If you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that by whatever time constituted day's end for you, that the reaper would be there, waiting, ready to usher you into an endless void of darkness and you had absolutely no choice in the matter, what would you do with those last twenty-four hours? If that mother-fucker accidently slipped you that memo... What would you do...?

***

As a young kid, he didn't even have the vocabulary let alone the experiences under his belt to be able to comprehend such a thing. How could he even attempt to? How did anyone? They were his everything. His sun. His moon. Uncle Bernie's attempts at comfort were a reminder of that. Nothing anyone could do would change the fact he'd just lost his father and his mother was dying right before his eyes. Nothing. No-one.

Family members paced the hallways and did the usual frantic last minute what-the-fuck ordeal. They were so far gone they seemed beside the ghosts that were beside themselves. He tried his best to stay there. All the way there, no matter what. No matter what the doctors said, he kept a brave face and no matter what they did he made sure to never let her hand go.

He was there. He was with her, right there, and kept telling her that over and over and over again. He let her know she didn't have to be afraid. That everything was going to be fine. And when she'd somehow gathered the energy to ask him how he'd know it, he'd say, with a lion-hearted smile, I just know. You just have to trust me. I just know.

But that wasn't really how it happened. He wished it was. He wished he'd had the courage to be that strong. But most of all he wished she was able to speak to him that one last time. In truth, she slipped away as the life support was turned off. He was watching from outside the room. Angry. At her for leaving him.

If it were Dhien, living his last day? He'd climb to the top of the tallest building he could. To get as close to the heavens as he could. And he'd hold her hand one last time... And never let go...