I figured he'd be gone two years ago. He lingered with poor leg circulation. Multiple femoral stints. Amputations. He got sideways a few months ago and told docs no more amputations.
They tried to put a 5th stint in and couldn't due to his arterial condition. Sent home with Hospice a few weeks ago. Got the call they'd found him gone tonight.
A few weeks ago I was sitting with him when he sat up and said when he gets to where he can walk again, he's gonna buy another semi and start driving across the country again. I think of all the things he did, Master Sargent, Electrician, Long haul trucker, he enjoyed the trucking the most. I played along until he fell asleep again. Had to check him a few times that day to make sure he was breathing.
Anyway. Seeing him suffering and wishing we'd leave a loaded gun next to his bed makes me think Dr. Kevorkian was on to something. That kind of lingering suffering for years sucks. A simple IV with a button you can choose to press when you're ready would have been a blessing.
He did not accept Jesus. Didn't believe in God after returning from his 5th tour of Vietnam. Refused a pastor at the end. That's the hard part for my step mother and I. Headed up tomorrow to help her. No funeral. No services. Just cremation and I'll do what she wants with his ashes. Then we got to look into moving her down here closer to me. She's got leukemia and doesn't need a two story house alone in the middle of nowhere.
