Thank you SO much for all the reviews – I'm overwhelmed! How awesome was Kelly in the finale?

Here's the second part, I hope you like it. Please tell me what you think!

Kirsten rolled over in bed and flung her arm out, searching for Sandy, but all she found was a wall. She grunted and tried again, only to be met by the wall again. That wasn't right; their bed wasn't next to a wall. She opened her eyes and there it was: a cream wall. Their bedroom was blue.

Panicking, Kirsten bolted upright and instantly regretted it when her head hurt. She cringed as her brain pounded inside her skull. Expand, retract, expand, retract; boom boom BOOM. She closed her eyes and waited for the worst to pass.

'This must be a dream,' she thought. Any minute now, Sandy would wake her and she would be in her own bed, in her own room, in her own house.

She took a deep breath and cautiously opened her eyes again, finding herself in a strange room. She looked around her at the bare walls and the simple furniture. Her eyes fell to the ugly bed sheets and she looked down to find herself still dressed in her clothes from the day before. Her mourning clothes.

Kirsten closed her eyes as images flashed in her head: her father's dead body in the mortuary, his coffin being lowered into the ground. She remembered the comforting burning sensation of the vodka she had poured down her throat and her body shook as she craved the same feeling. Her memories turned hazy and she tried to remember how she had got here – wherever 'here' was. The car – she remembered waking up in the back of Sandy's car.

"I'm taking you to rehab."

Rehab.

Rehabilitation.

Kirsten Cohen, one of the most respected, most admired people in Newport, had been banished to rehab by her family.

Kirsten felt her stomach turn somersaults and she ran into the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time as she threw up the contents of her stomach. Her whole body shook as she retched.

She needed a drink.

The bathroom door opened behind her and a woman appeared. Kirsten was sure she had seen her before – Janice? Jackie? She spotted her name badge – Julia.

"Feeling rough, huh?"

Kirsten shot her an incredulous look, at the same time gratefully accepting the bottle of water she offered.

"You're going to feel bad for the next few days while your body detoxifies itself. You'd better get used it."

Kirsten rolled her eyes. Was a little sympathy too much to ask for when she had her head down a toilet?

"Take your time, I'll wait for you in your room."

Julia closed the door behind her and Kirsten found herself alone again. Being alone was something Kirsten guessed she would have to get used to while she was here. There would be no kisses from Sandy, no quips from Seth, no bemused looks from Ryan.

When her stomach felt empty, Kirsten dragged herself up from the floor and wandered back into her room. Her suitcase was open on her bed and Julia was searching through it. Despite her weakened state, Kirsten felt anger flare up inside of her as she saw a stranger's hands on her belongings.

"Hey! What are you doing? That's my stuff!"

Kirsten put her hands out to stop her, but Julia was stronger and she pushed Kirsten away.

"I'm sorry, love, it's standard procedure. We have to check that you haven't smuggled in anything that you shouldn't have," Julia explained.

Kirsten grunted. "My husband packed my bag. I think it's safe to say it's clean."

Kirsten sat down on a chair in the corner of the room and watched as Julia methodically checked every compartment of her case, unrolling her clothes to check for hidden alcohol. Kirsten bent forwards and held her head in her hands, willing her head to stop hurting as much as it did. She wondered what it would take to get some aspirin in this place. She reached behind her and opened one of the windows, appreciating the light breeze that cooled her flushed skin.

Satisfied with her search, Julia turned and looked at the sorry form that was huddled in the corner.

"There are some rules and procedures that I need to go through with you. While you're here, you're expected to abide by them at all times. You will attend group therapy sessions where attendance is compulsory but participation is not. We obviously recommend that you join in with these group sessions, they're invaluable and you'll find a lot of support from the other patients here. But, we won't force you to do or say anything until you're ready. You'll also attend one-on-one meetings with your designated counsellor where talking is compulsory. Whether you're ready to admit it or not, you're here because you have an addiction and hiding it away, trying to pretend that it doesn't exist will not help. We hold motivational lectures every week where you'll hear from recovering addicts. Patients are encouraged to keep diaries. We don't believe in all the happy-clappy rubbish you see on the television – there will be no chanting, no singing, no group hugs. There are several recreational activities that you can do to keep yourself busy: art and music workshops, cooking classes, exercise classes, things like that. You are allowed anywhere on the grounds between 9am and 6pm; after 6pm you will be restricted to either your room or the common room. Visits from family and friends are allowed every Sunday between 12noon and 6pm, but you will not be allowed any visitors for your first two weeks. At no point are you allowed to leave these grounds. This is not a holiday camp – you're in rehab. It's not going to be easy, you're going to have bad days where you'll want to give up. It's up to you to find a way to keep going without reaching for a bottle, do you understand?"

Kirsten nodded, shell-shocked by all the information that she was trying to absorb. She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them she would see Sandy at the door, telling her it had all been a mistake and he was taking her home. But in her heart, she knew she was dreaming.

"Do you have any questions?"

"How long will I be here for?" Kirsten asked quietly.

"As long as it takes," Julia answered sympathetically, feeling sorry for the vulnerable figure in front of her. She walked over to Kirsten and crouched in front of her. "It's ok to be scared. Please believe me, we're here to help you – you just have to let us."

Kirsten nodded numbly.

"I'll be back in an hour to take you to meet your counsellor. You missed breakfast so I brought you something that should sit easily in your stomach," Julia said, gesturing to a tray that sat on the dresser on one side of the room. "You'll feel better after a shower."

Kirsten doubted that. Julia left and Kirsten wandered over to the pile of her clothes that were now scattered on her bed. Sandy had packed her most comfortable clothes. There would be no need for her expensive dresses and fancy shoes here. She started to fold her clothes neatly, putting them in the small wardrobe in her room. Something heavy fell out onto the bed: a photo frame. Kirsten picked it up and turned it over, finding herself confronted with a picture of herself surrounded by her husband and sons. It had been taken on the night of her 20th wedding anniversary at the surprise party they had thrown. Tears sprang up in her eyes as she replayed Sandy singing to her in her head, with Seth and Ryan laughing next to her. She could hear Sandy's whispers of "I love you" in her ear as he had made love to her later than night.

She looked at each of their faces, smiling brightly for the camera. They looked happy, but Kirsten knew that, even then, cracks in her once perfect family had already started to form.

She closed her eyes as more tears started to fall, but as she did she saw Sandy's angry face yelling at her on the side of the road; she saw Seth's confused face and Ryan's sad eyes as they came in from a night out with the girls to find her sprawled out on the sofa, too drunk to drag herself to bed. Kirsten tried to clear her mind of the images but they haunted her. She felt her stomach turn again and rushed back to the bathroom.

She groaned as she retched, with nothing left in her stomach to bring up. Hanging her head sorrowfully, she glanced around the bathroom and caught sight of herself in a full-length mirror on one wall. Kirsten almost didn't recognise herself – her hair was straggly and knotted, her eyes were dull and lifeless, her skin was pale and her frame was frail from the weight she had lost recently.

She used to pride herself with her immaculate appearance, appreciating the glances that always welcomed her as she entered a room and loving the looks of pride on her family's faces as she turned heads in their direction. Kirsten stared sadly at the unfamiliar face looking back at her.

What had she become?

Julia was on time. Kirsten followed her nervously through the building. She wrung her hands, searching for her wedding rings that usually lived on her left hand. She had lost them in the accident and they still hadn't been replaced, and her finger felt naked without them. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her jeans to hide them as they trembled.

She looked around her as she walked down various corridors. The walls were the same colour cream as her bedroom and lined with noticeboards and the occasional picture.

"This is just a meet and greet session with your counsellor," Julia explained as they walked.

They passed a series of doors, each labelled with a doctor's name. Julia stopped outside the office of Doctor Jessica Halliwell and knocked on the door. Kirsten heard someone call 'Come in' and Julia gestured for Kirsten to go in. Kirsten followed obediently and found herself greeted by a woman around the same age, with cropped chestnut hair and big brown eyes, which were hidden behind thick-framed glasses.

"Kirsten Cohen?"

Kirsten nodded, finding herself unable to speak.

Dr Halliwell held out her hand and Kirsten shook it obediently.

"Come in and take a seat," Dr Halliwell said.

Kirsten looked around her, taking in her surroundings. The office was comfortable. Kirsten expected to see a psychiatrist's chair waiting for her to pour out all her troubles and woes, and was glad when all that was offered to her was a normal chair. She sat down stiffly, her hands tucked under her thighs, her ankles crossed and her back arched forwards. The doctor smiled softly as she sat down in her own chair on the other side of the desk.

"I know all this must be very overwhelming. How are you feeling today?"

Kirsten shrugged.

"Did they tell you that talking is compulsory at these sessions?"

Kirsten glared at her. Dr Halliwell raised her eyebrows, taken aback at how much Kirsten could say without actually speaking. She studied Kirsten's sullen face, noticing that she refused to meet her eyes.

"You know, there's only so much I can do. If you want help, you're going to have talk to me."

"Well, maybe I don't need your help," Kirsten said resentfully.

"You don't think you have a drinking problem?"

"I don't think I need a stranger to tell me how to lead my life," Kirsten spat, finally meeting the doctor's eyes.

"But that's not what your family thinks?" Dr Halliwell questioned.

Kirsten lowered her head, obviously affected by the mention of her family. Thoughts of Sandy, Seth and Ryan spun around in her head.

"My family think they know what's best for me. It doesn't mean I have to agree," Kirsten said.

"They obviously care very much about you."

Kirsten laughed bitterly. "Enough to send me away, you mean?"

"You think that they sent you away?"

"What else am I supposed to think?" Kirsten asked, softening slightly. "We've always been so good at dealing with problems ourselves. I mean, we've been through some hard times, but we've always got through them together."

Kirsten looked up and noticed the doctor watching her carefully. She shifted in her seat, building up her defences again and shaking away her vulnerability.

"I guess I was too much of embarrassment."

"Is that what you really think?" Dr Halliwell asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know," Kirsten stumbled.

She knew it wasn't true. Maybe for other husbands in Newport, but not Sandy. Sandy was different; it was one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him – he wasn't the same as anyone else she had ever known.

"Can I tell you what I think?" Dr Halliwell asked, leaning forward towards Kirsten.

Kirsten nodded slowly.

"I spoke to your husband this morning. I think he loves you very much. I think he wants to help you, but he doesn't know how and he's hoping that we do. I think he feels guilty. I think he's scared and confused, just like you."

Kirsten felt tears in the back of her eyes and she blinked them away. She ached for her husband's arms around her.

"Did he sound ok? Did he mention the boys?"

Dr Halliwell smiled gently, touched by Kirsten's concern for her family. "He told me to tell you that they were all doing ok, that they miss you and that they want you to get better."

A tear escaped from her eye and Kirsten wiped it away quickly. She sighed.

"You must hate people like me," she commented.

"People like you?" Dr Halliwell questioned.

"I grew up in Newport Beach. I was a rich, spoilt brat who was given everything she ever wanted; and it still wasn't enough."

Dr Halliwell paused, before answering. "I see a lot of people, who come from all kinds of backgrounds. But they all have something in common – they all have an addiction, whether it's alcohol or drugs. And they all need help."

"So what happens now?" Kirsten asked.

"Well, you're going to feel pretty rough for the next couple of days while your body gets used to being alcohol-free," Dr Halliwell answered.

"So everyone keeps saying," Kirsten mumbled under breath.

"So, I want you to come and see me at the end of the week and we'll start working through some stuff together," Dr Halliwell continued.

Kirsten raised her eyebrows. "Like what? My wealthy family, my affluent upbringing, my loving husband and kids, my successful career?"

Dr Halliwell sighed at Kirsten's resistance. "I want us to talk about why you feel like you need to drink to get through a day. It's up to you to tell me what that cause is."

"What if I don't know the answer?" Kirsten's voice trembled as she tried to hide how scared she actually was.

"Then we'll start at the beginning and figure it out together," Dr Halliwell said gently.

Kirsten nodded. Comforted slightly by her words, she left the doctor's office and started to make her way back to her room, seeking peaceful solace. Her mind didn't stop as she walked, thinking over what the doctor had said. She lost herself in thoughts of everything that had led her to this place, until she realised she didn't know where she was going. Every corridor looked the same and she felt like she was walking round in circles, confused about which direction to go in. The corridors were empty of people and Kirsten felt her chest tighten as she started to panic. Her eyes searched for something familiar but it was all so alien to her. She was lost. Her breathing became laboured and she felt her legs weaken under her. She paused, using the wall for support and resting her forehead against the cold plaster.

Her mind spun as she tried to concentrate on breathing. In, out, in, out. She wanted Sandy; she needed Sandy. In, out, in, out. She felt her legs buckle and she fell to the floor, curling up as tightly as possible. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and she started to rock backwards and forwards. In, out, in, out. Drops of sweat ran down her face and her neck, soaking into her t-shirt. It hurt to breathe and her head started to pound again: expand, retract, expand, retract; boom boom BOOM. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe.

She heard a faint voice and opened her eyes. The glare of the lights stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut again.

"Are you ok? Do you need help?"

She needed to get out of here; she needed air.

She needed a drink.

"Do you want me to get you some water? Do you want anything?"

The throbbing in her brain wouldn't allow her to think. Her body shivered while her insides burned. Her entire body ached.

"I want to go home."