We were getting ready to leave for a “drive through dinosaur” event at the Rose Bowl when it happened. I told the kids to go to the bathroom and was pouring soy milk into my decaf coffee when I heard a crash and then a scream.

Screams happen all the time in the Novak house. There are screams of indignation when one child annoys the other. Then there are screams of frustration, often about something related to distance learning; pretend screams that are part of a make believe game; screams when someone is being chased by Daddy…

But this scream was different. I knew immediately that Pippa was hurt and that she was not overreacting. When I got to her, she looked fine. Then, a little blood trickled out of a nostril. And then, her nose started to change shape. I called for Nathan, but he was already there.

We mobilized quickly. We were already about to leave for the dinosaur event, so I just had to grab Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows so I could read it to Pippa at the ER. Nathan dropped us off and we were quickly checked in by several friendly and helpful staff members.

On the drive over, I wondered what the scene would be like at the ER. There have been a lot of gruesome headlines about Covid-19 in California. The media makes it sound like the hospitals are completely overwhelmed with the latest surge. Would we even be able to get inside the ER?

When we arrived, I immediately saw there would be no issue getting medical care for Pippa. There was only one patient in the ER’s waiting room, but we did not get the chance to join her. We were ushered into a triage area and a doctor met with us within a few minutes of our arrival. He thought Pippa’s nose was broken and sent us for an x-ray to confirm.

We did not have to wait very long for the x-ray. The technician looked at the x-ray and thought the nose might not be broken. I did not tell Pippa this. She was very upset at the idea of breaking her nose and I did not want to get her hopes up.

We were taken to a private room with a bed. Pippa enjoyed getting to use the remote control to adjust the bed’s position. I read a chapter of Harry Potter and then a physician assistant arrived. He announced that the nose was broken but there’s just a hairline fracture. It should heal on its own just fine.

From the moment Pippa broke her nose until the moment we were discharged, I felt a few strong surges of emotions – mostly, heartbreak because my daughter was in pain – but I stayed calm. I did not panic. I did not feel angry at the unexpected chaos. I did not rail against the inhumanity of the Universe for adding another woe to my daughter’s life.

I remember the last time I had to take Julian to urgent care. That was before the pandemic, before life went upside down. I felt so overwhelmed and helpless because he needed stitches. I called my parents and had them watch Pippa so Nathan could help me at urgent care.

Today, I knew that because of Covid-19, only one parent could accompany Pippa into ER, and I knew that parent would be me. I did not feel stranded or panicked or overwhelmed or annoyed. I just felt calm.

2020 was a shit show, but thanks to its challenges, I have become more resilient and flexible. My daughter broke her freaking nose, and I did not freak out.