Oscar writes his eighth letter after returning to the hospital. He is “paying the price for everything I did yesterday evening” with his exhaustion (73). He reflects on the hospital as his home and confirms, “I definitely don’t want to go away again” (73). Peggy comes to visit Oscar and they hold hands while listening to music from The Nutcracker.

Oscar’s letter is short because he’s feeling too tired to hold the pen. He asks God again to visit him before closing his letter.

Oscar’s ninth letter covers ages 70 to 80, a time of great thought as he reflects on a Christmas gift from Granny Rose: a Saharan flower that germinates, blooms, and dies within the span of just one day. Oscar waters it at seven o’clock in the morning and watches the plant live its life throughout the day.

Oscar’s parents are staying at Granny Rose’s home now because it’s closer to the hospital, and they come to visit Oscar. Peggy also visits and reads the Medical Dictionary with him. They look for words relevant to Oscar’s diagnosis, but words like life, death, faith, and God are not listed. Oscar interprets this to mean that none of these things are illnesses.