The next couple days in New York proved to be too much for Abigail to handle emotionally. For several days she was able to hide the fact that she was deteriorating emotionally from both of her grandparents and from Kevin. Abigail had been able to convince Kevin that she was having a great time in New York and her grandparents were confused about her keeping her distance. 

On Abigail’s 3^rd night with her grandparents, she rushed her phone call with Kevin giving the excuse that she was tired and just wanted to go to bed. When she hung up the phone, she crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep as she hugged her pillow, wishing it were Kevin. Abigail had come to the realization that she had become extremely dependent on Kevin and she was having a difficult time dealing with all the feelings that she thought she had successfully buried. 

That night, Abigail barely slept a wink. She finally passed out from exhaustion around 6 in the morning and didn’t wake up until noon when her grandfather came in to check on her. He was able to wake her, but she seemed very confused and disoriented. 

Abigail’s grandfather had all ready spoken to Kevin on one occasion since Abigail arrived. Kevin had called and wanted to make sure that they had his contact information. He expressed that he was concerned about Abigail since she was just gaining some emotional stability in the past couple of months and he was afraid this might set her back. Her grandfather promised that if it looked like Abigail was having some problems dealing with everything, he would give Kevin a call. 

At 12:15 that afternoon, Abigail’s grandfather dialed Kevin’s cell phone number. When all he got was voice mail there, he moved on and called the hotel number Kevin had given him. He was relieved when Kevin answered the phone after 4 rings. “Kevin, it’s Peter Thompson calling, Abigail’s grandfather.” 

Kevin cursed when the telephone awakened him. He knew he couldn’t ignore the phone though, knowing that only urgent calls were being forwarded to his room. He was wide-awake as soon as Peter identified himself. “Hello Peter. How’s Abigail?” Kevin said, instinctively knowing that something was wrong if Peter was calling. 

“You asked me to call if I had any concerns about Abigail. We’re definitely worried about her Kevin. She’s been very distant since her arrival and I just tried to wake her a few moments ago and she seems very confused and disoriented. I’m not sure what to do.” Peter said. 

“Can I talk to her Peter?” Kevin asked. 

“Yeah, just give me a few minutes. I’ll see if I can get her on the phone.” Peter said. 

Abigail was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings when her grandfather came back into her room. “Kevin’s on the phone for you sweetie.” Her grandfather said. 

Abigail was confused as she picked up the phone. She didn’t recall giving Kevin her grandparent’s number. “How did you get this number Kevin?” Abigail asked. 

“Good morning to you too. I kept the original message from your grandfather and when I couldn’t get a hold of you on your cell phone this morning, I decided to call this number. It’s unusual for you to still be on bed at this time.” Kevin replied. 

“I’m sorry. I just didn’t sleep well last night.” Abigail said as she relaxed a little more. She trusted Kevin and had no reason to doubt him. 

“Wanna tell me what’s going on Abigail? I’ve noticed that you haven't been yourself since you got down there.” Kevin said. 

“I’m fine Kevin.” Abigail said, unconvincingly. 

“Abigail, come on. This is me you’re talking to. You know you can talk to me.” Kevin said in a calming voice. 

Abigail knew what she wanted to say, but she knew it wasn’t something that could happen. “You can’t do what I want anyways, so what does it matter.” Abigail said. 

“Because maybe we could work something out.” Kevin said. He knew that Abigail wanted him there with her and if she’d stop being so stubborn and just tell him that, she’d know that they had the next two days off and it was possible for him to join her for that time. 

“No need. I’ll be coming home in a couple of days anyways. I’ll be fine until then.” Abigail said, determined to remain strong and make it through this without having to depend on Kevin. 

“Ok then. Well I better get going. A few of us are heading out for the afternoon.” Kevin lied. Whether she'd admit it or not, he had not doubt that she needed him there. 

*********************** 

Several hours later, Kevin was stepping into a cab in New York City and handing the driver the address to the Thompson residence. He’d spoken to Peter Thompson one more time before boarding the plane and he was convinced he was doing the right thing. Abigail was refusing to leave her room. He knew that once he got there Abigail would be grateful that he had come. 

An hour later, Abigail still remained in bed and had no intentions on moving. She knew she knew she was on a downwards spiral again, but she didn’t have the energy to stop it. Just as she began to drift off to sleep again, she heard the door creak as it opened and then she heard the quiet click as the door was closed again. She assumed it was her grandfather checking up on her again and he was going to try and convince her to join him for dinner. She just didn’t have the heart to get out of bed, so she pretended to be asleep. 

Kevin’s heart felt like it was breaking when he saw Abigail buried beneath all the blankets. All he could see was a mass of brown hair resting on the pillow. He knew she was having a difficult time emotionally, but he never expected to find her in such a poor state. All of a sudden he felt extremely guilty for letting her even come to New York. He slowly approached the bed and sat down on the edge. He wished he could just scoop Abigail up in his arms and take away all the pain as he watched her shoulders rise and fall unevenly, which told him that she wasn’t sleeping. 

Abigail desperately tried to hold back the tears when she caught the first whiff of Kevin’s cologne. Throughout the day she had prayed over and over again asking Kevin to be there for her and she never imagined her prayers would be answered. As the first tear escaped and slid down her cheek, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. She rolled over and looked up at Kevin through tear filled eyes. 

Kevin pulled back the comforter and crawled into the bed and took a trembling Abigail into his arms. It took more than an hour for Kevin to calm Abigail down that afternoon. She was dealing with so many conflicting emotions and it had all become too much for her to handle on her own. Kevin knew that coming to New York City to rescue Abigail was the best decision he could have made. 

********************* 

Kevin’s presence turned Abigail into a whole new person. Her grandparents were amazed by the change. After everything Abigail had told them about her ordeal with Frank, they were both relieved to see that Kevin was very obviously in love with Abigail and only had her best interest at heart. And even though they were disappointed that Abigail departed with Kevin the following evening, they knew it was necessary for Abigail to move on with her life. It hurt them a great deal to realize that Abigail’s past only hurt her and that she truly needed to close that chapter of her life. If it meant Abigail could find happiness with Kevin, they were willing to make the sacrifice. Her grandmother was just thrilled and very thankful to have gotten to see her granddaughter one more time before she died.