I wasn\u2019t sure if it was the right thing to do\u2014taking my son Eli to visit his best friend Zeke in the hospital. Zeke had been in a coma for days after a playground accident. Tubes, machines\u2014his small body barely holding on.<\/p>\n
Eli didn\u2019t cry. He just placed a worn-out toy\u2014one Zeke had given him\u2014next to the bed and whispered, \u201cYou can have him back now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later that night, I heard Eli talking. When I checked, I froze\u2014Zeke was sitting on his bed, smiling. Faint. Translucent. \u201cJust wanted to say goodbye,\u201d he said. Then he vanished.<\/p>\n
The next morning, the hospital called. Zeke had passed just after midnight.<\/p>\n
Weeks later, we were invited to a will reading. Zeke had left everything to Eli: the toy, a few books\u2026 and a life insurance policy his parents had taken out. Eli was the beneficiary.<\/p>\n
Zeke didn\u2019t just say goodbye\u2014he made sure my son would be okay.<\/p>\n
Some goodbyes come with unexpected gifts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"