A month from the day of his surgery, the doctor a.s.sembled the family outside the hospital room and told us it was highly likely he wouldn"t last throughout the night. Glancing between red and teary eyes, he explained it was probably best to get in any goodbyes while they still had time.Stephen tried his hardest to fight the tears, but the thought of the closest father figure he"d ever had pa.s.sing away overwhelmed his defenses, causing a flood to flow down his cheeks. It was all any of them could have done to just remain upright at such distressing news, yet the need to be strong for Grandpa prevailed.
After some time composing their thoughts, each family member was able to have their time alone with him to say goodbye. Stephen was able to go second to last, the final spot being saved for his grandfather"s lifetime partner and wife. Going in alone, he had Grace wait outside the room. This was something he had to do on his own.
Slipping into the darkened hospital room, he pulled up a chair next to the most important man he"d ever known. It was terrible to see him like this, hooked up to every IV imaginable. Grandpa wasn"t even conscious, having drifted off to some in-between world on the other side of sleep.
"It"s so hard to see you like this," Stephen whispered, taking his weathered hand in his own. His limb was cool to the touch, a subtle reminder of the life that was slowly draining from him. He remembered all those times when these hands had shaped and guided him growing up. From helping him learn to walk, to teaching him the proper way to toss a line out during fis.h.i.+ng, to handing him the first pocket watch of his collection, these hands had shaped his life almost as much as his mother"s had.
"I"m really going to miss you," Stephen said in a near whisper, barely able to get the words out before feeling the pain in the back of his throat, and the tears falling anew. Suddenly, all the words and things he wanted to say to him seemed too small. The enormity of eternity hit him like freight train, and he found himself choking through the words.
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"You taught me so much, Grandpa. How to drive, how to play baseball, and how to score free coffees from McDonald"s," Stephen chuckled at that last one, such a thing was so quintessential to who his grandfather was. Wiping away the tears, he continued, "In the end, you taught me how to be a man, and I"m always going to be thankful that you were such a large role in my life. You have no idea what that meant to me."