Good fortune comes to those who smile

I saw my mother for the first time in about two weeks.

As the year was coming to an end, I had a high fever from testing positive for influenza.
My mother was rushed to the hospital with a fractured femur.
We spent the year-end and New Year holidays in a hospital where visitors were not allowed.
She was already starting to say things that didn't make sense on a daily basis,
an elderly person with dementia.
Two weeks in a private room.
(Has she lost her mind? Will she even recognize her daughter?) I was filled with nothing but anxiety.

Even more so, before she was admitted, the doctor had
threatened me with things like, "If she becomes bedridden, her swallowing will worsen, and it wouldn't be strange if anything happened," and
"We can't guarantee anything after two months," which only added to my anxiety.

Then, yesterday,
the world started moving again, and so did my mother's hospital.
At exactly 9:00 AM, my smartphone rang!

It's from the hospital!!!😫

...But I was driving.
The call ended.
I called back with a pounding heart, but... it wouldn't connect at all.
I sent a LINE message to my sister right away.
Then, a few minutes later, from my sister...
"They asked if it's okay to keep her in a private room because Mom is screaming and throwing things in the middle of the night."

...Huh???

Mom is doing fine.

That afternoon, my sister went for her first visit.
She said Mom wasn't senile and was doing well.
However, she was told that the two-month hospital stay would end soon, so they asked what we would do after that.

Today, the day after that happened,

since it was my day off, I went for my first visit.

I was seven minutes late for the appointment time for the strictly reservation-only visit.
Then, a call from the hospital!!!!

(Oh no! Did something happen?)😣

"I-I'm in the hospital parking lot now! I'll be right there!!"
On the other end of the line while I was panicking, the nurse in charge said,
"Oh, was your visit today? I'm waiting for you," in a lackluster tone.

The elevator wouldn't come, and as I headed to the hospital room feeling a bit irritated,
"She's currently undergoing an examination. Could you wait a moment?" I was told, without even being told what it was about,
and was sent to the conference room.
(What? What? What happened??) My anxiety kept growing.

...Then the doctor in charge walked in.

(Oh, an explanation of the situation, I see) I felt relieved, but
the doctor quickly said,
"The bolt that was inserted previously looks like it might break through the skin, so we will need an artificial femoral head after all.
She must have surgery." That's what he said.

Since she is elderly, I didn't want her to have surgery if possible, but my mother looked surprisingly? well.
I'm sure she wouldn't be able to stay still.

I had no choice but to agree, thinking I had to do it.

I was told my mother had returned from her examination, so it was finally time for our long-awaited reunion.

While worrying about how to explain it to her, I peeked into the room...
And when I peeked in, there was?!

A stranger old lady was there!!!😱😱😱

Huh??? Could this person be? The person I passed in the elevator before coming here?!

It's Mom.

Without a doubt, it's my mom.
84 years old.
I realized that when you don't have upper or lower teeth, you really do become a cute old lady.
Seeing my mother for the first time in a while, I somehow burst out laughing.

My mother was trying her best to talk without her teeth.
It was so funny, so funny, that all my anxiety until now just disappeared.

When I told my mother that her hospital stay would be extended, she used gestures and
"I'll do my best! I'll do my best!!" she repeated many times.

We were laughing so loudly together that I was glad she was in a private room...
Then the doctor in charge came in again.

While checking my mother's leg, he asked, "Does it hurt?" but...

My cheerful mother mumbled to me, "It's the doctor! Isn't he handsome?"

Less than 10 minutes after being told it was surgery, I was called back to the conference room,
"The CT results from earlier have arrived, so..." and I had to check with the doctor.

(Huh???)😮😮😮

I'm a nurse myself, so I understand the images... but...

The bolt is back in place!!Or rather, it's fixed in the normal position.

Well, it's not impossible.
During hospitalization, there is no excessive weight on the femur, after all.
Especially since my mother was moving around enough to fall over,
if she had been lying down for about two weeks, that could happen.

As if the few minutes I had spent worrying so much were a lie, the doctor and I
<<For now, let's just keep an eye on it as it is.>>
And with that, the conversation ended.😆

Mothers are strong.
My mom is amazing after all.
I'll visit again, so please don't get senile, don't throw things, and stay a good old lady.🙏