Dawn of a new day

I stayed with him through the night. I slept mostly, having been awake for the better part of the previous 24 hours, knowing that the monitors would alert me to the moment of truth.

The monitors never sounded. I awoke at 6:25AM and he's still with us. His kidney function is gone, having produced almost no output throughout the night. The doctor had told us beforehand that this would happen. Although his body is strong, it is shutting down, slowly but surely. He is peaceful, showing no distress at all except for the moments when nurses must turn his body to keep him comfortable. To me, it seems like he get annoyed when his rest is disturbed... perhaps believing that those poking and prodding are trying to interfere with nature's course.

Even in his march towards death, he holds his head high.