She sleeps
I watch
Her jaw relaxed, her brow relaxed
I kissed her when I came in
She didn’t stir
She sleeps to the hiss-hiss of the ventilator
the whirr-whirr of the Kangaroo pump
the shhhhh-rrrrrr-shhhhhh of the air mattress
The sounds of hospital staff on the other side of the door
have become her lullaby
A knock
A nurse
“Time to be turned, Mary”
“Hi” she smiles
I ask “Are you happy to see me?”
“Of course I am” she mouths
We pull her up the bed
put pillows under the other hip
the catheter leaked on the chux
it will be bath time soon
Housekeeping comes in
I wipe the sleep from her eyes and she drifts off again
Penny took Sheldon to Disneyland
“I never go to go to Disneyland”
No, you didnt, My Love
And I am sorry
We didn’t make time for that
© 2015 Denise M Allen