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Ellie is a bright and bubbly, yet dedicated new nurse in the Emergency Department at Chicago Medical Institute. Dr. Harry Styles, meticulous, hardworking, and driven, is the head of the department. Ellie's little q...
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As expected, the funeral wasn't any easier than the wake. This time, it wasn't seeing his lifeless body for the first time; it was the process of saying farewell, hearing good stories about his life, commending him to God. I was able to reconnect with my cousins Kelly and Lisa, Thomas's older sisters. We had missed each other's coming and going at the visitations somehow. They seemed to be doing well, and they were planning on staying with Aunt Jean on and off for the next several months.
Aaliyah and Megan came, too. It was so comforting to have my own friends there, sharing in my sorrow, knowing they were there just for me.
Harry's quiet presence was exceptionally soothing, not that he could take away my grief in any way, but that he could help me carry it in a way that didn't feel so burdensome. The rest of my family was as weak with sorrow as I was, but Harry was strong for me, lifting the load alongside me.
What I didn't expect at the end of the funeral was for my aunt Jean to stand up give the eulogy. She spoke of him as any mother would, saying he was the best son she could have asked for, that he was always so sweet and kind and generous, if a little kooky at some times. But then she began to speak of Thomas and me, and the bond we shared over the years, over time and distance. She told funny stories of us getting in trouble together. And then she spoke of Thomas's final days.
"A number of his friends came less frequently. When they did come to visit, they often didn't know what to say to someone who was dying. It was hard for him sometimes, although he appreciated the effort. And please believe me, I'm not laying a guilt trip on any of you if you happened to stay away. It's all right, you're here now. But what I want to say is that Ellie came in, fearful and sad in front of me, but the moment she laid eyes on him, they fell back into the same rhythm they always had, talking, teasing, laughing. Ellie wasn't uncomfortable around death, maybe because she's a nurse, but it's more likely that she knew what he needed, and even if she couldn't be with him til the end, physically, she found ways to let him know she loved him. She sent him this song not long before he died, and he asked me to play it here as we..." She stopped momentarily, choking up. I was surprised she had made it this far. But she found her voice again, saying, "As we say good-bye."
The speakers came alive with the lively sounds of the mandolin and guitar. My eyes were wet before the first lyric was sung.
Some bright morning when this life is over I'll fly away
Harry put his arm around me and squeezed tightly, pressing his lips to the side of my head, not hurrying to pull away.
Just a few more weary days and then I'll fly away
That was when my self-interest started to thaw. I was thankful that Thomas wasn't lying in that hospital bed anymore, wasting away. I'd rather that this hadn't happened at all, of course, but death was a much better option than pain and suffering, since he knew where he was going after he died. With the end of the song, a new sense of calm enveloped me.
