The New Kid

Today when I went to the hospital, there was a new baby in NICU. I don't know whether it was a boy or a girl, but I'm going to refer to him as "he"...

I think he must have been only an hour or so old when I got there because there were four or five nurses around him, attaching wires, inserting tubes, doing whatever they do there. 

I was watching out of the corner of my eye, but not so much that it would be rude. I always worry about the other little ones, even though I don't know them or their families. 

I hadn't been there for long when I saw the father coming down the hall. I could tell he was the father because his eyes were red and swollen, like he had been crying. Also, he was practically running into the room. It must have been his first time up in the NICU.

I saw him come up to his child and look at him laying there, with all the tubes attached. I know what it feels like to see your child for the first time like that - and as he started crying, so did I because it wasn't that long ago that I was that parent seeing my child for the first time. 

I heard the doctors talking to him - and while I couldn't understand what they were saying, I know what they say by now. "Your child has some obstacles that he needs to overcome. We will do everything in our power to help him grow bigger and stronger, but you need to be prepared that it will be a long hard road and there are no guarantees. But we will do everything that we can." 

I wish I could do more - I wish I could give that dad a hug and tell him that everything's going to be ok and that he'll be bringing his little one home before he knows it - but I know there are no words for times like that, so I just sent up a silent prayer for that little baby, that he'll be a fighter and survivor - because that's what you need when you're the new kid in NICU...