The International Day Of Happiness!

Today is The International Day of Happiness.Will is still struggling with a bad cold. He was not happy.I have been painting the shelves in the kitchen and did half yesterday so this morning started the other half. When I had given them their first coat I went off up to the hospital on my own to see Dulcie.She was sat in a chair between her bed and the window, the oxygen mask was on andshe was dozing. I sat on the bed quietly and  waited. She was asleep for about 10 minutes before she opened her eyes."How long have you been sat there, Nick?""Only about 10 minutes," I said.There was a protein drink on her table."What's this?" I said."I don't know," she said.The man-woman, who had not gone home said "They're lovely."Dulcie drank it with the straw....in one long suck. She liked it."Ask for more of them," I said. "Look what I brought..." and I pulled out the pack of cards. "Do you fancy a game?""Yes" she said."Just because you are in hospital doesn't mean I'm not going to try and beat you!" I warned."I don't want any sympathy," she said.I won the first hand. Will texted to see if it was a good time to ring. I rang him on my mobile and held it up to her ear. They had a quick chat."We're playing cards dear, yes, he's won the first hand already."When he'd gone we carried on but my phone buzzed in my pocket.It was a text from Will....'I love you sooooo much....You are wonderful!'I sent back "Shhhh! We're playing cards."We played about 4 hands before dinner arrived.I had gone especially for meal time because the first couple of times we had been there at meal times she had had cups of tea or coffee with her meal and I am scared she will spill it on herself and also sometimes she finds it hard to cut things up. She had no hot drink with lunch and there was nothing that needed cut up.She tucked in and after a few bites said..."What is this shit, Nick?""Butter chicken," I said looking at the menu slip."There's no butter in it!" She said. She didn't eat all the chicken but ate all the rice and vegetables."They've given me coffee but no hot water," said the man-woman. I went in search of hot water for her. A nurse took the cup off me and said she would bring it.Dulcie had moved onto peaches and custard but stopped eating and held onto her mask and breathed the oxygen heavily. The custard seemed to be clogging up her throat.She has not had a cigarette for 6 days now. She says she has not missed them and does not intend to have one again. I am not sure but it might be part of the reason why she is coughing up a lot of phlegm.Having lunch had tired her out so we did not finish the card game.The 'curry' woman and the other vomiter had gone.....been sent home while the two people, Dulcie and the man-woman, who had been eating well were both still stuck in hospital.I left Dulcie to rest and went back to finish the shelves with their second coat of paint.I went back for tea time at 5.00pm. She was back in bed. She said she wasn't hungry when I told her tea would be coming soon but she ate the beef pasta.She began to cough before she finished it and struggling to breathe, got a bit panicky. I went to find a nurse but was told by someone behind the desk that the best thing to do was press the call button by her bed. I did and a nurse soon came. Dulcie had calmed  down a bit but the nurse sat her up a bit more and chatted with us awhile.Dulcie did not eat her chicken soup or chocolate cake after that .When she had settled down I said, "Well, I might head off and have my tea."She took my hand and said "Just hold my hand for a bit until I fall asleep."She closed her eyes and lay back....I turned away from her because my eyes had filled up and didn't want to get caught crying......because, after all, it was the International Day of Happiness.