Our Neighbour

Those of you who travelled with me last year, might remember Hannah, our neighbour in Moree.
Two months ago, I received an email from Keith, who lives opposite Hannah, telling me that the poor dear had fallen and had broken a leg, ribs and ankle. She fell at Bingo, which she loves and played every day.
Despite surgery at Armidale and Moree hospitals, she made no progress and is now in the Moree nursing home. Unfortunately, the Armidale hospital lost her glass eye and it wasn't replaced. I'm sure that this hurt Hannah a lot, as she was very particular about her appearance.
Everyone keeps telling me that she refuses to eat and doesn't like the hospital food. I guess that no one mentioned to her doc that she eats only pickled herrings, whole beetroot and an occasional egg.
She hasn't recognised her partner, Bernie, for the last couple of weeks but knew her son whom she hasn't seen for a long time. Hannah had a lot of skeletons in her closet and told me about some of them last year. I think she would be very sad that her 2 daughters didn't come to see her.
I was going to see her today but Bernie said it might be better not to go. He told us that she is now unconscious and he has been interviewed by the staff about funeral arrangements.
I have great difficulty thinking about these arrangements. He says that Hannah wanted no service, no funeral, just a cremation. When she dies, her body will be sent straight from the hospital to the crematorium, which will go ahead without family or friends present. It seems such a lonely way to leave this earth, after nearly 80 years. Bernie is taking Hannah's son back to Victoria at the weekend. I do hope that Hannah can wait until his return.