Abbe is breathing.

Back in the hospital after the early morning phone call we hurried into room three in the 323 ward. The calm, reassuring smiles of the staff did wonders for morale. He was back home again. Back from his adventurous excursion up on the sixth floor. ”He’s over there” said one of our favourite nurses, ”and he’s looking great”.

There are fewer wires on him now. They’ve taken away some of the drainage leading out fluids. One, I think, from where they operated on him, and the other from his left lung. The right lung drainage is still there. But most importantly Abbe was extubated late last night. That is, they took away the respirator that has been his external lungs for the past few days.

He’s now breathing on his own.