Ariq started his holiday mid June, shortly after his end of academic year performance, then, we were planning to stay in the Safari Park Caravan Camp for one night, but it turned out that everything happened very differently from what we planned.
At the night of our wedding anniversary (23rd of June), my husband and I cancelled our dinner plan since my father-in-law had to be taken to the hospital where his haematologist practiced. My husband, one of his auntie and my mother-in-law went with him.
Past midnight, that night, my husband called and told me that they were still in the hospital waiting room! (They left the house around 8.00 which most likely they reached the hospital at around 10.00) They were organising my father-in-law to be transferred to the hospital near home. He was transferred by an ambulance early that morning. My father-in-law was in very weak condition and was admitted straight in the ICU (intensive care unit). His condition on the next day was much better, but during the following two days, his condition was much worse, until finally on Saturday (27th of June), he passed away.
Ariq was the most affected by his grandfather's departure, as he was not allowed in the ICU being under 12 years old. As we laid my father-in-law's body at home waiting for the burial the next morning (Sunday), Ariq started to understand that his grandfather was never coming back at all. From Sunday to Tuesday, Ariq lost his appetite and almost didn't talk at all. I decided to take him away from our home and move to my parents' place for a few days.
In my parents' home Ariq started eating and talking again, but the things he talked about the most was how he wanted to be with his grandfather..
Once he was eating well again, I took him home (Sunday), and he asked my mother-in-law to go to the grave. They went there next morning (Monday). The next day, Ariq woke up with a high fever, and I gave him Panadol syrup to cool it down. The fever kept going up and down until the next day, so we took him to ER and the doctor gave an instruction for a blood test the next day. When we got the result of the blood test, the doctor said that Ariq needed to be hospitalised because there was a chance that he had Dengue Fever.
My mother-in-law still couldn't bear the thought of walking into the hospital near home where my father-in-law spent his last moments in, so we took Ariq to the hospital near my parents' home. On the 2nd day in the hospital (5th day of the fever), it was positive that Ariq had the Dengue Fever (fortunately not the strain D which was the most dangerous one).
I quietly cried everytime his fever ran high and he wouldn't stop asking about his grandfather.. why he couldn't be with him and what he could do to be with him..Holding back my tears while trying to give him confidence was not an easy thing to do..
He stayed at the hospital for 6 days, the 5th and 6th day he was almost fully recovered.. He was allowed to go home Thursday last week (2nd and last day of his school orientation program) but he needed to stay home until he had seen the doctor for post-hospitalisation check up, which was last Tuesday (first day of school).
Ariq's 3 weeks holiday was not the holiday he expected it to be, but he is back at school now (he just started going to school today), and when my husband and I quietly watched him from the window, he looked happy with his teachers and friends..
I don't know how to make it up to little kids when their losses are just too great, but I guess as time goes by and life goes on, children will gain understanding and grow wiser in life too..we can only pray and be there for them.. :-)
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