They all knew what that meant. The body's wisdom, knowing when to begin shutting down.
“How long?” Kate asked.
“The doctor said without nutrition... maybe a week, maybe two if he tries to hang on.”
Two weeks. October would bring its changing leaves and Pop's final autumn.
“Should we...” Dani started, then stopped. “Should we try to make him eat?”
“No,” Kate said firmly. “He's done. His body knows it even if his mind doesn't.”
They stood in the kitchen their mother had loved, processing this new timeline. Two weeks to say goodbye to a man who no longer knew them.
“I'm going to see him,” Kate said.
“Want company?” Tom asked.
“No. I need... I need to do this alone.”
At Coastside, Pop sat in his chair by the window, looking at nothing. He'd lost more weight, his clothes hanging loose, his wedding ring sliding on his finger. Kate sat beside him, took his cold hand.
“Hey Pop. It's Katie.”
Nothing. Not even a flicker.
“I've been thinking about ice fishing,” she said. “You taught me to read the ice, remember? To know when it was safe, when it was time to wait. I think... I think you're telling us the ice is too thin now. That it's time to let you go.”
His breathing was shallow but steady. Somewhere in that failing body, her father existed, or had existed, or the memory of him existed. She wasn't sure anymore where the person ended but the body continued.
“I found something,” she said quietly. “Something Mom left for me. Money for school. I know that you saved it for me, Pop. You and Mom saved it all these years and never told anyone. I just wanted to say thank you, to tell you how much it means to me. I know money was tight back then. She wanted me to have choices.” Kate squeezed his hand. “I'm going to apply, Pop. The marine biology graduate program at UNE. I love the ocean, just like you and Mom.”
Still nothing, but she kept talking.
“Dani's in love with Ryan Caine. You remember Ryan? He's good to her. Tom's finding his way after the divorce. James is home for good. The inn's thriving. We're okay, Pop. We're all okay. You can go be with Mom if you’re ready.”
A tear slid down her cheek. “I know you're tired. I know you want to be with her. We'll be all right. I promise.”
She wiped her face and kissed his forehead. “I love you, Pop. Katie-girl loves you so much.”
She walked out of his room and didn’t turn back. She couldn’t be certain, but her words felt like their last goodbye.
That evening, she submitted her UNE application online. The deadline was in two days; she'd been carrying the completed application in her drafts for a week, afraid to hit send. But if Pop could let go, so could she. Or rather, she could grab on to something new.
Days blurred together. The inn stayed busy with leaf peepers arriving early. Dani spent half her time at The Tuscan Table, planning the new restaurant with Ryan. Tom threw himself into legal research about estate planning, preparing for the inevitable. James kept everyone's computers running and the website updated with fall specials.
And every day, Pop ate less. First refusing the pureed food, then the Ensures, finally even water. His body knew what his mind couldn't say: enough.
On the last day of September, a Saturday, Kate was serving breakfast when the call came.
“Miss Perkins? You should come. All of you.”
They drove separately but arrived together, four siblings converging in the Coastside parking lot. Inside, the staff was gentle, respectful, leading them to Pop's room where he lay in bed now, too weak for the chair.
“He's actively dying,” the nurse said softly. “Hours, not days.”
They arranged themselves around the bed. Kate held one hand, Dani the other. Tom stood at his shoulder, James at the foot of the bed. Their father's breathing was labored but not distressed. His body was doing what bodies do, shutting down system by system, returning to the tide.
“Should we... talk to him?” Dani whispered.
