Page 44 of The Wish

On the other side of the curtain Kelly approaches Amy, Ryan, Luke and their parents, her finger held to her mouth indicating that they are to remain silent.

Shown to their dressing rooms, they are asked to wait until someone comes to get them and explains what they are to do.

The parents will be shown where to stand off-camera to watch the filming.

Jesse and her family are asked to change into other casual clothes.

Next, they are going to be filmed visiting Jesse in hospital.

Back on set they see the video of the room Jesse and Amy shared at the hospital.

They are asked to walk over to Jesse’s pinboard and look at the photos.

With the cameras rolling they look at the photos and cry out in surprise when one of Sam’s drawings flies off the screen and around him.

They don’t hear the others enter the set, and the shock is obvious when Amy runs to join them.

‘Hey, girl, hi, Sammy, Mr and Mrs Morgan.’

Jesse squeals with delight as she and Amy embrace and dance on the spot. Their room continues to revolve around them, transporting them back to the hospital. Sam, Mandy and Dean hug Amy and they all talk at once. The noise levels increase as Ryan and Luke walk onto the set.

‘You two having a party without us?’ Ryan jokes.

The four friends embrace and chatter. The boys greet Sam, Mandy and Dean before the three of them walk off the set and watch from behind the cameras the beauty of friendships forged from the most difficult of shared experiences.

As scenes are shot, reshot, played out in different ways, the parents stand together supporting each other, wiping each other’s tears, hugging and wordlessly acknowledging the pain they all know so well. Sam has been taken to sit with Steve and see what the camera is capturing.

With the hospital scenes shot, Alex asks Amy and the boys to join their parents: they want Jesse and her family to change one last time for another family picnic scene at the park.

While they are changing, picnic food, drinks and utensils are placed on a large red and white check tablecloth on the floor of the rotunda.

The family come back and once again walk through the park to the rotunda and sit around the food.

Jesse nibbles on a sandwich, before asking if she can be excused, she wants to go to the bathroom.

Kelly walks off with her and Alex explains he is keeping the cameras rolling as it would be perfectly natural for one of them to leave the picnic and return.

Sam, Mandy and Dean are laughing, popping food into each other’s mouths, relaxed. Mandy and Dean have their backs to where Jesse will re-enter the scene. Sam sees her first.

‘Jesse, you look beautiful,’ he breathes.

Mandy and Dean turn around to see Jesse walking towards them dressed in a long, soft cotton dress, gathered gently around her neck, pinched into her petite waist, delicate spring flowers dotted over it.

A dress in the style of the sixties – it suits her perfectly.

Kelly has chosen well. A shoulder-length wig, the colour of her natural dark hair, with soft curls, frames her face, in her hand she carries the small posy of daisies.

Mandy collapses sobbing into Dean, who gasps for air. Jesse sits beside her mother who can’t speak.

‘I heard you whisper to Dad one day that this would be a lovely place for a wedding. I can’t give you a wedding, but will this do?’

The sobbing and whispers of amazement of the parents, crew, Amy, Ryan and Luke are picked up by the microphones, but Alex doesn’t care.

He pans a camera around to capture everyone in the room witnessing a moment that they know will never really happen.

Amy runs into the scene and joins the family, and the crew look to Alex for direction.

Amy wasn’t meant to be in the family scenes at the park.

He indicates to keep rolling, then motions for the others including the parents and any crew not operational to join the family in the rotunda.

It takes some time for everyone gathered in the rotunda to calm down enough for Alex to join them.

He has one more scene to film. He asks that everyone except Jesse, Mandy, Dean and Sam leave the rotunda, telling them Steve will now direct them in how the final scene is to be shot.

As Steve starts talking, no one notices Alex disappear.

With Steve behind the console directing the cameras, he calls action.

Jesse and her family follow the directions he gave and slowly walk from the rotunda towards the middle of the stage.

Behind them videos of the park play out, placing them in the scene, in the park.

Several people are seen walking and running past them, many of whom have dogs running around them.

Alex comes onto the stage from the far side and places a small puppy, a golden retriever – a miniature Max – on the floor and pushes the pup gently towards the family.

Mandy, who is in on the surprise, sees the puppy first and takes out a packet of doggy treats.

It is enough to get the puppy to run towards them.

‘Sammy, turn around,’ Mandy says softly. Jesse, Dean and Sam all turn as the puppy bounds towards them. Jesse grabs Dean’s arm as Mandy places a treat on the ground and steps back with Dean and Jesse, leaving Sam standing frozen, as the puppy gobbles up the treat and comes to him.

‘Somebody’s lost their dog,’ Sam says, bending down to pat and play with the puppy.

‘I wonder who he belongs to?’ Mandy says as she kneels beside her son and the puppy.

Twisting the collar around she reads the small disc on the collar. ‘It says, “I belong to Sam Morgan.”’

Sam looks at his mother. ‘No, it doesn’t. Does it, Mummy? Is he really mine?’

‘No, my darling, he is not yours, she is, she’s a girl.’

Jesse and Dean kneel with them as Sam clutches the puppy to his chest sobbing uncontrollably.

‘How did you do this?’ Dean whispers to Mandy.

‘It was Alex’s idea, he got her for Sam, I just agreed, I hope you don’t mind.’

Dean hugs Mandy tightly and they topple over and now sit on the floor with Sam and the puppy, who jumps all over them, licking faces, barking with his small puppy voice.

‘I love you with all my heart,’ Dean whispers to his wife.

Jesse has remained standing, watching her family make a fuss over the new puppy.

Her heart breaks with joy at the sight of her little brother with a puppy; hearing the words her father whispered to her mother.

She looks at the faces of the crew, Kelly, Amy, Ryan and Luke and their parents, all of whom are crying and hugging each other.

Finally, her eyes rest on Alex, standing to the side wearing the biggest smile she has ever seen on his face.

With her last ounce of energy, she hurries to him, falling into his arms, exhausted, overwhelmed, grateful beyond words for what he has given her. It is her turn to sob with joy.

Kelly clings to Steve watching Alex and Jesse. He has stopped filming and allows himself to be caught up in the emotion of the day.

‘She isn’t looking good, Kelly, is she OK?’ Steve asks.

‘Yes, and no, it’s been a huge day for her, I think it might be time for her to go home.’

Dean looks up and sees Alex holding his daughter. He hurries over to Alex, who places Jesse in her father’s arms, where she belongs.

Dean holds his daughter close.

‘I think it’s time we took you home, honey.’

‘I think so too, Daddy, I’m so tired.’

‘I’ll get your wheelchair,’ Alex says.

Kelly has beaten him to it and pushes it over to Dean, who places Jesse in the chair as Mandy and Sam – clutching the puppy close to his chest – join them. Sam places the puppy on Jesse’s lap. It licks her face several times before settling down and falling asleep.

Amy, Ryan and Luke join them and gush over the puppy. Dean takes the opportunity to turn back to Alex.

‘What can I say to you? There are no words. Thank you doesn’t seem enough but I do thank you.

For today, for all the yesterdays you spent with Jesse when I was too blind to see what she needed, what she wanted.

I thank you and I apologise, from the bottom of my heart.

You are one in a million. And as for the puppy, I should have made it happen, it took you to do it, for you to do a lot of things I should have done .

. . thank you, Alex. I hope you can forgive me. ’

Alex can only nod; he doesn’t trust his voice.

He is surprised when Dean pulls him into a long, hard hug.

Alex stands motionless, arms by his side.

But Dean isn’t letting go any time soon and, finally, Alex feels himself give in to the warmth and affection being offered to him.

Gradually, he relaxes and finds himself hugging Dean back.

Kelly and Mandy look on, clinging to each other, laughing and crying.

As everyone chats, praising Jesse for what she has done in bringing them all together, Alex notices for the first time Sarah, Phil and Charlie standing on the far side of the stage in the shadows.

He beckons them over. Sarah is struggling to keep it together, and it becomes obvious that Phil and Charlie have been greatly affected by what they have witnessed too: both men have red watery eyes and clear their throats several times.

Jesse sees Sarah, Phil and Charlie standing near Alex. Mandy takes the puppy from her lap, handing him to Sam, then wheels the chair over to them. Jesse struggles to stand up. Charlie gently pushes her back down.

‘I have to thank you properly and I should do that standing up,’ she says choking on her words.

‘No, Jesse, please stay sitting, it is us who want to thank you. We can’t tell you how much it meant to us to be part of your wish; it is our privilege so, thank you,’ Charlie says.

Sarah bends down and hugs Jesse, still crying. Phil gently pulls her away.

‘My turn,’ he says as he envelops Jesse. Charlie waits his turn and is rewarded with a kiss on his cheek. Dean joins them, both parents shaking the team’s hands and hugging them; they thank the unlikely trio for their part in making Jesse’s wish.

‘Frank, Ian, come and join us,’ Alex calls out.

The two men saunter uncomfortably over, both clearly overcome by what they have witnessed as well. Hands are vigorously shaken by the men; Mandy insists on a hug, as does Jesse.

The puppy lets out a bark.

‘I think she might need a trip outside,’ Alex says, ‘I’ll take her.’

‘I’m sorry to be the one to say we need to leave, but I think we need to get Jesse home for a rest,’ Mandy says.

It still takes a while for everyone to say goodbye to the Morgan family.

Kelly tells them to go home, she will gather up their things in the dressing rooms and bring them over.

Slowly everyone makes their way out of the studio.

Phil, Sarah and Charlie remain behind to see from the technical side what they have filmed.

Alex helps Kelly gather up the Morgans’ things and take them to her car.

‘Mandy has asked me to stay and chat with them when I get there, are you coming over? I’m sure they would love to have you there.’

‘No, I can’t, I have an appointment,’ Alex tells her.

‘More important than being with Jesse and her family?’ Kelly asks, surprised and more than a tiny bit put out.

‘Yeah, I’m afraid so. I’ll call you,’ Alex replies, not meeting her eye as he holds the car door open for her to get in.

Surprised and upset by his response, at the end of such an amazing day, and with so little time left, Kelly gets in her car and drives off.