Home For The Last Time

March 21, 2009 I started the day picking up my son and grandson at the airport on the early Spirit flight from Boston, then we were off to the hospital to see Marsha. Merrie and Bekah had arrived last night so they headed for the hospital with Dottie. I stayed for only a few minutes at the hospital because I had to go to the pharmacy and pick up the hospice drug pack. Dave & Pat stayed at the house because they were bringing the hospital bed and other things that hospice had ordered and someone needed to be there to receive them. The morning at the hospital was frustrating. All we were waiting for was the discharge papers and it seemed like an eternity, We finally abandoned the hospital room for a sun room so we would be more obvious in our waiting. We were supposed to be home to meet the hospice nurse and that was most important. My son does not do well with hospitals and being the first time he had seen his mother sick he wanted out. I had seen enough of hospitals with Marsha and I wanted out. Marsha had not wanted to go into the hospital anyway and she wanted out. I'm not saying we were impatient or anything, but man were we impatient. When we saw the doctor who was to discharge her we thought that would be it, but then we had to wait for a nurse to complete the paperwork. We did manage to get home and the hospice nurse came along with Beebe Smith a parishioner who works for Incare Hospice and Jeff Wallace the hospice chaplain also with Incare both of whom we knew from our Surfside parish. Everything to do with the hospice care went perfectly as planned. The nurse was pleasant and professional. The house was full and confusing but she moved within the confusion and accomplished everything we needed with clear instructions about the days and weeks to come. After all that was done the rest of the day was spent in just a relaxed kind of visiting mode with some anxiety in the air but good to be all together. Last item for the day was saying goodbye to Dottie who flew home that night. She knew it would be the last time she saw her sister and Marsha knew that as well. I can't even begin to explain the whirlwind of emotions in that day. I was so happy the plan worked and Dana and Forrest had gotten to see Marsha. I was glad Merrie and Bekah had arrived and felt sorry for Laura who could not come. I worried about Cassie who was not here and had not seen Marsha, and they had not as yet connected even by phone. Personally I was up and down and over and out and just rolling with the day. Marsha never slept in the hospital bed so we went to bed as usual together in our own bed. Marsha went earlier than I and I was exhausted when at last I hit the bed.