She's a blessing in everyone's lives.

Joe sat nervously in the waiting room, a sleeping Jaidey on his knee. His wife, Selena, sat beside him, busying herself on her phone in any way she could. Both of them were terrified of what was about to happen. Soon enough, they would know what was to come of their daughter. Five and a half year old Jaidey had been diagnosed with Leukaemia earlier on in the year, and it was nearing July. The chemotherapy hadn’t worked, and so they were meeting with the doctor to discuss further treatments.

“Mr and Mrs Jonas.” Joe heard a nurse call out, and he stood up slowly, holding Jaidey in his arms, before helping Selena up. She was six months pregnant, and she was starting to tire easily. He put his hand on the small of her back as the two of them made their way into the office, following the nurse. Jaidey woke up briefly as Joe sat down on the chair, but she soon fell asleep once again. Selena sat down beside Joe, and put her phone in her bag before sighing. Dr. Mosley walked into the office, shutting the door behind him before taking a seat opposite the two parents.

“Joseph, Selena, we have some bad news.” He said, solemnly. His voice was relatively quiet, and Joe looked over at Selena before flashing her a reassuring smile.

“Yes?” Joe asked, looking down at Jaidey. She looked so peaceful as she slept, as if she hadn’t been through anything rough.

“We got her recent test results back a couple of days ago, and we’re so sorry, but her Leukaemia’s terminal.” Mr. Mosley said, his voice clear of emotion. Selena let out a sob, to which Joe took her into his arms in a tight hug. Jaidey was still asleep, and Joe couldn’t help but cry for her. She was only five, yet she wasn’t ever going to get to grow up.

“Are you sure?” Selena asked, looking up at him with tearful eyes. The doctor simply nodded, before handing out a piece of paper to them. Joe took it, and scanned his eyes over the words. And when he reached the end, he broke down himself. There, in red, was the word they now hated with a passion.



Terminal.

As they left the office, Joe kept his arm round his wife protectively. She was still crying slightly. A few of the other parents knew what was wrong, as they’d spoken with both Joe and Selena quite a few times. They offered their condolences, all saying they were going to pray for little Jaidey. They walked out to the car, and as Joe strapped Jaidey in, Selena got into the front slowly. Joe then got into the drivers seat, before leaning his hand against the headrest. He let out a deep sigh, before hugging his wife once again. They both let their tears out for a few minutes before Joe started up the car. They’d been given instructions from Joe’s parents to go to their house afterwards, to let them know. But no one would be expecting the news they were going to get.

Pulling up in the driveway, Joe squeezed Selena’s hand before getting out. Taking Jaidey into his arms, the two of them headed to the front door, before knocking. The door opened to reveal Denise stood there, a slight smile on her face. She saw their tear-stained eyes, and she almost instantly knew the news wasn’t good. Inviting them in, they went into the lounge, where Paul, Kevin, Nick and various other family members and friends were sat around, all talking between themselves. Joe put Jaidey down on a spare part of the couch, next to Kevin.

“What’s the news?” Nick asked, hopeful.

“It’s terminal.” Joe choked out, wiping his eyes. Everyone went quiet, and tears started to fall. A few people offered their sympathy, and Joe and Selena just nodded.


“I just can’t believe it.” Joe whispered, leaning his head on Selena’s, who was leaning on his shoulder.

“No one can.” Kevin whispered, stroking Jaidey’s head.



When they got back home, Joe put Selena's bag down near the door before kicking his shoes off. His wife did the same, before the two of them made their way into the lounge. Selena sat down on the couch, Jaidey beside her, and Joe knelt down between them.

“Jaidey, we have something to talk to you about.” Joe said, smiling weakly. Jaidey nodded, holding her mother's hand.

“You know your cancer?” Joe asked, to which Jaidey nodded again. “Well it’s terminal.”

Jaidey nodded before looking up at Selena.

“What does that mean?” she asked, confused. Joe took a deep breath as he tried to think of a decent way to tell his daughter she was going to die.

“It means you’re not going to live as long as everyone else.” Joe eventually said, and Jaidey just sat there.

“I’m not going to live as long as Madison?” she then asked, referring to her best friend. Selena nodded, hugging her daughter.

“No, sweetie.” Joe replied.

“So I’m special?” she asked, smiling. Joe couldn’t help but smile back as he nodded.

“You definitely are special.” He replied, hugging his daughter as she held her arms out for him.



A few weeks later, Joe found himself sat in the airport, waiting for the flight to the Bahamas. The whole family, along with various family friends, were flying out there for one last vacation for Jaidey. They were staying there for three weeks, and in the second week, they had a concert planned for Jaidey. All her favourite stars were going to be there, including Justin Bieber, Cher Lloyd and Big Time Rush.

“Daddy, we going to the Bahamas!” Jaidey smiled, clinging onto his hand as she jumped up and down in excitement. The Bahamas had always been Jaidey’s favourite place, ever since she first went there when she was seventeen months old.

“Yes, we are!” Joe smiled. Ever since they’d found out her Leukaemia was terminal; everyone had put on a brave face, as not to get Jaidey down. She’d taken the news well, and she had pride in the fact she was special, the fact she was different to all the other kids her age.

As they all boarded the plane, Joe couldn’t wait for the next three weeks. A few days after the first appointment, their doctor had informed them she had about nine months left. Joe and Selena had vowed to let Jaidey enjoy those months as best as she could.

“Daddy, wake me when we get there.” Jaidey said, yawning before closing her eyes and resting her head on Joe’s shoulder.


Arriving at the hotel they were going to be staying at, Atlantic, they all went to settle into their rooms. Altogether, they took up an entire floor of rooms. Jaidey ran into their room and jumped onto the bed, squealing in excitement.

“Daddy, where do I sleep?” she asked, smiling sweetly. Joe pointed to a smaller bed in the corner of the room, to which Jaidey ran over too. Selena was busy talking to Danielle, and they were both still talking downstairs. Joe handed Jaidey her suitcase.

“Unpack sweetie.” He told her. Jaidey did as he said, and as she tipped the contents of her suitcase into one of the drawers, Joe couldn’t help but laugh. Jaidey laughed along with him, before running and throwing her arms around his waist.

“I love you Daddy.” She whispered, looking up and smiling at him. Joe smiled back as he hugged her.

“I love you too Jaidey.”




As the holiday progressed, everyone was starting to get tired out. The first week wasn’t even over, yet almost everyone just wanted to sleep. They’d been swimming with dolphins, snorkelling, cliff-jumping, played various games on the beach, and spent a majority of the spare time swimming.

Jaidey was enjoying it a lot, and having family and friends around her made it extra special.

“Daddy, are we going swimming?” she asked Joe, clutching to his hand as he unlocked the door to the hotel room. Selena was still at the beach, sunbathing with Danielle and Paris, Greg’s fiancé.

“Yes, that’s why we came up here to get you changed.” Joe replied, lifting Jaidey into his arms. She was getting skinny, and he hated to see her like that.

“I wanna wear my blue costume!” Jaidey said, smiling as Joe took her swimming costume out of the bag that it’d been put in the previous day. Helping Jaidey to change into it, he then grabbed her hooded towel and put it over her. Packing a change of clothes into one of Selena’s totes, he then put the bag over his shoulder before picking his daughter up. Making their way back to the beach, Joe put Jaidey down and let her run over to Selena, who took her towel off. Jaidey then grabbed Joe’s hand, and after letting him put the bag down and take his shirt off, she dragged him down to the sea. Greg, the guys from Honor Society, John and Maya were also in the sea, and they were all soon involved in a game of piggy-in-the-middle, using a beach ball.

“Throw!” Jaidey called to Jason, who had the ball in his hands. He chucked it to Jaidey, who caught it with help from Michael. She laughed before throwing it back. Joe managed to miss the ball, and Jason grabbed it before he could. It carried on like that for a while, before Joe eventually got it, meaning Jason was in the middle.

Half an hour later, everyone trooped back up to the rest of the group for lunch, before heading back to the sea. This time, more people were there, so they started a game of tag. Jaidey had found a spot on Andrew’s shoulder, and the two of them were often it.

“Andwew, get daddy!” Jay called, pointing towards Joe. Andrew started running in his direction, and Jaidey tagged him. Laughing, Joe reached up and plucked Jaidey off of Andrew’s shoulders, before dunking her slightly in the water. Laughing, Jaidey fought gently, and Joe then hugged her before she went on his shoulders.

An hour before it was time for dinner, everyone headed back to the hotel to get washed and dressed. Jaidey was on Joe’s shoulders, her towel wrapped around her. Joe helped to get Jaidey washed as Selena relaxed. She was reaching eight months pregnant, and she was tired easily. Once Joe had dressed Jay, he showered himself before getting changed.

“Mommy, why did you eat the baby?” Jaidey asked, looking up at her mom.

“I was feeling hungry, and I might just have to eat you if your dad doesn’t hurry up.” Selena replied, smiling as she leant over and tickled her daughter. Jaidey let out an infectious laugh, before pushing her mother away, smiling.

“Are my girls ready to go eat?” Joe asked, standing in the doorway.

“Yes, Mommy said she’d eat me!” Jaidey called, running over to the door and out into the hallway. She spotted Greg heading towards the elevator, and she ran over to him as Joe and Sel shut the door.

“I can’t imagine a world with Jaidey in it.” Selena whispered, taking Joe’s hand in hers.

“Me neither.” Joe whispered, sighing before smiling over at Jaidey who was waving to get his attention from Greg’s shoulders. He waved back before they went in for dinner.




The rest of the holiday passed smoothly. During the second week, the concert was a hit. Thousands of fans came out for all the artists, and Jaidey got to meet all her favourite artists. She’d met Justin Bieber a few times before, but she still loved to see him. His younger sister, called Jazmyn, was there and both girls hit it off and were soon friends.

Arriving back home in LA, Jaidey was shattered from the holiday. They had done so many activities, and had plenty of photo’s to remember the trip with.

Selena had given birth, five days after getting home, to a beautiful little girl. They’d decided to name her Leah Jay Jonas. Jay after her older sister, Jaidey. She took to being a big sister quickly, and she loved to show Leah off whenever she could.

“You’re worse then your own Mom.” Joe chuckled, when Jaidey showed Leah off to the various parents at the hospital. Jaidey had to go to the hospital once monthly, so Dr. Mosley could keep an eye on her. Joe and Selena were dreading the time that Jaidey would be too weak to go anymore.

“Mommy, when I go, will you remember me?” Jaidey asked one time as they were sitting down to watch a movie with Nick. Selena nodded.

“Of course I will Jay, everyone will remember you.” Selena replied, hugging her daughter. Jaidey nodded, before settling down into the couch to watch the movie.

As the months went by, Jaidey grew weaker. And by the time five months had passed, she could no longer run around and be hyper like she could. Joe and Selena found it upsetting seeing their daughter just sit around, not wanting to get up and run like she used to. No longer did they hear her laugh fill the room, and float through the house.

Leah was now four months old, and Joe could tell she was going to be a mini-Jaidey. And whether that would be a good thing, they’d find out. Joe found it hardest coming to terms with the fact his little girl was dying, that soon she wouldn’t be around anymore. He often cried himself to sleep on the couch, just wanting all the worry, and all the pain to go away. He cried for Jaidey, wishing she could be healthy. A normal child.

Then, one November night, a few weeks after Jaidey’s birthday, Joe and Selena’s fears started to become a reality. Jaidey was rushed to hospital quite late at night, with breathing difficulties.

“Mr and Mrs Jonas?” Joe heard the doctor say, and he looked up to see Mr. Mosley stood there. He nodded.

“Yes?” he asked. It reminded him of the time they found out the cancer was terminal.

“It pains me to say this, but it seems unlikely Jaidey’s going to survive the night.” He whispered, patting Joe on the back. Joe nodded.

“Thank you for looking after Jaidey as best as you could.” Joe whispered through the tears that were falling. Dr. Mosley nodded.

“It’s okay, I truly loved Jaidey.” He said. “She’s a blessing in everyone’s lives.”

“She truly is.” Joe smiled weakly, before turning back to Jaidey, who was sleeping.

A few hours later, she was awake. Joe and Selena knew it wasn’t going to be long, and although it pained them to think about it, they had to prepare themselves.

“Daddy, am I dying?” His little girl asked, her voice scratchy and hoarse. Joe felt the tears start to flow and Jaidey reached out and wiped them away lovingly.

“It’s okay Daddy, I know I am.” Jaidey whispered, smiling as best as she could. Joe had to smile back. His daughter was the only one who could smile at the time; it was just so like her.

“Daddy, I’ll be okay.” Jaidey continued. “Gramma’s going to look after me, I know she is.”

“She will.” Joe smiled.

“Daddy, I’m sad.” Jaidey then said, looking up at Joe with big eyes.

“Why sweetie?” Joe asked, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

“Leah won’t know I’m her sister.” She whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek. Joe’s heart swelled up at that comment. Instead of worrying about dying, she was concerned that her sister wasn’t going to know her.

“Leah will certainly know you’re her sister, me and Mommy will make sure of that.” Joe reassured her. “Everyone will.”

“I’m going to watch her from heaven, and you and Mommy and everyone.” Jaidey said, spacing out for a few minutes. Joe smiled.

“I’m tired.” She then whispered, and Joe nodded slowly. He knew there was a chance she’d never wake up.

“I’ll always love you baby girl, and you’ll always have a place in my heart.” He said, almost breaking down. Keeping the tears back, he hugged her tightly.

“I’ll miss you too Daddy, and I love you too.” Jaidey smiled, kissing Joe’s nose as she always did.

“Jay Jay.. I’ll always love you too, lots.” Selena then said. “You’ll always be my baby girl.”

“Mommy, love you lots too.” Jaidey smiled. “I will always love you, and Daddy, and Leah.”

Selena nodded before they both shared a kiss, and a hug.

“Daddy, can I record a message for Leah?” Jaidey then asked, looking up at Joe, who nodded. Pulling out his camera, he set it to record and pointed it to Jaidey. She recorded a message, letting Leah know her big sister would always be watching over her, and she’ll love her forever.

“Daddy, can I go to sleep now?” Jaidey asked, fighting to keep her eyes open. Joe took a deep breath before nodding. Both him and Selena got onto the bed either side of Jaidey and as she closed her eyes, they did too.

“I love you so much Jaidey Amelia Jonas.” Joe whispered. “You’re a blessing in our lives, one small, amazing blessing.”

With that, all three of them fell asleep. Joe woke up with a start not long later, and he instantly looked at Jaidey. She was awake, slightly, looking around nervously.

“Jay, what’s wrong?” he asked, worried that she was in pain.

“I wanted to say, to say I’ll miss you.” She whispered, and Joe sobbed before putting his arms around her. He let his wall down as he held his six year old daughter as she took her last breath. As her body lay still, and the monitors started to beep, he broke down. He knew right then that he wouldn’t be the same again. Part of him had left with Jaidey. The part of his heart she owned went up to heaven with her.

“She’s gone, isn’t she?” he heard Selena’s voice whisper, and he could only nod. Selena broke down along with Joe, and when the nurses came to switch the machine off, the sight of two, broken parents greeted her.



After the funeral, Joe, Selena and Leah moved into a house closer to Joe’s parents. Both of them couldn’t cope with being in the same house that Jaidey had once been so happy in. The ghostly memories of her running through the house filled them both with sadness.

A year later, on what would have been Jaidey’s birthday, they threw a memorial concert for her. Like the one they’d had in the Bahamas, all her favourite artists came out to pay tribute to the little girl who had lost her battle with Leukaemia. Before the concert started, Joe went out, with the support of Nick and Kevin, and said a small speech, whilst a slideshow of pictures and videos of Jaidey played on the screen behind them.

“Jaidey Amelia Jonas was a wonderful little girl.” He started, clutching the piece of paper with shaking hands.

“She was my first born, and she held a special place in my heart.”

“You hear these stories of fathers watching their first born grow up, and how it pained them to give them up at their weddings. For me, I’d kill to get the chance to do that.”

“I won’t get to see Jaidey start school, I won’t get to see her fall in love and get married. I won’t be able to watch her guide Leah in the right directions as she grows up. I won’t get to see her travel the world, and learn so many things.”

“Jaidey was a beautiful soul, and her smile could light up a room instantly. She was so full of energy, it was almost impossible to keep up with her.”

“I’d do anything for the chance to hug her one more time, to hear her laughter float through the house, to smell the faint baby smell she still had.”

“But I know that can never happen, and I just have to accept it. But Jaidey, you’ll always be missed by everyone, there’s no doubt in that.”

As he finished the speech, he walked off crying whilst Nick sat at the piano and performed A Little Bit Longer, one of Jaidey’s favourite songs. He fought to stop the tears from falling, but as the song reached the end, and the slideshow played Jaidey’s message to Leah, he lost it. The tears flowed down as he pressed the last notes. Standing up, he took a bow before wiping the tears away and walking off the stage.

The rest of the concert went by smoothly, and they managed to raise money to help kids with Leukaemia.



The years had passed since Jaidey’s death, and the pain was still eating at Joe and Selena. Leah was now four, and everyday her parents told her stories about Jaidey. Her favourite video was the one Jaidey made for her, and her favourite stuffed toy was Jaidey’s favourite; a blue stuffed elephant.

Every year, both on Jaidey’s birthday, and on the anniversary of her death, the whole family, along with their friends, went to Jaidey’s grave to lay down flowers, and to just remember her. Joe felt at peace there, as he could feel her spirit running around. He felt close to Jaidey.

And as the years continued to pass, no one forgot Jaidey. The effect she had on the people who met her stayed with them. One thing was certain; Jaidey Amelia Jonas really was a blessing.