My mother either had a severe migraine or a stroke

earlier today. My father sms-ed my brother and me about 3pm and we both called within seconds of getting the message. Apparently my mother had well, suffice it to say he was very worried. She was experiencing most of the "stroke" symptoms on this website.

We called back and forth and then I left work early. The doctor was going around to the house again at 6, so it wasn't too long. My dad said she was comfortable and having a nap, but the thought that she could be lying there with her eyes shut but not asleep really worried me. About 7pm my dad said they were taking her to the local hospital. So I spoke to her briefly and she sounded so embarrassed and upset. My mum said she had to go and my dad said good bye. He called about 10 to say she was still in A&E but that she had had some blood tests (waiting on the results) and was going to have X-rays (later on) and scans (in the morning). He's going to call me back at midnight but he seemed to imply that whatever it was had happened and was now over. She might not get completely better; this might be the new reality. He said how she couldn't see through one eye or move the opposite hand. And how, once they'd worked out what was wrong (or what they thought had happened), they could move her to an appropriate specialist hospital (like the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford).

He said he would call back about midnight, so we ate, and now we're just sitting around and waiting. It's not so bad, I have cleaned the place. And I keep thinking how horrific it would be if her experience of A&E is how I imagine or remember it to be. But my objective at the start of the whole thing was to get her into a hospital as soon as possible and we've done that. So now I get a good night's sleep and wake up refreshed to clean and tidy some more, then go and get my nails done (I have a job interview on Monday, and another on Wednesday), and for Mr W to meet me and drive us out to the local NHS hospital. I've no idea what to expect, but should have spoken to my dad at least three times before then if not more.