Well, this is it. I'm finishing this fic. I know this chapter is shorter than usual but I think it was an appropriate way to end it. You all know what happens next. I figured this was the perfect place to end, and I liked the archetypal number of seven chapters which signifies completion. Thank you all so much for all the reviews.
Chapter 7
Jamie's father had taken her home the following day. There was no longer a reason to keep her trapped within the sterile white walls of her prison. The next few weeks slowly passed. Jamie remained at home locked in her bedroom. She had little contact with the outside world and had given up all hope. She refused to take any phone calls from friends and said very little to her concerned father. Reverend Sullivan made several attempts to bring her out of her dungeon but she refused. The depression she had acquired in her last week at the hospital was now stronger than ever. She felt as if she no longer had a reason to live. She was going to die anyway. What was the point of going on?
"Honey, please come downstairs and eat dinner with me," Reverend Sullivan spoke through the door. "I made your favorite." He had tried this numerous times in the past week. He was worried that she would starve herself.
"I'm not hungry!" she yelled.
"Jamie, you have to eat."
"Why, I'm going to die. What's the point?"
"Jamie you heard what the doctor said. You could live for another year. Why don't you enjoy what you have left?"
"No, I'm just going to die like Melanie!"
"Don't you think Melanie would want you to go on? She lived a full life. Even in the end."
Jamie became silent. Reverend Sullivan could hear her crying from the hall. She had taken Melanie's death hard. He wished he could do something to comfort her. "Jamie?" Jamie walked over to her door, unlocked it, and opened the door. She fell into her father's arms and began to cry even harder. He embraced his daughter and would not let go. The two found comfort in each other's arms. They each needed the hug more than anything else in the world. "You know who else wouldn't want you to give up?"
"Who?"
"Your mother. She lived a full life. She never let the cancer ruin her life. She would want you to do the same."
Jamie was silent for several minutes. She remained in her father's arms. She seemed to be processing the words her father had spoken. "Then that's exactly what I'm going to do." Her voice broke the silence.
"I'm so proud of you. I know God has a plan for you. You will bless many lives. I know this for a fact." He gave his daughter one last squeeze and released her from his embrace.
A smile had grown on Jamie's face. She and her father made their way downstairs to begin the rest of Jamie's life.
The End