Many of you know our little girl Ruth Ann. She's a golden retriever and she's about 15 months old. One of the initial hurdles to overcome in this whole episode was figuring out what to do with her while I was at the hospital. I didn't want to leave Emily alone, and it didn't seem quite fair to leave Ruthie alone all day either.
She's a people dog, and she lives up to her biblical namesake. Wherever you go, she will go, and your people will be her people. I could tell she knew something was wrong, and that she severely missed Emily, and so when Luke and Annie Lingle offered to take her in for a few days I decided to take them up on it.
After spending a few days at their house, she came home when my parents and aunt and uncle arrived in town to watch over things for a little while. It was nice to have her sleeping next to my bed again.
I say all this to get to this part of the story - today Ruthie became an (almost) therapy dog when she went to visit Emily at the hospital.
Emily has steadily improved since yesterday. Her breathing capacity has improved, she can move her right arm from the elbow down and she is gaining control of her left. She can pick her head up off the bed for a second. More small signs.
And so, Emily's doctors and nurses decided that she was progressing well enough that perhaps it was time to go mobile. They moved her into a more mobile bed, hooked her up to a portable ventilator and wheeled her outside into one of the hospital courtyards. I walked Ruth Ann right through the front doors of Duke hospital, and right down the hall to the courtyard, and for 20 glorious minutes she licked Emily's hand, and sat there dutifully as Emily petted her on the head. She was happy to see her mommy, and I'm reasonably certain Emily was happy to see her as well! :)
Today has been a good day.
