The Last Song Page #5

- Jeez, you guys are a mess!

- Thanks.

- What did he say?

- Come on!

- Oh, my God.

- Look at them.

- Beautiful.

- So cool.

- They're amazing.

- They're awesome!

- Why are you doing that?

- To help them get to the sea.

- I'm gonna get another light.

- OK.

- I want one.

- I can't believe that we saved them.

Daddy!

Call 911. Daddy!

I'm gonna need a rush on this.

Hey.

You should go home and change.

You'll scare the nurses.

What you said before... are you sure?

We'll make him as comfortable as we can,

but the cancer has spread to his lungs.

- How long?

- It's hard to know.

But we're not gonna quit, OK?

I want to tell you something.

When your father realized

how serious his condition was...

a couple months ago,

he asked that we cut back

on his medication.

Why?

Because he wanted to be here.

Really be here

with you and your brother.

That's what he said.

Well, this wasn't on the calendar.

- Ronnie...

- You lied to me, Dad.

- I didn't lie.

- Yes, you did, Dad.

You said you were fine.

You're not fine! That was a lie!

I hoped.

I didn't lie.

It's not the same thing.

- It's all right to be angry.

- Good.

Is this why you

brought me here this summer?

Is it? So you wouldn't

have to be alone while...

Why didn't you tell us?

It's not what

I wanted this time to be about.

- Well, it is now, Daddy!

- No, it's not.

It's just another...

...part of a terrific summer.

Not one of the better parts, I admit.

- Love you.

- Sweetie, I love you too.

Come here.

I love you, Daddy.

You want some cookies, bro?

Why won't anyone

tell me what's going on?

Jonah, I think Ronnie and your dad

will talk to you as soon as they can.

Why don't you tell me now?

Well, it's complicated.

Can I come and see him yet?

Yeah. He's waiting for you.

Come on.

He's never gonna

get to see him grow up.

Jonah!

- Dang it!

- What are you doing?

- I can't reach it!

- Get down from there!

- Get away!

- What happened to you?

- Just get away!

- Get down!

- Hey, hey!

- Get away!

- Hey, what's going on?

- Stay away! I can do it!

Me and Dad have been working

on this all summer!

Me and Dad. Not you.

All you cared about

was the stupid turtles...

and your stupid boyfriend!

I was with him every day!

And now... Dang it!

Now I can't reach things,

and I need to finish this

so Dad will get better!

- We'll help you.

- You don't know how!

Will you show us?

Yeah.

- That's good, right?

- Yeah.

What?

Ronnie, I need you to take me home.

OK.

We just have to stop here for a second.

We finished it.

Of course, I had to train an assistant,

but we did it.

You did good, Joe-boy. Really.

Please.

OK.

We were behind the church, sir.

We were just goofing around

and drinking... and stuff.

And then Marcus

and his guys showed up.

And that's when Will left.

And... then we started...

We started playing around with...

- Fire?

- Yeah.

We should have told you sooner, sir.

That's my fault.

Will wanted to tell the police

right away, and I begged him not to.

But we're gonna go

right after we're done here.

No, don't do that.

People think it was you, sir.

Yeah... they do.

They will. So what?

It's... It's fine. Really.

I don't want you to do that, OK?

This stays between us.

Thank you, sir.

- OK?

- Thank you.

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!

- Ronnie!

- You were there?

- I wanted to tell you.

- You saw what it did to him.

I know! I tried to get Scott to fess up.

Why didn't you say something?

It's not that simple.

It wasn't about me! Scott's a good guy.

I don't care, Will!

You knew how guilty my dad felt,

and you let him feel that way!

Just go off to that college that your

parents have picked out for you.

Go find some other girl that makes

you feel alive for five minutes!

- One that can stand to be near you.

- Stop.

Don't touch me. Will!

Don't touch me!

You're a coward, Will.

You're a coward, and you're a liar.

And I don't trust you.

I don't want you near me.

And I don't want you near my dad.

Go.

Go.

- I love you.

- I love you too.

I love you too.

Are you packed?

I'm not going with you, Mom.

I'm gonna stay here with Dad.

He's gonna get worse.

A lot worse.

And in a few weeks, he...

- I don't care.

- Honey.

Your dad doesn't want you guys

to see him like this.

All I did all summer was fight with him.

- I was so mean to him.

- No, no, baby.

I promise you,

it meant the world

to him to have you here.

Look, Mom. I'm gonna stay.

Hey, buddy. You OK?

Are you gonna say goodbye?

I really don't want to hear it.

Good, 'cause I'm not gonna say it.

I'm not gonna say goodbye,

because I'm not going anywhere.

OK?

Come here.

Every time a light shines

through that window we built...

or any window at all...

that's me, OK?

I'm not going away.

Dear Ronnie, I miss the hours

we spent together at the piano.

I miss being your teacher.

I know you see me as having left you,

but when your mother and I split up,

I was in a lot of pain.

I just needed to come home.

I regret moving away from you

and Jonah more than anything.

I hope you'll forgive me.

Your mom tells me you

completely failed your SATs,

but I know how smart you have to be

to get every single question wrong.

Congratulations, Ronnie.

I've told you before that none of what

happened between your mother and me...

had anything to do with you or Jonah.

Love is fragile, Ronnie.

And we're not always

its best caretakers.

We just muddle through

and do the best we can...

and hope this fragile thing survives,

against all odds.

He's probably started college by now.

Do you miss him?

What he did was wrong, Dad.

Yeah.

It was.

I can tell you this:

- He misses you.

- I doubt it.

You don't even know who you are, Ronnie.

Who am I?

You are the kindest, sweetest...

most beautiful daughter

in the whole world.

Thank you, but you're

kind of obligated to say that, Dad.

Yeah, it is in the handbook.

I don't have too many lectures

left on my timecard,

so I really want you to hear this, OK?

Someday, you are

gonna open your heart,

and you're gonna play again.

And it's not gonna be

to make your mother happy.

And it's not gonna be to make me happy.

It'll be for you.

Because... music and...

love...

they're gonna bring you joy.

Thank you.

How's that song coming, lazy bones?

Well, I'm not sure...

I can finish it.

My hands.

Do they hurt, Dad?

Yeah.

They do.

You OK?

I can't do it, Mom.

Look, you have a right to shut down.

Just, please, don't push me away.

It's what I do, Mom.

I push people away.

I pushed Will away too.

We're not perfect. Any of us.

We make mistakes, we screw up,

but then we forgive and we move forward.

Honey, at least

you have the courage to feel.

You feel everything so deeply.

You're your father's daughter.

OK.

Thank you all for coming.

A lot of you have known my dad

since he was a kid.

I wrote a speech.

A few, actually.

Me and my dad,

we had a different language.

A love that we always shared.

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