Breed Of Emotions

The Light

       The old man choked on the hospital bed. He had a continuous stream of coughing and wheezing for a few minutes, until a nurse passing by his room noticed, and yelled out for the doctors. He was going to be one hundred and two years old in an hour, and was holding onto his life until then. The doctors gathered around, trying to help him in any way they could, but he was far too old for any serious medication.

The man's family rushed in, thirty more minutes left. His wife had passed years ago, her last words being, "What is that light?" He promised he'd find out, for her. He was willing his mind and body to remain alive with all the strength he had left. His daughter was knelt over, hugging his chest, pools of salty tears streaming down, and forming small ponds of sorrow between his fingers. The girl his wife and him gave life too, cared for and raised, and lifted up to fly from the nest, was now saying goodbye to the last parent she had. Every step of the way he had given her the most love he could've.

"The...most..." He choked out, his breaths slowly dying out.

His daughter looked up, his grandchildren staring at him from the arms of their father, his son-in-law.

"Take care...of my baby..." He whispered.

His son-in-law held back tears as the aged man finished.

"Girl..." He wheezed, another continuous minute of coughing followed soon after.

He looked straight up, the roof of his room beginning to blur.

There were ten more minutes until he was one hundred and two years old, he had to hold on until then.

He spent the next nine minutes thinking of last words, making birthday wishes, praying for the perfect way to move on. He couldn't think of anything, but as the room faded to black, the view he was granted with gave him the perfect dying sentence.

There was a light becoming more and more visible as his end got closer, beckoning him to enter it, thirty seconds now remained. He reached his hand out to touch the light, and felt the best feeling he had ever felt rush through his hand. He breathed in as much oxygen as his withered lungs would allow, and spoke words of reassurance to his family.

"The light...is good..." He exhaled, feeling as dust had just blown from his throat.

As he felt his mind, body, and soul fade, he heard a voice.

"Congratulations..."

He smiled as he closed his eyes, the voice comforting him, and peacefully passed.

"...It's a boy!!!" Yelled the doctor.

The mother smiled, exhausted from childbirth. The father cheered, hugging his wife's shoulder, not wanting to cause any discomfort to her at this point. The newborn infant looked up at the doctor, and smiled.