He opened the door gently, peeking in at his mother. She lay in her bed, wrinkly and diminished by age. Various IV's and monitors were attached to her body. Her arms sat on her chest, slowly rising and falling with each breath. Her hair, white as the tile floors of the many doctors' offices they had been to in the last few years, sat on top of her head in a little bun. She seemed so tiny and weak, whereas just a few years prior she was so full of life. He had braced for this day years ago, but it still hurt. Knowing this was it, time to say goodbye, he had developed a relentless pain in between his heart and his bowel. Right in the pit of his being. He walked to her bedside and rested his hand on top of hers. Opening her eyes slightly, she smiled, "Son, I'm so glad you came." "Of course, Ma," he said softly, kissing her forehead. "How are you feeling?" he asked, holding back tears. He knew she felt terribly, like death. It had to hurt dying, but feigning normalcy was all he could do to help himself get through this. "I'm actually feeling quite a bit better from last night," she mustered a tiny grin. She held out her hand and he took it so that she could sit up more easily.
He knew she was lying. "Yeah? That's good, real good," he forced a smile. The doctor had called in the early hours of the morning and said she had little time left, causing him to rush over quickly. "I had a visitor yesterday," she began, pausing to adjust her blankets. "Oh yeah?" He wondered who it could have been. They had little family, and very few of her friends were still alive. "A man came, he was very handsome, and he said he was waiting for me." "Waiting for you?" He asked. "Waiting for me to die. He said I'd be the last to ever die. He's waiting fur me so he can leave." She explained. "Mom don't say that," tears filling his eyes. In the back of his head he thought that this must be the beginning of her mind starting to go.
"Stop it! I won't have any of that mess, you're not the one dying, I am. He said he was waiting to take me to be with the others who have passed, then he was leaving our world and I'd be the last person to die." becoming suddenly flustered. "Now stop it," she said grabbing his face to kiss his forehead. "Now I don't know how all of this will end, or if I'll ever see you again, but I love you. And a piece of me will always exist in you, but we both have eternities to see..." "Mom what are you saying?" he feared he knew where she was going with all of this. "I'm saying goodbye. And I love you." she said plainly. "I love you, too" he sobbed. "I'm scared mom." "Don't be afraid, this is a wonderful thing." she said holding his hand tight. She looked somewhere behind him and smiled, then said, "I'm ready." She closed her eyes and whispered "I'll miss you." And with those words, she went. In the days that followed, as the reports came in from all over the world, it became apparent that death had gone too. For the first time in history, no one had died in a week. Then a month. Then a year. She truly was the last to go. And he was the last person to ever really say goodbye.