Westward Wings

Deb is flying back today. I have spoken to her a couple of times already today, and since I just received an email she forwarded, I'm going to guess that she's in the Charlotte airport awaiting her next flight. She'll arrive sometime just before 10pm, and I'll be there at the airport to pick her up (since I have the car and I don't think she wants to struggle onto mass transit with 2 large bags and 2 carry-ons). It's been eight days since she left me at the Knoxville airport. Eight long days.

She went to see the surgeon yesterday. Actually, she'd also been to see another of her surgeons on Monday. He's the one who did the cancerectomy (is that a word? It is now). She was complaining about the staples to him, so he went ahead and removed some of them (or maybe all of them). Yesterday she got to have the rest of her sutures removed. I feel bad that I couldn't be there with her. I had been to all of her other appointments with him.

So today she is flying. I think she even snagged a free first-class upgrade for the NC->WA flight. I hope so. She'll be a lot more comfortable that way. She'll be here finishing up her recovery period until Sunday, when she goes back to work and flies back out again to points on the map well to the right of Seattle.

I guess I can release my breath now. I feel like I've been holding it ever since late April when she was diagnosed. I feel like we've been extremely lucky with this. Not that she got cancer, of course, but that we were able to come all of the way through this in just over six months and have her declared to be cancer-free without having to go through chemo or radiation therapy. I know way too many people who have ridden the cancer roller coaster and gotten a much rougher ride. My heart goes out to them - those I know and those I don't. I know that we've been barely affected in the grand scheme of things.

So, with all things considered, I'm quite happy now. Or at least I will be at about 10pm tonight.