Ghost of You

Epilogue

-Kennedy-

"Luke!" I squealed as an unexpected pair of arms wrapped around my waist and strands of golden hair tickled my cheek.

"It's a celebration hug!" He responded laughing because no matter how long we were together he was always able to scare me with his affectionate surprise attacks.

"Well in that case," I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck. I melted into his warm torso. "It feels good to be home."

Four and a half months flew by incredibly fast, yet I had made some of my most dear memories on that trip. After such a rocky period in our relationship we decided to live out all of our days because time is a gift. You never truly know when the person you love will be taken away from you, and we had both experienced that first hand. Of course Luke was busy playing shows almost every night and I was running around with my camera everywhere to catch the best angles of the boys and editing pictures on my laptop, but when we did have free time we spent it exploring.

We went to a tea house in Japan, we met up with his family in Australia, we took long walks on the beach in Orlando, we hiked in the forest just outside of Seattle, we strolled through Kensington Garden in London, we floated down the canals in Amsterdam, we kissed at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, it was an absolute dream. While all the things we saw and did were great, I found that the real reason I was so happy was that I was with Luke. We could've stayed in the hotel and watched movies all day and I would've been happy just as long as he was by my side.

Of course the perfect bubble I was living in had to burst at some point. It was in Milan that I got the call. It was my lawyer contacting me regarding the Will. After months free of that name, hearing it sent chills down my spine. I was finally happy, but the call reminded me of the lingering presence that would always be a part of my life. Will had been admitted to a psychiatric care facility, where he was a part of a treatment program that was helping him cope with what they discovered to be Borderline Personality Disorder as well as his alcohol addiction.

My lawyer had called to see if I would accept a proposition made by Will. When I first heard it, I wanted to say no immediately. I didn't even want to think about Will, much less hear him out. But something inside me told me not to be too quick to act. I told my lawyer I would think about it. The small part of my heart that hadn't completely shut Will out was happy that they had figured out what was driving him to become this destructive creature. It was still hard though, the memories brought about a pain that I couldn't let go of no matter how hard I tried. My body still remembered the way it felt to be completely helpless and used.

That night, Luke and I stayed up talking it through. He held me close to his chest and told me that he would be there for me no matter what I decided and no matter what happened. And that was when I realized that I didn't have to be afraid. I had hit rock bottom and made it out alive, I was in the arms of the love of my life, and nothing anyone could say would change that. I needed to hear what Will had to say to lift that final weight off of my chest. Because even after everything that happened, I still believed that there was good left in him. Even if it was hidden deep within him, I knew it was there.

I gave the ok to my lawyer, who transferred my call to the psychiatric facility. When I first heard his voice on the phone I froze.

"Hello?" He repeated, not sure if I was there.

"Hi." I whispered.

There was a brief silence, neither of us really knowing where to start.

"I'm in a treatment center for people with mental illness." He began. "I'm on medication now, I'm going to therapy, and I'm in a support group."