Time To Say Goodbye!

As we walked in you looked so small, so fragile and childlike. If it wasn’t for the years showing on your face with wrinkles and grey hair you would not know you were an adult. A tiny one at that, curled up asleep in bed.

Struggling to breathe the oxygen taking the effort away from you, keeping you going one breath at a time.

You didn’t stir, you didn’t even move. You just laid and waited, you were waiting for your time. It wasn’t far away and we all knew, no one wanted to believe it. But we were silently waiting too.

He came, he wasn’t going to. He was having his internal debates, but I told him to come first. Not to go home, you wouldn’t know that he hadn’t changed from his work clothes, that he was covered in paint. And I don’t think you would care. For once he listened.

He arrived and we went back to see you. You had changed sides, not you personally, you had been moved to make you more comfortable. You were still on the oxygen, it was doing the work for you. You still looked so frail and little. Just laying waiting for your time.

He spoke to you, he told you he was there. Nothing no sign of anything. We stood talking for a while. And then you moved.

It wasn’t a massive move, just a judder, and you did it again. You opened your eyes. He went to get the doctor.

You looked like you were crying, you weren’t though, just watery eyes. I told you he was here, it was ok.

For a split second your eyes showed a little sparkle. He came back into the room, and said he was back. For the last time he called you “mum”, and you slowly slipped away.

Your time had come, you were leaving us! You looked so peaceful lying there! There were no dramas, just peace, quiet and stillness.

Time stood still!

For a moment, just a moment in time, he wasn’t the big brave man, he wasn’t the Dad or the Granddad that he had been for years. He was the boy saying goodbye to his mum for the very last time!

To my Gran who sadly passed away yesterday 09/06/2010 love you forever!

This post was written for the Writing Workshop I chose prompt number 5. Time.



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