house visit

I came home today and Anne got up to greet me. She grunted and groaned and hung onto furniture to drag herself over to me.

"We're going to the hospital?" I said.
"You're tired."
"Anne, you're in pain, we're going."
"Okay, my dear."

And then I took a deep breath and decided to eat first. Anne tried to help me prepare something but her limping and grunting was stressing me out. While we were eating, Baba ordered more tea. Anne grunted and strained to get up.
"I'll get it," I said. It' s the Turkish tradition that the bride serves the family. Tolga's family doesn't really operate this way, thankfully, because I'm usually the last to see a person's tea cup is empty.
"You're tired," Anne said in protest. But she let me retrieve the tea. I did so a little spitefully.

I decided to call my American friend. She teaches with me, but was a nurse practitioner for years. She also happens to be a walking book of information about Turkey. I wanted her to tell me the closest, easiest hospital to get to - and what she thought about the situation.

My friend's mother-in-law happens to be a doctor and she offered to call her husband and they all came over. Her mother-in-law brought a bagful of medicines and some reassurance. Anne had changed clothes into a dress. (My friend told me later that her mother changed clothes too). In the middle of the assessment/conversations, Baba came over with a mischievous grin. He wanted the doctor to look at something for him too. She had him walk across the living room with his eyes closed.

He toddled like an oversized baby.

She then told him to walk normal.

I was shocked to see he could walk normal. Long sure strides. It reminded me of when Tolga would tell the boys to do different "tricks" and they would eagerly comply.

In the end, it was "take two of these and call me in two days if it doesn't improve."
And, in the end, I feel better too.