In a montage, Samantha lies in an open field with a brace on her leg. Meanwhile, Kelley sits in his mother's greenhouse and finds three yellow roses behind many dead plants.

Later, Jasper visits Samantha and asks if she's hanging in there. Samantha smirks and replies, "Hanging would definitely describe it."

At Mable's Table's grand opening, Mrs. Cavanaugh announces that the Lovers Wall is ready for use. Just then, Kelley arrives and carries Samantha into Mable's Table, before carving "Kelley Loves Sam" in the wall. Jasper stands by while they kiss.

Several months later, Kelley recites "Birches" at Samantha's funeral. Credits. (Really.)

As Here On Earth gears up for its dramatic conclusion, the film seems to realize that the audience needs to reach an emotional level beyond the reach of its screenplay, and turns to Tori Amos for a boost of melodrama; as she sings her hit song "1,000 Oceans," we reflect that at least someone around here is crying about this teenage girl's imminent death. In contrast, Kelley has taken this time to kick back in his mother's greenhouse, suggesting one of two possibilities:

1. Kelley is pondering his mother's suicide, and how it impacts his feelings about Samantha's illness
2. Kelley is hiding from his dad, who is pissed off that Kelley is back home without completing his probation AGAIN

And so it is once again up to Jasper to visit Samantha and make the most of what little time they have left together. Jasper's inquiry regarding Samantha's condition producesstifled giggles from both parties, leading us to wonder if Samantha's response that "hanging would definitely describe it" refers to Kelley's disappearance leaving her hanging; in this case, it is frankly miraculous that Samantha's sense of humor remains untouched by cancer, since being abandoned by the love of your life when you have a few weeks to live might never be funny to some people.

As the entire town of Putnam gathers for the grand opening of Mable's Table, it is worth noting that no one is actually inside Mable's Table, but dining at a large collection of picnic tables outside. With their only restaurant in ashes for the last several months, the locals have presumably grown accustomed to eating outdoors. Thus, Mrs. Cavanaugh's proclamation about the new Lovers Wall seems like a clever ploy to get the crowd back, and sure enough, it is so effective as to immediately conjure Kelley along with three roses representing his dead mother.

Kelley's attendance is a joyous event for Samantha, who doesn't even let him apologize, perhaps sensing that an exchange of confessions would not end in her favor. It is possible that one symptom of Samantha's illness is significant memory loss, considering her lack of distress regarding Kelley's total absence as she came to terms with her imminent death. Indeed, Samantha has progressed to the point of casual acceptance regarding her predicament, especially as she interacts with her sister. Of course, considering Jen's own disappearance for a significant portion of the film, it is possible that she's been out of town and still doesn't know there is anything wrong with Samantha's knee and/or liver.

Nevertheless, while Kelley has taken weeks to get over his issues and be there for Samantha, Jasper can always be counted on to place her happiness before his own, and valiantly smiles to let Samantha know it's all right to leave his side for Kelley's. Jasper even musters the strength of character to nod at Kelley, who in turn completely ignores him. This can only be taken as heart-swelling proof that Kelley and Samantha's love is all that matters, and the reunited couple barely registers their great fortune that everyone in town refrains from throwing food at Kelley for crashing yet another celebration .

As Kelley lifts Samantha and carries her into Mable's Table, she happily clutches the three roses; to her, these beautiful flowers are a delightful token of romantic love. In fact, their symbolism is the key to understanding this scene, as they directly represent the sudden and unexpected death of his mother. With the realization that, thanks to osteosarcoma, even the grandest gesture isn't much of a commitment at this point, Kelley is free to be there for Samantha without jeopardizing his career at Princeton.

For its very last scene, Here On Earth jumps forward to Samantha's funeral that autumn, possibly skipping another vanishing act as Kelley waffles on his undying love yet again. In any case, Kelley's soulful gaze as he recites Robert Frost poetry to a church full of Samantha's loved ones demonstrates once and for all that Samantha's death is his loss more than any of theirs. Indeed, outside of Jasper's miserable hunched posture and bowl-cut, a survey of faces in the audience reveals a conspicuous dearth of visible sadness or tears; this may be due to the fact that Samantha is totally dead and Putnam still can't get rid of Kelley. It appears that Samantha, glimpsed bounding through heaven just before the credits roll, is the only winner here.