A/N: This chapter was written by Jamieandval4eva, and I want to thank you. You have been soooo much help. Thanks for
helping me. This chapter is great.
Disclaim: I don't owe anything. Everything in this chapter you don't know or whatever is owed by the person up in the A/N.
Once again thanks. :)
A Heartbeat Can Change Everything: Moving On
Val heard Brooke come into the room. But she didn't look at her. She just curled up on her bed and silently cried.
" Um…Mom wants to me to let you know that we're leaving…for Dad's funeral…"
" Good. Go. Rejoice in his death."
" Val, that's not fair. Don't do this. We're all hurting, not only you."
" I don't need to hear this. Get the hell out."
Brooke just walked out of the room, shutting the door just as the doorbell rang. Mrs. Lanier opened the door.
" Jamie…if you're here to see Val, I don't think she'll want to see you. She's been in her room crying. She's not going to the
funeral. I…I think that she should go… she needs to let him go. B-But she's not. Um…you can go upstairs and see if she'll
want to talk. But Brooke and I have to leave."
Jamie nodded and exchanged a few more words with Mrs. Lanier and then made his way upstairs. He had to go to the funeral,
too. But he knew Val was making a mistake by not going.
He knocked on her door.
" Go away."
Jamie knocked the door again. Val said, in an annoyed tone, " Don't you know the meaning of the words go away?!"
" Chill, Val. It's only me."
" Come in," Val said, recognizing Jamie's voice. Before he could say anything she said, " If you're here to tell me to go to the
funeral, don't waste your time because I'm not going and nothing or no one can force me to go. I don't want to see my dad
lying dead. I can't take that. I know I can't." Val said, sitting up. Jamie walked in and sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
" When my dad died, I didn't want to go to his funeral and my mom didn't make me. I was five and didn't understand death
but I knew I didn't want to see my dad lying there dead. But now…now I wish I did go. I mean, I visit his grave at least once a
weak and I miss him like hell but I think if I had said goodbye it would have helped me heal faster."
" I don't want to heal," Val said softly. " If you heal, you forget. And with the pain there, I still remember."
" Val, you're not forgetting him by healing. You're moving on. Your father would have wanted you to move on."
" How the hell would you know what he wanted?! He's dead!" Val had tears streaming down her face.
" I know he loved you. And that's what tells me that he would want you to move on. Val, moving on isn't forgetting. You'll
never forget and you'll never fully heal. That's why I think that those who've never lost a loved one don't understand. They
don't know how it is to lose someone you love more than anything. And I loved my dad. I always wanted to be like him. And I
felt guilty that I'm alive and he's not. I felt guilty when I was happy. But Val, you have to live; you have to survive."
" What if I don't want to survive?" Val asked as another batch of tears streamed down her face.
" You have to survive; you have to move on. Trust me, I know. I have personal experience. Those who tell you to move on but
have never lost a person they love; they don't know. And they don't understand. But that doesn't mean they don't care. Tyler,
Caitie, Hank, and all your other friends care about you and love you. I care about you. Your mom and Brooke are hurting, too.
Just because they don't show it the same way you do, doesn't mean they aren't hurting. Your mom lost her husband, Val. And
she needs you now more than ever. Don't do anything stupid."
Val was silent.
" Suicide is stupid, Val. And it's not an escape. It's a cop out. And it's selfish. You'll hurt everyone who cares about you. I can
list a few you'll hurt a lot. Your mom, Brooke, Tyler, Caitie, Hank,…and me. Don't do that to us. Don't be selfish. You have
to live."
" But…I don't want to live. If he isn't alive what right do I have to be alive? He's my father. He's not gonna be there for any of
the important things. W-When I graduate high school, he won't be in the audience cheering me. W-Who's gonna walk me
down the aisle when I get married?! He won't even be there to hold his grandchildren! He won't be there for any of it," she
cried.
" Val, listen to me. Val, look at me!" Jamie grabbed her wrists and made her look at him.
" Let me go!"
" He'll always be there. No matter what. He's there right now."
" No he's not, Jamie! He's dead!" She said, through tears, still struggling to get him to let go of her wrists.
" Yes, he's dead. Say it out loud. You've gotta accept it and deal with it. He's dead, but you can keep him alive through
memories. Tell your kids about him. Tell your future husband about him. Talk to Brooke and your mom about him. Talk to me
about him."
They were both silent for a few moments. " I…I miss him so much." Jamie let her wrists go and drew her into a hug. She cried
in his arms.
" It's not fair, I didn't even get to say goodbye!"
" I know. It's not fair. But you still have the chance to say goodbye, Val. Maybe it's not the same as saying goodbye to him
before he died, but you still get to say goodbye."
* * * * * * * * * * *
" At first, I wasn't going to come to this funeral. I…I know how that sounds; a daughter not even wanting to attend her father's
funeral," Val said, looking at the people who sat in the church where the funeral was being held.
"B-But a friend, a real good friend of mine helped me to realize that I needed to say goodbye to start the healing process. I…I
know I'll never fully heal. But I've gotta move on. At least that's what my friend, Jamie tells me. He's been there for me through
this whole thing and I know that I would have never made it this far without him.
" I'm scared to live without my father. I don't want to live without him, but I have to. Somehow, I know he would have wanted
me to." She had tried to keep the tears in, but they spilled out on her cheeks.
" I…I will never forget him. He's helped me so much. And he taught me so much. I-I love my father, I always have…and I
always will." Val walked to her father's coffin and placed a single rose in there. " I love you, Daddy," she said, with her voice
cracking. She felt so weak, as if she couldn't even go back to her seat. Jamie noticed this and walked over to Val. He held out
his hand and she took it. He led her back to her seat, which was next to him. Tyler saw this and he couldn't help but feel
jealous. He should be the one comforting her and it was supposed to be his shoulder she was crying on. Not Jamie's.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Val accepted all the people's condolences at the wake, which was held at her house. Everyone told her how sorry they were.
But all she wanted was to get out of there.
" Hey."
" Hey, Tyler."
" You okay?"
Val knew that he was only concerned about her but she couldn't believe he asked that. She had just seen her father dead and
buried and he asked her if she was okay?
" Yeah, I'm fine," Val answered. She didn't want to start a fight here or anything.
" You know, Val, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I can help."
" I know, Tyler. Thanks, but…you don't know what I'm going through and you can't help. You've never lost anyone close to
you and you come here telling me that you understand and that you can help. Well, you can't."
" But Jamie can?"
" Not that it's any of your business, but yes, he can." With that she walked away. She walked outside. Jamie was already
outside. He was sitting on his motorcycle. He was about to leave when he saw Val.
" Where are you going?" Val asked.
" I don't know. I just couldn't take it in there, you know? It reminds me too much of my dad."
" I know what you mean." Jamie held out a helmet for Val to take.
" Wanna get outta here?"
" You read my mind," Val said, taking the helmet.
" Val, where are you going?" Tyler asked coming outside.
" Tyler…just please…leave me alone. I'm sorry, but I can't deal with you right now."
" Val, you can't leave."
" Who says she can't, Tyler? You? Despite what you way think, you don't own Val. She's free to make her own decisions,"
Jamie said, pissed off that Tyler was telling Val what to do. Tyler always acted like he owned Val, that no one else could like
her except him.
" Who the hell asked you?"
" Jamie, please, can we just go?" Val asked, pleadingly.
Jamie nodded. Val put on the helmet and climbed on the motorcycle. She put her arms around Jamie's waist. Jamie put on his
helmet and they rode away, leaving Tyler standing there.
He couldn't believe Val had chosen Jamie over him. Jamie wasn't even Val's type. Him and Val belonged together; everybody
knew that. He knew that this thing with Jamie wouldn't last. It wasn't real, he told himself. ' We're what's real. Val and I love
each other and sooner or later, she'll realize that she loves me, and not Jamie.'
With that thought he walked back inside.
A/N: Please don't forget to review.
helping me. This chapter is great.
Disclaim: I don't owe anything. Everything in this chapter you don't know or whatever is owed by the person up in the A/N.
Once again thanks. :)
A Heartbeat Can Change Everything: Moving On
Val heard Brooke come into the room. But she didn't look at her. She just curled up on her bed and silently cried.
" Um…Mom wants to me to let you know that we're leaving…for Dad's funeral…"
" Good. Go. Rejoice in his death."
" Val, that's not fair. Don't do this. We're all hurting, not only you."
" I don't need to hear this. Get the hell out."
Brooke just walked out of the room, shutting the door just as the doorbell rang. Mrs. Lanier opened the door.
" Jamie…if you're here to see Val, I don't think she'll want to see you. She's been in her room crying. She's not going to the
funeral. I…I think that she should go… she needs to let him go. B-But she's not. Um…you can go upstairs and see if she'll
want to talk. But Brooke and I have to leave."
Jamie nodded and exchanged a few more words with Mrs. Lanier and then made his way upstairs. He had to go to the funeral,
too. But he knew Val was making a mistake by not going.
He knocked on her door.
" Go away."
Jamie knocked the door again. Val said, in an annoyed tone, " Don't you know the meaning of the words go away?!"
" Chill, Val. It's only me."
" Come in," Val said, recognizing Jamie's voice. Before he could say anything she said, " If you're here to tell me to go to the
funeral, don't waste your time because I'm not going and nothing or no one can force me to go. I don't want to see my dad
lying dead. I can't take that. I know I can't." Val said, sitting up. Jamie walked in and sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
" When my dad died, I didn't want to go to his funeral and my mom didn't make me. I was five and didn't understand death
but I knew I didn't want to see my dad lying there dead. But now…now I wish I did go. I mean, I visit his grave at least once a
weak and I miss him like hell but I think if I had said goodbye it would have helped me heal faster."
" I don't want to heal," Val said softly. " If you heal, you forget. And with the pain there, I still remember."
" Val, you're not forgetting him by healing. You're moving on. Your father would have wanted you to move on."
" How the hell would you know what he wanted?! He's dead!" Val had tears streaming down her face.
" I know he loved you. And that's what tells me that he would want you to move on. Val, moving on isn't forgetting. You'll
never forget and you'll never fully heal. That's why I think that those who've never lost a loved one don't understand. They
don't know how it is to lose someone you love more than anything. And I loved my dad. I always wanted to be like him. And I
felt guilty that I'm alive and he's not. I felt guilty when I was happy. But Val, you have to live; you have to survive."
" What if I don't want to survive?" Val asked as another batch of tears streamed down her face.
" You have to survive; you have to move on. Trust me, I know. I have personal experience. Those who tell you to move on but
have never lost a person they love; they don't know. And they don't understand. But that doesn't mean they don't care. Tyler,
Caitie, Hank, and all your other friends care about you and love you. I care about you. Your mom and Brooke are hurting, too.
Just because they don't show it the same way you do, doesn't mean they aren't hurting. Your mom lost her husband, Val. And
she needs you now more than ever. Don't do anything stupid."
Val was silent.
" Suicide is stupid, Val. And it's not an escape. It's a cop out. And it's selfish. You'll hurt everyone who cares about you. I can
list a few you'll hurt a lot. Your mom, Brooke, Tyler, Caitie, Hank,…and me. Don't do that to us. Don't be selfish. You have
to live."
" But…I don't want to live. If he isn't alive what right do I have to be alive? He's my father. He's not gonna be there for any of
the important things. W-When I graduate high school, he won't be in the audience cheering me. W-Who's gonna walk me
down the aisle when I get married?! He won't even be there to hold his grandchildren! He won't be there for any of it," she
cried.
" Val, listen to me. Val, look at me!" Jamie grabbed her wrists and made her look at him.
" Let me go!"
" He'll always be there. No matter what. He's there right now."
" No he's not, Jamie! He's dead!" She said, through tears, still struggling to get him to let go of her wrists.
" Yes, he's dead. Say it out loud. You've gotta accept it and deal with it. He's dead, but you can keep him alive through
memories. Tell your kids about him. Tell your future husband about him. Talk to Brooke and your mom about him. Talk to me
about him."
They were both silent for a few moments. " I…I miss him so much." Jamie let her wrists go and drew her into a hug. She cried
in his arms.
" It's not fair, I didn't even get to say goodbye!"
" I know. It's not fair. But you still have the chance to say goodbye, Val. Maybe it's not the same as saying goodbye to him
before he died, but you still get to say goodbye."
* * * * * * * * * * *
" At first, I wasn't going to come to this funeral. I…I know how that sounds; a daughter not even wanting to attend her father's
funeral," Val said, looking at the people who sat in the church where the funeral was being held.
"B-But a friend, a real good friend of mine helped me to realize that I needed to say goodbye to start the healing process. I…I
know I'll never fully heal. But I've gotta move on. At least that's what my friend, Jamie tells me. He's been there for me through
this whole thing and I know that I would have never made it this far without him.
" I'm scared to live without my father. I don't want to live without him, but I have to. Somehow, I know he would have wanted
me to." She had tried to keep the tears in, but they spilled out on her cheeks.
" I…I will never forget him. He's helped me so much. And he taught me so much. I-I love my father, I always have…and I
always will." Val walked to her father's coffin and placed a single rose in there. " I love you, Daddy," she said, with her voice
cracking. She felt so weak, as if she couldn't even go back to her seat. Jamie noticed this and walked over to Val. He held out
his hand and she took it. He led her back to her seat, which was next to him. Tyler saw this and he couldn't help but feel
jealous. He should be the one comforting her and it was supposed to be his shoulder she was crying on. Not Jamie's.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Val accepted all the people's condolences at the wake, which was held at her house. Everyone told her how sorry they were.
But all she wanted was to get out of there.
" Hey."
" Hey, Tyler."
" You okay?"
Val knew that he was only concerned about her but she couldn't believe he asked that. She had just seen her father dead and
buried and he asked her if she was okay?
" Yeah, I'm fine," Val answered. She didn't want to start a fight here or anything.
" You know, Val, if you ever need to talk, I'm here. I can help."
" I know, Tyler. Thanks, but…you don't know what I'm going through and you can't help. You've never lost anyone close to
you and you come here telling me that you understand and that you can help. Well, you can't."
" But Jamie can?"
" Not that it's any of your business, but yes, he can." With that she walked away. She walked outside. Jamie was already
outside. He was sitting on his motorcycle. He was about to leave when he saw Val.
" Where are you going?" Val asked.
" I don't know. I just couldn't take it in there, you know? It reminds me too much of my dad."
" I know what you mean." Jamie held out a helmet for Val to take.
" Wanna get outta here?"
" You read my mind," Val said, taking the helmet.
" Val, where are you going?" Tyler asked coming outside.
" Tyler…just please…leave me alone. I'm sorry, but I can't deal with you right now."
" Val, you can't leave."
" Who says she can't, Tyler? You? Despite what you way think, you don't own Val. She's free to make her own decisions,"
Jamie said, pissed off that Tyler was telling Val what to do. Tyler always acted like he owned Val, that no one else could like
her except him.
" Who the hell asked you?"
" Jamie, please, can we just go?" Val asked, pleadingly.
Jamie nodded. Val put on the helmet and climbed on the motorcycle. She put her arms around Jamie's waist. Jamie put on his
helmet and they rode away, leaving Tyler standing there.
He couldn't believe Val had chosen Jamie over him. Jamie wasn't even Val's type. Him and Val belonged together; everybody
knew that. He knew that this thing with Jamie wouldn't last. It wasn't real, he told himself. ' We're what's real. Val and I love
each other and sooner or later, she'll realize that she loves me, and not Jamie.'
With that thought he walked back inside.
A/N: Please don't forget to review.
