Dear Scarlett,
Last week you and I went to Oak Park on a last-minute trip (booked the day before we left). Papa was in the hospital, after having suffered an aneurysm, and we went to see him. He was in the neurointensive care unit, and no one under 13 is allowed to go, so you stayed home while I visited. Papa was pretty alert, and although the situation was serious, he was making jokes and smiling. He knew who I was and he let me hold his hand and even comb his hair--although he did snatch the comb away from me and tell me I didn't know what I was doing.
His ups and downs turned mostly to downs by the weekend, and on Sunday he was taken off of his tubes and wires. He is still at the hospital and the family is with him regularly. I am missing him, missing Nana, Nonnie and Pops. But so very grateful that I got to be with him last week, to talk about ice cream and puppy dogs, and other favorite Papa topics.
A highlight of the trip for you was playing with Uncle Frank. He walked up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs with you and I never heard a single word of complaint (which is very unusual for Uncle Frank.) You kissed him over and over, each time saying "ow" and wiping at your lip where his mustache had tickled you. This all made Pops quite jealous, but he felt better later when you kept crying each time he left the room.
Now we're back home and I have Papa and the rest of the family on my mind everyday. It's hard to think about losing people you love. It makes you appreciate all the time you've had with them, and I have certainly been feeling that way about my Papa. It was hard to say goodbye to him on Friday. I wish it was simply that he was leaving the room for a while.
I love you,
Mom
