Farwell Mom

I sit on the edge of my mother’s hospital bed. They called her time of death two hours ago. My mother went on bypass yesterday afternoon. When the hospital asked us to leave because visiting hours had ended, my mother squeezed my hand when I told her goodbye. Then when we arrived this morning, I knew she was gone. I no longer felt her presence in the room.

“Dove,” Taran’s gentle voice pulls me from my thoughts. I look at him and see another man standing behind him, “They need to take Alice downstairs.”

I nod and stand. Taran quickly pulls me to him. We leave the room and join my dad and brothers in a lobby area. “Are you okay, Tru?” Dave asks when we sit down.

I nod, “We knew this day was coming. I will miss her, but at least she isn’t sick anymore.”

“We barely left her side the past two weeks,” Dave says lightly. “I’m not sure how to go back to day-to-day life.”

“The house felt empty last night without mom there,” Mike says with tears, “I’m not sure how I will step foot in there agai