long day

I sat at my Nana's bedside all day today.  Up until a few weeks ago she has been living on her own.  Nana is 96 and quite a remarkable woman.  We have always been very close and I can even remember her taking care of me when I was sick.  In more recent years our relationship has changed more to being good friends.  We have confided in each other and helped each other work things out by listening and offering advice.  I love that it went both ways and I could always count on her to keep my secrets as well as her sharing her own secrets with me.  A few weeks ago she fell out of bed and wasn't really hurt but it became obvious that she needed to have people around to help her.  Nana moved into the nursing home and wasn't happy about it but she was doing her best to adjust and not complain.  During her short stay there she caught the flu and as you know for a person of her advanced age that can be quite complicated.  She has been in the hospital for over a week now.  Today her doctor came to say she was over the flu but in the meantime she has become very weak and hasn't been eating.  This morning she had a feeding tube (I don't remember the medical term) surgically put in and is now getting her food delivered to her without trouble.  I did't want her to wake up and to be frightened so I sat there next to her bed.  She only woke up for a short amount of time and talked very little so I just sat next to her and read all day.  I can't believe how tired I was when I got home!  I didn't do anything but sit and read.  I just hope that this nourishment she is now going to have will help her feel better and she'll have a more peaceful time until she is ready to go.  I know 96 is a long time to live and I should be grateful for the time I've had with her but I'm having trouble imagining my life without my friend.