End of the day

It's been an awful few days which started when I went up to get R up while Jimmy went to the hospital for his twice weekly blood test. He's getting treatment for leukaemia. 

The house was unlocked with the key on the outside, which was unusual. There was no sign of either of them but I shouted and R was on the floor behind the bedroom door. She'd fallen out of bed, trying to get to the commode on her own in the night. She had been on the floor quite a while. She didn't know where Jimmy was but he was still in the bed, very poorly. 

Within half an hour the paramedics were assessing Jimmy and I had R washed and dressed. He was taken to the High Dependency Unit at the hospital, but unable to speak, he couldn't say goodbye to R. I tried to reassure her and contacted the surgery, who told me to contact her social worker, who was on holiday. Eventually, I got through to someone who said they would try and find a respite bed for R. 

Lunchtime for R, I cleaned up the bedroom, did a couple of loads of washing then rang social  services back. It was now their lunchtime! It was 5pm before a minibus and escort came to collect R. She was tired and upset and didn't really understand where she was going. 

At 2.30am I missed a call from the hospital but I phoned back in the morning and Mike and I went in to see Jimmy and say goodbye. He was very poorly, but did clutch my hand and squeeze it. 

All his drips and tubes were removed as his organs failed. He was very peaceful and didn't need any pain relief. Tonight, just before midnight, Jimmy died, with his nieces and nephew close by.

His wife, R, is safe in the care home, being looked after and well visited by her family.  Neither of them will be coming back home again. It's been a rough few days.