I had been caring for this patient, she was a spritely, although very elderly, woman who had been on our floor for far too long, and in that time she found her way into my heart.
A few days before Thanksgiving we were talking and she told me her doctor was going to discharge her that evening when he rounded. I was so excited for her and I asked if she would be spending Thanksgiving with her extensive family. She said, "Jessica, at the home they serve a big dinner and my husband is going to go down and make us some plates and I can't wait to just eat our dinner in our room together. Just me and him.
And I wanted that for her so badly.
I had to work on Thanksgiving day. For a while I was somewhat disappointed I would be missing out on the hustle and bustle of cooking and watching the Parade and visiting with the whole family. So instead, the night before, Josh and I ate an intimate dinner together, and sat on the patio and talked late into the night. It occurred to me it was the Thanksgiving my patient had wanted. And she was right in wanting it- there was something profound and sweet in our simple, quite time together.
At work the next day I saw that my patient had taken a turn for the worse and was still on the unit. So she didn't get that Thanksgiving on which she had her heart set. I asked the universe to let her have another year so she could have that plate in her room with her husband next year.
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