Uncle AC : Hello, is that you sis (referring to my mother, who is the eldest child)?

Me : No, it's me, [the name that family members and relatives call me me by].

Uncle AC: Are you free now? Do you have plans?

Me : Nope. What's up?

Uncle AC: I need you to take your grandma to the clinic.

I didn't even think twice about saying "yes", considering I haven't even been on talking terms with my grandma. It only dawned on me when I was on the way to her house.

A distant aunt was at my grandma's. I asked what was wrong and distant aunt helped to explain the nitty gritty. My grandma had a fever a few days back and she had been given some medicine by the family doctor. However, her fever returned, worse than before and the medicine was producing some side effects, i.e. her stomach felt terrible and she couldnt do her business properly. She decided to go straight to the hospital instead of the usual clinic. It was obvious that the pain was really unbearable.

While I was waiting for her to get ready, my cousin arrived. We made arrangements such that she should wait at grandma's for grandpa to return from work while distant aunt and I accompanied grandma to the hospital. I even called up Aunt S (Uncle AC's wife) and got her to drive us there.

Considering the 1 visitor per patient policy at hospitals now, I became that "one and only" visitor. Aunt S and distant aunt had to wait outside the A&E while I navigated my grandma round to the various rooms on a wheelchair. The doctor in charge had wanted her urine sample, blood sample and previous medications. He even had her undergo an X-ray. (You should have seen the changing room. It was bloody small and there wasn't enough space for me to help my grandma change into her X-ray outfit.)

After a while, grandma and me found ourselves in an observation ward, where a nurse came forward and told me that she was going to stick something into grandma's anus to help her do her business with ease. I thought that oughta hurt, and judging from grandma's face, it did. The nurse put a diaper on grandma so that she could lie down and wait to do her business. I mean, the old lady's ass had just been poked into with some object and you don't expect her to sit down on the toilet bowl and pass all the toxins out do you?

After she had lain on the bed for quite some time, grandma said that the diaper felt pretty full. So we went into the toilet where I helped her to clean herself up. It was such a gratifying experience. I've cleaned up babies before but old folk? Never. That was my first. Anyhow, the nurse said that grandma could go home after she was able to do her business properly and with ease. I was so happy to hear that, that I started sms-ing my cousins and Aunt S.

The doctor then came and announced that even though grandma had no trouble passing motion nor urine, she still had to be detained as there was an infection around her liver. I passed the news to Aunt S and around 6.40pm, she finally entered the observation ward to take a look at grandma. Distant aunt wasn't allowed to enter at all. Oh well, at least there was someone to help me register grandma's admission as I wasn't that sure whose Medisave account it was that was being used to pay the medical bills. Aunt S helped me to settle that.

Grandma was then whisked away upstairs, to another ward. I followed to make sure that she'd be alright while Aunt S went back downstairs to receive the rest of the family members who had received news of grandma being in hospital. Another nurse came by, doing all the necessary stuffs and asking all the necessary questions. I had never seen so many forms in all my life (well, perhaps yes, during my admission to my current school)! Grandma had her temperature checked (yet again) and I was relieved that it had gone down, even though a little bit. Helped her to shower and change into hospital clothes and by the time Aunt S returned to sneak in grandpa, grandma and me were talking like old times again.

After I finally left her to rest after visiting hours, I found all the other family members (read: aunts and uncles) in a deep discussion over who should be nominated to be the sole visitor throughout grandma's stay. Everyone wanted to visit but everyone was working during visiting hours and only one visitor was allowed. I couldn't take it. I just voluntereed myself since I'm on vacation anyway.

So it was settled. I'll be seeing grandma every day, God willing, so that she won't feel lonely. It's bad enough that she's only allowed 1 visitor. It'd be terrible if that 1 visitor wasn't as free to visit her every single day.

I'm praying she gets better. Amen.