Hugs and prayers to you. Losing a parent is an emotional roller-coaster. I love your honesty about how there is so much suffering and pain watching a loved one die, and when they have finally passed on, there is a specific relief. Peace washes over the pain in some way. Then when you add the relief, yes, I can feel the raw honesty.

Story Nerd-wise: l think you show the reader how death awakens the impulse to live. Finally, these Dylan lyrics came into my head when I read it ."He not busy being born is busy dying." Achilles Heel? I don't have one.