Sentence 1: Jake helped his girlfriend deal with her dying mother. 
 Sentence 3: Through the long periods, Jake grew close to them 
 Sentence 4:  Her mother ended up passing away after several months 
 Sentence 5:  Jake and his girlfriend's relationship grew much stronger as a result 
 Option 1: They frequently took trips to be by her mother's side. 
 Option 2: Her mother had an operation, and it cured her disease.