This is the last chapter of the story. I can add a chapter and tell you which parts actually happened to me, if you'd like. Leave a review and let me know.

Reminders:

This is absolutely based off a true story. Sam's fight with cancer is very real.

I don't own Danny Phantom.

This is dedicated specifically to my grandfather, Robert Walker. But I'd like to extend that dedication to anyone who's lost someone close to them to cancer. If you are someone, or know someone, who is fighting against cancer, this story is for you, too. I hope I did you justice.

Just Three Words

Chapter Five

August 21, 2011

It's been a long night.

They got her heart going again. They won't let us in to see her anymore in a huge group. We're only allowed in one at a time. Because in a huge group we overstimulate her. It was our fault that her heart stopped both times.

So we go in one at a time. She's not even conscious. She has a tube running down her throat that keeps her breathing. A machine is pumping life into her at this point. I sat with her for an hour, holding her hand and telling her how much I missed her. I felt like I was talking to a dead body.

Let me tell you, it's a lot less pleasant than it sounds.

I've been sitting in the waiting room. For a while, everyone was crying. And I mean everyone, even Tucker. We didn't think it was possible for them to get her heart going again. For a while, it looked like she was gone. But then an extremely harried-looking doctor rushed in and said they got her heart beating again. That she had somehow stabalized. Well, relatively stabalized.

The Manson's are still making funeral arrangements. They're talking about what kind of flowers they're going to put on Sam's casket.

Either my heart is going to explode, or I'm going to throw it up. I seriously have never felt this kind of searing pressure in my chest before. I want it to stop. I just want this nightmare to end.

But, let's be real here. It's not going to end. Sam will haunt me for the rest of my life. Not literally, like I won't have to be fighting her ghost form or anything. She'll haunt my thoughts, my memories, my heart. No, her heart. My heart belongs to her. I gave it to her a long time ago, really.

Black roses. They need to put black roses on her casket. She would love that. And lilies. Sam always loved lilies.

A doctor just came in. He says he has news...

OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD.

THE TUMOR SHIFTED.

IT MOVED.

AWAY FROM HER HEART.

THEY CAN TRY THE SURGERY TO GET IT OUT NOW.

SAM'S IN SURGERY AS I WRITE THIS. THERE'S A CHANCE.

I CAN'T BREATHE.

I think I'm going to pass out...

The surgery has been going for three hours now. We haven't seen a single doctor who knows anything yet. Everyone's out of their seats, pacing. I've been on the phone with Jazz for a while now, explaining what's been happening. She said she was flying in soon, no matter what the outcome of the surgery is. My stomach is churning. I've never been so nervous before in my life. Going up against the Ghost King was less nerve-wracking than this. Because then, I got to do something. I was busy, my mind wasn't focused on the fact that I was fighting for my life against Pariah. I was focused on the fight. But here, I have nothing to distract myself with, besides typing this out on my laptop.

Surprisingly, typing it out actually kind of makes it worse. But I'm committed to this stupid journal thing, so I'm going to keep going.

Tucker looks like he's about to throw up. He's looked like that for a while now. He took his beret off and started twisting it in his hands, like he's trying to wring water out of it.

I really need to distract myself. I just took out my headphones, plugged them into my laptop, pulled up iTunes, and set it on shuffle.

Aw, shit. Somewhere Over The Rainbow came up.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high. There's a land that I dreamed of once in a lullabye. Oh somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue. And the dreams that you dared to dream really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star, and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops high above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why, can't I?

Why can't I? I can fly. I can fly far away, leave all of this behind. Forget it ever happened. I can go somewhere far away, where pain can't reach me. And it would be perfect.

Wouldn't it be?

I...I don't believe this.

They got the tumor out.

Without killing her.

She's alive? Like, actually alive?

WHAT THE HELL AM I STILL DOING WRITING THIS DOWN?

Sam's going to live. She fought hard, and she won. She is officially cancer free. Even the weather is celebrating; we've been in a huge drought lately, and today it started raining. Sam loves the rain.

She won't be able to go home for a few more days, until she recovers from the surgery. But she's awake, and she can breathe on her own now. So they got her off the machine, and she's breathing. Talking and laughing and joking around. I can't believe I honestly thought I would be attending her funeral.

The first thing she said to me when she saw me was: "Where's Sammy?"

You'd expect, "Oh my gosh, I'm alive! Isn't it awesome! You thought I was going to die, but I'm alive! And I'm going to stay that way!" But no. Her first question was about her cat.

Typical Sam.

But God, I love her. I laughed and told her so. She smiled and kissed me, then leaned away and said, "Seriously, though. Where is she?"

So I'm heading to her house to get Sammy. Because Sam gets what she wants. As usual.

Sam, if you're reading this, I love you. Don't scare me like that ever again. Okay? I love you, I love you, I love you.

And that is the story of how I learned just how life-changing three words can be.

It happened, I swear. His heart stopped twice, and somehow, he made it through.

It was actually pretty incredible. And he said some pretty hilarious things after he woke up and stayed up.

Review?

I love you!

- Tori