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 I woke up in a clean smelling room with a white ceiling and gray walls. I felt groggy, my head was cloudy and my mouth was dry, I felt like I couldn't talk.

"Hey babe," Liam said quietly as I turned my head to find him sitting in a stiff plastic chair next to my bed.

"Where am I?" I asked hoarsely.

"The hospital," he replied, "You were having a panic attack. They sedated you so you could sleep." 

"How long have I been sleeping?" I asked.

"Thirty-six hours," he replied, "You were exhausted Liv."

"Yeah," I sighed, "I'm really thirsty."

"Here, I've got a water bottle," he replied, reaching for the water bottle on the table and handing it to me.

"How long am I in here?" I asked after taking a drink.

"Until the sedative wore off and then they're going to set you up with someone who can write you a prescription for anti-anxiety medication and find you, someone, to talk to," he replied.

"But I don't want to stay here," I replied, "I want to go back to Michigan."

"Then we'll get you medication and then we'll find you someone in Michigan," he replied, taking my hand in his, "They can help you Liv, you don't have to be so nervous and anxious for the rest of your life," he said, tears in his eyes as he leaned over and kissed my forehead.

"I love you, Liam, I don't know what I'd do without you at my side," I said, tears running down my face.

"Hey, no crying," he smiled, wiping away his own tears before kissing my cheeks were my tears had fallen, "We're getting everything back to the way it should be. We're going to get you better and then we're going back to Michigan as soon as this weekend if you want to."

"Really?" I asked.

"Really," he smiled, squeezing my hand, "I have a kind of surprise for you waiting at home."

"Really?" I asked, giving him a look.

"Really," he smiled, "I'm going to get a nurse and then we can get us out of here."

It was another hour before I was checked out of the hospital and we were on the way home with two different pills to hopefully help with the anxiety and paranoia that was making it so hard for me to be out in society and even sleep at night.

"I don't think I've been this well rested in two and a half years," I remarked as we pulled into the parking lot of the apartment complex.

"You should be, you slept for 36 hours," he laughed as we walked to the elevator inside.

"I'm starving though," I replied as we got to his floor.

"We'll eat soon," he replied.

"Can we get Thai?" I asked, "The place a few blocks away is so good."

"I think you'll change your mind when you go inside," he laughed as he unlocked his door.

All of the lights were on and there was music coming from the kitchen and it smelled like something was cooking in the kitchen.

"We're home Mom," Liam remarked as he put his keys on the hook by the door.

"Mary?" I asked as we walked into the kitchen.

"Hi sweetie," she greeted, a smile on her face and her emerald eyes smiling too.

Liam Simpson looked just like his mother. Her emerald eyes were the only ones whose color even came close to comparing with his, and when she wasn't in doctor mode or at the office, she would occasionally have that same twinkle in them that Liam never grew out of. When he wasn't grinning like he was guilting of something or other, his smile was the exact same as his mother's. When she smiled I saw his smile.

I just wanted to cry happy tears as she enveloped me in a hug. Since the trial started, all I had wanted was a hug from my mom and a hug from Liam's mom was the next best thing.

"This was the best surprise," I smiled as she hugged me.

"I figured you two needed some help down here and needed someone to come cook for you and clean everything and help you pack," she replied, "And I know you probably needed a mom hug."

"I do," I replied, tears in my eyes.

"Hey, no tears," she smiled, "Because I made dinner and I'm sure it's better than whatever Liam has been making you," she added, "I made a pot roast with potatoes and carrots, I know it's your favorite. Sound good?" 

"Yeah," I smiled.

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It felt good, almost somewhat normal, to have dinner with his mom, it felt good to think and talk about something other than what had happened to me. Liam had spent the day and a half I spent sedated finding an apartment in Waterford and figuring out how to get all of our stuff from Estero back to Michigan.

"Is that everything?" he asked as we loaded up boxes into the U-Haul trailer we rented for the trip up to Michigan that we were going to start early that morning. We were driving almost twelve hours today so we could get the bulk of the trip out of the way.

We had managed to fit everything but a few bags in a U-Haul trailer, his car, and my car. Luckily, his mom was flying up to Michigan to meet us there and just took the two extra suitcases with her on the plane.

"I think so," I replied.

"Ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"More than ready," I sighed.

"Let's go," he said, kissing my forehead before we got in his car.

We drove twelve hours that day, getting into Nashville at around 8:00 that night.

"Seriously? We're staying here?" I asked in awe as I took in the front of the hotel that must've gone up 20 stories in the middle of the city.

"It was all Mom," he replied, grabbing our bags from the back of the car, "Consider it a birthday present," he smiled.

"God, I almost forgot that was tomorrow," I laughed half-heartedly as we walked into the lobby.

"Why do you think I said we should stop in Nashville?" he laughed after we checked in and got our room keys, "I know you love it here. We can go walk around tomorrow and go get dinner someplace nice and we'll drive back on Sunday."

"Thank you," I said as we got in the elevator, "For everything."

"Anything for you," he replied, kissing my cheek.

The hotel room was nothing short of amazing, the entire wall next to the bed was a window that overlooked the city from ten stories up. The room had a massive, plush king-sized four poster bed with the biggest, fluffiest looking pillows that I'd ever seen. The bathroom was probably bigger than my bedroom in Estero and the room was most likely bigger than my entire loft had been.

I changed into my comfy pajamas as soon as we settled into the room and we ordered room service for dinner instead of having to wear decent clothes and leave the room for dinner. But I didn't care, I didn't need a super fancy date, I just wanted him by my side for the rest of my life.

The bed was massive, but I found myself lying there in the middle of the bed, my head on his chest like I'd done so many times before. He was all I had and all that I ever wanted. I had spent a lot of time the last few weeks and months wishing that I'd never broken up with him on that muggy May evening nearly two and a half years ago, but I knew now that all the hoping and wishing in the world wasn't going to change what had happened. What was past was past and all that mattered now was that I was in his arms again.

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