our first hospital visit + halloween treats

Eli may be a little accident prone.  His friends from Belfountain PS call him "Crippie" because he was laid up on crutches and casts more than a few times over his years there.  Well, on Halloween afternoon, we got a call from the Kennedy school.  A parent never likes to see the school phone number on their call display.  You tend to answer the phone half holding your breath.  The call went something like this -

• Hi Kara, it's Gareth (head of school).  
• Hi Gareth, is everything ok?  
• Well, Eli has had an accident, not an emergency kind of accident, but he's hit his head and I think it requires a visit to the hospital and possibly some stitches.  Are you able to come and fetch him?  
• I'll be there in a few minutes, thanks Gareth
• Ok, we'll see you soon.  You don't need to rush.  He's here in the office with me and he's fine, a little dizzy maybe, but don't break any speed limits on the way!

Here's what he looked like -  

 We  drove 4 minutes down the road to the Saanen hospital.  To use the word "efficient" doesn't even do the experience justice.  We arrived and the school had called ahead to say we were coming.  We followed the green dots on the floor to the next level and the "waiting room".  Before we even had a chance to sit down, a man dressed in whites (not the tennis kind) collected us and took us into a room that had so much equipment I almost wondered if it was an operating room.  There were 2 doctors (at least I assume they were doctors).  They took a look, asked Eli a bunch of concussion-related questions, cleaned up the wound (small, but deep) and gave him a stitch.  

Eli asked me, are you one of those mothers who is going to be less concerned about me and more focussed on getting the pictures?  Of course, I replied, you're fine and we need blog material.  The doctor asked if I was going to post them on facebook.   It's a different world....

my mother wondered if this was part of our halloween prep!

With no signs of concussion, they were happy to let him go home.  A quick report written by the white-coated facebooking guy who was in charge and we were off!   Twenty-eight minutes had passed since we first entered the hospital.  I kid you not.  

A couple of advils and some make up application later, we were off to Gstaad to trick or treat. Halloween is not a national obsession in Switzerland like it is in North America, but these few families from the kids' school knew a thing or two about trick or treating.  They hosted a fabulous night.  Walking among the 6 houses was spooky enough, very few people live full-time in the Oberbort so it was dark and windy, even a little smoky from the few fires in the homes.  Each house had the requisite glowing pumpkins, creepy music and mask adorned parent or nanny handing out loot bags of candy!  I swear, they brought home more then in past years.  No tricks, all treats.....