This is the happy ending to this entry, which you may want to read first.
I spoke to Isa last night and she filled in the rest of the story which, as well as I remember, was this. The staff throughout the stay were fantastic. Three nurses attended on Neve while they waited for theatre, they painted her nails, played with her, got her paper and paint. Neve was calm and happy. Even on the table surrounded by doctors and nurses (and Isa) only the wiggling of her feet betrayed a little nervousness. They gave her gas and blissed her out and then she had the general and was wheeled in. dThe operation went smoothly and she came out within an hour and she and Isa were put in a room in paediatric. Isa was told she could share the (good sized) bed with Neve, or she could sleep in the armchair. Isa shared the bed with Neve and dozed while Neve slept. A cot was wheeled in in the early hours and a new patient and parent joined the room.
Neve and Isa slept on until they were woken by the beeping of the drip trolley, which had detected the end of its contents. Neve opened her eyes and said, “that’s a lovely cot isn’t it Mummy? Is it for little Nevey?” and then turned and went back to sleep. When she woke later she was happy and singy and spent a lovely day in a calm, air-conditioned room with good neighbours, TV, and lovely attentive staff. All the family came to visit during the day They wanted Neve to stay another night and Isa would have done so happily if it weren’t for Lola. So she signed Neve out and went off home, stopping at the gelateria to pick up Lola.
It was super-hot and super-humid and the house was full of relatives, doubly-excited due to Selena and Alvise’s return from honeymoon. Isa shut the door on them and watched a DVD with the kids.
Neve ate, sang and played as usual, showing no sign of discomfort. They had dinner and then had a long bath (a special treat as it had been showers only up to that point) and by the time they’d finished that the family had all gone except for Selena and Alvise and they had a chilled-out time with them chatting about the honeymoon and playing with the cinderella and Snow White dolls which they brought back for the girls.
Neve went happily to bed with Lola in Nonna’s room (where Lola had slept the previous night with Stefi). Which is something we could have tried earlier — there are possibly fewer mosquitoes there. Anyway, Neve slept soundly and seems to have come out of the experience as the same oh-so-very-happy-and-chirpy girl she was before. 🙂