AN: This is the conclusion, longest part of "In The End". I finished it the other day and wanted to go on and post it. Now, there's a song that fits this fic really well, called "We're In Heaven" by Doe. I do not have a copy of the lyrics to it or I'd put it in here, but if you do, please email me at katie1@jadeinc.com, so that I can put it in for future readers.
Also, I don't know why, but the Author's note for part C posted in the middle of the fic. Sorry, I'll get this fixed as soon as I can, if I can. I hope this one doesn't do the same.
Enjoy!
One week later
3:00 Monday afternoon
Jamie and Landon's house
"Jamie?" Landon called from the kitchen. "Are you almost ready?"
"Yeah, just a second, Landon... almost done..." she called back from upstairs.
Landon started walking towards the stairs. "You know it's just a doctor's appointment, no reason to get dressed up..."
Then Jamie came downstairs dressed perfectly normal in her blue jeans, white button-up blouse, and of course, her beloved sweater. Her hair was plainly tied back into a ponytail, as was usual for casual occasions. Landon couldn't see how that took so long to do. "Aren't you hot?" Landon asked her.
"No," she replied. "Just perfect."
Then something sort of odd happened. Landon *giggled*.
"What?" Jamie laughed at looking at his face, sort of screwed up in an attempt not to laugh.
"Well... it's just that... Ithinkyou'rehot," he giggled. Jamie's jaw dropped and she burst out laughing.
"Why thank you Mr. Carter, how very sweet of you!" she laughed. Then she leaned over to whisper in his ear. "Just for the record... I think the same of you."
Landon laughed again. "I haven't done that since the eighth grade... I remember Tracy was sitting next to me in English class and she goes "I'm hot!" and I leaned over and said "Don't flatter yourself." She smacked me right there."
"I remember that," Jamie laughed. "I remember sitting there trying not to laugh at you two. It was shortly after that you two started going out, and I remember thinking that was REALLY funny after what happened."
"Just so you know... You're far more beautiful than Tracy any day... or Belinda for that matter... they've both got this look about them like there's something smelly under their noses," Landon grinned.
Jamie giggled. "I can't believe you just said that!" Then she put two fingers on his wrist and gave a look of contemplation. "You do still know who I am, right?"
"You're Jamie Sullivan. You always sat at lunch table seven. You have at least two sweaters, a really great personality, not to mention a wonderful husband," Landon gave her a crooked grin and she laughed.
"You've got it this time," she answered. "Come on, we're going to be late for my appointment."
"Oh yeah... that," Landon smiled. He took her hand and together they proceeded out the door and to Landon's car. On the way to the doctor's office, they listened to the radio. A song came on, and they both sat, silently listening.
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart is shooting stars
You're holding Heaven in your arms
Have you ever been in love?
Have you ever walked on air, ever
Felt like you were dreamin'
When you never thought it could
But it really feels that good
Have you ever been in love?
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart is shooting stars
You're holding Heaven in your arms
Have you ever been in love?
The time I spent waiting for something
That was Heaven sent
When you find it don't let go
I know...
Have you ever said a prayer
And found that it was answered
All my hope has been restored
I ain't looking anymore
Have you ever been...
Some place that you ain't leavin'
Somewhere you gonna stay
When you finally found the meanin'
Have you ever felt this way?
The time I spent waiting for something
That was Heaven sent
When you find it don't let go
I know...
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
You can even reach the stars
Doesn't matter near or far
Have you ever been in love?
Have you ever been in love?
So in love
(AN: The song "Have you ever been in love" belongs to Celine Dion and some people associated with her... I don't own it and I don't claim to own it. So please don't sue me.)
The song ended, leaving Jamie and Landon to their thoughts in the car. "Landon?" Jamie asked.
"What is it sweetheart?" Landon replied.
"Have you ever been in love?"
"Yes. With you."
"No... I mean before that. Uhm... or after. Other than me," Jamie insisted.
"Other than you never Jamie. After you died, there was never another. I never even so much as looked at other girls, Jamie, I loved you too much. Before you, there were a couple of silly crushes when I thought I was in love, but I wasn't. No... you showed me what it's like to be in love, Jamie," Landon told her tenderly. He put his arm around her and drove only with the other hand. "What about you?"
"I've only ever been in love with you. Before you... well you know I'd never had a date in my life, I wasn't allowed before you asked. I never thought anything about it until our senior year, when you happened. And between the time when I got here and when you got here, I never once even had a crush on another guy, if I was watching any man it was always you. I forgot what it felt like not to be in love with you. Landon you're the first boy I ever dated, you're the first boy I ever kissed, and you're the only boy I've ever loved, and that will never change." Jamie looked up at Landon curiously after she finished her little speech.
Landon smiled at her. "I think I like that," he told her. "We're exclusive."
Jamie laughed. "That we are. But yet we have one more being coming into our family, one more person to love."
"And I know we will."
"We will. I know too."
Then Landon's old car rolled into the parking lot and they got out. They went into the doctor's office and sat in the waiting room to be called.
Before long, the doctor appeared in the hallway. "Jamie Sullivan - er... Jamie Carter," he called. Jamie smiled and stood, Landon with her, holding her hand. "Sorry Mrs. Carter, that takes some getting used to," the doctor apologized.
"Not a problem, Doctor Henderson," Jamie answered. "I get that alot, I don't mind. I guess most people don't expect me to have been married at eighteen."
"I doubt it," Dr. Henderson replied. "But you were. Thanks to Mr. Carter anyways."
Landon grinned. "The best idea I've ever had," he told Dr. Henderson.
"That I don't doubt," Dr. Henderson replied. Jamie blushed. Then, together, they all walked back to the ultrasound room. Jamie was having her appointment there today because she was having an ultrasound done at the end of her appointment. When they got in there, she and Landon sat side by side in two cloth chairs with metal frames. The doctor sat in his swively one with the round seat. "So, Mrs. Carter, any problems or concerns you've had lately?"
"None at all," Jamie replied. "I've been feeling great."
"That's wonderful," the doctor replied. "I'm just going to do some routine check up stuff and then I'll send in the ultrasound technologist and she'll do your ultrasound."
"Okay," Jamie answered nervously.
The doctor preformed his check ups quickly and then left them alone to go and find the ultrasound technologist. Jamie rested her head on Landon's shoulder. "You nervous?" Landon asked her.
"A little," she answered honestly. "I don't know why though." Landon smiled and put his hand on her head, which was still in it's place on his shoulder.
"I love you," he told her.
"I love you too," Jamie answered. She lifted her head and looked up at him, and then they met in a short but sweet kiss. Then Jamie put her head back on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, drawing her close to him. The ultrasound technologist walked in, to find them in that position.
She smiled. "Well I certainly know that you two are here for a good reason," she grinned. "You look young and in love."
"We're in our eighties, ma'am," Jamie giggled. "If you count time on earth. If not, then there's a huge age difference... I'd be about sixty two and he'd be like just a few months old."
"Oh really?" the doctor looked interested.
"Fell in love in High school, married just out of high school," Landon told her.
"Then I died of Leukemia." (That sounds so strange!! "Then I died"?? LOL! This truly is a new experience, writing this story!!)
"I see," she replied. "I'm sorry."
"It's better now, now that Landon's here with me," Jamie told her. "What should we call you?"
"I'm Dr. Janstone," she answered. "And you are Landon and Jamie Carter."
Both Jamie and Landon nodded. "You're the first one to get my last name right all day," Jamie giggled. "Everyone keeps calling me 'Sullivan'."
"Maiden name?" Dr. Janstone guessed.
"Yup," Jamie replied.
"I see... okay now Jamie if you'll just hop right up here..." Dr. Janstone led her through the procedure, and in no time there was a small black and white image on the screen. (AN: I am NOT an expert on the stages in pregnancies by ANY means...) "This is your child, Mr. and Mrs. Carter," she told them.
Jamie looked at Landon who was standing beside her and grinned. "Our baby," she whispered.
"Our baby," Landon echoed. He put his hand on Jamie's head. No words were needed, they both knew that they shared joy that could not be expressed with words. They were, once again, in love.
************************************************************************
Three months later (Let the record reflect that Jamie is now 5 months pregnant)
Jamie walked carefully down the stairs and into the kitchen. Landon stood in the kitchen with oven mitts on (Larry and Bob ones?? Just to match Harm's?? LOL sorry guys, inside joke with my JAG friends), reaching into the oven to pull out two pans. He set them next to the other two pans which were already out of the oven and took off the mitts. "Whew, that's all of them," he sighed. "I never knew making brownies could be so hard!"
Jamie giggled. "Landon you used Box Bakes."
"Hey... it's still hard!" he defended. Jamie giggled again and walked over to him. She put her arms around his neck and kissed him on each cheek. Then he put his own arms around her waist and they just stood there and embraced for quite a long time. After a while, Jamie looked up at Landon's face.
"We should probably get going, Landon. It's eleven, and we don't want to miss any time."
"Right," Landon answered. The two reluctantly separated, and each of them grabbed two pans of brownies, which were somehow cool, even though they'd just been retrieved from the oven. Then they headed out to the car and got on the road.
Their first stop was a small house near the city limits of Beaufort, North Carolina. In Heaven. This, they knew, was where Eric lived. They took a pan of brownies with them and knocked on the door. Eric answered it, looking just like his High School self, and greeted them with a grin. "Landon! I was wonderin' when you'd come see me, buddy! Just got here a few days ago!"
"Hey I've missed you these past few months, buddy," Landon grinned. "I got here... what..." he turned to Jamie for help. "Five months ago? Just about?"
Jamie grinned and nodded. "Yeah... you've got quite an interesting way of remembering that..." she giggled.
"Whoa, did I just see Jamie Sullivan *giggle*?" Eric exclaimed, laughing. "Come on in guys, it ain't exactly clean but it's okay. Hey what's that you got there, buddy?" Eric indicated the brownie pan that Landon was carrying.
"Brownies, want some?" Landon answered.
"Yeah, man, a brother like myself can't say no to free food!" Eric answered. He led them into his living room and they set the brownies on the table. The three of them helped themselves and then sat down on the couch.
"So, what've you been up to since I last saw you?" Landon asked Eric.
"Nothin, man... it's like there ain't nothin to do! I needa find myself a girl, man," Eric responded. Landon knew he had never married. He didn't exactly tend to hang onto relationships for very long. "What 'bout you two... I mean... what you been up to before I got here?"
Landon and Jamie looked at each other and smiled. They both looked down at Jamie's bulging stomach at the same time and grinned even wider. Eric seemed to notice where they were looking, because his eyes got all big and his mouth sort of dropped. "You mean to tell me..." he left off.
"I'm pregnant, Eric," Jamie responded. "Five months."
"Oh I see what y'all had goin' on earlier... what with the five months and all... well congratulations to you guys then," he answered. Landon kind of expected a crack about the Virgin Mary, but then he realized age and wisdom must've done Eric some good.
Jamie beamed. "Thank you, Eric," she said in that sweet little voice of hers. It was the same "Thank you" that had always driven Landon crazy. He loved it.
They chatted for a while longer, and then Jamie and Landon left for their next destination.
They pulled into the driveway and were sort of awestruck. An apple tree that was small, yet still large enough to provide shade, stood in the front yard over the neatly trimmed green grass. The house was neat and orderly looking, with blue shutters on the top story of the two. The door matched the shutters, they realized, upon walking up the steps. It looked like your average fairy tale. Juggling a three quarters-full pan of brownies, Landon knocked on the door. Jamie saw his obvious distress and removed the brownies from his hand. "Thanks," he laughed.
"No problem," Jamie answered.
Within seconds, Sally opened the door. (you know, from the play? I gather she was the closest thing Jamie really had to a friend)
Immediately, she broke into a grin. "Why hello!! How nice it is to see you!" she greeted happily. "Jamie, I knew you were here... I was going to come see you, but I've been busy... But Landon, I didn't know you were here, I mean... if I recall correctly you died after me?"
"Yeah, that's right," Landon answered. Then he laughed. "Five months and that still sounds funny."
"Landon!" Jamie whispered, nudging him. "That's enough with the five months!" Landon did all he could not to laugh.
Instead, he said "Brownies?"
Sally grinned. "Sure, come in." So they went inside the house. Inside, it was as neat and orderly as the outside. The rooms seemed to *sparkle*.
"Do you like to clean, Sally?" Jamie asked, giggling.
Sally laughed. "Yeah, kind of. Oh... have a seat." They were in what appeared to be a 'sitting room'.
"Have a brownie," Landon responded.
"I think I will." Each of them helped themselves to the brownies and begun to talk. The chatted about their lives, their afterlives, etc. Then, Jamie smiled at Landon and he knew. She was going to make her announcement.
"Sally, I've... er... we've got something to tell you," Jamie said, smiling still. Sally looked at her expectantly waiting for whatever she was about to say.
"We're going to have a baby."
Sally squealed and grinned. "Ohmygosh CONGRATULATIONS!!!!" She squealed.
Jamie beamed at her, and Landon grinned and put his arm around his wife. "Thank you." They spoke in unison.
"So are you having a shower? How far are you? When are you due?" Sally asked loads of questions. It made Jamie giggle.
"I don't know, five months, and on September 14," she answered all at once.
Sally asked just one more question. "How?"
Jamie giggled even more as she thought up her response. "Well, Sally, you see... when a man and a woman..."
"STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!" Sally put her hands to her ears and hummed loudly until Jamie stopped talking. Then she said "I mean... because we're dead..."
"I know what you mean, Sally, I was teasing," Jamie grinned. "I don't really know how. Might be a good question to ask Him."
(My theory as to how it's possible is kind of sensative, so if you want it please be prepared and email me at katie1@jadeinc.com. If you don't want to know, don't ask, and don't get mad.)
"You're right," Sally agreed.
"Well, we better be on our way, we have a few more people to visit," Jamie smiled. She gave Sally a hug, as did Landon, and then they departed again. Through the course of the day, they visited Eric, Sally, Dean, Eddie, Belinda, Clay, Tracy, and each of the students they'd tutored their senior year. (Please don't ask me how Landon's friends got into Heaven! I guess they reformed or somethin' after Jamie died, okay??)
Why they visited all those people?
Just for the fun of it.
************************************************************************
Four months later
It was early on a Saturday morning, and the sun had barely risen. Landon was still sleeping, but Jamie had awoken with a start. Puzzled, she looked around for a sign of what had woken her so quickly. Then she felt something, and she knew what had woken her up.
Labor.
"Landon!" she exclaimed, shaking his shoulder. "Landon!"
Landon opened his eyes sleepily. At the look on her face, however, he was awake. "What is it, baby, are you okay?" he asked in a rush.
"Yeah I'm fine, Landon, but... I'm in labor."
Landon's eyes grew dramatically larger. "Okay, I'm getting you to the hospital... do we drive or call an ambulence?"
"Drive!" Jamie said emphatically. "I have bad experiences with ambulances." (Well... you know... she did tend to become rather passed out when in them... no one WANTS to be in one of those things...)
"Okay," he agreed. Quickly, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then he grabbed her pre-packed suitcase and headed out for the car. "I'll be right back for you!" he called.
When Landon returned to the room he saw Jamie sitting on the bed struggling to get her pajama shirt off. "Jamie, what are you doing?" he asked her.
"I'm not going to the hospital in my pajamas!" she answered.
'Why not, they just take it off anyways,' Landon thought. But he didn't say that. Instead he sighed. "Okay..." so he sat down beside her and helped her out of her pajama shirt and into the maternity dress that was lying on the bed. Then he carefully hoisted her up and carried her to the car. Occasionally, Jamie's face would screw up in the pain of labor, but he could tell she was trying to be brave.
"This shouldn't hurt, it's supposed to be HEAVEN!" she said, her teeth gritted against the pain. Landon couldn't help but laugh. She was so cute!!
"Hospitals have medicine for that," he reminded her.
"SO DRIVE FASTER!" came the response.
'Ut-oh,' Landon thought. He'd heard things about women in labor. He'd never considered her to be a particularly *strong* individual in High School, but he was sure he'd be coming out of this with a broken finger or two. So what was there to do? Landon drove faster. Thanks to God's good grace (and the fact they were in Heaven) there were no police.
"Can't we just disappear when we're up here?" Landon asked. "Why didn't we just do that?"\
"UH! I don't think I could just DISAPPEAR when all I can concentrate on is the fact that THIS HURTS!"
'Wow.' Landon had never ever thought of Jamie as vicious, but now she sure played the part well...
"Anyways the suitcase complicates things, and I want to take the baby home in the car and if you leave me in that hospital for one second I'm gonna break your toes!" But this time Jamie looked at him and grinned, letting him know she was merely toying with him. In a matter of time they were in the parking lot to the hospital (empty for the most part) and then Landon scooped up his pregnant wife again and hauled her inside.
The doctor met them in the office. I mean, literally, he was standing in the hallway waiting. "I heard you were coming," he said to them. "And I heard that we need to hurry up and get her into a delivery room, this baby's been ready to come for a while."
"I recommend the baby hurry, she's getting kind of upset," Landon sighed. He followed the doctor to a delivery room, still carrying Jamie. She was whimpering in his arms, trying not to show her pain. "Jamie it's okay, they're going to get you some pain killers," he whispered to her. "Here, hold my hand, I'm here for you baby."
Jamie offered a weak smile. "Thanks," she whispered to Landon.
The moment they arrived in the delivery room, Jamie gave out a shriek. "I don't think this baby's going to wait much longer!" she exclaimed. However, the baby did give her enough time to get something for the pain. It seemed to weaken after that, and she was stronger.
About an hour later (Yes, I know, most of our parents went through far more labor than that, but this is Heaven, remember?) the baby was ready to meet the world. The doctor smiled as he passed the baby to Landon. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Carter, meet your new baby girl."
Jamie shrieked with joy. They hadn't known what gender the baby would be before it was delivered, and now that she knew, she was so happy. She'd always wanted a little girl of her own. Ever since she was six years old. And at eighteen, she'd always pictured herself having a baby girl with Landon, yet then she'd felt that it would never be possible, and now, in Heaven, of eternal bliss, it was. Jamie took a turn holding the baby and then they passed their new little girl off to the nurses to be bathed and dressed.
This left Jamie and Landon alone, still sitting there, waiting for their daughter to be brought back to them. "Jamie," Landon said softly. "Thank you." Tears were in his eyes, but they were tears of joy.
"Thank you, Landon, too. I am so happy," she whispered, her voice trembling. Landon put his arms around her and kissed her face near her hairline. Then he kissed her lips softly, just as the door to the room opened again and a female nurse returned, carrying a baby in a tiny pink sleeper. Landon and Jamie took the baby into both of their arms, holding her together.
"Faith Anne Carter." Jamie whispered the name they'd chosen together as if it were her last prayer, each word conveying more meaning than a thousand words could.
"Our little girl," Landon sighed. "Our family."
Jamie looked at him for a moment and finally looked back at the baby. "Number two."
THE END
(Epilogue to follow)
*~*~*~*~*
EPILOGUE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
Two year old Beth Carter waved her hand in the air. "Mommy, I know!" she exclaimed, in response to a question asked by her mother.
"Shh, Beth, don't shout out loud!" Beth's four year old brother Noah was saying in a hushed voice. (Hey, I can't help it if I liked "The Notebook"! LOL!)
Jamie smiled. "Go ahead, Beth," she said to her daughter. All of the children in the sunday school class turned to look at Beth.
"We celebrate Christmas because that's when Jesus was born!" she answered proudly.
Jamie grinned at her little girl. "That's absolutely correct. Now, church is over in about fifteen minutes, who wants to go outside and play?"
"I do, I do!" the class choroused. They all stood up and headed in a bunch for the door.
"Wait a minute, kids, we have to line up nicely, remember?" Jamie called. So the kids headed back to the meeting area and sat on the floor. Just then, eight year old Faith Carter poked her head in the door of the classroom.
"Mommy!" she called. "Daddy wants to know if he can bring his class over to play with your kids!"
"Tell him that we're about to go outside and you are all welcome to come," Jamie answered.
"Okay, thanks mommy!" And Faith disappeared and then they were soon joined by a dozen eight year olds. All of the children lined up at the door of the classroom and headed out to the playground. Landon and Jamie walked out slowly behind them, hand in hand.
"Landon they're so adorable," Jamie said softly. "Thank you. You made this all possible for me."
"Jamie, thank you. If it weren't for you I wouldn't even be here," he answered.
Jamie smiled at him. "Our babies sure are adorable, aren't they?"
"They sure are," Landon agreed.
**
Landon and Jamie had four children in all; Faith, Noah, Beth, and Sarah. All four children turned out to have a very strong religious faith, no pun intended, but Faith Anne had the strongest of all, and reminded both of her parents of Jamie as a child. The flame between Jamie and Landon never went out, it only grew larger and spread to include their children over time. Even in their oldest ages of eternity, they continued to love each other like they were still teenagers and still in Beaufort, North Carolina, on earth. The family touched the lives of many, and they still watch over you today.
If anyone wants my theory on how they had children when they're dead, email me at katie1@jadeinc.com. I wasn't going to post it here because I was afraid it might offend someone, it has to do with unborn babies. And for the record, I'm pro-life myself.
Have a nice day.