This morning, the text I've been dreading showed up.
From Katie: I have a fever.
As I wrote yesterday, Katie was the last man standing in the Game of "Who can take care of Dad" and now she's down.
We already had some very healthy adult grandkids scheduled to hang out with him this weekend and the folks from Visiting Angels at night, so I got on the horn to the company and made arrangements for 24 hour care starting on Monday. Dad will hate it but that's life in the age of Zombie flu.
Jay was feeling much better today; he didn't make me watch a movie with him at 11:00 in the morning. That's what we did yesterday. It was fun, but I still have work to do and being stuck at home is no excuse for me to slack off, as I work upstairs. So I did.
Great news from the hospital mid afternoon: Mom's red cells counts were much better and her white blood count was back to normal! Normal!! They haven't been able to figure out what caused the problem but it's responding to the treatment of blood products, rest and whatever else they're doing with her in the hospital. so; Yay!
Then, at about 6:30 this evening, a very unexpected text showed up.
JP: Mom just told me her test came back positive for covid19.
what?
wait...WHAT??
Group texts went crazy, phone calls went crazy...
First, I told Jay what the news was. He and I discussed the situation and as always with us, it was in the context of our faith. This sort of situation is infinitely easier to deal with when you remember that your life isn't about you. In the midst of this conversation, my phone rang with a number I didn't recognize and although I never answer those, I did answer this one.
It was Sr. Elinor, from my parent's parish, calling to see how my Mom was doing. I told her that we had just gotten unexpected test results. She told me they would continue to pray for Mom's health and recovery. I hung up the phone and looked at Jay.
"That was God." he said. "Everything is going to be fine."
My phone rang again. Another unknown number. I answered.
It was Mom.
She sounded far better than she had yesterday when I spoke to her. She said she felt much better. She'd already spoken to Jeff (my brother in law, a doctor, who has been in touch with cousin Ann since this began) and he said there's a possibility that this virus is the reason her blood work from 12 days ago was so funky. Jeff pointed out what the rest of us missed: her bones are making blood again. She's getting better.
Well...OKAY!
We have no idea when she could have been exposed. We do know she was at her doctor's office at least twice almost 2 weeks ago and at the hospital ten days ago but if the virus is what caused her blood problem, she was exposed before that.
I don't care. Figuring out all of that is someone else's problem. It's good to know that Mom is right where she needs to be; in the hospital, in isolation, being treated for her symptoms. And she's getting better!
Keep up the prayers, they're working!