You’re being mega hard on yourself, and your Mum will tell you so.
Darth, don’t be so hard on yourself. You took good care of her. The initial fall wasn’t your fault. Her facial injuries are not your fault. The second fall wan’t your fault. Leaving the car in gear was I suppose technically your fault, but there was no harm done, so “fault” is a pointless concept in that case. YOU DID NOTHING WRONG, SO QUIT BEATING YOURSELF UP
What might have happened doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. What DID happen matters. Good Lord, man, you and your mom got slammed with a series of emergencies–bang, bang, bang–one right after another. In a very short period of time you 1.) got your mom emergency care, 2.) back into the U.S. from a foreign country, 3.) into a hospital, 4.) back out and 5.) back into a hospital when she relapsed. Just hasseling customs, ambulances, hospital admission, insurance, etc. is horrendous at the best of times. You faced it all under fire, stressed out to a quivering nerve. But you handled it and she’s now under excellent medical care. Leaving the car in gear was one tiny thing that didn’t matter.. You handled it, all of it. You worked danged miracles, man. Your mom’s safe, recovering and it’s all due to you. Time to let go of the fear and tension and be grateful for what is.
Best wishes to you and your mom, Darth. Betcha time will come when both of you will shake your heads and dine out on what has to be the absolute WORST Mothers Day From Hell story. You’re a great son and your mom is a very fortunate woman.
Keep us advised of how you’re both doing, m’kay?
Veb
Damn computer. I wasn’t done yet.
Anyway, to continue, beating yourself up over this will just upset your mom. It’s bad for you, it’s bad for her, and you didn’t do anything wrong, anyway. So knock it off.
Don’t sweat her lip, either. She may need some plastic surgery down the road, but she’ll be fine. Trust me, I’ve been there, done that, and learned from my experience. I did the exact same thing to my lower lip sixteen years ago in a car wreck (this is why we always wear our seat belts, boys and girls!) and the reattachment didn’t work. The tissue was too traumatized for reattachment, so they had to completely reconstruct my entire lower lip.
I have a lump of scar tissue in the center of my lip, and a fine line down the center of the inside of the lip. When I was younger, there was a small white line visible when I was cold, but it would have been invisible if I wore lipstick. Now I have to stretch and mash the lip or flip it inside out to even show people where the scar is. Your mom may be hard to look at for a while, especially if that lip sloughs, but she is NOT permanently disfigured. She’ll be all right, she really will.
((Darth Nader))
((Darth Nader’s Mom))
I’ll send healing, calm vibes towards both of you. I’ll pray (in my own style) for her complete recovery.
I agree with everyone else who has said in essence, “Beating yourself up over might-have-beens is counter-productive.” I don’t think I could have stayed as calm as you did, under such stress. Tell her we’re all praying in our own indivdual ways for her health and well being.
Quick update:
Mom’s doing just fine now. She’s still in the hospital, having many invasive and annoying things done to her, but she’s taking it all remarkably well. I let her know that there were many folks from here sending kind thoughts her way, and she said-- and this is a direct quote-- “Cool.”
If all goes well, she will be able to come home Monday afternoon. Her lip looks like it’s going to be okayish, but It’s gonna be soup and icecream for a while, she has a lot of healing to do. She says she looks like she made it through a match with a heavyweight boxer, and that’s fairly accurate. But she’s still standing, and waiting for the judges decision, ya know?
I’m doing much better tonight, thank you all for giving me a little perspective. I got an email which merely said “Dude, you saved her life.” I dunno about that, but it helped me get over some things. Thanks, y’all.
Oh, and she wants to know where she can buy a “Polycarp/Esprix 2004” bumper sticker. 
Glad to hear Mom is in good spirits. That was some really rotten luck, but it’s all over with now.
I’m sending good thoughts Mom’s way, hope she has a speedy recovery.
As part of my duly appointed rounds as runningmate of Polycarp I will personally visit your mother for a photo op, kiss a few babies, and have a quickie with a sexy male nurse in the broom closet.
Much love, luck and health to you and yer ma, Darth!
Esprix
Your mom is very lucky to have such a wonderful loving son. I hope she has a speedy recovery. I’m sending love and hugs to both of you.
So glad your mom is doing a little better! I hope she is fully recovered and back on her feet soon.
Darth Nader…I think you’re amazing! What an experience…Gracious, I would have been a wreck. Your mom must be very proud to have such a wonderful son!
Oh, no, your poor mother! Poor you, too!
I hope she’s feeling better as soon as possible. Best wishes to both of you.
Geez, you poor things! Both of you! So sorry you had such a harrowing day.
Glad to hear your mom’s doing better. What a terrible experience! Prayers and good wishes for both of you!
Glad DarthMom is feeling better- tell her Zette says hello and to get all healed up soon!
Darth Nader’s mom here.
Checking in from the hospital where they have tested me for everything except ringworm and athletes’ foot.
Thank you all for your prayers and good wishes and especially for your support of my son. he did everything just right. He didn’t tell you that he found the earring I lost on the first fall or the contact lens I lost when I fell (fainted) the second time.
I should be home tomorrow but I won’t be looking in any mirrors for a while.
Palikia
Glad to hear you’re going home. Hope it all goes well, and you’re feeling much better soon.
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!
Hurry up and get well! You have a proper Mother’s Day to go celebrate! 
Esprix
That’s great news! It’s brilliant to hear it from you, Palikia!
Just to show that no good deed goes unpunished: I found out today that a customer came into my store on Sunday, and had done nothing but walk around and tell every employee she could find that I had run over some woman in a grocery store parking lot on Saturday.
Typical. I had to explain things a few times to my co-workers…
How terrible for you! Many good wishes that your mother gets well soon and that YOU get to feeling better about this.