Page 79 of The Wish
‘The wish is for you, Dean, and Mandy and Sam,’ Kelly tells him, desperate for him to understand how important the wish is to his daughter.
Dean slumps into a chair opposite Kelly. He holds his head in his hands, fighting back tears. Kelly gently sits beside him. She hears him quietly mumble, ‘But where is she, where have they gone?’
‘I honestly don’t know. Sandy might know but she’s not on the ward. Is there some place that is special to Jesse?’
‘He made her wish?’ Dean whispers.
‘Yeah, the main part, apparently it now requires you and your family to complete it.’
‘What do you mean it needs us?’
‘Alex hasn’t slept for days. He’s been working on how to create Jesse’s wish. He’s probably going to lose his job and some of his colleagues are at risk too. They are a motley crew of brilliant special effects creators who have given up their time for Jesse. Heck, they even got me involved, though I’m not sure how helpful I was other than bringing them coffee to get through the night. They stayed up literally all night, Dean, working to try to create Jesse’s wish.’
‘What were they doing exactly?’ Dean asks, perplexed.
Kelly registers that he’s listening not shouting. She presses on, aware that she too could lose her job over this.
‘I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s utterly joyful. Jesse hasn’t seen it either. Alex wants it to be as much a surprise for her as your family. It really is an amazing record of your daughter’s life; but to fulfil Jesse’s wish and fully create the experience it requires the involvement of you, your family and Jesse’s friends.You’ll all be filmed in a high-tech studio so that you will all exist in the virtual world Alex has created alongside Jesse, part of a record of her life. Jesse knows this and knows it can’t happen without your participation and blessing.’
There’s a long silence.
‘What have I done, Kelly? What kind of fool have I been?’
‘You’re a father who is losing his daughter. There’s no manual, no rule book on how you’re supposed to handle this.’
‘I love her so much. You do know that, don’t you, Kelly?’
‘I know that, and Jesse knows that. That’s why her wish is so important to her.’
Finally, he looks up.
‘Will you come with me?’ he asks, holding his hand out to Kelly. She takes it.
Alex carries Jesse down the side of the house to the back garden, through the gate separating the lawn from the sand, and down the short path. Stepping onto the beach, he immediately recognises the outcrop of rocks a short distance away that jut out into the ocean. Carefully stepping onto the rocks, he carries Jesse to the edge and gently places her onto the wide flat rock she’d pointed to, with her legs dangling over the edge. He can tell immediately that this is her place, that she’s sat here many times before. He feels her thin, frail body relax as she breathes in the sea spray floating in the air around them. Sitting beside Jesse, he places a protective arm around her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. He tucks a rug he’d grabbed from the back of the car around her shoulders. It’s Max’s travel rug, so it’s a bit hairy, but he figures she won’t mind. Small waves slap on the rocks and spray reaches their legs, making them laugh with pleasure.
Dean and Kelly run onto the beach and stop. Kelly follows Dean’s gaze to the rocks a short distance away. The special placeJesse has told her about. She sees Alex and Jesse looking out to the ocean.
Dean starts to run, then slows to a walk, tears streaming down his face. Kelly follows a step or two behind, not knowing how this is going to play out.
Glancing down the beach, Alex sees Dean and Kelly coming their way just as Dean clambers onto the rocks. His shoes slip on the smooth stone, and he quickly pulls them off, dropping them on the sand.
Kelly kicks her sandals off and climbs onto the rocks.
Alex slowly stands and tenses. He feels this man’s pain, and he’ll take whatever he wants to dish out. Only he wishes he wouldn’t spoil this moment for his daughter.
Jesse sits up now and puts her hand out to Alex, who carefully helps her to her feet. Dean stops a few feet away from them. It is painfully obvious to Alex and Jesse that he is distressed.
‘DADDY!’ Jesse cries out and attempts to run to her father. Dean steps forward, catches her and sweeps her into his arms. Kelly stays standing behind them, looking at Alex who is balanced precariously on the edge of the rocks.
Still holding Jesse, her head resting on his shoulder, Dean walks carefully towards Alex, who braces himself. Face to face, the two men look deeply at each other before Dean places his other hand on Alex’s shoulder.
‘Thank you,’ is all Dean can get out.
Jesse smiles, giggles, so happy the two men in her life have made peace.
‘Dad, let’s not go back to the hospital. Call Christine and tell her you’ve busted me out of there? Let’s just go and lie on the sofa and wait for Mum and Sammy to get home.’
‘You’ve got it, my darling,’ Dean answers.
