Sharing The Load

The estuary at Plymstock on Sunday morning.

Too late ....too tired .....to write anything sensible....too busy still packing and sorting things for Robin to take tomorrow. But my heart it light after meeting with J, the staff nurse in charge of the unit where he's going. She is so lovely and re-assuring and experienced and tells me not to stress or worry about anything as he will be well looked after. And I believe her.

We sit in her tiny office just next to the room Robin will have, with the door open and people coming and going who are sorting out his dietary needs  and his bed which needs to be longer, and and putting up the new TV so that they will be ready for him tomorrow. And I discover he won't need WIFI in his room just yet as he can play his games and listen to his music without it.

I have written screeds of notes about all his needs and his routines and his habits and likes and dislikes and she takes it all down and says there will be lots more paper work later. And that it will take a little while for them to learn him and his ways and he will get used to it ....and so will I .....

And I will. Already I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I can breathe for the first time .....I've forgotten since when....I just have to get through this night ....with one ear always open to the sound of Robin breathing through the baby monitor....breathing and coughing and sighing....in his own world on his own path.

And  now I will be walking beside him but with many other hands and hearts - professional hands and hearts  -  sharing the load with me.