The room was dark and quiet. The heart rate moniter beeped quietly as Stan lay lifelessly in the bed beside it. Blood trickled down slowly from the cuts that crisscrossed his wrists. "Stan…I know you can hear me…Please, you've got to fight this…I need you…" Kyle whispered, his voice shaky with sadness. The doctor stood silently behind him, looking sadly at the two boys. "Kyle, may I speak to you outside for a moment?" he asked softly. Kyle reluctantly stood up and followed him out of the room. "Kyle…I'm afraid your friend Stan is going to die soon…" Kyle's eyes widened in shock. "Die? But Stan's my best friend…in the whole world…" "I'm sorry Kyle, but there's nothing we can do. He's just…lost his will to live," said the doctor, putting a hand on Kyle's shoulder. Kyle quickly pulled away. His tears began to fall. "No…This can't happen…Stan can't die…Stan can't die!!!"

Then he woke up. Kyle sighed softly and wiped the tears and sweat from his eyes. 'It was just a dream…' The same dream he had been having every night since it had happened. The day Stan slipped away. The memory of his best friend's untimely death haunted Kyle. He remembered it like it had happened yesterday. "Oh Stan, why… Why did you have to leave me?" he whispered. "Why…?" As the memories of that day came flooding back, he finally broke down. For hours, he lay there, sobbing Stan's name into his pillow. When a small ray of light shone through his window, he finally managed to calm down. "Kyle, breakfast!" he heard his mother call. Slowly, he began to get dressed. He walked down the stairs and sat beside his little brother Ike. As she served breakfast, his mother took one look at his red, bloodshot eyes, and instantly knew not to say a word. She sat down silently and began to eat. Kyle did nothing more than pick at his food, not really interested in eating it. When it was time to go to school, he got up and left, without even a second glance at his worried family. He met Kenny and Cartman at the bus stop as usual, and for once, Cartman didn't say a word to him. He and Kenny just gave him a sympathetic glance before boarding the bus. Kyle trudged behind them. He sat down alone as always, and stared out the window. He ignored everything around him. All he could think about was Stan. 'How could I let this happen? I never even got a chance to say goodbye…' He remembered the last thing Stan had said to him. "I can't do this anymore dude! Kenny's gone and there's nothing I can do! I just want to end this pain!!!" That was the last time Kyle had spoken to his friend. And now he was gone. Just as his tears began to form, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder. "C'mon Kyle. We have to get off the bus now," said Cartman. Kyle reluctantly stood up and followed him. When they got inside the school building, Cartman pulled Kyle to the side, making sure no one could see them. "Hey Kyle…" he said. He gently pulled him into a tight hug. "Cheer up…Stan wouldn't want to see you like this…" With that, he pulled away and left.

Kyle spent the rest of the day with Cartman's words floating around in his head. 'He's right…Stan would hate seeing me like this…' He looked out the window sadly. 'But I can't help it…' When school was finally over, Kyle walked silently to the cemetery to pay his daily visit to his best friend. He gently stroked Stan's gravestone with the tips of his fingers. Memories of their days together came flooding back. He smiled slightly for a second, but that smile quickly faded away as the truth reared its ugly head. Stan was gone, and unlike Kenny, he was never coming back. Kyle buried his face in his hands and cried. He was still crying when he got home that evening. He went up to his room without saying a word to anyone. But his family was used to that. No one dared to bother Kyle after he had been to the cemetery. As soon as Kyle stepped into his room, he found himself on the floor. Looking around to see what he had tripped over, he picked up a small picture frame. His heart sank. It was a picture of him and Stan. The last picture they had ever taken together. The glass was slightly cracked. "Stan…" he whispered softly, holding the picture close to his heart. "I miss you so damn much…"

After a few hours of grief, Kyle finally crawled into bed for another restless night. He fell asleep rather quickly. And once again, he began to dream. But this dream was not the same one he had been having night after night ever since Stan had died. This dream was completely different. "Where am I…?" thought Kyle, looking around. "Kyle…" he heard a voice call. "What…Who's there?!" he cried out, surprised. "It's me Kyle." the voice said. Kyle's eyes widened. "St-Stan?!" As if on cue, his friend appeared in front of him. "Oh Stan! I… I never thought I'd see you again!" Stan looked at him with sadness written all over his face. "I'll always be with you Kyle. You're my best friend, so even if I'm not there psychically, I promise I'll always be with you in spirit." he said, putting a hand on Kyle's shaking shoulder. "But you have to promise me something." Kyle looked at him. "Okay, what is it?" Stan gave him a gentle look. "You have to stop being such a douche to everyone." "Wh-What?" Kyle asked, confused. "Kyle, I know you miss me, but that doesn't mean you have to go around like a zombie, and treat everyone like crap! Everyone's worried about you, and they just want to help. Life goes on Kyle, even if I'm not there. I just want you to be happy. Can you do that for me?" Stan's voice seemed to be getting further and further away. "I will Stan," sobbed Kyle. "I swear to God I will…"

When he woke up the next morning, Kyle felt as though a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His talk with Stan had really woken him up. His family was pleasantly surprised when he came downstairs with a smile on his face for the first time in what seemed like forever. Everyone seemed to notice his sudden mood swing, even Cartman. He playfully began to tease him again, and everything slowly returned to normal. Kyle continued to visit Stan's grave, but now, rather than mourning him, he began to talk to him. He told him everything that went on in his life, and although he got some weird looks from anyone who happened to walk by, he didn't care. He knew Stan was listening. In the end, he realized that even though his best friend was gone, he couldn't let that stop him from living his life. He knew that's what Stan wanted for him. And as he had promised, Stan remained in Kyle's heart and mind for the rest of his life, which was the way it should be. That just goes to show that sometimes, when your bond with someone is strong enough, nothing can tear you apart. Not even death itself.