'Here come the flies!'

I woke with a bit of a sore throat and began to wonder what to do about hospital visits today.I went with Will to work and brought Roxy back.It is just over a week since 'Maggot Apocalypse' and I noticed a few flies about the living room and kitchen. I got Dulcie's fly swat and relieved them of their life.I asked Shirley what she thought I should do about my sore throat. We decided I would go but not go too near to Dulcie.Shirley had special dispensation to go in at 10.00 am as she was going back to Maclean today. I took her in and popped in with her to see Dulcie. There were a few other visitors around so they are not really that strict on enforcing visiting times.Dulcie had just finished her shower and was sat finishing getting dressed in the chair by her bed."I had one of your anzacs" she said, "it was beautiful....but take the others because my teeth are a bit sore when I eat them."I left Shirley and Dulcie and went off to a seated area by the lifts.There was a 'Traveller' magazine on the table with the headline..."35 Best Bucket List Destinations."....not really ideal reading material for a hospital really.....or is it?After about 30 minutes Paula, Shirley's daughter in law arrived to see Dulcie and then take Shirley back home. I showed her down to the ward.She showed Dulcie some pictures of her great grandchildren and how they were growing up.She is still seeing things and we are still worried about that. Today before we arrived she had seen lots of animals running around, the smallest children she had ever seen and a little dog sat up on Marcelle's TV. Maybe she is dreaming, maybe it is still the aftermath of the anaesthetic or the painkillers she is on. Shirley was happy with the progress Dulcie had made in the days she had been up to visit and promised to come back soon, but her departure was marred by worry about her mum's visions.I left with them to help hand over Shirley's luggage. Hopefully she will be back in just over a week.I drove home with a list of things to do but as soon as I went in grabbed the fly swat and swung it madly. I must have killed about 50! There was us thinking we had done well last week in picking up all those maggots....how wrong we were.I collected the stuff Dulcie wanted, some three-quarter length pants ironed....(I ironed them, flat no creases as instructed!), found the cream she wanted and another box of tissues then left the house to the flies and headed back to help her with lunch.She was back in bed but still dressed and was looking more like herself.A doctor came to put in a new cannula.'Hmmmm,' I thought, 'how can I ask him about her seeing things with out her knowing?'I failed miserably....."Hallucinations," I said " are they normal a week after an operation?"He was not very helpful really. I wanted him to say emphatically "Oh Yes!" But he didn't.He said it might be her medication, or because of the lung infection but did not think it was the anaesthetic.He was very good at putting a cannula in anyway and did it first time which is more than some others have managed. He said he would take to some people and look at her medication.Her lunch arrived and she did her best."Do you want this soup and just take it and hide behind that curtain, Nick?""What and get thrown out for stealing your food?.....No thanks!" I said.She ate her soup.A nurse came to hook her up to the antibiotics....she just carried on eating while they fiddled with her arm.After lunch Kirrily arrived, the Occupational Therapist for a chat."Are you her son?""No, her son's partner," I said."He's a friend of my son's," said Dulcie."I want a little chat with you Dulcie, do you mind if Nick stays?""Of course not!," she said, "He's family."Kirrily was lovely and wanted to set out some goals for Dulcie. She asked all about life before the fall and what Dulcie used to do...I chipped in a bit too much probably but was trying to give Kirrily the real picture.They decided that Dulcie could go home when she could get up the 13 steps to the house with help from another person, but she was clear she wanted to be able to shower and toilet herself without help. She wanted to go back to doing cooking and so Kirrily said that they would do some cooking activities then as part of her rehab stay. There were 3 things Dulcie had to remember not to do: cross her legs, twist in any way and lift her knee higher than her hip. It all sounded really good. Later Kirrily was going to come to the house, maybe on a visit with Dulcie to have a look and make suggestions for necessary changes. She gave me a list of things to measure the height of  at home and left."She was lovely wasn't she?," I said."Yes," said Dulcie, "but there are a couple of bitches!"We practised remembering the 3 things she could not do. I left at nearly 2.00 pm to go for my own lunch. She waved and blew me a kiss and picked up 'Bill the Bastard'.Back home I swatted more  newly hatched flies before making myself a sandwich. Then I got out the hoover and hoovered up all the carcases before having a shower.I didn't even have time to sit down before Will texted for me to go and pick him up.On the way, Shirley texted to say she was home.We went back over to the hospital about 5.30 pm. She was finishing her tea and was really enjoying it.When she was finished I held up 3 fingers and she said;"Not cross my legs, keep my knee down and don't wiggle." It was a good try.I'd left her on page 45 of 'Bill the Bastard' and now she was on page 91!Danny and Wendi arrived so Will and I came home to the House of Flies.There were none....Phew! We were too tired to swat if there had been.