      • Count All Her Bones
      • The Girl I Used to Be
      • Blood Will Tell (2nd in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Body in the Woods (1st in the Point Last Seen series)
      • The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die
      • The Night She Disappeared
      • Girl, Stolen
      • Torched
      • Shock Point
    • For Adults (and Teens) >
      • Lethal Beauty (3rd in the Mia Quinn series)
      • A Deadly Business (2nd in the Mia Quinn mystery series)
      • Matter of Trust (1st in Mia Quinn series)
      • Face of Betrayal (1st in the Triple Threat series)
      • Hand of Fate (2nd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Heart of Ice (3rd in the Triple Threat series)
      • Eyes of Justice (4th in the Triple Threat series)
      • Learning to Fly
      • Circles of Confusion (1st in Claire Montrose series)
      • Square in the Face (2nd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Heart-Shaped Box (3rd in the Claire Montrose series)
      • Buried Diamonds (4th in the Claire Montrose series)
    • Foreign Covers
  • Events
    • Calendar
    • About My School Visits
    • A Sneak Peek at a School Visit
  • Fun
    • FAQ
    • Does Your Character Need a Job?
    • Girl, Stolen Alternative Covers
    • I Get Letters
    • Blob on the Side of the Filing Cabinet
    • Books I Like
    • JB's Cinnamon Rolls
    • Vanity Plates
    • Diary of My First Book Tour (From 2000)
    • 1999 Interview with James Lee Burke
    • 1997 Interview with Carol Shields
    • Oregon, the Writer's Toronto
    • Stealing From Myself to Create A Character
    • Panties in a Twist
    • Heteronyms
  • Write
    • How to get an agent
    • Videos with writing tips
    • Writers writing during Covid-19
    • Tips for writers
    • Story starters
    • Write what you know?
    • What if you get stuck?
    • More tips about writing
    • Need to create a fake social media profile?
    • How to start a new book
    • My daughter is 14 - how can she be published?
    • I'm a teen writer-can you give me feedback?
    • Student Writing
    • How to get it right
    • Questions about writing from two teens
    • Should I pay to be published?
  • Blog
  • Contact