and on Wednesday

And on Wednesday at a little after 4pm Geoff, my dad, died. He'd been in a deep sleep since Monday and when his time came he simply stopped breathing. No dramatics, he breathing pattern altered a little...then stopped. I was having a coffee and reading a newspaper in the hospital canteen. Matt, my step-bro, and Karen, a friend of dad's, where at the bedside.

On Wednesday morning I arrived to find him asleep, breathing shallow and a little too quick but looking rested. I did not stay long that morning, just long enough to assure myself that he'd not wake, that he'd not know I was there. I went to his home and sorted through paperwork. I pottered around. I had taken dad's lottery tickets and bought the thirty seven quids worth for him. Normal stuff.

I returned to the hospice at around 15:30, put down my bag, took off my jacket and started to do the Guardian crossword. I spoke to - at - dad for a while. I told him I'd got his lotery tickets and told him I was going to get a coffee and a bite to eat if he was just going to lay there and not chat to me...and that is what I did. Cafeteria rules are no mobile phones so I put mine on silent, grabbed a sarnie and a coffee and started reading my paper. I was there may thirty minutes. I took my phone off silent when I left and saw a message from Matt - "kevin call me" I walked across the small car park, into the hospice and found he door to dad's room closed. I knocked, opened the door to find Karen and Matt standing there and two red carnations on dad's pillow.