From Dragonfly: Loss...

I'd written about it before, and yet, it is something that cannot ever be properly described... when someone loses a loved one while incarcerated, the devastation is just overwhelming. My friend was on the phone, calling home as she does frequently to check in. Her husband has been ill, but stable, and she was looking forward to seeing him soon. In just 10 days, she is being transferred to a camp a short drive from home. They would see each other in less than 2 weeks. They talked frequently and could not wait to see and hug one another. He'd had a health scare last year, and it was truly a miracle, when he got off life support and started gaining his strength again. She kept praying for his health, and it seemed to be working.

So today, on the phone, we heard her scream, "no, no...," and then she just dropped to the ground, the phone receiver hanging down, the total devastation was beyond anything you could imagine. She was staring in space, unable to even see anyone around her, unable to accept anyone's touch, she could only say, "he's gone." Her tears led to mascara lines down her face and she just sat there, unable to get up to a chair, she'd not been able to say "goodbye," he'd been doing so much better. A crowd gathered, most of us her friends, hands over our mouths, tears in our eyes. My heart actually ached. This woman really loved her husband. She was raw and alone and in shock.

The only thing the officer could do, was to offer her to go off to the chaplains. Her good friend and roommate carried her off there, as she was more able to stare into space than see anything in front of her. We all just couldn't believe that she was going to be close in just days, just days...