The next morning I struggled to pack up my things and put them in the camper. I was exhausted from barely sleeping the night before. We were heading back to Vegas for the night. Before we headed out on our five-hour drive my Mother asked me if I needed something for pain because we were going to drive straight through without stopping. I immediately said no! The medication was messy with my head. I needed a break from it.
My mouth had felt not too bad so I thought there would be no harm in missing a dose. I was sure it would not be that bad. I slept for the first four hours of the drive. With no nightmares. I just slept. My mind felt reset when I awoke. However as I opened my eyes and took in deep breath I knew I was in trouble. My mouth ached and throbbed. Every breath searing the exposed nerves. As it did, I would close my eyes and punch my pillow. I placed my hand over my mouth in an attempt to ease the pain.
Devon wrote a message on a piece of paper and placed in the window of the cab of the truck for Grandma to see. It said Dawn Marie is awake and in PAIN! Please stop. With in a few minutes we pulled into a roadside rest stop. We all got out of the camper and truck and headed into use the washroom. My Mother handed me my medication. A sigh of relief crossing my face as she did. Even though they made my mind feel fuzzy it was far better than feeling like my head was being ripped apart. It would be a relief once I was able to see a dentist. Soon we were back on the road again with only a little over an hour to go before we would be back in Las Vegas.
We were staying at the same motel as we had stayed at last time. Although this leg of the trip was going to be a little more adult orientated. We were only going to be in town until the middle of the following day. Therefore, Grandma Lois wanted to spend the night going to some of her favorite casinos to play the slot machines. My Mother really was not very interested in the plan. However, she knew she could not just let her own Mother go out alone for the night. So she reluctantly agreed.
As for us children, we were going to stay at the motel. We were allowed to go swimming and rent a movie from the TV. Grandma even got us McDonald’s and all of our favorite snacks. Sometime around 2am, my Mother arrived back at the room without Grandma. She needed to rest and could not keep up with her mother any longer. Grandma Lois had stamina when it came to playing the slot machines. She could play for hours on end without taking a break. My Mother however could not. Truly, she had had enough of being on the road and was looking forward to going home. Grandma finally returned about 5am and crawled into bed beside Dallas.
We had to be checked out of our room by one pm. Therefore, my Mother took Dallas, Devon and myself out for breakfast and a little last minute souvenir shopping while Grandma slept. We had already packed up the camper so that way we would be ready to go once Grandma was awake and we were back from our walk. Our plan was to drive until dark, then stop for the night and then drive the last leg to home that following morning which would have us arriving home early that night. When we arrived back at the motel to wake Grandma we were all surprised to see that she was already awake, had checked out of the motel and was patiently waiting for us.
I could tell by the smile on her face that she had something to tell us. Once we were all gathered around her, she proceeded to tell us that we had been invited to stay a night with her friend whom was in Radium Hot Springs. Dallas, Devon and I were excited at the thought of going but you could tell that my Mother was not entertaining the idea at all. She immediately spoke up and said that she would rather if we just continued with our original course to Edmonton. I hoped that Grandma would have not sided with my Mother. I did not want to go home yet. I was not ready to see Jack. However, we decided to continue on home to Edmonton. I was disappointed as we drove out of the city limits of Las Vegas into the Nevada Dessert.
By suppertime, we decided to cut our driving day short and stop for the night. The weather was getting bad around us. Winds, thunder, and lightening. You could feel the rain on the way. A strong summer storm. The wind was starting to push the truck and camper back and forth on the highway so Grandma Lois thought it would be safer to stop for the night. Within minutes of pulling into a parking lot of a hotel just off the interstate, the rain began to fall in buckets. It was poring down from every direction. On our way to supper, at the diner in the hotel, my Mother slipped in the rain falling on one of the cement parking barriers. I was beside her and as her hand hit the barrier, you could hear it snap. I could clearly see that she had hurt her wrist, possibly even broke it. I rushed to her side to help her up as she cradled her wrist with her opposite hand. My Grandma intersected to assess her injuries. She had her move her fingers up and down and then back and forth. Then she had her move her wrist in the same motion. She did not think it was broken but thought it was at least fractured. My Mother would need an x-ray once she returned home. For the time being, it would be wrapped in a tensor bandage to give it support.
We still had at least ten hours to go before we would reach Edmonton. Now that my Mother’s arm was out of service, Grandma Lois would have to drive the remainder of our journey. A trip that lasted fourteen days that was full of adventure, laughter, tears, and memories that would last all five of us a lifetime. It ended with us returning aggravated, exhausted, injured and broken. Me, with my mouth and my Mother now with her arm.
‘I would not trade a moment of that summer for anything in the world. It was one of the best summer vacations of my life.’
Brave Enough by Dawn Marie 
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