GAIN OR LOSS?(Grand Finale)

                                        
  Congregated in Larry's chamber were: Kate, his visibly shaken mother; Jude, his distressed father; Derek, his teary-eyed brother; Sammy, his puzzled buddy, and then there was Lucy. Lucy was his friend, his friend that often fantasised about a wedding to her crush of three years. Becoming Larry's bride had been the big dream of this svelte 18 year old, yea, a never confessed ambition. Now, the castle she had built in the air was crumbling before her very eyes. Her heart ached for a miracle to keep Larry from leaving.
         Sammy still felt as though he was daydreaming. Could this really be his Larry stuck here? The energetic, exuberant and basketball-playing Larry?
The last 17 years played out before Jude's eyes- the eyes of his mind: The cute and crying a day old Larry, his 10-month old 'papa', 9-year old Larry's zeal and love for Jesus. Larry loved the Lord, and Jude, his father had thought he was off his head. So, he tried to stop the frenzy, to extinguish his irrationally crazy love. Now, he remembered those Thursdays when 10 year old Larry begged for car rides to church for Kids' Bible Study. The whole family went to church on Sundays like everyone around but to Larry's parents, midweek services were for religious fanatics. So, he always turned down little Larry's request. But his boy, unwilling to accept defeat, would then walk all the way down to the James' bungalow and the fine christian man would drive his sons and him(Larry) to Grace City Church.
          Now, this same Jesus was the anchor his dying son held on to, was the reason his mind was sound, fearless and filled with love. The same Larry that was there trapped in a debilitated body claimed he often saw himself run energetically and towards a Man that had the most loving and cheery smile he had ever seen.
            Everyone in that fairly large room knew it was time for Larry to bade his last goodbye. Once again, he had that smile on his blessed face and as he drew closer towards eternity, his grin spread wider and his mouth opened up; he spoke, but the words were not heard. Perhaps he had said his final bye, or he had told them he loved them like he often did before his difficulties grew worse. All six of them, including his overtly disconsolate mother, watched him as his soul slipped into eternal rest, parasidiac peace and everlasting bliss.