It was two weeks later, and Jamie was home. The girls were still at
the hospital for another week. The doctors and medical staff were amazed
that Jamie had lived this long. She even seemed to be getting better, sort
of. It still seemed that every other day would be her last. But she stuck
through it all.
Landon was talking to Eric on the phone one night. "What if the only reason she is going through all this pain and hanging on is because you won't let her die?" Eric asked.
"I don't think that's it," he thought about it more, "Well.Maybe. I don't know."
"Why don't you ask her?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Landon tiptoed down the pine floor hallway until he got to the bedroom. He opened the door slowly, and saw Jamie laying in their bed, staring at the T.V. "Hi hunny," said Landon, entering the room.
"Hello Landon," she said weakly, patting on the bed. "So what's up?"
"Oh, nothing really," he lied. "Well, maybe there is something up. Are you hanging on just because I asked you to?"
Jamie laughed, a thing she hadn't done in a month. "Well, ¼ of it," she said, "another ¼ is for me, and another ¼ is for Faith, and another ¼ for Hope."
Landon was relieved. He thought he had pressured her, but it seemed she didn't take it that way. "Want to go see the kids?" Jamie nodded, but was disgusted with herself when Landon had to pick her up and put her in a wheelchair. "There you go," he said sweetly, kissing her. He wheeled her to the van, and then picked her up and set her gently in the van.
Landon wheeled the blue wheelchair to the back and folded it up, jumped in the driver's seat and took off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yes sir?" asked the receptionist at the clinic. "Mr. and Mrs. Carter, here to see Hope and Faith Carter."
"Oh yes, right away," said the receptionist, giving the young couple a sympathetic glance. "Follow me." Landon followed the nurse, pushing along Jamie. She hated being a burden. They went onto the elevator and the nurse gave them directions before letting the doors shut. "Just go up to floor 3 and then go to your left, you can't miss it." With that, they said their goodbyes and parted.
"Landon, I don't like this," said Jamie suddenly.
"Like what?" asked Landon, pushing her out of the elevator as the doors opened.
"I don't like being a burden," she murmured.
"Who said you were being a burden?" asked Landon, turning a corner.
"I said it," she said, "I mean you having to cook, and clean, and pick me up and set me down, doesn't it just make you angry?"
"The only thing that makes me angry is that you can't walk or clean or cook even if you wanted to!" Landon cried out. He had never thought of how she felt having him serve on her hand and foot before.
They instantly stopped talking as they came around the corner to the large nursery, one of five in this clinic. There was a nurse waiting for them
"Mr. and Mrs. Carter?" she asked. Landon nodded and she ushered us inside. "Here are Faith and Hope, sleeping right next to each other." The nurse left to give them some time alone.
"There so tiny," Jamie said in awe. She put her hand through the hole in the clear plastic case that covered Hope, "Hi secret. You just decided to hide, didn't you," she cooed. "Oh, I hope I watch you grow up," she said to both of them. She wheeled herself over to Faith. "Hello Faith," she said, playing with the newborns pink, wrinkled hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they returned, Jamie felt like she had a little strength, so she decided to write more letters while she could. By the end of the night, Faith and Hope each had a stack of letters an inch thick, each one different. Some for their birthday, some just because, why she died (making sure to tell them they didn't cause her demise), why they were named what they were, and things like that. And in between the letters were a few for Landon, but she wanted him to find them gradually, not read them all right now.
Landon walked in and Jamie smiled at him, showing him the piles of white paper with purple ink. Landon smiled as he read the letter for Hope's first birthday, then read Faith's first birthday. To his surprise, they were very different, but both wonderful. He knew they would read these letters to death. "Landon, will you go get the camera, the one where the photo comes out right away." Landon did and came back to Jamie combing her hair, "Just a second," she said, continuing to brush her hair. "Okay," she said and smiled, "But take two." Landon snapped three pictures, one for himself. He decided to himself that he was going to carry it around, and take photos of her before she died - if she died.
"Want to go to the park?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The park had always been their favorite when they had been dating. They hadn't been there for ages. Jamie could walk now, a little, and she leaned against them as they walked.
Landon was talking to Eric on the phone one night. "What if the only reason she is going through all this pain and hanging on is because you won't let her die?" Eric asked.
"I don't think that's it," he thought about it more, "Well.Maybe. I don't know."
"Why don't you ask her?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Landon tiptoed down the pine floor hallway until he got to the bedroom. He opened the door slowly, and saw Jamie laying in their bed, staring at the T.V. "Hi hunny," said Landon, entering the room.
"Hello Landon," she said weakly, patting on the bed. "So what's up?"
"Oh, nothing really," he lied. "Well, maybe there is something up. Are you hanging on just because I asked you to?"
Jamie laughed, a thing she hadn't done in a month. "Well, ¼ of it," she said, "another ¼ is for me, and another ¼ is for Faith, and another ¼ for Hope."
Landon was relieved. He thought he had pressured her, but it seemed she didn't take it that way. "Want to go see the kids?" Jamie nodded, but was disgusted with herself when Landon had to pick her up and put her in a wheelchair. "There you go," he said sweetly, kissing her. He wheeled her to the van, and then picked her up and set her gently in the van.
Landon wheeled the blue wheelchair to the back and folded it up, jumped in the driver's seat and took off.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yes sir?" asked the receptionist at the clinic. "Mr. and Mrs. Carter, here to see Hope and Faith Carter."
"Oh yes, right away," said the receptionist, giving the young couple a sympathetic glance. "Follow me." Landon followed the nurse, pushing along Jamie. She hated being a burden. They went onto the elevator and the nurse gave them directions before letting the doors shut. "Just go up to floor 3 and then go to your left, you can't miss it." With that, they said their goodbyes and parted.
"Landon, I don't like this," said Jamie suddenly.
"Like what?" asked Landon, pushing her out of the elevator as the doors opened.
"I don't like being a burden," she murmured.
"Who said you were being a burden?" asked Landon, turning a corner.
"I said it," she said, "I mean you having to cook, and clean, and pick me up and set me down, doesn't it just make you angry?"
"The only thing that makes me angry is that you can't walk or clean or cook even if you wanted to!" Landon cried out. He had never thought of how she felt having him serve on her hand and foot before.
They instantly stopped talking as they came around the corner to the large nursery, one of five in this clinic. There was a nurse waiting for them
"Mr. and Mrs. Carter?" she asked. Landon nodded and she ushered us inside. "Here are Faith and Hope, sleeping right next to each other." The nurse left to give them some time alone.
"There so tiny," Jamie said in awe. She put her hand through the hole in the clear plastic case that covered Hope, "Hi secret. You just decided to hide, didn't you," she cooed. "Oh, I hope I watch you grow up," she said to both of them. She wheeled herself over to Faith. "Hello Faith," she said, playing with the newborns pink, wrinkled hand.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When they returned, Jamie felt like she had a little strength, so she decided to write more letters while she could. By the end of the night, Faith and Hope each had a stack of letters an inch thick, each one different. Some for their birthday, some just because, why she died (making sure to tell them they didn't cause her demise), why they were named what they were, and things like that. And in between the letters were a few for Landon, but she wanted him to find them gradually, not read them all right now.
Landon walked in and Jamie smiled at him, showing him the piles of white paper with purple ink. Landon smiled as he read the letter for Hope's first birthday, then read Faith's first birthday. To his surprise, they were very different, but both wonderful. He knew they would read these letters to death. "Landon, will you go get the camera, the one where the photo comes out right away." Landon did and came back to Jamie combing her hair, "Just a second," she said, continuing to brush her hair. "Okay," she said and smiled, "But take two." Landon snapped three pictures, one for himself. He decided to himself that he was going to carry it around, and take photos of her before she died - if she died.
"Want to go to the park?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The park had always been their favorite when they had been dating. They hadn't been there for ages. Jamie could walk now, a little, and she leaned against them as they walked.