It was on the 22nd February 2011 that my husband suddenly scared the hell out of me. I was, in fact, about to post my quote here when I heard my husband coughing. Nope. Not the kind of cough we normally know or hear. It was a strange, spluttering, incomprehensible sound. He was taking a nap when I heard him cough. I asked while still typing out something here. But, the sound just didn't seem right. This winter, we were both proud to announce that for the first time in ten years, none of us caught a cold and cough or flu. A feat since each winter has always been a trip to the local health centre for a jab. The National Health Service here is excellent. They send out letters before winter and inform the citizens when they are due for their winter jab. Anyway, back to my husband. I got up, leaving my typing for the time being, and found my husband slumped, with his red face beaming and his eyes lucid, he had difficulty breathing. After a long hard cough, his breathing came back. When he looked up, his lips drooped to one side. I was horrified. This is it. I told myself. I asked him a few questions but he was not responding. I told him that he was having a stroke. I sat him up since he was in one of those big reclining armchairs that he loved so much to use while taking a siesta. He seemed helpless and seeing his lips droop to one side was a moment of intense worry. When he came to, I rang up the local health centre for the ambulance to come. They came aafter twenty minutes: one doctor and two paramedics. They asked me many questions--all in Spanish, since none of them spoke English and my husband to this day doesn't speak a word of Spanish. Anyway, they gave him a melting tablet and took blood samples. They were very competent and asked me a few more mundane questions before taking him to the hospital. (unedited)
