Letter for Erick
.by Jessica LaChance on Tuesday, October 19, 2010 at 8:03pm.

In June 2007 I met a 20 yr old vivacious young woman named Jessica LaChance. She was a Soldier and she was pregnant.

From the moment Jess found out she was pregnant, she was happy. She was prepared for the challenge of being a single parent and doing her Duty to her Country.

Jacob Alexander LaChance came into our lives at 5:53 am on December 25th, 2007. A Christmas baby. For Jess, it was the greatest day of her life. From the very moment Jacob was born, he was a very alert baby. The first picture of Jess and Jacob together, his eyes are wide open and he's looking into his mother's eyes. In that brief moment, you could feel the love she had for what we called our little man-man.

Jacob was an extremely happy baby from day one. He always had a smile for everyone. When I would take him to see Jess at work, he always drew a crowd. Everyone fell in love with him at first sight. He brought joy to Jess and her family. You see, out of 9 grandchildren, he was the first and only grandson born into her family.

Jess was a great mother. She ALWAYS put Jacob and his needs first. No matter if I kept him or he went to daycare and I picked him up, she always came straight to my house after work to be with him. When she had to go to the field for training, she would IM me when she had free time so I could turn on the webcam so she could talk to him. His face would just light up when he saw her on the screen.

Wednesday November 5th, 2008 was the worst day of our lives. That was the day I had to take my godson to the emergency room. Jess called me as I was parking, asking me what was going on. I could hear the worry and fear in her voice. Scared, because she didn't know what was wrong with her child. Her precious gift. I had no answers.

Jess stayed at the hospital with Jacob. She never left his side. She read to him, talked to him. Always touching him, letting him know she was there. His room was always full of the people whose lives he had touched. When she couldn't read anymore, someone would take over. She never lost hope. Hope that he would recover. Hope that she could take him home and watch him grow up.

But on November 8th, Jacob lost the greatest fight of his short life. The fight for his life. Jacob was just over 10 months old. He had just started standing on his own. Taking his first tentative steps. Jacob's mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and we, his godparents will never get to see all of his firsts. His first day of school. His first date. His first of many girlfriends. His first school dance. We'll never see him graduate High School. Go to college. Get married. Jess won't get to see his first child, her grandchild. All of that was taken from her.

Nothing has seemed to go right for Jess since Jacob's death. Jess was Medically Retired from the Army, because her Command decided that she was no longer fit for Duty. She would sit in her office at work and just cry. Knowing that she didn't have Jacob to go home to at the end of the day. Restless nights, where she would not be able to sleep. I know, because I would sit online and talk to her. For Jess, every day is a struggle to get out of bed and face people. She had to move back home and try to start her life all over again as a civilian. Learn how to keep her emotions at bay when she was and is around children. Because she misses her precious little boy. From the time she gets up, until she goes to sleep, she thinks about him and what could have been and will never be.

Erick, do you remember what you said, sitting on my front porch, in June 2007 when you brought Jess to my house and numerous times, in my livingroom after Jacob was born??????????? You said you would never hurt her and take him away from her.