Chapter Five

As Samantha walked through the door, and entered the next step to heaven she wondered who she would meet. She wondered what they had to tell her, to teach her, and she wondered if she was ready. She just wasn't prepared for who was going to greet her on the other side.

Samantha stood on the shore of a large lake, surrounded by trees and beautiful flowers. As she walked along the shore, she caught sight of a small girl sitting on a large rock by the side of the lake. As Samantha got closer the little girl began to turn around. When she reached the girl she was shocked to say the least.

"Lindsay?"

"Hi Ms. Samantha!" replied the girl, reaching for Sam's hand.

Samantha took Lindsay's hand and they began to walk.

"You want to know why me, don't you," asked Lindsay.

"Well for starters, yes."

"That is an easy one. I changed your life. I was your first missing child. I stood out above the rest. I was the reason why you almost gave up, and I was the reason why you kept going."

"After I found you I wanted to give up. I couldn't understand why someone would want to destroy a child, take away what was once so pure, so perfect. I still can't," she said looking out towards the lake.

"But you didn't," she pointed out.

"Yea, after you I swore to myself that I would never let that happen again. I couldn't stand to know that I was so close, but I was also so far away. But that is what has kept me going all these years. Even if I can't save one life, if I would be able to put one bad person away, then maybe, maybe I would be able to save more people later on. Stop what was to come. I know that you can't change the past, but I could help to save the future."

"And that is why I am here," said Lindsay. "Because of you so many other little girls were able to grow up and have normal lives. You found my bad person, you stopped him, you saved so many others. So in a way you did what you had to. Even if one must die, you saved so many in return. If I hadn't died then who knows. Maybe that evil man would still be on the streets hurting other little girls like me. But you stopped him. Ms. Samantha, you saved so many girls."

By now Samantha was crying, and Lindsay reached up and wiped up the tears falling down her cheeks.

"What's wrong Ms. Samantha?" asked Lindsay.

"Oh baby, I couldn't save you though. I wanted to badly to find you alive, and when I saw you lying there on the ground I wanted to quit, I wanted to get revenge," said Sam, looking at Lindsay in the eye.

"But you did. You helped so many others. You are wonderful."

"Ah, only if that was true."

"But it is."

"Well it doesn't feel like I did all that I could."

"Trust me. You served your bigger picture. You did what you had to do, for what you were meant to do. You helped people. You saved them, and in saving them you saved yourself. Helping others, help yourself."

"What?"

"You found people who were taken or thought that they didn't have anything. You saved people by showing them that you cared. They might not have felt it before they met you. Because of you people started to see the bigger picture. You changed so many people's lives for the better," said Lindsay. By now they had stopped walking, and were sitting in the sand by the lake.

"There are so many people out there," said Samantha. "So many people who feel that they have nothing, you think that there is no way out. How did I help them? How did I really help in the long run?"

"I can show you if you would like," said Lindsay.

"What do you mean show me?"

"Come on," said Lindsay once again taking Samantha's hand.

As soon as Lindsay touched Samantha's hand they were taken to another area around the lake. They were standing outside a house, by a large window. Looking inside Samantha recognized the woman sitting inside. It was Lianna Sardo and her daughter. They were sitting in the kitchen eating lunch, and having what it looked to be a great conversation. They were laughing and talking like they were old friends.

Samantha looked inside and smiled. That case had hit close to home. It was horrible. It was because of that case that she and Jack had come to really act like friends after she had come back to work. That night he had come to see if she was okay, and they stayed up for hours just talking like they did before the OPR Investigation, before the affair was over, before Barry Mashburn, before he went back to his wife. That was another turning point in their relationship. One where they both knew what they wanted, and what they couldn't have. But from there on out, it was just like old times, well almost.

"See what I mean," said Lindsey. "Because of you, Lianna was able to find her real daughter and now look at them. They are turning out great. Becoming friends, and catching up on all the times that they missed. You did that Ms. Samantha. You made them a family again. You were able to give them both something that they were missing in their lives. Someone who had felt an amount of loss for someone that they did not know. You helped them fill that missing void, and you are the reason why they were able to find each other and fill that empty place in their heart that they didn't know was missing until they found what they didn't know they were looking for."

"Then why doesn't it feel like I have?"

"Because we can't always see the results to everything that we do. We are not always meant to see what comes of the choices we make. Sometimes things are better left alone, and left untouched."

"So through the choices I have made over the years have affected more then me and the people they were meant to affect. There was a bigger picture to the little things I did?" she asked.

"Exactly," said Lindsay. "Just because you can't see it doesn't mean that it isn't there, or nothing happened."

"So what was my bigger picture. What is my bigger purpose?"

"Well I can't answer that one for you," said Lindsey.

"My next person?"

"Yup! Just remember this Ms. Samantha, you may just be one person. But as just one person you were able to change a lot of things. You may not have known that you changed them at the time, but you did. You changed people for the better."

"Thank you. I will try to remember that from now on," said Samantha slightly teary.

"Bye Ms. Samantha!"said Lindsey as Samantha felt herself falling backwards into a new plain of heaven.