Disclaimer: The character Jeremy Stackhouse doesn't beloing to me. He
belongs to whoever owns the rights to Behing Enemy Lines. The characters
Melissa and Amy, however, are mine. Thanks to everybody who reveiwed my
story. And thanks to BlazerAkila who told me to hurry up and post a final
chapter to the story.
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Melissa Stackhouse watched her daughter Amy, through the window. Amy was sitting on the ground looking up. Talking to someone or something visible onle to herself. Amy claimed she was talking to her father, but as much as Melissa missed Jeremy, she couldn't believe that. The teachers at school thought Amy needed to see a psychiatrist, but Melissa kept insisting it was just Amy's way of grieving. Or so she hoped.
"Why don't you talk mommy anymore?" Amy asked. Stackhouse gazed down at his beautiful little girl. She was so innocent, so sweet. Also the only person who could see him. He hated that he would never again hold her. Would never kiss her and tell her it would be ok. But she talked to him and he talked back. "Daddy," Pain welled up in his heart whenever she spoke. "Daddy, why does mommy cry when I talk to you?" Stackhouse blinked unbelievingly. In the years he'd known Melissa, he had never seen her cry. "I don't know baby." Amy continued to play with her GI Joes. "She's taking me to see someone today." This drew Stackhouse's full attention. "Who? Who are they taking you to see?" Amy held two of the GI Joes next to each other. Stackhouse noticed that one held a gun to the other's head and he cringed. "Mommy said he's a doctor." Stack turned to see Melissa watching them. He shook his head. She wasn't looking at him, she was watching Amy. "Are you feeling ok, baby?" Amy knocked over one of her soldiers. She picked it up then and held it close to her face. When her father had bought this one, he'd written his name on its badge. "Daddy." She whispered quietly as she kissed the doll. Then she spoke up. "Mommy said he's not that kind of doctor." That's when it all finally dawned on Stackhouse. His little girl, who had so much of him in her, was being taken to a psychiatrist. They thought she was crazy. Just then, "Amy! It's time to go see Dr. Marks."Amy leapt up, carrying her father's doll. Melissa looked on, pitying the small girl, but not being able to supress a slowly rising anger. "Leave the doll heer, sweetie." "But mommy....." Her patience finally disappeared. "I said leave the doll here or I'll throw it away!" Stack watched all this from behind Amy. Was this her way of grieving? By taking it out on their daughter? Tears welled up in Amy's eyes. She kissed the doll, then obediently set it on the counter. "Now get in the car." Amy turned around. "Are you coming daddy?" Stack nodded, then, remembering she couldn't see him, "Of course I'm coming."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Stackhouse? I'm going to need some information from you before I talk to the child." Dr. Marks turned to his secretary. "Ms. Ellison, please take Amy into the lobby." Ms. Ellison nodded and took Amy's hand gently, leading her into the lobby. 'What exactly is wrong?" Melissa looked to the dorr, as though expecting Amy to come through it and tell her everything would be ok. "Well, her father, Jeremy, died a month ago, Lately, she's been talking to herself. Claiming she can see her father." The doctor wrote everything down on his little pad. "I see. And you don't believe her?" Melissa's eyes grew wider. "Of course I don't. Her father's dead. They sent his body home in a box. I watched them lower the coffin." The doctor nodded. "Ok, I'm going to have to ask you some questions. I'll aske the same questions of the child and they will help to prove or disprove what your child is saying." He pushed the intercom button. "Ms. Ellison, would you please bring Amy in?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IN THE LOBBY. MINUTES EARLIER.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stackhouse cat on the bench next to Amy with his head in his hands. This was all his fault. As much as he loved Melissa and Amy he needed to move on. To do that he need to show his daughter that he was gone. He needed her to know that he was really gone. He need to do it now, before they put her in an asylum. He whispered in Amy's ear. "I need to show you something." Amy nodded. "Ms. Ellison? I'm going to the bathroom." The woman nodded and let Amy go. When Amy had locked the stall door she turned to her father. "I love you and mommy, but I need to show you this. You need to know the truth." He put his hand on her forehead and she began to cry. She saw everything that happened. Saw Chris aim the gun and pull the trigger. "You're-you're really dead?" She asked. Stackhouse nodded. "I love you more than anything, but I can't talk to you anymore. I have to go now. But I'll always be in your heart, and you'll always be in mine." Amy nodded her head. "I love you too, Daddy. I'll miss you." With that, Stackhouse was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BACK IN THE LOBBY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa paced back and forth, waiting for Amy to retuurn from the bathroom. "How long ago did she leave?" She aske the secretary. "About five minutes ago." Just then a shape appeared before Melissa's eyes. As she watched, it began to take on a human form. Her husband's form. "Jeremy?" She whispered. He nodded. "Is it really you?" Again he nodded. "You can take Amy home now. I'm leaving." Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice became choked. "You- you've really been talking to her?" He nodded. "But I', leaving now. I love you Mel. I've always lovd you." The tears were now rolling down her cheeks. "I love you too. Please, don't leave. We need you." Stackhouse tried to touch her cheek but his hand went right through and she shivered. "I have to go. But I'll always be with you." With that he was gone. Amy came running through the door and into her mother's arms. "He's gone mommy." Melissa held the little girl close to her. "I know baby. Let's go home."
Melissa Stackhouse watched her daughter Amy, through the window. Amy was sitting on the ground looking up. Talking to someone or something visible onle to herself. Amy claimed she was talking to her father, but as much as Melissa missed Jeremy, she couldn't believe that. The teachers at school thought Amy needed to see a psychiatrist, but Melissa kept insisting it was just Amy's way of grieving. Or so she hoped.
"Why don't you talk mommy anymore?" Amy asked. Stackhouse gazed down at his beautiful little girl. She was so innocent, so sweet. Also the only person who could see him. He hated that he would never again hold her. Would never kiss her and tell her it would be ok. But she talked to him and he talked back. "Daddy," Pain welled up in his heart whenever she spoke. "Daddy, why does mommy cry when I talk to you?" Stackhouse blinked unbelievingly. In the years he'd known Melissa, he had never seen her cry. "I don't know baby." Amy continued to play with her GI Joes. "She's taking me to see someone today." This drew Stackhouse's full attention. "Who? Who are they taking you to see?" Amy held two of the GI Joes next to each other. Stackhouse noticed that one held a gun to the other's head and he cringed. "Mommy said he's a doctor." Stack turned to see Melissa watching them. He shook his head. She wasn't looking at him, she was watching Amy. "Are you feeling ok, baby?" Amy knocked over one of her soldiers. She picked it up then and held it close to her face. When her father had bought this one, he'd written his name on its badge. "Daddy." She whispered quietly as she kissed the doll. Then she spoke up. "Mommy said he's not that kind of doctor." That's when it all finally dawned on Stackhouse. His little girl, who had so much of him in her, was being taken to a psychiatrist. They thought she was crazy. Just then, "Amy! It's time to go see Dr. Marks."Amy leapt up, carrying her father's doll. Melissa looked on, pitying the small girl, but not being able to supress a slowly rising anger. "Leave the doll heer, sweetie." "But mommy....." Her patience finally disappeared. "I said leave the doll here or I'll throw it away!" Stack watched all this from behind Amy. Was this her way of grieving? By taking it out on their daughter? Tears welled up in Amy's eyes. She kissed the doll, then obediently set it on the counter. "Now get in the car." Amy turned around. "Are you coming daddy?" Stack nodded, then, remembering she couldn't see him, "Of course I'm coming."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AT THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Stackhouse? I'm going to need some information from you before I talk to the child." Dr. Marks turned to his secretary. "Ms. Ellison, please take Amy into the lobby." Ms. Ellison nodded and took Amy's hand gently, leading her into the lobby. 'What exactly is wrong?" Melissa looked to the dorr, as though expecting Amy to come through it and tell her everything would be ok. "Well, her father, Jeremy, died a month ago, Lately, she's been talking to herself. Claiming she can see her father." The doctor wrote everything down on his little pad. "I see. And you don't believe her?" Melissa's eyes grew wider. "Of course I don't. Her father's dead. They sent his body home in a box. I watched them lower the coffin." The doctor nodded. "Ok, I'm going to have to ask you some questions. I'll aske the same questions of the child and they will help to prove or disprove what your child is saying." He pushed the intercom button. "Ms. Ellison, would you please bring Amy in?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IN THE LOBBY. MINUTES EARLIER.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stackhouse cat on the bench next to Amy with his head in his hands. This was all his fault. As much as he loved Melissa and Amy he needed to move on. To do that he need to show his daughter that he was gone. He needed her to know that he was really gone. He need to do it now, before they put her in an asylum. He whispered in Amy's ear. "I need to show you something." Amy nodded. "Ms. Ellison? I'm going to the bathroom." The woman nodded and let Amy go. When Amy had locked the stall door she turned to her father. "I love you and mommy, but I need to show you this. You need to know the truth." He put his hand on her forehead and she began to cry. She saw everything that happened. Saw Chris aim the gun and pull the trigger. "You're-you're really dead?" She asked. Stackhouse nodded. "I love you more than anything, but I can't talk to you anymore. I have to go now. But I'll always be in your heart, and you'll always be in mine." Amy nodded her head. "I love you too, Daddy. I'll miss you." With that, Stackhouse was gone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BACK IN THE LOBBY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Melissa paced back and forth, waiting for Amy to retuurn from the bathroom. "How long ago did she leave?" She aske the secretary. "About five minutes ago." Just then a shape appeared before Melissa's eyes. As she watched, it began to take on a human form. Her husband's form. "Jeremy?" She whispered. He nodded. "Is it really you?" Again he nodded. "You can take Amy home now. I'm leaving." Tears welled up in her eyes and her voice became choked. "You- you've really been talking to her?" He nodded. "But I', leaving now. I love you Mel. I've always lovd you." The tears were now rolling down her cheeks. "I love you too. Please, don't leave. We need you." Stackhouse tried to touch her cheek but his hand went right through and she shivered. "I have to go. But I'll always be with you." With that he was gone. Amy came running through the door and into her mother's arms. "He's gone mommy." Melissa held the little girl close to her. "I know baby. Let's go home."