Tragedy

You Are My Strength

From pen pals to a long-distance relationship, and then eventually to a married couple, Jacy and Chase have known each other for years. They fall in love and never have a dull moment, until Jacy gets sick and leaves Chase with only a letter written by her before she passed.

Feb 21, 2024  |   8 min read

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Keira Watson
You Are My Strength
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Jacy and Chase met in the fourth grade. Jacy’s teacher was close friends with Chase’s teacher. Jacy lived in San Diego and Chase lived in England. The two got paired together as Pen Pals. They wrote to each other non stop. When fourth grade was the and they moved up to fifth grade, they still wrote to each other. Their letters went from a small page to five or six pages. For Christmas they would send each other presents. And for Jacy’s birthday Chase shipped cake making supplies to her house for her parents to make. When the two were thirteen they got cellphones and called and facetimed everyday. In ninth grade, they started to date.

For Jacy’s graduation Chase flew in to San Diego and surprised her.As she walked back from getting her diploma, she spotted him in the crowd and ran over to him.When thought she was seeing a mirage as he stood up to hug her. They have talked constantly for nine years but have never seen each other in person.This was the biggest surprise Jacy has ever gotten.She ran over to him and hugged him.He held her close. All the people who teased her saying he was fake and would point at her and laugh contemptuously as she talked about him realize why she didn’t care about their teasing and why she was always so happy.  Chase stood there with Jacy in his arms, he didn't care that people were staring, all she cared about was that Jacy was happy. 

When the ceremony ended the two went out to dinner, they have never been happier.

Jacy still couldn’t wrap her head around what was going on.Chase was right next to her holding her and grinning as she looked up at him.They looked up at each other in a
tacit way.

The two left dinner and started to walk to Jacy’s house.While walking home it started to pour. Jacy jumped in puddles and ran around in the rain with Chase as if she was a child.She felt as free as a bird.Chase grabbed her in his arms and spun her around so she was looking down at him.When he stopped spinning she leaned in and kissed him.As her lips locked to his they thought about all the years of talking and dreaming about seeing each other had come to an end.They were finally together.Their Lives were finally whole.

Jacy has struggled her whole life with depression and anxiety.At one point in the eighth grade she  even tried taking her own life.Her mother found her with a pill bottle in one hand and a razor in the other.When she was rushed to the hospital,and eventually a mental hospital, Chase facetimed her everyday and eventually Jacy realized how amazing life was and how she has a whole group of people who loved her dearly.She was sent home four months later.After that she never tried anything again.It is amazing how one person can stop you from ending it all.

Five Years later

Jacy and Chase live in a two room apartment in Manhattan together. Jacy works in a five star restaurant and Chase is an accountant.After trying to get pregnant for a year,they finally got what they have been wishing and praying for,two lines on the pregnancy test.Jacy went in for an appointment to check her health and to do labs when the doctor noticed something strange.She had two large lumps on both of her breasts. The doctor told her that this could be nothing,but there was a large chance that she could have breast cancer.She went and got some tests done that night.

The next day
at dinner the doctor called her.The doctor spoke solemnly as she delivered the devastating news,she did have breast cancer.The doctor said that she needed to start treatment as soon as possible.Her cancer was a fierce one.She hung up the phone and leaned into Chase,tears poured down her face.She was told she had a 30% chance of surviving and that her baby was most likely not going to make it.Chase rocked Jacy back and forth holding her closer than ever.

A week later Jacy started treatment.Some days she was so exhausted that she couldn’t get the strength to hug Chase.He didn’t care.He sat by her side everyday  and while she was in treatment he would sit in her room and pray.He prayed so hard and so often that his knees always had bruises on them.Jacy was twenty four years old,she didn’t deserve this.She didn't know what was going to happen to her,or the baby.Chase was always there for him and she couldn’t bare for him to be alone.

It was Jacy’s first round of treatment,the cancer had spread and was taking a huge toll on her body.While Jacy was in treatment, Chase decided to go up to the roof of the hospital. The cool air and wind reminded him of when they shared their first kiss.He started crying and screaming,staring up at the dark clouds.He was screaming asking why her,why did she have to deal with this,why when she is pregnant.

After that treatment the doctors came and told her even worse news.She was given six months to live.Her face fell furtively as all the doctors and nurses stared at her.She yelled indignantly at the doctors to get out.She demanded to be left alone.She needed to think about the news that was just given to her.

That night Chase went to the Pawn shop and
traded all of his old baseball cards for a small dingy ring.When he went back to the hospital he took Jacy to the cafeteria and proposed in front of everyone. She grinned as she said yes.The ring was just what she would have wanted.As he put the ring on her everyone clapped and cheered for them.

Jacy’s mother insisted on paying for the two to get married on the beach so,next week Jacy and Chase were standing before friends and family.Hand in hand they read their vows.In her vows,Jacy read her bucket list.She had nine left and wanted to complete all of them.Number one was getting married.

Jacy and Chase wanted to work their way down the bucket list.From the smallest to the biggest.Number nine was going swimming at night.What seems easy was actually extremely difficult for Jacy.She had just gotten surgery and couldn't get her upper half wet.So Chase got the nurses to wrap her with waterproof bandages and got a floater for her to sit on.Chase wheeled Jacy over to the pool room and then lowered her into the floater.He dove in next to her.Then he spun her around smiling ear to ear.Chase danced in the water around her.

The next morning Jacy woke up with horrible news.She had contracted pneumonia which.With cancer,chemo,and pneumonia her body couldn’t work well enough to keep two living people alive,Jacy had a miscarige. Her and Chase were devastated.Jacy was fighting for not just her life,but for hers and a little human in her life who never got a chance at life.It was extremely hard for the two to cope with the loss of their unborn child but the doctors made it clear that Jacy’s health was the most important of all.There was no way Jacy could fight off both sicknesses. Her immune system was so
weak even allergies could kill her.Jacy only had one month to live and pneumonia was taking all that time away from her.

A week later Jacy thought that she was doing better.She had the strength to walk around.And in all was getting stronger,but little did anyone know, the cancer got stronger as well.Doctors grew to believe that Jacy was getting better.They told her that she was a “Medical Miracle”. She was on the news and in the papers telling her story and how she is overcoming cancer. Everyone thought that she was actually fighting off cancer.

Jacy and Chase went on a television show to tell their story together.They told the story on how Chase surprised her at her graduation and everything they have been through together.That day she promised Chase that she would never leave him.Everyone believed her.They thought she was going to survive.The two partied that night,knowing they loved each other and thinking everything was going to be okay.

That night Jacy passed away in her sleep.When she passed Chase was holding her in his arms.When Chase woke up to her monitors going off he hit the call button and started screaming savagely.He was very gesticulate as he screamed and cried,he waved his hands around pointing in all different directions. The nurses were clueless.Non of the monitors at the desk had gone off.No one had gone into her room and turned anything off. All of her monitors,IV’s, and medicines had been unplugged.The nurses were half asleep when they heard the call bell go off and Chase was screaming. When they got there Chase was pushed out of the room and forced to watch them call her time of death from behind her door.

Two days later they found a letter in Jacys drawer in read,

“Chase,

My love,I am so sorry to have to
say this to you.If you are reading thisii have passed away.I could feel the cancer growing.Everyday a new part of my body ached.I tried to fight it but its too strong.I love you so much,you were the best thing that ever happened to me.I want you to find someone who you can depend on forever.Please be happy love.And know I am always here for you standing right behind you.But when you find someone new,someone who you can spend the rest of your life with,I will step back and watch you from a distance.I will still be there for you I just won’t be your love anymore.Until next time.

         -Jacy.”

Chase remarried seven years later.Jacy kept her word and was always with him,just a few feet back.

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