Disclaimer: I don't own Switched At Birth or any of the characters in it.

Summary: He died but he gave his wife the gift of a way to live without him. This may be harder than just moving on because she has to do what her dead husband says. But how does she know that someone isn't playing a cruel prank on her? Only it's not a prank. Emmett had a plan to help Bay move on.

Warning: MAJOR FEELS AHEAD! This might be considered rated teen. It has nothing to do with dirty or vulgar content but more because it's based off the movie P.S. I Love You.

Notes for reading:

Sections in bold and italic are Emmett's letters.

Sections in italic are people's memories or thoughts. You'll know the difference by context clues.

Chapter 1: The Twenty-Eight Year-Old Widow

Bay Kennish hadn't even noticed her phone died because for many days she'd only been thinking of one thing. Approximately, two years ago she was saying her vows and becoming Bay Bledsoe; but for the past nine days she was mourning her husband's death. Emmett died and Bay fell to pieces. She has even made it clear that she didn't want to talk to anyone; unless they were able to reverse time and undo her husband's death. There was a knock at the door and she decided to ignore it. "Bay, please let me in." The person on the other side of the door called out. Bay sighed when she realized there was no ignoring her brother. He may not have been her friend but Toby was always there for her when she cried. The twenty-eight year-old widow still didn't want to talk to him. "Go away!" She curled up on the couch in one of her husband's shirts. She just wanted to stay in their little L.A. apartment alone forever. Although, here was her brother trying to drag her back to K.C. for Emmett's funeral. She just wasn't ready. She curled up in a ball with tears falling down her face. She decided to think of happier times.

It was a normal day at Buckner Hall; the only person who wasn't having a good day was Bay. She had just been dumped the day before because her 'sister' had a crush on HER boyfriend. That changed when Emmett ran up behind her and tapped her shoulder. He signed. "Can I talk to you?" All Bay had to say was. "What are you doing here?" He started signing again. "I shouldn't have..." Bay started talking and signing. "No, okay? It's fine. You and Daphne. I..I get it. I can't compete with that. Just don't make this harder for me than it is already." She started to walk away and Emmett pulled her back then turned her to face him. Bay frowned. "Just because I always have some snappy comeback doesn't mean that I don't break easily." Emmett looked at her like she was crazy and started signing. "I've never been comfortable..." He stopped for a minute then restarted. "I've never been comfortable...around hearing people." Bay didn't seem pleased with what he was signing but he continued. "I haven't been around them much. But with you, it was different. From the beginning, you weren't hearing or deaf. You were just Bay. The truth is, it would be easier if I could just go find a deaf Bay. But I don't want a deaf Bay." At this point she looked like she was ready to cry but still Emmett wasn't finished and he decided to let her hear his voice. "I. Just. Want. You." Finally, Bay started crying and hugged Emmett; he hugged back.

Bay whispered. "Why Emmett? There are billions of people in world and Emmett was the one who had to die? I loved him...no...I love him." There was a knock at the door and Bay got up to answer it. When she answered the door no one was there but there was a letter. She was going to throw it with the pile of pity letters she's gotten already. Then she noticed something about it. It wasn't possible there was no return address but the handwriting was Emmett's and it was addressed to Bay Bledsoe. She thought it was a cruel prank of sorts but she set it in her suitcase because it gave her a little hope. She was going to his funeral. She wasn't even sure it was really from Emmett but it made her feel a little better. She got dressed and called Toby on the house phone that she was ready to go to Kansas City for the funeral.

After a long plane ride, Bay had no time to do anything. She quickly got dressed for the funeral in black dress pants and a black top with a lace overlay on the chest and sleeves. She pulled her curls up into a loose twist and secured it with a diamond barrette. She went downstairs and didn't let anyone say anything she just walked to Regina's car and got in. Daphne and Regina got in as well. Daphne signed and asked why Bay couldn't go with Kathryn, John, and Toby. Bay signed and answered. "I want to talk to Regina. I got the weirdest letter in L.A. Well, I didn't read it but on the envelope is Emmett's handwriting. It's addressed to me but there's no return address. I didn't want to open it but I feel like I need to." Regina frowned. "Honey, you don't need to read it." She started up the car and they drove to the church with the Kennishes following.

When Bay walked in the church, she felt everyone's eyes on her. It was like they were all saying. "Oh look it's the twenty-eight year-old widow." But no one had said a word. Bay didn't want to go see Emmett all dead and lifeless in the casket. So she let Daphne and their friends go but she took her seat. Throughout the whole service she wasn't paying attention. She only decided to pay attention when she heard. "Now a few words from Emmett's beautiful wife, Bay."

Bay came up to the podium. She was talking for the hearies and signing for the deafies. "I don't know why I agreed to do this. I'm going to cry my eyes out. I already know that. I just I came all the away from L.A. to tell you that Emmett was a great husband; when you already knew that. So I decided to just wing this. Say it from my heart. Emmett was the most amazing thing that ever happened to me. It was just like he was the light in the tunnel of darkness. He was there for me no matter what. Sometimes what you get is better than what you wanted. My entire life I thought I wanted someone who is like the Mission Hills image. I guess it's because it's all I knew. Then I met Regina and Daphne Vasquez. They brought new people into my life but I never thought I'd marry Emmett. Emmett changed my life. He was the love of my life. I love him. We all know he loved me. It was evident in the way he treated me. I know a lot of you don't know how I forgave him after some of the things he did. It's because love is about understanding and accepting." She finally started to cry as she realized that she would have to trust that the letter was from Emmett because that would be all she'd have left of him. "It's an awful day for rain." She ended with before she went and sat back down in the stands.

Daphne stood at the podium next; talking and signing. "Emmett was my best friend. I remember that about ten years ago, Bay and I made a choice Emmett didn't like. Emmett said he'd never forgive me but I know he still cared about me. That's the kind of friend Emmett was. He always wanted the best for his friends; even if he was mad at them. That's why he never turned Matthew in for catfishing him. Emmett was one of those friends who thought that you should never lose a friend over a small misunderstanding. He cared about me still so we may have had a broken friendship but we were friends."

Next Travis came up with Regina interpreting for the hearing. "Well, Daphne and Bay got all the sappy stuff out of the way. So now, I can talk about a funny story that proves what a great guy Emmett was. It was the night of the bachelor party. Now, all the guys who were there will remember what Emmett did. I don't know if this is appropriate for a church but I have to tell it. So Emmett was always okay with strippers at bachelor parties. There was one at Toby's bachelor party when Toby was marrying Nikki. It was Emmett who told me to distract the stripper while he and Toby did some business they had to take care of. I don't know what it was. But then when it came to Emmett's bachelor party, he told us he didn't want anything big so we planned a small party at a bar. But we decided to secretly hire a stripper for the party." Bay was staring at Travis like she was hoping God would strike him dead for having brought a stripper to see her husband the night before their wedding. Travis looked at Bay and signed. "Wait, before you try to kill me with Zeus's lighting bolts. Listen to what Emmett did." Regina interpreted what Travis signed to Bay for those who didn't sign and it received obsessive laughter in ASL and by voice. Bay rolled her eyes but let Travis continue. Travis continued. "Emmett noticed her and immediately signed that he wanted her to leave. At this point you can only imagine how all of the guys at the party felt. We all didn't know what to say or think. But Emmett walked over to her and when he started signing to her; she had gotten confused so Toby's lack of knowledge for signing was interpreting for her. Toby was the only hearie there. It was a horrible mess. She couldn't understand anything. Emmett signed that he wasn't about to cheat on the love of his life the night before their wedding, which Toby was able to interpret, and then Emmett started to leave. Then was walking out and walked right into the door; he fell right down, it was like something out of a cartoon. Then got up and signed 'I still have my dignity and my pride. Most importantly, I still have Bay.' Then he left. That just proves how much he loved Bay." Bay couldn't help but smile a little. One by one everyone else came up talking about Emmett's great personality and telling funny stories about Emmett.

It had been a few days since the funeral and Bay decided that she should got back to L.A. She was packing up her things and she saw the envelope. She picked it up and opened it. She wasn't sure what she'd find inside. It was time she opened it so she did. She read the letter carefully and slowly; several times.

Bay,

I have a plan. I've written you letters. Letters that will be coming to you all sorts of ways. Now you must do what I say, okay? Don't be confused by these letters. I really am dead. I came up with this on our wedding day. The look in your eyes told me that should I die, you'd need help getting through. By the time you get the last letter you'll be able to genuinely smile again. Our wedding day was the best day of my life...I'm sure it was the best of yours. But I needed to do this for you. I needed to help you. Right now, you think I'm writing up a casting list while you paint. Well that's the biggest surprise about these letters. You'll always get them when I feel you need them. You'll never know how or when they'll come. They will always tell you when and where I wrote them. As well as give you a task for the day. But don't try and figure it out you'll ruin my plan. Take a smile break and go hang out with our friends while you're in K.C. You can't go back to moping around the apartment. I won't let you do that. Just go out and get a little crazy tonight. You need too. I know it's been awhile. Check the Kennish's mail tomorrow.

Your husband,

Emmett

P.S. I love you.

Bay didn't know what to think of it but she texted her friends and siblings, with exception of any ex-boyfriends and Simone, that there was something she wanted them to see. She began to think about this to herself. "I just wanted to mope around our apartment and paint melodramatic paintings; while pining for Emmett. Now I can't even do that because this letter might be from Emmett. I can't say no to Emmett! What if it's not from Emmett?" Bay started crying again when she thought about it not really being from Emmett. She wanted to go home. She just wanted to be in her L.A. apartment. She frowned. "Emmett was too young to die. I just I don't understand why the world is so cruel. Twenty-eight...he was only twenty-eight and he died. Haven't I been through enough? Being switched at birth was more than enough to go through. But there was so much more. I really just can't deal with Emmett dying...it's too much. It's more than I can handle. Switched at birth is nothing compared to losing the love of your life." She sighed and went down to her old art studio. She looked around and then started throwing things around. By the time everyone got there they saw a crying Bay and completely trashed studio. One by one they all read it and they all said what they thought Bay would want to hear. Which was that Emmett wrote it before he died because he knew she'd have trouble moving on.

Bay wasn't ready for it but they all went out for awhile. They went out to the jazz pub that Bay went to with Angelo; by Bay's suggestion. The first thing Travis signed was. "Bay, did you get drunk at home?" Bay shook her head. Daphne signed. "Do you want to get drunk?" Natalie signed. "Daphne!" Soon after, all of her friends were hanging out together and dancing. While Bay found comfort in talking to the bartender and drinking like an alcoholic. The bartender couldn't understand a word she was saying because her speech was slurred so she eventually left the poor man alone. Then decided to go find something else to do.

After few hours went by, Travis found Bay; alone practically passed out in a booth. He tapped her shoulder and signed. "Bay, what are you doing?" Bay replied in signing. "Trying to figure out why God killed my husband." He nodded and signed. "Well, if you need help with that let me know." He started to walk away. Bay grabbed his arm. "Can you bring me home? I'm going to see if Regina will let me sleep on her couch. I may be twenty-eight but my parents can't see me like this. Regina might be a little more understanding." Travis nodded and signed. "I'm really drunk too. You might wanna ask someone else or just call Regina." Bay nodded. "Good idea. Where the hell are we?" Travis signed. "I don't know. You suggested it. It's the jazz pub you visited with your dad." She nodded and texted Regina. She hugged Travis; then left and waited outside.

Regina didn't need an explanation. She went through this when Angelo left her and Daphne. She knew what it was like to drink yourself stupid because you were depressed. She just hoped this was the first and last time Bay would do it. Bay laid down on the couch with a couch pillow and instantly fell asleep. Then Regina put a blanket over her daughter and kissed her forehead. "Bay, I just don't want for you to be like your alcoholic mother. I hope this is the last time that this happens." She went to her room; afraid for Bay.

Regina stayed up all night worried for Bay. "I went through this too many times before. Once you're an alcoholic you never go back. Maybe that's the real reason I never went for Bay. I didn't want to hurt two daughters. I disappointed Daphne from the day I let Angelo walk out. Is it possible I didn't want to disappoint Bay? But I did in the end. I'm not letting her down this time though. I will help her through this." She got up and went into Bay's old art studio. She had an idea. If she could get Bay to express her feelings on canvas it might be a little easier for her. Regina collected some of Bay's things and brought them into the guest house for in the morning. Daphne didn't get home until shortly after her mother finished bringing some of Bay's stuff over. She confronted her mother about Bay not sleeping in the Kennish's house in her own bed so Regina explained why she was on the couch.

In the morning, despite the fact Bay had a horrible hangover; she went to the mailbox and found a small package with her name on it. She shoved the rest of the mail back into the mailbox and opened the box. She found a DVD case so she immediately went and got her laptop. She put the DVD in her computer and watched it. Emmett appeared on the screen when it loaded and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Emmett began signing. "Hey, beautiful. That letter was from me. If you had any doubts of that, then I'm sorry. I should have done the video first but I didn't think about it until the letter was already written and planned to be sent. So right now, we're in K.C. We're visiting your parents and right now you have their attention away from me. I wonder how you did that. Oh well, doesn't matter. Today, you should save yourself the trouble of telling your mom all of this. I mean Regina, not Kathryn. Play this for her. Buy yourself something to wear for your birthday. I know it's not for a few more months but that's why I'm not giving you further instruction yet. You should take Regina with you and buy something for her too. Seriously, have a little fun while you await the next letter. I love you. Bye." Bay smiled and brought her computer to Regina, who no longer cared about painting. She was such a sap for romantic gestures and she agreed to go out with Bay for the day. After getting ready, Regina said to John and Kathryn. "I'm taking Bay out by Emmett's request." John asked. "What the hell does that mean?" Her explanation was. "You can't say no to a dead man who's in love with your daughter."