Better late than never

We finally made it home today, about 20 hours later than planned. And it was no fun.

We had uneventful flights from Guangzhou and Hong Kong, even made it to Chicago early. But O'Hare was a nightmarish gauntlet of immigration, customs, long security lines and trying to find the right elevator to take us to the right concourse. We finally made it to our gate and were resting up, so after getting us something to drink and changing Cate, I decided to go to the ladies room to freshen up. I hadn't done more than doze on the plane, and mom hadn't slept at all, but we were almost home, and we were keeping the prize in sight. Still, I figured a clean shirt and a little deodorant wouldn't hurt.

I came out five minutes later and found Mom nearly unresponsive, slumped over on the bench as Cate looked up worriedly from her perch on the floor at her feet. It was obvious that either exhaustion, or something else, had taken its toll, and we had a problem.

The flight attendant called the paramedics, and instead of hopping on the 6:05 flight, we dodged planes on the tarmac as an ambulance took us to Resurrection Medical Center in Chicago. Mom kept insisting that Cate and I come on home. There was no way I was leaving her, so Cate and I hopped into the front seat of the ambulance while mom rode in the back with the medics.

It was not where either of us wanted to be, and mom, after reviving sufficiently and hearing that her CAT scan showed no evidence of stroke, decided she was checking herself out against doctor's orders. So we spent the night in an extremely overpriced hotel, where the second bed amounted to a horrible pull-out couch, then rented a car today and drove the 3.5 hours home (mom couldn't fly because United would have demanded medical clearance, which the doctor wouldn't give).

Talk about a dramatic end to the trip.

I never imagined my reunion with my family, to introduce their long-awaited baby sister, would take place in the parking lot of a car rental company. But it did, and the fact that we were all there -- especially mom -- made the location not matter a whit. No, there are no sweet photos of the girls meeting Cate for the first time, and there's no hysterical video of us trying to find the van or use a car seat for the first time. But we all made it home, and that's what counts.

I'll post photos tomorrow when I'm conscious. Here's hoping Who III sleeps well into the night.