12.17 Morning

My bag packed and AOC at 6AM

I stay with Henry for five days at a time. I sleep in a chair next to his bed and watch over him through the day and night. I help the nurses change his dressings and I move his legs ever so gently. He goes to sleep early and I read a book for a time and have a little zip of brandy. We wake at 4:30 in the morning for his dressing change. I am his advocate here in the hospital and I don't mind a bit; I promised him a long time ago before all this that I would always be by his side regardless of the circumstances.

This is the bag I've traveled all over the world with; it carries four changes of clothes and my dopp kit. If I add a pair of pants to this grip I can live out of it indefinitely. There is no variation to what I wear which minimizes my dressing: a pair of dark grey trousers; four identical black pull-overs; four changes of underwear; and five pairs of socks (I believe one should always carry an extra pair of socks). My dopp kit has a flask of Hennessy V.S.O.P. or XO and other essentials. When I'm not here every fifth night, our nephew Quinton stays with him: I hate to leave him alone but he loves Quinton and we trust him.

This is day 46...

Henry will go into surgery today at 3PM for a skin graft on his right leg. He continues five hours a day of CPM physical therapy and it's not pleasant but necessary for his future mobility. Hopefully in the next week or so Henry will begin intense physical therapy on another floor of the hospital and will begin the journey to recovery. Please keep sending him your love and videos of encouragement.

Be fierce and thrive...

—Ph/H