Today I got a call from the school nurse. She was asking about the monkey and his meds. Which, to bed honest, caught me off guard. She has been my son’s nurse for over 4 years and she isn’t the type to make house calls. Then she asked about his bruises. She said the teacher pointed them out. I assumed she was talking about the ones near his knees. He loves to climb our rock wall and jump on our trampoline while wrestling with our dog. I didn’t think much of it.
Then my husband gets home and he calls me frantic. The monkey’s bruises on his arms are bad. Really bad. Someone grabbed him on both arms. Something happened.
After going over every detail we can think of, trying to figure out and piece together a time frame, we are lost. We have no idea how/what happened.
He didn’t have these bruises before he went to school. He takes showers every night. We would have seen them. I changed him in the morning getting him ready for school. He didn’t have them.
He had a long sleeve shirt and a thick jacket when he went into the bus. Could it have happened there? With a thick jacket? Did he fight the bus aid and the driver?
How did the teacher notice the bruises when he had a long sleeve? Did he pull up the shirt’s sleeves to inspect him? If so, why?
Why did the nurse call me? What made her check up on him at his classroom? She told me she likes to check up on the special needs students. But she’s never done this before. Why now?
Did my son provoke someone in class? Was he scared and did he try to defend himself? Has this happen before? Was he wondering where I was? Did he look for me to defend him? Or simply, are we overreacting? Did nothing happen?
I just finished sending two emails, over to the principal and one over to the transportation department letting them know my husband’s and I will be there in the morning to discuss these bruises.
Now, here I am, wide awake, crying none stop. Just thinking, feeling vulnerable, worrying.
But most of all, wishing. Whishing he could talk to us. Tell us what happened.
This way I wouldn’t need to rely on adults to tell us their version.
I would give everything I have, for this one wish…
To hear his words.
Monkeynism AKA Autism 