The other version

Here's the one I wrote:

Our third story landing collapsed today while my brother was taking Roy downstairs for some play time. He wrapped him self around her and held her as they fell. She escaped with minor cuts and bruises...any other way and she would be dead.

And I thought Little Monkey's ordeal was our biggest of the year. Needlenoggin won't be able to come back home here, and so will need a new place to live and a caretaker. We're seeing about the apartment downstairs (soon to be vacant). Anyone know a good lawyer in the SF Bay? Our landlord knew about the rickety stairs and did nothing to address the issue, and now my baby brother won't ever walk again.

It was almost Tuffy and Little Monkey, but they turned back to get something from the house. Oh God, my poor brother.

(and the one a few days later)

Needlenoggin went in for open-spine back surgery at 5pm on 7/22. It was supposed to be a 5 hour surgery, and stretched into 8 hours. They had to remove all the shards of vertebra from his back, and they'd planned to take bone from his hip to graft into the repairs, but were able to just use bone putty, steel rods and screws to shore him up. The top two vertebra were left alone, and will heal on their own (he's in a neck brace, but that is a temporary thing).

He has no sensation from his breastbone to his feet, although he can sense ice on his skin on his upper legs and pinpricks on his right toes. The doctors are pleased, but say tat this only makes it possible that he will be able to move at all. There is really no real chance of him ever walking again.

The building inspector came and condemned the stairs (closing the door after the horse is gone much?), making it impossible for two of the buildings four apartments to be accessed. One woman was in her apartment when the stairs were condemned, and so is in a legal quandry about leaving her home. The other apartment's tenants have had to undo a previous (seemingly illegal)remodel, and are climbing through our closet into their apartment above. We've given them keys, because otherwise, there is no way to get to their home. There apparently was a complaint in 2005 about the stairs, and nothing was done.

We've called a lawyer, and are meeting with him, an investigator and a reporter for the Oakland Tribune on Thursday and Friday mornings. I'll need to email those of you in the Bay about the next weeks' schedules as the kids are not allowed to visit in the ICU (although one of the neurologists broke the rule and let Rory come kiss him today). But, a I am his power of attorney since both his hands are broken, I need to be there for at least a few hours every day.

Crap. This sucks so much. He is in high, if sarcastic spirits, and understands his prognosis. In the next six to eight weeks we have to find a new home (one that is wheel-chair accessible) and move, as well as find and buy a van with a wheel-chair bay. We also have to sell his motorcycle and will get him on the list for a companion animal.