The night air was cool as Landon laid in bed next to his wife, watching her sleep. It had been three months since they were married, and every day Jamie's health declined. However, being the woman she was, Jamie didn't let it stop them from having the best time they could.
His friends had taken some convincing, but once they saw how much he loved Jamie, they started to come around. He was shocked by how much Dean had changed his attitude. He had apologized for everything, and even accepted her as a friend.
As he watched her sleep peacefully he knew that he didn't have much more time left with her, if she even made it through the night. She spent most of her time asleep now, and he knew he couldn't lie to himself to put off the inevitable. He gently caressed her pale cheek and silently prayed that she would escape this hurt. As much as he didn't want to lose the love of his life, he couldn't stand to see her suffering any longer.
As the cool air whipped around them, Landon sighed and kissed her cheek before getting out of bed to shut the window. "Landon…"
He quickly turned and saw Jamie with her eyes slightly open, looking at him. "Baby go back to sleep."
She took a shallow, shaky breath. "Landon my mother's coming for me."
He got back onto the bed, tears starting to come to his eyes. "Jamie."
She gave a small smile. "Tell my father I love him." She paused. "And I love you…always."
He struggled to keep the tears back as he caressed her face and watched her eyes droop shut for the last time. He watched her face for another moment and suddenly the door slowly opened and he saw his mother and Hegbert standing in the doorway.
"Landon is she…"
He just shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Kissing her forehead and whispering a quiet 'I love you forever', he quickly got out of bed and pushed past his mother, trying to get through the door. He bounded down the stairs and the next thing he knew he was in his car and driving. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he couldn't look at her pale, empty face anymore. That wasn't how he wanted to remember her.
He pulled up to the dock, and ran down it to overlook the water. He felt like his whole body was collapsing inside of him, all because his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He paced furiously around the dock, the waves of the water following his motion underneath the dark sky. He hated the way the stars twinkled as it reminded him so much of her…his wife, who had just passed and left him.
Just as felt the weight of everything crash down on him, sending him to the ground, he was caught by two strong arms. "Hey, calm down, dude. It's gonna be okay."
He looked up at his friend. "Dean?"
Dean nodded. "Your mom called…"
Landon stared at him for a moment, a bit shocked. Although Dean had come around he was surprised to see his friend out here in the middle of the night.
"Landon, say something."
"It's not fair!" He suddenly shouted but Dean barely flinched. Ever since they had all found out about her illness, he and Eric had been waiting for the outburst that their best friend desperately needed. "She too young! She should be able to live her life! All she ever did was good in her life. She did everything for everyone else but herself! And then there's me! All I ever did was shit. I screwed up so many times and got in trouble...and I'm here and she's not. It isn't fair. She shouldn't have been the one to be sick. It should have been me! Why wasn't it me?" He shouted into the night and his voice echoed on the water.
"You're right. It isn't fair. But you can't change that now! Jamie loved you and that is what made it all worth it! No one could have changed it, and she knew that. But she wouldn't have wanted you to suffer either. Jamie was special, dude, I can see that now. She knew that it was going to happen and she accepted it. You're right...she did everything for everyone else. She took that illness so that someone else wouldn't have to suffer from it. Do you get that? She didn't care about any of the shit that you did because the person who was there for her when she needed it was the one who loved her more than anything on this planet! Do you understand that?"
Everything was silent after he cut off his rant. He had to try and get the good things through his friend's head before Landon did something stupid. Suddenly the reality of everything hit Landon and he couldn't stop the tears that broke out of him. Expecting Dean to make a joke about how he was crying, he couldn't believe it when his friend pulled him into a brotherly hug, although he was too heartbroken to be shocked. They stayed like that for a while, and Dean let his friend cry. In that moment he didn't care how stupid they looked, or how unmanly they looked…he only cared that his friend was in pain and his new friend was no longer with them.
It took a while but he finally got Landon calmed down. As he watched his friend slowly go back to his car and return home to his family, Dean sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. He knew that Landon was going to need their whole group in the next few weeks to be there for him. And in that moment, he realized how much Jamie had an impact on him…she had not only changed Landon for the better but everyone in their group, including him. He thought about his rant and shook his head.
He looked up at the stars and sighed again. "Goodbye Jamie." Then he slowly walked back up the dock to his car, and drove away.
The End
His friends had taken some convincing, but once they saw how much he loved Jamie, they started to come around. He was shocked by how much Dean had changed his attitude. He had apologized for everything, and even accepted her as a friend.
As he watched her sleep peacefully he knew that he didn't have much more time left with her, if she even made it through the night. She spent most of her time asleep now, and he knew he couldn't lie to himself to put off the inevitable. He gently caressed her pale cheek and silently prayed that she would escape this hurt. As much as he didn't want to lose the love of his life, he couldn't stand to see her suffering any longer.
As the cool air whipped around them, Landon sighed and kissed her cheek before getting out of bed to shut the window. "Landon…"
He quickly turned and saw Jamie with her eyes slightly open, looking at him. "Baby go back to sleep."
She took a shallow, shaky breath. "Landon my mother's coming for me."
He got back onto the bed, tears starting to come to his eyes. "Jamie."
She gave a small smile. "Tell my father I love him." She paused. "And I love you…always."
He struggled to keep the tears back as he caressed her face and watched her eyes droop shut for the last time. He watched her face for another moment and suddenly the door slowly opened and he saw his mother and Hegbert standing in the doorway.
"Landon is she…"
He just shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. Kissing her forehead and whispering a quiet 'I love you forever', he quickly got out of bed and pushed past his mother, trying to get through the door. He bounded down the stairs and the next thing he knew he was in his car and driving. He didn't know where he was going, but he knew he couldn't look at her pale, empty face anymore. That wasn't how he wanted to remember her.
He pulled up to the dock, and ran down it to overlook the water. He felt like his whole body was collapsing inside of him, all because his heart was being ripped out of his chest. He paced furiously around the dock, the waves of the water following his motion underneath the dark sky. He hated the way the stars twinkled as it reminded him so much of her…his wife, who had just passed and left him.
Just as felt the weight of everything crash down on him, sending him to the ground, he was caught by two strong arms. "Hey, calm down, dude. It's gonna be okay."
He looked up at his friend. "Dean?"
Dean nodded. "Your mom called…"
Landon stared at him for a moment, a bit shocked. Although Dean had come around he was surprised to see his friend out here in the middle of the night.
"Landon, say something."
"It's not fair!" He suddenly shouted but Dean barely flinched. Ever since they had all found out about her illness, he and Eric had been waiting for the outburst that their best friend desperately needed. "She too young! She should be able to live her life! All she ever did was good in her life. She did everything for everyone else but herself! And then there's me! All I ever did was shit. I screwed up so many times and got in trouble...and I'm here and she's not. It isn't fair. She shouldn't have been the one to be sick. It should have been me! Why wasn't it me?" He shouted into the night and his voice echoed on the water.
"You're right. It isn't fair. But you can't change that now! Jamie loved you and that is what made it all worth it! No one could have changed it, and she knew that. But she wouldn't have wanted you to suffer either. Jamie was special, dude, I can see that now. She knew that it was going to happen and she accepted it. You're right...she did everything for everyone else. She took that illness so that someone else wouldn't have to suffer from it. Do you get that? She didn't care about any of the shit that you did because the person who was there for her when she needed it was the one who loved her more than anything on this planet! Do you understand that?"
Everything was silent after he cut off his rant. He had to try and get the good things through his friend's head before Landon did something stupid. Suddenly the reality of everything hit Landon and he couldn't stop the tears that broke out of him. Expecting Dean to make a joke about how he was crying, he couldn't believe it when his friend pulled him into a brotherly hug, although he was too heartbroken to be shocked. They stayed like that for a while, and Dean let his friend cry. In that moment he didn't care how stupid they looked, or how unmanly they looked…he only cared that his friend was in pain and his new friend was no longer with them.
It took a while but he finally got Landon calmed down. As he watched his friend slowly go back to his car and return home to his family, Dean sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. He knew that Landon was going to need their whole group in the next few weeks to be there for him. And in that moment, he realized how much Jamie had an impact on him…she had not only changed Landon for the better but everyone in their group, including him. He thought about his rant and shook his head.
He looked up at the stars and sighed again. "Goodbye Jamie." Then he slowly walked back up the dock to his car, and drove away.
The End
