Kevin spent eight days in the hospital before he was released into the care of Abigail. They would be spending the remainder of the week at Kevin’s house in Orlando and then his doctor wanted to examine his wound before he gave him permission to fly to Lexington.

Abigail didn’t want to put too much pressure on Kevin, so they didn’t discuss anything pertinent. They had both agreed that they would prefer to wait until they had some privacy. They both had a lot of time to think and they knew there were a lot of issues that needed to be discussed, but the hospital was no place for bearing their souls.

Abigail sighed as she watched a sleeping Kevin. He had been released from the hospital the day before and even though his condition was improving, he was still weak and experiencing quite a bit of pain. Earlier that afternoon, they had taken a walk out to the gazebo and Kevin tried to get comfortable. “I think it’s about time we talked.” Kevin said.

“It feels like there is so much to say. Where do we start?” Abigail said.

“I can’t ignore the improvements you’ve made over the past week. How have you been feeling?” Kevin asked, very much aware of the fact that Abigail had not returned to the treatment facility. He had not talked to Dr. Steep while he was at the hospital. He didn’t really feel the need to talk with him, since he was all ready certain that Abigail’s state of mind had dramatically improved.

“I’m feeling stronger with each passing day.” Abigail said with confidence.

“Abi, what did you say to Dr. Steep to convince him you didn’t need to go back to the treatment facility?” Kevin asked.

“I didn’t really need to say anything Kevin. Ever since I knew that Frank would never be getting out again, the uneasiness that I had been plagued with disappeared. I realized what I had been fearing wasn’t a threat any longer. You were going to make a full recovery and I truly believed I would be able to close the door on my past. Does that make any sense?” Abigail said.

“Yeah, it makes a lot of sense. I was wondering if you finally felt that Frank was no longer a threat. I truly believe that he won’t be bothering us again.” Kevin said.

“I know now that all the panic attacks and mood swings were all related to everything I feared. Now that the threat it gone, I feel much stronger.” Abigail said.

“You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that. I’m looking forward to moving forward and forgetting about the traumatic events of the past month.” Kevin said.

“The future still seems so uncertain.” Abigail said, as she looked down at the ground.

“Why do you say that?” Kevin inquired.

“Well, we never really have discussed the future before. Even though it feels like we’ve known each other for years, in reality we only met a few months ago.” Abigail said.

“I hope you realize how much I love you Abigail.” Kevin said.

“I know that, and I love you too. But where do we go from here? You guys will have a couple months off to give you time to fully recover. I have to wonder what I’m going to do during that time.” Abigail said.

“I thought that would have been obvious Abigail. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for us to spend some serious time together and see where our relationship goes, provided you want the same thing.” Kevin said.

“Of course I want that Kevin, but what about my job? I can’t just sit around with you for a couple months.” Abigail said.

“Why not? I was thinking that we could take some time to travel once I’m feeling better. We’ve both been through a lot and we deserve a vacation.” Kevin said.

“It doesn’t feel right though. Just quitting my job and letting you pay for everything.” Abigail said, not used to the life Kevin was used to leading.

“Abigail, I don’t look at it like that. As a group we’ve worked extremely hard for years and now we have the luxury of enjoying the fruits of our labor. The money I’ve made enables me to look after the people I love. That includes you Abigail. No one will give you a hard time if you take some time off. You deserve it too.” Kevin said.

“I’ll be honest here Kevin. It makes me feel a little uneasy. Now I’m fully aware that there is no resemblance between the two situations, but Frank insisted that I just stay home and I swore I would never let a man control my life that way again.” Abigail said.

“Oh Abi, I’m not trying to dictate your life in any way. This is just a temporary thing. Just take a couple months off to try to get our feet back on the ground, but if you don’t feel comfortable with that, then I’ll respect your feelings.” Kevin said, realizing that they still had a ways to go before Frank no longer haunted their relationship.

“Can I think about it? I’ll use the time in Lexington to help me figure out what I want to do.” Abigail said.

“Take all the time you need, and I’ll support whatever decision you make. But please be assured that I want you in my life.” Kevin said.

“Thanks Kevin. It’s just that so much has happened in the past few weeks that I don’t want to rush into anything. It’s nothing against you, I just want to proceed with caution.” Abigail said.

“No offense taken and I totally understand where you’re coming from. Even I have to admit the situation is strange. Even though I know you’re the same person I have dated for several months, I still feel like I have to get to know you all over again.” Kevin said, expressing his own thoughts.

“I hope with time you’ll realize that I’m no different from the Abigail that you first met. There was no difference, except for the fact that I had a hidden past.” Abigail said.

“Yeah, I know that. I guess I just realize that there is so much to learn about you now. Eventually I want to hear about your childhood, your first kiss, your first boyfriend, what your parents were like and anything else that is included in your life story. I never even realized that all those details were missing until just recently.” Kevin said.

“And given time, I promise I’ll tell you about all those things. Unfortunately, my life isn’t quite as exciting as yours.” Abigail said.

“My life wasn’t always as exciting as it is now. I was just a boy that grew up on a farm in Kentucky and in a lot of ways; I still am that same boy. I’ve worked hard to surround myself with friends and family to ensure that I don’t forget where I came from. I think I’ve done a pretty good job at keeping my feet planted on the ground.” Kevin said.

“Obviously no one has told you about that inflated ego.” Abigail kidded.

Kevin laughed and immediately grabbed his side when he was reminded of the deep wound that was just beginning to heal. “Ouch, that hurts.” Kevin said as he took a few deep breaths.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to make you laugh until you’re feeling better.” Abigail said as she leaned over and kissed Kevin on the cheek.

“You know, it was all worth it to see a smile on your face. Did I ever tell you how much I love your smile? Your whole face lights up and yours eyes literally sparkle.” Kevin said.

“It feels good to smile again, I’ll admit that. I feel like I’ve been stuck in the same nightmare for over three years now. Some times it’s difficult for me to believe that it’s all over.” Abigail said.

“Well believe it.” Kevin said as he carefully leaned forward and caressed Abigail’s cheek. “I’m going to show you how a woman should really be treated. My goal is to make you forget about the nightmare.” Kevin said, as he looked Abigail in the eye. He slowly moved his lips closer to hers and their lips touched in the first real kiss they’d shared in several weeks. It felt like their first kiss all over again, as he watched Abigail blush when he pulled away. At that moment, Kevin realized that they had taken several steps backwards in their relationship and it would take them some time to reach the same point they were at prior to their life exploding into a nightmare.