Yes, I Was Worried. I'm A Mom.

Sam works at the hospital. Sometimes he's in CT and sometimes he's in MRI, and despite being related fields of work, they are not related in proximity to each other in the hospital's layout. And because the hospital is a beehived network of additions, corridors wind around aimlessly and forever before getting to where you need to be. Partly because we visit daddy at work often, and partly because Micah has a memory like a steel trap, he knows exactly how to navigate the maze to get to where daddy is.

Daddy asked us to drop off lunch for him the other day. He was in MRI, which is right inside the entrance, second door down. In a moment of complete spontaneity, I asked Micah to take the sandwich to Daddy. I knew he'd know where to go based on where I parked, and I know he'd love the responsibility laid upon his shoulders.

Micah picked up the sandwich, proudly walked to the door, and disappeared into the hospital. I called Daddy to tell him to be on the lookout for his son. I might be dumb, but I'm not altogether stupid. The line was busy.

Well nuts.

Instantly my mind started racing. What if Sam was getting a patient from the ER and wasn't in MRI where Micah was headed? Would Micah assume that daddy was in CT and just head there next? What would he do when he got there and daddy wasn't there either? Would he know to just come back to the van, or would he then wander aimlessly through the hospital? What if someone thought a little boy carrying a sandwich was really cute and picked him up and took him home? What if I went in after him and left the van parked illegally, and not only got a ticket but had the van towed and STILL couldn't find my son because someone had kidnapped him? OH MY WORD, WHAT HAVE I DONE????

I finally got through to Sam on the 3rd call (mind you, this all happened in something like 90 seconds) and he assured me that not only was Micah there, but he was headed back to the van. In fact, the boy walked in like a dutiful messenger boy, laid the sandwich on the desk, and immediately turned around and came back to the van. (So said daddy, who followed him back to the van from a discreet distance.)

The pride was radiating from Micah in palpable waves, and in true Micah fashion, he was trying so hard not to show it. His poker face had a studied look to it, and I knew it required a lot of work to suppress the grin. All I had to do was hold up a hand for a high five and his face cracked into a beaming smile.

One small errand for daddy, one huge step of independence for Micah.