Day Six Sunday- Going Slow

There are days when things go so slow.....today was one of them. Nothing seems to move forward. We go in Dick's room two at a time taking turns hour after hour. We talk to him and wait for a response. We hold his hand and stroke his hair. We tell him how much we miss him... his voice.... his smile.....how much we all want him back. We sit and watch as the nurses swab his mouth and clean his tubes, check his vitals and read monitors. We talk on the phone and give updates to family and friends who share our concerns and I know each of us are saying our silent prayers......and we wait. They say there will be days like this. There will be good days and there will be days that aren't so good. Days of increased temperature and high blood pressure. Days when he coughs so severely it is difficult to watch him trying so hard and you are unable to help him. Then there are days when he moves things on command and you swear he hears you and you hold the phone up to his ear so he can hear his grandchildren talk and he moves his head ever so slightly toward the phone and you know he is there with us. Waiting is all we can do. He had a good day today...as days go. He was highly medicated and rested well today. This recovery work is a hard job and this was the sabbath and so he rested.