After breakfast I. acted pretty normal so we went to the gym for a quick workout. When I picked her up 45 minutes later, I took one look at her and knew that she was sick. Her face was pale, her eyes red rimmed and she just looked tired. I took her home, laid her on the couch, put a video in (a real treat for her) and made her some juicy fruit slices and a smoothie. Her temperature, for as long as she allowed me to take it, was at least 103.5 so I gave her some Motrin and we did resttime. The Motrin brought her temperature down enough to make it through the rest of the day until I got her in bed early. She was asleep by 4:15 and I hope she'll be recovered by tomorrow morning when she discovers that her sisters are here.

V.'s work plans have gotten turned upside down. Instead of him being home working until China, beginning sometime between June and September, he's been working in San Francisco this past week. Next week due to people's stupidity, V. is slated to work in LA on Monday, San Francisco on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia Wednesday - the following Monday, and then San Francisco again until the following Friday when he finally gets home that evening. That weekend is the girls' 18th birthday and the following weekend is my birthday. Tomorrow morning I'm going to take advantage of all this joyful distraction for I. and disappear for 2 hours to take care of some errands and just sneak away by myself for a little while before having to be the only parent again even though it's just for a short time.

This is all small potatoes compared to watching the parents of a 17 year old daughter who was killed last week conduct themselves in a rational, calm manner. I don't know how they're coping so admirably but I'm glad they are. I know my reaction would be much different, primarily consistently of sobbing and hitting inanimate objects but that's just me. Even though I may need a break from I. right now, I cannot fathom a day in the future when she is no longer there. It's truly my greatest fear as a mother of an only child.

Enough depressing stuff for so late in the evening, I'm going to wind down and head to bed.