Keeping Vigil With My Dad

My Dad is in the hospital and is not expected to live more than a day or so. He is on a waiting list for the local hospice but the hospital staff doesn't think he will live long enough to go to hospice. Since yesterday I have been keeping vigil with my extended family. At the moment I am home for a short time. In a couple of hours I will return to the hospital. This experience certainly has a feeling of Deju Vu since I just went through this with my mother in law in mid November. Last night I am certain my Dad realized what was going on. At one point he asked, "Why is everyone here"? Later he expressed a desire to my siblings and me that he wanted to hug each one of us. I was first in line, presumably because I am the oldest. Everyone else left the room. I gently leaned over my Dad and rested my head on his shoulder. From the corner of my eye I could see tears in his eyes. In retrospect there are now a hundred things I wish I would have said but now all I can recall is that I told him not to be afraid. It is his time. My only desire is that he has a peaceful passing from this life because the last few years have been very difficult for him.