The Meaning of Family

Cast Comes Off

A couple weeks after the severe summer storms that hit Chicago, the day they were waiting for finally came; Ava's cast would be coming off, as would her sling! They couldn't wait, Ava just wanted to play and run now that her ribs didn't hurt, and bath time wasn't easy with a full cast on a toddler's arm.

"Ava, are you excited?" Hailey asked as she strapped the toddler into her car seat.

"Yes! No mowe cast! Awm fwee! I can have fun!" Ava cheered, absolutely beaming. She'd been excited and happy all morning, despite having two really bad nightmares the night before.

"That's right! Your arm will be free! What do you want to do after we get done at the doctor?" Hailey asked, smiling just as big as her little sister.

"Pawk?" Hailey nodded and closed the back door of her jeep.

"We'll go to the park, babe. You remember we said you still might have to wear something on your arm though, right? But you'll be able to do stuff," Hailey double checked; they'd talked about it with Ava the day before, but Hailey wanted to be sure Ava remembered and they could avoid a meltdown.

Ava nodded and looked out the window as Hailey backed out of the driveway. Jay smiled at his wife and held her hand as they drove. It was a big day for Ava, they all knew that, and they wanted to take her swimming over the weekend for the first time and maybe even go to the lake house before Jay's time off was over.

They got to Med and Ava walked in, holding Jay's hand as she smiled up at Hailey. "Cast off!" She kept repeating over and over again. Hailey got a video of it to cherish the memory. It was precious.

They got checked in and eventually called back. Natalie came into the room to do it and Ava smiled when she saw the brunette. Ava was becoming comfortable with Nat, and she'd met Will a few times, although she was still pretty wary of him, and most men.

"How are we doing today?" Natalie asked, smiling at the little girl in Hailey's lap.

"Cast come off!" Ava cheered, making them laugh.

"That's right, Ava! Your cast comes off! Now, once it's off, I have a special brace for you to wear for a couple of weeks, but you can run and play and swim all you want!" Natalie's words made the kid even more excited and she looked up at Hailey.

"Go sim?" She asked, eyes hopeful.

"Yeah, baby, we'll go swim tomorrow," Hailey kissed her head and Ava happily wiggled.

Natalie got everything ready and took Ava's sling off; she'd only been wearing it half the day for the last 5 days as her shoulder was healed, but they wanted to be sure. Now, she'd only have to wear the sling if she was hurting. Nat brought the saw over and Ava immediately started crying and squirming.

"NO OW! NO OW!" She screamed, and Hailey stood up and started swaying, feeling warmth on her stomach. Thankfully, Ava was in a pull-up, but she hated that the sight of the saw had scared her sister that bad.

"Hey, hey, breathe, Aves, breathe. You're safe. No ow, I promise, no ow. You're okay, baby," she soothed, rubbing Ava's back.

"Sharp!" She sobbed, hiding her face.

Hailey sighed. They should've gone over this with her before coming. "I know it looks sharp, Ave, but it can't hurt you. I swear. I've had casts removed and have never been hurt getting them off. Natalie did it for my last cast and she was the most gentle person ever. You are safe," she told the tiny blonde.

Ava sobbed into her shoulder a while longer, slowly calming down, but not moving except to put her thumb in her mouth. Finally, she lifted her head up and looked at Hailey with a frown. Her cheeks were red and wet, nose snotty, hair a mess. Jay noticed and got some tissues from Ava's bag, passing them to his wife. She cleaned Ava's face up and kissed her forehead.

"No owie? Gentle only?" Ava asked quietly.

"No owie, that's right. You don't have to watch, I can hold you or Jay can hold you. And we brought Bunny," Ava nodded and pressed her face into Hailey's neck, rapidly sucking her thumb as Jay got her bunny out.

"Are you ready, Ava? I swear, it won't hurt. I even have something to cover your ears so it won't be so loud. It will be done fast," Natalie asked. Ava nodded and Jay put the headphones on the toddler, who hardly moved in her sister's lap.

Natalie had the cast off in under two minutes, and they immediately got Ava turned around in Hailey's lap so her arm could be cleaned and her brace could be put on. She loved it and was beaming when it was over, bouncing happily in Hailey's lap.

Jay snapped a few pictures and soon they were on their way to the bathroom so Hailey could clean the kid up, then they headed home for Ava's nap and to pack for the lake.