Nelly

Joe pulled back the heavy and surprisingly dusty curtains of the hospital room window. The view from the Regina General Hospital was decent.He could see dark clouds on the horizon hovering near the outskirts of the city. Snow? he wondered, it was November after all. Joe couldn’t be bothered by the thought of snow, his worries were miles away from crops, and winter looming on the horizon. His heart was in that hospital room where his wife, Nelly lay quietly in the room behind him. she had been in a coma for a day and a half, and he didn’t know when she would wake up, If ever.

Joe pulled himself from the window and sat in the uncomfortable chair adjacent to the hospital bed. He took Nellys hand, and squeezed it twice. That was their thing you see, he would always squeeze her soft and warm hand when they were near, signalling silently a little gesture of telling each other they loved one another when they were out in public. Nelly wasn’t big on public displays of affection, but Joe could always tell their little hand squeeze made her content.

As Joe squeezed Nelly’s hand it was cold, lifeless and almost heavy, his heart broke as he realized she may never squeeze it back again. A nurse came into the room to check on Nelly’s condition, and to take her vitals. Joe sat patiently and silently studying the nurses face for any sign of a change or a hope that she may be showing signs of improvement. Sadly the nurses expression didn’t change, she performed her checks and quietly let herself out.

Joe was now starting to wonder if he should be calling the kids to tell them there was a chance they would never leave that hospital room. This was not the first time they had been in a hospital for Nelly’s condition. Nelly started to have strokes for two years prior, at the age of 66. It had limited her speech, her movements and most of all her freedom. Nelly mostly sat by her little spot at the window in the house watching Joe & the hired men work, and it nearly killed her. Nelly adored the outside, gardening and walks with their dog out the lane to see the horizon or watch the sunset. Nelly loved to walk to the edge of the farm so she could see their little country church, and the sunset all in one shot and that is what she loved the most. Nelly & Joe didn’t have any children of their own. Nelly had four children from a previous marriage that left her a widow in fall of 1921. Thank goodness for Joe for saving Nelly when she needed someone the most in her life. They would be married 25 years that winter, and thinking back to the days Joe first met Nelly seemed liked a lifetime ago....

Just as Joe started to get lost in his memories, Nelly started to stir and suddenly her eyes fluttered opened looking directly at Joe. Joe nearly jumped out of his chair to notify the nurse that she was awake, but Nelly held her hand up as if to say, don’t get the nurse. she motioned for Joe to reach into her overnight bag she had brought to the hospital with her. Joe, confused, reached into the bag revealing a little red journal. A journal he thought?... what could Nelly want with this right now? Just as Joe looked up to ask Nelly more about the journal, Nelly had already slipped back into her coma and he was left stunned. What on earth could Nelly be trying to tell me?..... (to be continued)