A/N-I have finished writing this story awhile ago and I just have not had a chance to really type it up until recently. So I am posting two chapters tonight. I plan on finish posting this story next week. I have already started writing a new one, not a sequel to this one though...a brand new Greg/Nick drama...not Slash though. It is a really tense one...so keep your eyes open for that one to come after this one if you are a fan of my stories. And to those of you who are fans and keep reading and reviewing, thank you so much. Writing is really a great release for me and when I get rolling on a story I cannot stop.
Chapter 28
It was a sunny and cool late November day and Catherine felt refreshed to finally be out of the hospital. Her mother had come to pick her up to take her home. She wanted to see how Greg was doing before she left but he was with Dr. Fuller at the time. She figured maybe it was better this way since their encounter the day before did not go so well.
She was grateful to finally be home again. It was only five days before Thanksgiving so she was glad that she would be home for that and for her daughter.
She would not be returning to work for another week yet. She was glad she would have the time at home to spend with her family.
She wondered about Greg though, worried if he would still be in the hospital for Thanksgiving or would he be allowed to go home. She hoped he did not have to spend it in the hospital. She knew his mom was around so at least she could be there for him, if anything.
She wondered what course of treatment Greg would be going through. She had not talked to his doctor recently so she had no idea if any progress was being made. After her last encounter with him she was thinking not much had been made. She wondered if they would ever be the same as a couple again or if they would even remain together. The way he kept acting, she started to thinking it was going to be harder to be with him.
"So Greg, it is up to you. What do you want to do?" Dr. Fuller asked him. Greg looked between the doctor and his mother.
Dr. Fuller had discussed options for his course treatment with him. He gave Greg a few choices, one choice to check into a special treatment center for a month, which Greg did not want to do. His other two choices involved outpatient sessions, one staying in Las Vegas or the other, at his mother's suggestion, going back home to California with her for a bit of time to get away from the source of his problems.
Greg actually liked the idea of being away from Las Vegas for a while. He would not have to deal with all his friends constantly seeing if he was okay or not. He could get a break from constantly seeing stuff on the news about Troy Drye and his case. The two things working against that choice was staying with his mother, but she promised him she would give him his space and he had to admit she had been helpful so far with him.
The other major thing was being away from Catherine for at least a month or more. He was not sure their relationship would survive the absence since they were already on somewhat shaky grounds.
His mother could see that he was struggling with the choice he had to make. She asked Dr. Fuller if he could leave them alone for a moment.
"Why did you ask him to leave?" Greg asked her after the doctor left the room.
"Because I wanted to talk to you about what I think is making your decision hard on you. It's about Catherine, isn't it?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "When did you become a mind reader?"
She smiled. "Don't you know Mother's know all?"
He snorted. "Funny. Okay so I am worried about being away from her for a longer period of time than we've ever been apart. We are already on rocky ground with, well because of me," he said sadly.
She frowned. "Well before your father and I were married, your Grandpa Olaf got very sick. I had to go back home to New York to help take care of him. I was worried after being gone two whole months if your father had found someone else while I was gone or not. We kept in touch via phone once a week, but still you wonder. Well, in our case, the time away from each other made us appreciate and love each other more once I was back. Absence did make the heart grow fonder. So what I guess I am saying is if you two are meant to be together, this would be a true test."
Greg pondered what his mother told him. Maybe this is what they needed; to see if they could still be together after all that had happened.
He looked at his mother with appreciation. "Thanks. I think I've made my decision. Let's get Dr. Fuller back in here so we can get this started. I want to get back to normal as soon as I can," he smiled softly at her.
Catherine had just finished helping Lindsay with some homework when her phone rang. She picked it up and sat down on her sofa.
"Hello?" She asked when she did not look at who was calling.
"Uh, Catherine? It's me, Greg."
She was surprised to hear his voice and that he was calling her.
"Greg, what's going on?"
"Uh, first I wanted to apologize about the other night. I just…I was frustrated and sometimes it's easier for me to not have anyone around when I am like that."
"It's okay, Greg. It's just you freaked me out a bit again. You've been doing that a lot lately and I guess I am still not use to it." She said honestly.
"Well, uh, I'm going to be working on that, but not here," he said in a small voice.
"What do you mean, 'not here'?" She asked, able to tell it was something difficult for him to say.
"Um, Dr. Fuller gave me a few choices on how I could deal with my problems and the one I figured would be best for me takes me out of Las Vegas for a while."
She gasped. "You're not going to some mental hospital, are you?"
He chuckled a little cryptically at the thought. "No, he does not think I've totally lost my mind, thank goodness. I'm going home to California and staying with my mom, during which he has recommended a very good doctor who specializes with people who have post-traumatic stress disorder. Dr. Fuller says it seems that is pretty much what is going on with me. He's already started me on anti-anxiety pills to help me."
Catherine was speechless for a moment. He was going away, away from her. "How long do you think you will be gone?"
"I'm not really sure. It just all depends I guess."
"When are you leaving?"
"Tomorrow," he said with apprehension.
"Tomorrow?" She was shocked. "Why so soon?"
He could hear the bewilderment in her voice.
"Dr. Fuller said the sooner the better and faster I can possibly get straightened out," he said with a half-hearted chuckle, starting to feel really guilty about dumping this on her so out of the blue.
"I suppose. So I'm going to get a chance to see you before you leave, right?"
He hated this now. "Um, no. I'm sorry, Catherine. Things should have turned out better than they are. I never planned on getting so screwed up," he said as his voice started to choke up.
She sighed deeply, failing to not get upset. "I know you didn't. It's just…what does this mean for us?"
"Only time will tell I guess. I mean it's not like I'm not going to try to keep in touch with you. I'll still have my cell phone and my laptop with me so we can talk or email. I really don't know what my days will be like now. We'll just have to wait and see, okay?"
"Well I really don't have any say in the matter anyway. I mean, it is your life after all," she said in an irritated tone.
Greg had been pacing his bedroom floor. Dr. Fuller had released him that evening so he could go home and get ready to leave early the next morning. His mother was in the living room, waiting to see how his phone call went.
He sat down on his bed in frustration and exhaustion. "I'm sorry. I can't seem to do anything right by you anymore. I accept that I've upset you by leaving so suddenly but I think I just need to get away from everything right now that reminds me of what's happened and unfortunately that includes you. But this does not by any means mean I do not love you still because I do; I do with all my heart. If you had died that night…" his voice trailed off as he fought off the overwhelming fear he had thinking of losing her.
"You don't have to say anymore, Greg. I understand. I really do. I just thought I would be there to help you through this," she sniffled as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"You will be. Maybe not physically but in my heart you will be. I want to be back to who I used to be for you."
She smiled sadly to herself. "I just want you to be happy again, so if this is how you feel you need to go about it, I am behind you on it."
"Thank you, Catherine for understanding. I…I love you," he said empathetically.
"I know. So I guess I will hear from you whenever you contact me. Just take care, Greg."
"I will on both accounts. I promise. Bye."
He hung up the phone and sat there for a couple minutes letting the tears flow freely before he went back to the living room to let his mom know how it went. He knew by the tone in Catherine's voice that his decision was hurting her, even though she said she was behind him. She did not say she loved him back too and that touched on his fears. He hoped there would still be a future for them after all of this.
Catherine stared at the phone after she hung up, feeling like her heart was breaking. She grabbed a tissue and dabbed her eyes. She felt terrible not being able to say she loved him back, but at this point she was so hurt and confused she just could not do it. Her only consolation in him leaving was that hopefully he would return someday more like the man she knew so well with that infectious smile and his childlike energy, then it would all be worth the pain she was feeling now.
