Chapter 6

The next day found Caleb dragging Hanna out of bed, cajoling her to eat again and then finally dragging her into the living room of the main house to watch a movie just so she couldn't crawl back into bed. His mom called the family doctor and made an appointment for the next day at three so for today they were just trying to keep Hanna's mind occupied.

The knock at the door around one o'clock came as a surprise to Caleb and Hanna as they had been in the kitchen making lunch for everyone. Hanna followed Caleb as he went to answer the door a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Caleb saw Hanna flinch from where he was standing behind the open door so he moved around it to see a very angry Ashley Marin standing there.

"Mom! What are you doing here?" She asked as her mom stepped into the front hall.

"I've come to take you home. Go pack your things and let's get going. You're missing school and everyone's been asking about you." She said impatiently.

"Mom I'm not going back." Hanna said softly ending her mom's rant before it got going.

"Of course you are. You have to finish school and you belong at home." She said with a fierce frown.

"No mom I don't belong there anymore. There are too many bad memories there for me now. The past few years have taken a huge toll on me and I just can't be in that town anymore. I need to stay here and heal. I'm gonna go on Monday and enrol in a school here and when I'm done that I'm gonna apply to college. I want and need to be here." Hanna explained moving away from her mother and closer to Caleb. Her mother, of course, noticed this and turned on Caleb.

"You had something to do with this didn't you?" She accused with icy eyes.

"I got a phone call in the middle of the night from a very emotional, broken Hanna asking me for help. I drove to where she was to find her car broken down and her a mess of tears, passed out in exhaustion in the front seat. I helped get her somewhere to sleep and regroup and when she told me she wanted to leave town for California I suggested she stay at my mom's in the guest house. So no I didn't have anything to do with her leaving Rosewood but I am responsible for getting her here and until she is ready to leave and go back I'm not letting you or anyone else force her." Caleb said his eyes flashing.

"This is ridiculous she's only eighteen she needs to be at home with her parents." Ashley demanded.

"I can't go back there mom. I'm just not ready." Hanna whispered wrapping her arms around herself as if afraid talking about Rosewood would bring everything back to her.

"You don't have to go anywhere Hanna. You are eighteen and can do whatever you want now." Caleb told her as he put his arm around her and drew her into his side to comfort her.

"Fine you stay here but don't call me when things don't work out and you need somewhere to go because I might not be there to help." Ashley said angrily as she stormed out of the house slamming the door.

"Well that was a riot." Caleb joked turning himself and Hanna back towards the kitchen and the lunch they were making.

"Everything okay Caleb?" Caleb's mom asked as they entered.

"Yeah mom everything's fine." Caleb told her before they both got back to work on lunch.

"Thanks for letting me stay here." Hanna said smiling at his mother.

"No problem dear." She said with a smile of her own before heading back out to the family room where everyone was waiting for lunch.

While Hanna was chopping the vegetables Caleb excused himself and quickly pulled out his phone and dialled a familiar cell number.

"Hello?" The voice answered.

"Ashley it's Caleb." He said.

"What do you want?" She asked rudely.

"I wanted to talk to you about Hanna." He replied.

"I think you said all that needed to be said earlier don't you?" She sarcastically asked.

"No I didn't. You should know that Hanna has a doctor's appointment tomorrow. I thought you might want to know that." Caleb replied sharply.

"For what?" She asked a note of worry now entering her tone.

"She's been having panic attacks and we think she might be depressed." He explained.

"Why do you think that? I've never seen signs of it." Ashley scoffed disbelievingly.

"I did. When you were in jail I saw it but how she is now is so much worse. She's so quiet and withdrawn from everything, she wants to sleep all the time and I have to pretty much force her to eat." Caleb explained further.

"That doesn't mean she's depressed." She responded.

"That's why she's going to see a doctor and it's why you should stay in California for a few more days. Talk to her she needs your understanding right now she's very fragile." He said.

"So why did she call you? Why not talk to me?" Ashley asked resentfully.

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is I was tying a few loose ends up in Ravenswood so I could move back home when I got a call from Hanna. I rushed to get to her and I've been with her ever since. I won't leave her side again. Not for anything. I made that mistake once and it nearly destroyed me and it did a lot of damage to Hanna and I won't do that to either of us again." Caleb told her.

"I am at my hotel right now I will stay a few more days and she can come here and see me and tell me what happened at the doctor's appointment but I will not condone her moving away from home." Ashley replied heatedly.

"I'm not asking you to condone it I'm asking you to talk to Hanna." Caleb shot back.

"Tell her to call me after her appointment tomorrow then." She said briskly.

"I will. I'm sorry for your sake that she didn't talk to you before she left Mrs. Marin." Caleb said gently know how much that must have hurt.

"So am I Caleb." She answered before she hung up. Caleb went back to the kitchen a minute later to continue helping Hanna with lunch both of them lost in thought as they tried to imagine what would happen tomorrow at the doctors.