Betty's in the same condition she was in yesterday, in that she's still unconscious on the hospital bed in the middle of our family room. She's breathing pretty heavily in what basically sounds like a loud snore, but she's still completely unresponsive, and her body won't allow her to swallow any foods or fluids. The caretakers are positive that this is how she will pass away, and we're only counting down the hours/days.
Today several of Betty's closest friends came to visit. Lots more tears and grieving, words of condolence, and plans for the near and distant future. While of course this is the most traumatic, shocking, and emotional experience I've ever undergone, at the same time it's been heartwarming and bittersweet. This is bringing my family and friends so close together, and I can really sense that we're all finally beginning to understand what it means to love and appreciate the ones you're with, as much as possible.
I took Java on a long, strenuous hike today and let him roll around in the mud. Betty wouldn't approve, but I figured he and I could keep it a secret from her just this once.
--Edit--
It's unlikely that we'll ever have an explanation as to why someone as healthy as Betty would get cancer, and why it would spread so abnormally fast. (Another doctor called today to say they had never heard anything like this.) I'm sure my dad and I will spend the rest of our lives speculating, and we already have done so a great deal during the past week. But something that one of Betty's friends brought up this evening really struck a chord with me: Betty is now the 5th of something like 7 people to die of cancer in her office building. Sounds pretty damn suspicious to me.
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