"Your mission.......should you decide to accept it......Get Dulcie out of bed 26!"

We had a lie-in this morning. It was wonderful.Once up I rang the doctors and made an appointment for 2.00 pm.I checked the rain gauge and we had had 95 mm of rain yesterday. the wheel barrow at the bottom of the garden was overflowing and Joanne's rotating washing line, next door, was standing in a small lake.We headed up to the hospital about 11.30. Roxy could probably drive herself there now.Dulcie was sat in her chair asleep. We waited quietly but after about 5 minutes she opened her eyes.There were a few empty protein yoghurt cartons on her bedside table so I picked them up and took them and put them in the bin.Celia, in the bed next to Dulcie, was outraged! I couldn't understand what she was saying because she has had a stroke but I could tell by her manner that she was not amused.In the bed opposite Dulcie's was Jennifer. She was curled up fast asleep. The other bed was empty but the sign above it said it belonged to Maureen.Dulcie said that Maureen had kept them up all night crying "I'm cold, I'm cold"."I was hot," she said.Her lunch came 'beef in red wine, mash and vegetables and a country broth.'"I wonder which country it's from," I said.She ate most of it and had finished when the dietician popped by for a chat. She was lovely like all the staff. She asked us about Dulcie's weight. We said she always ate well but did not put on weight. She said that they had put her on protein shakes and that when she got home that it would be a good idea to continue to have them between meals.Celia wanted to go into the dining room for her dinner. She was sat in her wheel chair. This time I understood what she wanted. I went to find a nurse."Celia wants to come out for her lunch," I said."I just have to deal with somebody else first," she said, rushed off her feet."Can I wheel her out then?""If you don't mind," she said. I didn't.Celia showed me how to get the brakes off her wheel chair and I wheeled her out to the table where her tray of sandwiches were.I was back in her good books.We started a game of cards with Dulcie.When everyone had finished their lunch they were brought back into the room. Celia was wheeled back and then Maureen."I want to go back to bed," said Maureen. She was twice the size of the little nurse wheeling her in."I'll just go and find someone to help me," said the nurse.We carried on playing cards." I want to get in my bed," moaned Maureen. "This is bloody cruel!"Dulcie just shook her head."I will never ever recommend this hospital to anyone", said Maureen. "I have been sat here now for two hours."She hadn't."Help!" said Maureen.Celia, sat in her wheelchair, started to cry.Will and I looked at each other. Dulcie seemed unfazed."Will somebody help me? Anybody?" cried Maureen.I went to find the nurse. They were all busy putting other people back to bed after lunch.We tried to carry on at cards.Eventually two nurses came to put Maureen back in bed and I will spare you the graphic details but she had to be changed as well.Will won the card game.Dulcie was also ready to go back to bed. The nurses were now busy putting Celia back in bed.Time was fast approaching 2.00 pm and I had a date with Dr Wang!We left just as the nurses finally came to help Dulcie. On the way to the doctors I said to Will that we had to get Dulcie out of that room...it was just so depressing!I was the only one waiting in Dr Wang's waiting room. When he called me in he read Frank's letter. He took my blood pressure and said it was much better.... 140 over something......yikes....a lot better than 209 yesterday! He recommended I go for an Echo cardiograph, to see if there was any damage to my heart from the high blood pressure and he gave me a prescription for tablets to reduce my blood pressure. I had to go back and see him in a week.We came home and had lunch and not long after we both fell asleep in the lounge.It was 5.00 pm when we woke up.Wendi rang to say she was going to see her Mum now and we knew that Danny had said that he was going at 7.00 pm, so we decided not to go and have a night off. Just before tea was ready, Danny texted to say that he wasn't able to go after all, so we turned off the oven and headed out.I wanted the speak to Nina and try and get Dulcie moved.We saw Anne on the way in. She asked how Dulcie was and told us that on the night she had been taken down to 3b she had got out of bed and had walked over to Mary's bed before anyone had seen her. They had put her back but later they had found her trying to get out again. Dulcie's old bed next to Anne was still free. We said that we were going to try and get her moved back.Wendi was still there. Dulcie was good and sitting in bed. She had been for an Echo cardiograph earlier too.Jennifer, Maureen and Celia were all in bed.....and quiet.....for the time being.I kept on looking out for Nina.Wendi left and Celia started crying... but I don't think the two are related.A new nurse came in. She looked like the love child of Nana Mouskouri and Demis Roussos.She was lovely."Who's this?" she asked Dulcie."This is my son Bill and this is his partner, Nick"That is the first time I have ever heard her call me his partner as she usually refers to me as his 'friend.'"How lovely!" exclaimed Nurse Mouskouri-Roussos. "How long have you been together?"We told her coming up for 6 years."You have an accent," she said to me."I'm from the U.K" I said."My nephew's partner is French," she said, "Francois. There is a bit of an age gap but they are a cute couple and been together about 7 years."She took Dulcie's blood pressure, temp etc."Hmmm, your oxygen is down.....oh, someone has turned it off!" She said.I t was time for us to go. We had bonded with Nurse Mouskouri- Roussos."Do you think we could have a word with Nina?" I asked her."Come with me boys," she said "let's go and find her."On the way I explained that we wondered if we could get Dulcie moved out of that ward and back to her old bed." I was only in there for over an hour this morning, " I said, "and I was ready to kill myself!"Nina was busy by a bedside. Nurse Mouskouri- Roussos went to speak to her.We waited.Nurse Mouskouri-Roussos came to find us."Sorry, Nina is busy at the moment but I told her what you'd asked. I don't think there is much we can do because that bed is for emergencies.""Tell her I'll bake some biscuits if she'll try," I said. "Heck, I'll even come for the day and clean out bedpans."Nurse Mouskouri-Roussos looked at a chart."Nina is on tomorrow night, you could chat to her then," she said.I wondered about saying "If you could sort this for us Nurse Mouskouri- Roussos ( and then burst out singing) ... 'forever and ever and ever and ever, you'll be the one, that shines in me like the morning sun..."But didn't.We left."Nice to meet you boys!"  She called after us.She loves the gays!We have to try and get Dulcie out of that room!'