Vigil

Most of our family went to visit my sister Barbara today, in shifts. She looked and felt markedly worse. I said, "Why don't you close your eyes for a while?" and her (I think purposely) enigmatic reply was, "Because then you will all be gone." I said we'd stay, but she forced herself to keep those eyes open wide and kept watching us.

As we left, she gave each of us such searching, sorrowful looks...

She had had many other visitors besides the 7 of us and was very tired. At 6:00 p.m., she asked for some morphine and was given it. And nobody has been able to awaken her since.

Just before her eyes finally did close, she asked for her husband, and he was sent for. He is spending the night with her and does not want the rest of the family there, so we are respecting his wishes. (Note to self: HE is "the nearest of kin".) Their two young daughters are with their adult cousins nearby. Mom and my sister Wendy are also there tonight.

Demetrios and I, not having brought our medications, headed back to Richmond just after eleven p.m., but we shall return this afternoon, prepared to stay for several days.

Another vet came to visit Barbara while we were there, and she brought with her a miniature poodle named Lucy. So Barbara got to see and pet a dog again, after all these months. Small thing, but then again, maybe not so small, for a veterinarian. I'm so grateful for that.