Chapter 22

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It took quite some time before they were eventually discharged from hospital and the wedding plans? you may ask what happened to them?.  Well of course changes had to be made.  The date of the wedding did not change as Jane and Stuart were married in hospital and their wedding was blessed at church as soon as they were able to do so.

Jane gave birth to a perfectly normal healthy little girl and of course everyone was delighted she had so many redeeming features, but the one that everyone commented on were her eyes.  She had Michael’s eyes the deepest blue that no one had ever seen before.  Her name? Well this took some considerable time to decide, so many to choose from but they finally decided Julie after a suggestion from Stu’s Mom.

It was now the day of the christening and the god parents? no contest just two Michael and Hayley.  The day of the christening was a perfect day, the weather was good not too hot so many of the christening party spent most of their time outside.  The party finally wound down until there were just Stuart, Jane, Michael, Hayley, both Moms and of course Julie who was busy gurgling away in the background.  They had all sat down to relax after a hectic but very happy day.  It was Stu’s Mom who broke the initial silence “ who would have thought it possible that we would be doing this a year or so ago”  "No one" said Hayley "it hardly seems possible, those events that happened just don’t appear to be real any more."

"THEY WERE REAL ENOUGH" said a voice which they recognised immediately.  "Where are you? can you show yourself to us again?" asked Hayley.  "YES, BUT THIS WILL BE THE FINAL TIME" James appeared next to Hayley.  "What happened to you after we rescued Stu" said Michael "I was expecting you to help us further it took all of our strength to bring them back fully".  "I KNOW AND YOU CURSED ME FOR IT" replied James "BUT IT WAS NONE OF MY DOING I WAS WRENCHED AWAY AND TOLD NOT TO INTERFERE FURTHER, I HAD NO CHOICE".  "For a strange being if I can call you that, you don’t seem to have too much control over what you can do, it just seems as though you can never finish something you start" said Michael.  "IT WAS MY PUNISHMENT" "your punishment?" "YES YOU SEE I WAS NO GOOD IN LIFE AND I WAS GIVEN TASKS SUCH AS THESE TO HELP PEOPLE IN URGENT NEED BUT NEVER TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED OR SEE THE RESULT OF MY ACTIONS SO I NEVER KNEW IF I HAD SUCCEEDED.  I WAS GIVEN THIS FINAL CHANCE TO REDEEM MYSELF". "What had you done?" asked Hayley.  "MY PUNISHMENT WAS TOO SEE THE RESULTS OF MY LIVING YEARS, YOU SEE I DID NOT CARE ABOUT MY ACTIONS WHEN I WAS ALIVE, I DRIFTED FROM PARTNER TO PARTNER NOT CARING, I HAD NO PURPOSE AND NO COMMITMENT." "It wasn’t completely like that James was it" said Stu’s Mom, "NO MY SWEET IT WASN’T".  "What do you mean" said Stuart.  Stu’s Mom continued "you see Stuart, James is your father."  "What!! he can’t be can he?" Stu’s Mom continued "James was a no good, but I loved him and he was changing into the loving person I knew he was and other people could see this as well.  It was when I became pregnant with you Stuart that his commitment disappeared and he went back to his usual ways and became depressed until he took his life."  "I JUST COULDN’T HANDLE IT, IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR ME, BUT MY LAST THOUGHTS WERE FOR YOUR MOM AND MY UNBORN CHILD SO THIS WAS TO BE MY PUNISHMENT UNTIL I COULD FINALLY SHOW COMMITMENT AND REMORSE FOR MY ACTIONS."  "That’s why you kept disappearing from me when I needed you to help me" said Michael. " YES I’M SORRY MICHAEL AS MUCH AS I WANTED TO HELP YOU IN THOSE EARLY DAYS I COULDN’T."

"I WAS GRATEFUL TO SEE THAT MY SON HAD SUCH A GOOD AND LOYAL FRIEND AS YOU AND I COULDN’T LET STUART BE WITHOUT YOU, HE WITH HELP FROM ME PULLED YOU BACK" "and the gift?" asked Michael "YES THAT WAS REAL, IT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT I COULD GIVE TO STUART, THE GIFT OF LIFE SHOULD HE EVER NEEDED IT AND AS YOU ALL KNOW NOW IT BECAME COMPLICATED.  I KNEW THERE WAS ONLY ONE LIFE IT COULD SAVE AND THAT’S WHY YOU HATED ME AT THE TIME MICHAEL."  "I understand that now" said Michael "I just couldn’t comprehend at the time that you would let Jane and Julie perish, the ones he loved so much, what happened?"

"IT WAS THE BOND OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILIES.  I COULD SEE THE TURMOIL THAT I WAS CREATING AND THAT WAS HURTING ME AS WELL, I COULD’T LET THIS HAPPEN AND MANAGED TO BREAK FREE FROM MY CONSTRAINTS, I WAS COMMITTED THEN TO HELP YOU ALL.  YOU SEE MICHAEL YOU SAVED JANE YOURSELF WITH ONLY A LITTLE HELP FROM ME, WHICH THEN MEANT YOU COULD USE THE GIFT THAT I HAD GIVEN TO YOU TO SAVE STUART AND EVEN THEN IT WAS ALMOST TOO LATE.  IF IT HADN’T BEEN FOR THE STRONG BOND THAT YOU ALL HAD AND YOUR FINAL BELIEF IN ME WE WOULD HAVE LOST HIM.  ONCE YOU HAD STUART I WAS PULLED AWAY FROM YOU AND KNEW I WOULD BE BANISHED FOR EVER."  "You are here now what happened?" Hayley asked.  "I WAS BANISHED AND PLACED IN DARKNESS NO CONTACT WITH ANYTHING OR ANY ONE FOR WHAT SEEMED AN ETERNITY.  I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO THINK ABOUT THE ACTIONS THAT I TOOK THAT DAY AND CONCLUDED IN MY MIND THAT IF THAT SITUATION WERE EVER TO BE REPEATED I WOULD HAVE DONE EXACTLY THE SAME.  I WAS RELEASED FROM MY PRISON OF DARKNESS AND TOLD THAT I HAD FINALLY SHOWN MYSELF TO BE TRUE AND NO LONGER THE WORTHLESS PERSON I HAD BEEN."  "Why are you here now?" asked Michael "we aren’t in any peril are we?"

"THIS WAS MY REQUEST TO SEE THE ONE I LOVED AND HAD BELIEF IN ME" James was looking at Stu’s Mom "AND TO SEE MY SON, WIFE HIS LOYAL FRIENDS AND ESPECIALLY MY GRANDCHILD.  THESE THINGS I NEVER ENVISAGED IN LIFE AND I AM TRULY GRATEFUL TO SEE THEM NOW.  I HAVE LEARNED MY LESSON THE HARD WAY AND TRULY REGRET MY PAST BUT NOW I FEEL COMPLETE."  "That is so good to hear" said Stu’s Mom "you know I loved you and it broke my heart when you took your life."  "FOR THAT I AM TRULY SORRY I DID NOT MEAN TO HARM YOU, BUT THE MAN YOU MARRIED GAVE STUART HIS LOVE AS IF IT WERE MINE AND FOR THAT I HAVE THANKED HIM AND YOU WILL BE REUNITED WITH HIM WHEN AND ONLY WHEN ITS YOUR TIME."

"FOR ME MY TIME IS OVER HERE AND HAVE BEEN PLEASED TO BE REUNITED WITH YOU ALL AND I HAVE TO GO."  "Will we ever see you again?" said Michael.  "IT IS POSSIBLE BUT UNLIKELY FOR I HAVE OTHER TASKS THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO ME, I AM NOW A MESSENGER BUT I WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU, NOT LIKE I HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST BUT ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU."  "If we need you?" asked Jane.  "YOU WILL NOT NEED ME BUT I WILL ALWAYS BE IN YOUR MINDS NOW AND FOREVER."

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