It was about 3 weeks later, as Bridget was in her room deciding on what to take to Arizona. Her mother had given her several bags and suitcases for the journey.
There was a light knock on the door
Bridget quickly dried her eyes and said 'Come in'
'Hey', Rory said as he poked his head through the door
'It's OK, come on in' she offered
'Need any help', Rory asked
'No, I'm fine' she replied as she went to her closet
'I'm sorry you have to go away', he said
She sat down on her bed and said 'It was my own stupid fault'
'When do you have to leave', he asked
She turned away, as she did not want him to see her cry and simply said 'Tomorrow'
'Can I come and visit you', he asked
She smiled, turned around and said 'You better'
He left so she can finish packing, and all of the sudden is reminded of the words her father would tell her, whenever she was having a bad day 'Something good will always come from personal struggle'
She always felt like she didn't know why she was here, and did not have any calling or reason. Now all of the sudden, she knew why she was here and come hell or high water, she would see it through
It was the next day, as everybody piled into the minivan as Cate drove to the airport, nobody speaking a word the entire time
They still had another 2 hours for the plane to depart, as they had some coffee at a cafe in the airport.
'I'm very sorry about everything', Bridget said
Her mom nodded and said 'I know you are, and I am too'
'I think I know what to do with my life, now' Bridget announced
'What's that', Kerry asked
'I know that I have a long road ahead of me, but once I have truly completed my rehab and am truly free, I want to be able to help other people who are suffering from drug abuse'
'You mean a drug counselor', Rory asked
She nodded and said 'Yeah, something of that nature'
'What brought all of this on', her mom asked
'Because I want to be able to bring something positive out of this'
'You know the addiction will never go away. It's something you will have to struggle and fight every day for the rest of your life. If you let down your guard just once, you'll be right back where you started', her mom warned
'I don't plan on letting that happen', she said
'That's good. Just remember how much you've struggled to get where you are right now, and how you'll need to struggle in the next while', her mom reminded
'Hey baby girl', her grandfather Jim said as he approached
'Grandpa', Bridget exclaimed as she hugged him
'What am I, chopped liver', her grandmother asked as she joined him
They all hug and Jim turned to Bridget and said 'We're so very proud of you, and know you will make us even prouder'
'What are you doing here', Kerry asked as she hugged them
'Well', their mom began, 'As you know, Rory is going with Bridget to Arizona, and I will be going as well for a week'
'How long are you back in town', Bridget asked
Jim smiled and said 'For good. As a matter of fact, we just bought the Doyle house'
'So you'll be right across the street', Kerry asked with a smile and her grandmother smiled and nodded
'We still have 2 months until they have to vacate', Jim said
'What about Florida', she asked
Jim shrugged and said 'You've seen one hurricane, you've seen then all'
He turned to Rory and said 'Do you remember me'
'I know you're my grandfather, but I am sorry. I don't'
A tear trickled down Jim's face and said 'Just know we love you, and everything will be OK'
About another 30 minutes pass, as the flight to Sedona, Arizona is announced
'Ok, I guess that's me', Bridget said
'We'll call you the moment we land', Cate said as Jim nodded
'We got it handled', he replied
Kerry tightly hugged Bridget
'Get better real soon', she said as she wiped the tears from her face
'I will. I promise' she said forcing a smile
Bridget hugged Rory and said 'I promise to make this right'
They all gather for one last group hug, before Bridget, CJ, and Cate approach the gate and hand in their tickets
Bridget willed herself to not look back, as she entered the walkway to the airplane, with CJ and her mom a few steps behind
Kerry, CJ and their grandparents gather around the window, and watch as the plane is slowly taxied from the runway about 20 minutes later
Jim put his arm around Kerry and Rory, as they saw the plane fly off and said 'I think we'll be OK after all'