Worst vacation EVER!!!!!!!

Warning, if you are looking for an uplifting post, this is not it! :> Sam had a week of vacation and we were planning (mostly he) on getting the fence up and doing some fun things with the kids. Plans change. Adee got sick the first of the week, and she is a strong little bugger and pulled through it, but when Shep caught it it was a different story. I noticed on Saturday that he was a little warm and not so happy, but figured he was teething. I stayed home from church with him on Sunday and by Sunday night his temp was 104. I called my Dr. and he said to just keep an eye on him. I was sitting with him in the chair and just had a bad feeling that things were really not so good, so I called my Dr. again and he said to take him into the emergency room. Seriously, what a joke an EMERGENCY room is!!! We got there at 9:30 and were not seen until about 12:30, of course by that time Shep is tired and has sooo had it, but they want to start an IV and take blood and urine samples. Obviously Sam knew what Shep was in for because when they came in to start the IV he said "I am out of here." I looked at him and said no way, you are the nurse you will stay. For about the next 25 minutes I stood in the hall and listened to Shep scream his little lungs out, it was the worst thing ever. Come to find out, the first time they tried to get in on his right arm they went through the vein (nursing degree) and then had to go to the left arm. That was only the beginning of Shep's fun vacation - he had to have his temp read rectally and tylenol administered that way too! At about 2:30 a PA comes in and says that Shep's white blood cell count is at 32,000 and the normal rate is between 6-10,000 and that he was calling our Dr. to see what he wanted to do. Ten minutes later he comes back in and listens to his lungs, Sam asks if the chest x-rays were okay and he said he did not see anything on them, then walks out. Back in after talking to our Dr. to inform us that Shep is being admitted and that he has pneumonia. WHAT???? So up to the 4X4 room with the metal cage that they call a crib. This is getting long, isn't it??? :> I will get to the point - Shep basically screamed for the next two nights as they poked and prodded him and stuck things you know where. Honestly, I was so mad at times that I wanted to beat the crap out of people. He kept looking at me like "Why are you letting them do this to me???" I HATE feeling helpless and seeing your child sick and not being able to make it stop is the most helpless feeling in the world. I am so glad that Sam was there with me, we shared a fold down chair (really comfy) for the majority of the stay, and I guess got to spend some really close time together. :> Shep ended up not having pneumonia (thanks PA) our Dr. said he did not see anything on the chest xrays that would even point to that and he even let the GOOD nurse (Sam) check them out himself. They are not sure what he caught, but the antibiotics and fluids seemed to help, we have to take him back in on Tuesday to make sure everything is okay. As I sat in the hospital I thought I don't know how parents are able to cope with kids that have serious illnesses because I don't think I could. Two days of sitting and doing nothing was enough to do me in, I can't imagine something constant. I am so glad we are out of that hospital and at home, and yet again I am reminded that children are little miracles and should not be taken for granted. I am so happy to see Shep smile after all the crying that it brings tears to my eyes, I know, corney, but true. Hopefully I don't need anymore "reminders" for a LOOOONNNNNGGGGGGGGGG time.