This, the shortest chapter, is the saddest. I won't tell you about all the tears and heartache and anger that were experienced through all this. I'll just give you the short version to spare you from it. Some things are just too aweful to describe, and words aren't enough anyway.
But Garrett did as he promised. Later that Summer, he finally persuaded his parents, Lee and Ginger, to return to the Hilton and enter room 816. When they arrived, Sam was there, sitting in the corner, longing with his memories to see his parents again. But for some reason known only to God Sam could not see them. He could not hear them. Nor could they see or hear him. Sam felt the presence of good people as he often did, but it was nothing more to him than that. Apparently, the gift of hearing Sam was given only to Garrett and only when he was alone.
In the short time they were there, Garrett called out to his little brother many, many times. But Sam could not hear. All the while, Lee and Ginger cried over the loss of their son once again, and began to worry that their oldest son, Garrett, had lost his mind.
With deep sadness, they left the hotel and would not come back for 54 years. But as they left, Garrett called out into what seemed an empty room, "I'll come back, Sam. I'll come back."
And he did.
