It was another joint session, this time with Dr. Lily. "I understand Dr. Patel has recommended Pat watch movies as a form of therapy," the therapist said. Tiffany rolled her eyes. "I believe this is a very good idea. Tiffany, you should participate, and discuss films with him. Patel tells me you declined to watch Casablanca, which I would consider to your tastes."

"Casablanca's the most overrated film ever," Tiffany said. "I mean, it's okay, and maybe good for its time, but c'mon, the only reason guys watch it is because they think it will sweeten up their girlfriends, and the only reason their girlfriends watch it is to humor the guys."

"Casablanca's a good movie," Pat said. "It has a happy ending."

"Really?" said Dr. Lily. "So you don't think it was bad that Rick sent Ilsa away?"

"It made them sad, but Ilsa was married," Pat said. "Rick showed her that it wasn't right to leave her marriage, which is good. So it's a happy ending. All good movies have happy endings."

"Excuse me, I have something to say," Tiffany said. "He's already made me sit through every supposed feel-good eighties guy movie he can get his hands on, including the ones made in the seventies, and I have a question. Pat, you keep telling me they're all good because they have `happy endings'. So, what would you say are the best Rocky movie, the best Star Wars movie and the best Star Trek movie?"

Pat answered without hesitation: "The first Rocky, Empire Strikes Back, and Wrath of Kahn."

"All right, then… How do those movies end?" Tiffany asked rhetorically. "Rocky loses. Darth Vader wins. Spock effin' dies. Where's the happy endings there? The screen writers might as well have come out and said, `Life sucks, and death bites!'"

Pat gave her a look she hated, a little sad but mostly confused. Then something strange and strong seemed to rise to the surface. "But that's missing the point!" he said with his usual fervor and a hint of uncharacteristic eloquence. "Sure, the bad things happen, but there's good too, and even the bad isn't as bad as it could be. Rocky can't beat Apollo Creed, but he keeps getting up, and in the end, the people cheer for him because he didn't give up. The Rebels can't take on Darth Vader. He has that great big ship, without a weak spot like the Death Star, and all those destroyers that are still huge, and the walkers, the TIE fighters, and Boba Fett. The best they can do is run, and even then the Empire catches up to them, all because what Vader really cares about is bringing Luke to the Dark Side. But then, when his super ship is bearing down on the Falcon, he loses the one thing that matters, all because little R2D2 fixes the hyperdrive! And Spock, he saves the Enterprise, and then Captain Kirk sees how much he really cared about everyone, even if he seemed like he was all cold and logical. That's why the movies are so good: They make you look for the silver lining."

Oh my god, Tiffany thought as she looked into Pat's eyes, he really believes it.

"You have a good point," Dr. Lily said. "The stories which make the greatest emotional impact are those where the outcome is mixed. The protagonists, and through them the audience, are forced to face hardship, loss and inadequacy, but they are able to endure nobly, and win enough small victories to hope to do better another day."

"Right!" Pat said. "Like when the Rebels win in Return of the Jedi, or when Spock comes back to life in Trek III. Though Jedi wasn't as good, and Search for Spock kinda stunk. But that was okay, because Voyage Home had the whales, and that one was almost as good as Kahn. The good Treks were always even numbers. Until Nemesis; that was even and it still really stunk."

"I believe you are showing improvement and maturity," Dr. Lily said at the conclusion of the session. "I would like to assign you another movie to watch together."

It was Pet Semetary.

As the credits rolled and the Ramones played the title song, Pat was in tears. Normally, Tiffany would have teased him, but this was clearly a bit much. "What is it? Is it too much?" she queried. He shook his head back and forth.

"It's just- so sad!" he blubbered. "I mean, the guy loses his baby boy, and that's terrible, but he still has his wife, and their little girl, and his best friend. But instead of loving the people he has left, all he thinks about is bringing his son back to life, even when he should know the cemetery is bad. Then he does lose everything, and he makes all the people who love him suffer, and he still hasn't learned!"

Tiffany cupped his head in her hands and lifted his eyes to hers. "It's not a happy ending kind of story, it's a lesson kind of story, like we talked about."

"Then what's the lesson? He loses his family, and his friend, and it's not because he did anything wrong, it's just that he couldn't let go of someone he loved!" Tiffany's gaze became a little more intent. "And… I was him. Right?"

Tiffany smiled. "See, even sad endings can be good."

As they hustled to bed, Pat paused to riffle through the novel. "Hey, look, in the book, Dr. Creed doesn't die," he said, pointing to the last page. "The book doesn't say he dies."

Tiffany took a look. "All right, so, if we go by the end of the book, then it looks like either he's about to die, or he's going to spend the night with a walking corpse."

"Oh. That doesn't sound good, either."

"Yeah," Tiffany said, "maybe dead is better." Pat happily threw the book aside and reached for Tiffany, but a troubled look crossed her face as she reached for the light.

This is the halfway point for this story. Incidentally, I would not call myself a fan of Stephen King, but I consider Pet Semetary and Rose Madder to be the best of his novels that I have read, and I like the film version of the former better than any other adaptation of his work I have seen. (Yes, I am knocking Kubrick.) The last paragraph or so of this chapter was a last addition before posting (must... stop... revising...) and represents a capsule of my idea for a fan fic. If anybody wants it, you can have it.