My Baby Girl

Its 0526 on Monday, September 20, 2010.  In twelve hours I'll see my daughter, who I haven't seen since January 12 of this year, which is the day I put her on a plane to Quebec.

I've got mixed feelings about the visit, as I had initially planned to visit her in October for her 20th birthday.  Then reality took over and there was no way I could wring enough money out of my budget for two tickets, or even one. 

Her first few months there were good; we both needed our time away from each other to gain some perspective on a complicated situation.  As time progressed, it became evident that, while she was content being there with Travis, her mood was declining.  She elected to not return to school for the second semester of French school and got a puppy instead so she could stay home and work on puppy training.

Phone calls from her became a rare thing as time went on; instead of phoning to simply talk about life and listen to Kev's toddler talk, she called when she needed something.  And since I had opted out of paying her exorbiant cell phone bills for her, her phone was no longer in service and I could not call her.  I had to wait for her to call me.

We chatted on Facebook occasionally, but even that ended in an argument and harsh words before too long. 

Yesterday I went for a walk and left my phone at home.  When I arrived home I had missed three phone calls.  The phone promptly rang again and I was pleased to hear Jen's voice on the other end of the line until I heard, "Mom, this isn't a happy phone call."

My first thought was that she was pregnant.  And in my mind I had already welcomed a new grandchild into the world until she told me that she needed help because she had overdosed.

To make a long story short, and because I have to leave for the airport soon, I called 911 from here.  They picked her up, along with the military police, because they live on a military base, and brought her to a hospital in Quebec City. 

I am hoping by the time I arrive in Quebec City, she will have been released into Travis's care, but something tells me I will have to get her from the hospital myself. 

I'm planning on spending a few days with her in Quebec and then flying back to Winnipeg with her and Juno the Puppy on Friday. 

Until then, please send all the positive energy you can spare to Jen to help her recover physically and emotionally.