First of all, let me say thanks to my loyal readers for sticking with this story, and I am sorry the updates have been lacking. Life has been hectic for me. But I'm back at the writing now, and I promise regular weekly updates :) So stick with it and enjoy the update!

Casey's cardiology tests reveal she has a heart murmur. I don't like it, but I'm also thankful; I know given the amount of medication that she took, it could be much, much worse. The murmur can be controlled with medication, and she'll have to have regular cardiology tests to ensure it doesn't get any worse. I guess looking at the big picture, we got off easy.

I'm sitting in the chair in Casey's hospital room waiting for the nurse to bring her discharge papers. Casey is in the bathroom, and I slowly look around her small little room. I'm so glad to be bringing her home. She doesn't belong in the hospital. She belongs at home, with me.

As excited as I am, I'm also very nervous. I know it's going to be an adjustment for Casey and she's going to have some anxiety about being at home, especially after the overdose happened in our own home. Dr. Taylor told me not to dwell on what happened; to let Casey talk about it on her terms. I'm supposed to make everything at home as normal and comfortable for Casey as I can. That means respecting her wishes if she doesn't want to sleep with or be close to me for a little while.

Casey has an appointment with the therapist Dr. Taylor referred us to on Tuesday. When I asked Casey if she wanted me to go with her she informed me she would like me to go, but that she wants me to wait in the waiting room for her. I'm happy to oblige. I'm just grateful she wants me around.

We've seen little side-effects from the anti-depressant Dr. Taylor is trying on Casey. It's a mild low-dose medication, meant to keep her relatively calm and help with anxiety. Dr. Taylor already told me not to be alarmed if her therapist changes the medication or ups the dosage; it's all part of finding the right balance that will help Casey. I'm on board with whatever is going to help her get past this.

I do have some bad news, though; when I went to the precinct yesterday to give my statement about what happened with Jenna, I was informed that when the police went back to her house to question her, she was gone. No sign of her or her vehicle. The put a unit on her house all night, but she never returned. It's too early to say she took off, but that's where my mind has gone. She knew she was close to being caught, and she fled.

Of course since no evidence was found at her residence and no official charges had been filed against Jenna for Casey's rape, there's nothing that can be done. They can't put out an APB on her without cause. I'm very concerned for Casey's safety – Jenna was obviously obsessed with her. What if she tries to attack her again? But despite my concerns – and despite the fact that I'm the District Attorney – I was basically told to "keep an eye on her".

I have no intentions of letting this go. When thing settle down with Casey, I'm going to hire a private investigator to find Jenna and dig up her past. There has to be something there. The photo of that other girl….it has to mean something. When Olivia ran it through their database, it came up with no hints. No missing persons or victims reports matching the photo. The girl is a phantom in every sense of the word. But I intend to get to the bottom of it.

I'm neglecting telling Casey about any of this. I'm going to wait until she starts therapy and her medication gets a chance to really work, until she's stable enough to handle a conversation about Jenna. She doesn't need this on her mind right now. And neither do I. My focus is on my wife, and that's where it's going to remain.

As soon as Casey emerges from the bathroom, I smile at her. She's cleaned herself up and gotten dressed, and she has a little color back in her face. "Hey, sweetheart. Still waiting on the nurse."

Casey returns the smile and comes over and sits down on the bed. Her movements are still a big sluggish, but she's with it for the most part. She wrings her hands in her lap and swallows uneasily; she's trying really hard, but I know she's not as comfortable around me as she used to be. Not yet anyway. I want to reach out and touch her leg, but I know it has to be Casey who initiates contact between us.

Slowly, she looks up at me. "They like to take their time. We'll probably be waiting all day."

I laugh. "I'll make sure they hurry up!"

Casey laughs lightly too. It's so nice to hear that laugh again, even if it's just for a moment. Then to my extreme surprise, Casey reaches out and puts her hand over mine. She locks her eyes on me and says, "Thank you so much for being here. I really am sorry about everything. I love you, Alex."

I feel my heart literally melting as I gaze into those warm, mesmerizing green eyes that I love so much. I have to bite my lip to keep from crying. "You're welcome, sweetheart. I love you too – so much. We're getting through this together, okay? You and me."

Casey's looking down at the charm bracelet she gave me on her honeymoon. She smiles and runs her thumb over the house charm. "You still wear this." It's not a question; more of an observation.

I look down at it as well. I haven't gone a day without wearing it since the honeymoon. I only take it off for showering and sleeping. "Of course. Besides my wedding ring, it's my most prized possession. I love it."

This time when Casey meets my eyes, hers are watery and I feel my heart break. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, baby." Her voice breaks, and I know she's on the verge of a breakdown.

It's very difficult for me to hold it together right now. I want to take Casey in my arms and never let her go. I want to cry with her until neither of us have any tears left. It's almost impossible not to. But I manage to hold it together somehow. I take a deep breath and squeeze Casey's hand. "I know, sweetheart. I know. It's okay – things are going to get better now. Let's just get you home and enjoy being together, okay?"

Just as Casey nods, Nancy walks into the room. She smiles when she sees us holding hands. "So glad to see you up and ready to go home, Casey."

I let go of Casey long enough to stand and shake Nancy's hand, giving her a grateful smile. I appreciate her kindness to us, and everything she's done to help Casey. "Thank you, Nancy. I wanted to thank you for taking care of my wife. Thank you for being so accepting towards us and for bending the rules for us. It means more than you know."

She returns the smile. "It's my pleasure. It's so nice to see two people so in love. I'm happy to see Casey doing so well. I know that as long as she has you, she'll be just fine."

All this attention makes Casey uneasy, so she looks away and blushes slightly. I can't hide my smile; she's always done that, and it's adorable. She doesn't like being the center of attention. It embarrasses her. Seeing Casey embarrassed is possibly the cutest sight on earth.

I look back at Nancy and whisper, "I'll take good care of her. I promise."

For the next ten minutes or so, Nancy goes over Casey's discharges instructions with us. She's to see her therapist as regularly scheduled and to come to the emergency room immediately if she has any more suicidal thoughts or any anxiety or panic attacks. We're given a print-out on how to recognize the signs of any anxiety or panic attack and what to do until help arrives. I plan to put this on the fridge so we can both become familiar with it.

We're given three prescriptions – one for Casey's anxiety and anti-depressant medication, her heart medication, and one to manage the pain of her broken ribs. I see the look on Nancy's face when she explains what the medication is for, and I know she's thinking the same thing I am.

I take the prescriptions from Nancy and promise to fill them right away on our way home. I have something I want to say and I know it may upset Casey, but it has to be said. "I think it might be a good idea if I control your medication just for a little while. You know, hand out your pills every day and keep the bottles in a place only I know about. That way you won't be tempted to – to – " I can't even finish the thought.

Casey looks at me and nods, "That's a good idea."

I'm so relieved she's not fighting me on this, but I can see the sadness in her eyes as she realizes I don't trust her right now. And it hurts – badly.

That seems to suffice Nancy, as she knows I will make sure Casey gets her medication yet doesn't hurt herself. She's seen how dedicated I am to my wife; there's no doubt in her mind that I'll take care of her.

A few minutes later, Nancy wraps it up. "I guess that's all. I'll let you ladies be getting home. I'm glad you're better, Casey, and you stay well, okay? Come back to us if you need anything."

This time Casey shakes Nancy's hand and smiles. "Thank you – for everything."

And finally, it's time to take my beautiful wife home. I'm filled with so many emotions right now, and they are all fighting for dominance. Happiness and anxiety seem to be in a power struggle, as I don't know whether I should be happy about Casey coming home or nervous that I'm going to do something wrong and she's going to end up back here.

After a rather long wait at the pharmacy, we're finally home. Armed with Casey's medication and some snacks for later.

Casey looks uneasy as I park my car in the garage. She's playing with her seatbelt, and I see her swallowing nervously. She's anxious about being home. I know it's to be expected, but my heart still drops. This is Casey's home. She's supposed to feel comfortable here.

But I know I can't dwell on it, so I plaster on a smile and act as happy and cheerful as I possibly can. I quickly get out of the car and come around to the passenger side to open the door for Casey. She smiles at me as I extend my hand and help her stand. I notice her wince slightly at the pain the movement causes her broken ribs, but it seems to pass quickly.

"We're home," I announce, as if she couldn't already tell. She doesn't say anything; just follows close behind me like a guest as I unlock the door and lead the way inside.

I can't imagine how difficult this must be for Casey to come back here after what happened. She tried to kill herself, and is now thrown back into her life routine and I'm supposed to act as if nothing has happened. I'm supposed to act as if we got up this morning as usual and ate breakfast together and had a normal day.

As we enter the kitchen, I toss my keys on the counter and turn on the lights. Almost immediately, Blaze comes rushing up to us. I smile, grateful that Olivia and Renee remembered to bring him home this morning. I wanted him to be here to greet Casey.

Blaze acts as if I'm invisible and runs up to Casey. He doesn't usually jump on people, but he jumps on Casey with his front paws, his entire back end wriggling as he wags his tail in happiness. His mouth is open and he actually looks like he's smiling as Casey carefully crouches down and pets him. The sight of Casey and her dog is so heartwarming. I just stand there watching their happy reunion. Casey is wearing a legitimate smile and I tell her, "I think he missed you. You're his favorite."

After their reunion, Casey gets up and goes directly to the cabinet to retrieve his food. I watch as he obediently sits while Casey pours food in his dish. "Poor baby – Alex probably didn't have time to feed you today, did she?" She pets his head as he starts in on his chow.

I'm just standing back watching Casey. My heart is swelling with pride as she puts the food away and fills a glass with water to put in his bowl. It's such a normal, routine thing that Casey used to do every day. But seeing her do it now – the way she just jumped in – I can't help but wear a pride smile on my face.

Casey turns around and notices the look on my face. "What?" she asks.

"Nothing. I'm just proud of you."

Casey looks at Blaze and then at me again. "For what? Because I'm able to pour dog food in a bowl and pour water without spilling it?"

My heart drops. God, I've already done the wrong thing and she hasn't even been home for ten minutes. I quickly shake my head. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant – "

Casey shakes her head. "It's okay. I get it." Then she walks out of the kitchen, signifying that this dead-end conversation is over.

I don't want to follow too closely behind her, but I want to be close enough that I can keep an eye on her. It's not the time to hover, and I know that. But I also know I'm not about to let Casey go off by herself.

I slowly follow her as she walks through the living room and goes out the slider doors to our deck. She watches as I come out a few minutes after her, but thankfully doesn't tell me to leave.

It's a beautiful day. It's late May now, so the sun is warm. Casey stands by the edge of our pool with her arms crossed, lost in thought.

I clear my throat and speak. "Since Memorial Day is a little over a week away, I thought that would be a good time to open our pool. We can get a pool service out here this next week to clean it and fill it. And I thought maybe we could go shopping for some new outdoor furniture. We need some new poolside tables and some lawn chairs. How does that sound?"

Instead of answering, Casey walks away from me. She gazes into the empty pool, and then looks around at the furniture that's already out here. She turns back around and looks at me, wrinkling her nose. "God, yes. The last owners had terrible taste. We definitely need some new pool stuff."

I feel my heartbeat return to normal. She's engaged in what I'm saying and showing interest – this is good. So I play into it. I come up beside her and say, "Do I dare let you pick it out? It will be loud and very un-color coordinated."

Normally Casey would come back with some smart remark about how my taste is bland and I don't buy things that have any "pizzazz". But now she simply smiles in response.

I miss our easy banter almost as much as I miss Casey. But I know I can't be hasty and force it; it will come back on its own. Things will be back to normal someday. I just have to keep telling myself that.

"Hey, Alex," Casey says , turning and looking right at me. "How about if buy a grill? A nice one. We could have a cookout for Memorial Day – invite all our friends, tell them to bring their swimsuits."

My first thought is that would be too overwhelming for Casey. That she's jumping in too quickly, and that many people at once is going to be more than she can handle. But then I remind myself that things have to normalize, and that I can't baby or shelter Casey forever. She has to be exposed to life again in order to heal. I have to allow her to do so. Besides, by that time her medication will have had a chance to work and she'll have had a few sessions with her therapist. She could possibly be feeling better. And she's always welcome to change her mind about the cookout.

So hesitantly I say, "Yeah? You want to?"

She looks back out over the pool and nods. "Yeah. I think it would be nice to have everyone over. And we would utilize the grill a lot."

So I agree, and we make plans to go shopping over the next few days. It's nice to see Casey excited about something, yet I can't shake the feeling that this isn't a good idea.

So, Casey's home. How do you think this is going to go? Is Alex going to unintentionally overdo it? The next chapter is Casey's POV, so you will get to read her thoughts on her first night home. Any predictions for that? And what do you think about the Memorial Day cookout? Good idea - or not?