A story for my kiwi friend.
The nurse left the hospital room after completing her routine checks and Helen felt the forced smile drop from her face. Being stuck in hospital while undergoing treatment for breast cancer was not fun at the best of times, but now that her husband Steven was unwell and couldn't visit for two weeks Helen was feeling sorry for herself.
Just as she was bemoaning the state of her life, Helen's friend June and her husband Matthew popped their heads around the door to her private room.
"Are you decent?" June asked, laughing.
"Of course I am, what else would I be in here?" Helen chided, but smiled broadly. "You two are a sight for sore eyes. I was just starting to wonder where my sanity was going if I had to spend another day in here with no company."
"Steven sent us a message, asking us to drop in on you," June said, smoothing the blanket on Helen's bed and sitting down next to her friend's covered legs. "How are you?"
"Oh just the same as I've been for the past two months. The chemo makes me feel sick all the time so I've lost weight. There has to be some upside right?" she laughed thinly. "Oh but my hair has started falling out too," Helen sighed.
Matthew stood awkwardly against the wall closest to the bed, not quite sure where he should look.
"There's room for another here. I'm not moulting that much," Helen winked, patting the other side of the bed.
"What? Oh that's ok, I've been sitting all morning. Standing is fine," Matthew responded, embarrassed.
The old girlfriends giggled at his response and started nattering together about Helen's hair, or lack of it, and the gossip from their bridge club, so Matthew busied himself organising the food, books and magazines Helen had stored on the shelf behind him.
"Nice to have a man make himself useful," Helen said, winking at Matthew again.
"I might leave you two to chat and go for a short walk. My legs need a bit of a stretch," Matthew said, his cheeks reddening again.
"Oh, don't be silly. I'm just teasing," Helen said. "Stay here. I appreciate a male take on the world."
Matthew settled himself in the visitor's chair as his wife and her friend went back to chatting. He got up to pour Helen some water from the jug by her bedside when she finished the glass she had been holding and rearranged her glasses, phone and magazine after bumping them.
"He is well trained," Helen said to June.
"Oh stop it, he's the same as always," June responded, laughing.
