Long Road

The best laid plans and all that. Last night Bb got a phone call from his brother to say his mum was in hospital and was being moved into her own room, made comfortable and that they weren’t going to do any intrusive treatment. They had also mentioned just two or three days, given the various things that were malfunctioning. At 98, it’s hardly surprising.

We set to getting flights asap and the only ones available where via Stanstead and to Edinburgh. Ok, booked these. Checked that we could use our friend’s car while there. She loves in Edinburgh. Yes, no problem. Booked a taxi for 4.30am.

We arrived at the hospital in Greenock, not quite knowing what to expect, and bracing ourselves. The first surprise was that Jean was still in a four-to-a-room ward. She was sitting up, awake, knew us immediately, introduced us to the nurse and within a couple of minutes had asked us to go to the shop and buy some bottled water, fruit juice…and some chocolate, ‘I need to taste something different’. She’s still on oxygen and antibiotics and, of course, we’re aware that it’s early days, but we’ll probably be able to sleep tonight. We’ll talk to the consultant who knows her case well tomorrow, but the more junior one that we spoke to today said that there had been an improvement on different fronts.

Bb’s sister and husband also arrived this afternoon, driving up from Yorkshire, where they’d been for a wedding.