leaned closer to her. “And Lord, we ask You to be with us. You know how much we love Emma and how very hard it is for us to see her go. Please touch our hearts with Your love and Your peace as we let go. Comfort us and love us in our time of need. These things we ask in Your name. Amen.”
“ Amen,” Abigail whispered next to her.
When Kathryn looked down, Abigail reached up and touched the side of her cheek. “Thank you.”
Kathryn could hardly hold all of the emotions in. She tilted her head and smiled. “Thank you for allowing me to be with you all.” Her gaze went back to the fragile hand still held in her own. “We all love you, Emma. You will be in our hearts forever.”
Fighting back the tears, she laid the hand on the bed, ran her hand once over the wiry locks of gray hair, and said one more silent prayer for a safe and peaceful transition for this beautiful soul. It took more than a moment to gather herself before she turned back for the three women.
“ Will you be here tomorrow?” Sade asked from the other side of the bed.
Kathryn smiled. “Eight o’clock as always.”
“ I don’t know, Kell. This is like the impossible decision from hell. How am I supposed to sign those papers?” Ben sat in the neurology waiting area watching the clock. Ten more minutes and he would get a five minute visit with a man he had relied on and trusted his whole life. Unfortunately that man’s life now hung in the balance, and his finger was on the nuke button. Where in the world did that make any sense at all? He kept asking himself that even as he hunched over his knees.
“ So is the place like… awful?”
“ Hospice?” Ben asked, straightening and going all the way back to the wall. “Actually it’s very nice. Kind of like a retirement community only much quieter.” He raked his hand over his eyes. “How did I get into this? I’m not the one to go to for stuff like this? You? Yeah, you can handle this stuff. Me? I’m a screw-up who hasn’t made a rational decision in a decade.”
Kelly laughed, but it was soft. “You give yourself far too much credit there, my man.”
“ Huh.” Ben’s laugh was soft too. He fooled no one. “I don’t know. Part of me thinks they are right. I should just sign the papers and get it over with. I mean we’re not getting anywhere like this. But the other part…”
“ Have you heard from your mom?”
“ Not yet.” He couldn’t hide the frustration. “I don’t even know if she would come if I could get a hold of her.”
A moment and Kelly sighed. “Man, I wish I could give you some advice, tell you what to do, but I just don’t know. This is a tough one.”
“ Tell me about it.” Ben sat, trying to think of a way to prolong the conversation. He was not looking forward to another night alone. But then again, that’s what he was… alone.
“ Listen, Ben, I need to be…”
“ I know. Thanks, Kell, for being there.”
“ Hey, where else would I be?”
Ben smiled at that and signed off with his friend. Once the connection was dissolved, he put his head back on the wall. The waiting was pure torture, and yet, what exactly was he waiting for? What was going to happen in this realm that would do anything but make him wait even more? Short of another stroke or something else failing in his father, he could be here until doomsday.
If he believed in God, he might even have gotten angry at that moment. But what sense did it make to argue with an entity you didn’t even believe in? None. He looked at the clock and pushed to his feet when he realized visiting hours would be starting in only a couple minutes. It was odd how accustomed he’d become to making that walk down that too-well lit corridor to those double doors with the windows at the end of it.
He made it to them just before they opened and went through on the push of some family in front of him. There was no need to ask for the room or directions, he knew them by heart, and when he
“ Amen,” Abigail whispered next to her.
When Kathryn looked down, Abigail reached up and touched the side of her cheek. “Thank you.”
Kathryn could hardly hold all of the emotions in. She tilted her head and smiled. “Thank you for allowing me to be with you all.” Her gaze went back to the fragile hand still held in her own. “We all love you, Emma. You will be in our hearts forever.”
Fighting back the tears, she laid the hand on the bed, ran her hand once over the wiry locks of gray hair, and said one more silent prayer for a safe and peaceful transition for this beautiful soul. It took more than a moment to gather herself before she turned back for the three women.
“ Will you be here tomorrow?” Sade asked from the other side of the bed.
Kathryn smiled. “Eight o’clock as always.”
“ I don’t know, Kell. This is like the impossible decision from hell. How am I supposed to sign those papers?” Ben sat in the neurology waiting area watching the clock. Ten more minutes and he would get a five minute visit with a man he had relied on and trusted his whole life. Unfortunately that man’s life now hung in the balance, and his finger was on the nuke button. Where in the world did that make any sense at all? He kept asking himself that even as he hunched over his knees.
“ So is the place like… awful?”
“ Hospice?” Ben asked, straightening and going all the way back to the wall. “Actually it’s very nice. Kind of like a retirement community only much quieter.” He raked his hand over his eyes. “How did I get into this? I’m not the one to go to for stuff like this? You? Yeah, you can handle this stuff. Me? I’m a screw-up who hasn’t made a rational decision in a decade.”
Kelly laughed, but it was soft. “You give yourself far too much credit there, my man.”
“ Huh.” Ben’s laugh was soft too. He fooled no one. “I don’t know. Part of me thinks they are right. I should just sign the papers and get it over with. I mean we’re not getting anywhere like this. But the other part…”
“ Have you heard from your mom?”
“ Not yet.” He couldn’t hide the frustration. “I don’t even know if she would come if I could get a hold of her.”
A moment and Kelly sighed. “Man, I wish I could give you some advice, tell you what to do, but I just don’t know. This is a tough one.”
“ Tell me about it.” Ben sat, trying to think of a way to prolong the conversation. He was not looking forward to another night alone. But then again, that’s what he was… alone.
“ Listen, Ben, I need to be…”
“ I know. Thanks, Kell, for being there.”
“ Hey, where else would I be?”
Ben smiled at that and signed off with his friend. Once the connection was dissolved, he put his head back on the wall. The waiting was pure torture, and yet, what exactly was he waiting for? What was going to happen in this realm that would do anything but make him wait even more? Short of another stroke or something else failing in his father, he could be here until doomsday.
If he believed in God, he might even have gotten angry at that moment. But what sense did it make to argue with an entity you didn’t even believe in? None. He looked at the clock and pushed to his feet when he realized visiting hours would be starting in only a couple minutes. It was odd how accustomed he’d become to making that walk down that too-well lit corridor to those double doors with the windows at the end of it.
He made it to them just before they opened and went through on the push of some family in front of him. There was no need to ask for the room or directions, he knew them by heart, and when he
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