SETTLEMENT!!!

Oh my gosh, we settled today at mediation! What a darn long stressful day it was --- 7 hours, ga! And at one point, we were ready to walk out the door because of their piss poor offers....

But, somehow, our attorney pulled it off!

Afterwards, the Hospital Executive (who was there representing The Hospital) hugged me, and told me she hoped that this settlement would make our lives better! (Though she glared at our attorney and refused to shake his hand. ha!) Also the mediator hugged me with tears in her eyes! weird... but nice.  (OK, no hugs from the defense attorneys... just shook hands.....)

Our attorney congratulated me, afterwards, for a great job, and I said what? great job? and he said that I didn't flinch, even when they threw "a lot of money" at me, I held out for what I knew Bob really needed.  And he said, he felt The Defense paid out more than they wanted to.

Our attorney drove me home and went in the house to see Bob. He told Bob "We won!" and Bob said, "I won?!!" and our attorney told Bob that he had a "good wife" who "fought hard" then Bob started to cry. I was a bit confused, i.e. why was Bob crying? Did he understand? so I went to Bob and hugged him and said "Are you OK?" and he said "Happy".  Later, I wrote out in BIG NUMBERS on a piece of paper with a Sharpie the amount of our settlement to show Bob (he seems to understand numbers better if they are written really big) and he said "That much? Wow!")

I had to sign a "confidentiality" agreement, so can't tell you the amount, and actually it was not as much as I hoped, and we would have probably got a lot more at a trial, but there are risks to that --- but will say, once invested in a Special Needs Trust, it's enough to take care of Bob for the rest of his life. And that's what it's all about.

And we will still be poor for a few months before everything is sorted out...

Our attorney is happy! Which he should be with 40% of the take.

And I think I will be happy, too, once the shock and numbness wears off, right now I am still quite shocked and it's not really sinking in....

Thanks everyone for your prayers!