Peace was a feeling she wasn't used to feeling too often, but between Damon being relaxed from talking with his father, Delilah gone from the firm and Bethany starting to pack up her apartment for the next step in her relationship with Damon, peace belonged to her.

She walked down the long hall in the accounting building and let her smile grow wide on her face. Life was good, and as long as she and Damon communicated about the parts that weren't so great, everything would work out. It would be time to start planning the wedding soon, and the only two people she really had that could help her were Matt and her mother. Erica might be willing to do some of the decorating and such, but maybe it was better just to hire someone to come in and take care of all of it. That had been Damon's vote the night before when they lay in bed, talking about the future.

"Bethany," someone called from behind her.

She turned to find Jake rolling toward her with a smile on his handsome face. His hair was hanging in his eyes, and she couldn't help herself from reaching over and moving it off his forehead.

"Hey. You look great. You doing okay?" She smiled down at him.

"Yeah. I've been making great progress like I told you." He locked the wheelchair into place, gripped the side of it and stood up as she held her breath. "See?"

"Oh wow. That's incredible." She kept her hands locked to her side but wanted so damn bad to reach out and help him sit back down. He wouldn't have appreciated her doing so, no matter the intent. He seemed to thrive on pushing himself to walk again. She understood all too clearly.

"I'm joining you and Dr. Tarrington in class today. I have an extra physical therapy session tomorrow, so I'm going to get in my TA hours today." He unlocked the wheelchair and moved along beside her. "What's new in your world? How is everything going?"

"It's good." She pushed the doors to the auditorium open and glanced up to see Kendal leaning over his podium, studying something.

"You and that jackass back together yet?" Jake glanced over his shoulder and gave her a grin.

"Yeah." She extended her hand to show off the ring. "I'm going to move in with him soon. I love him with every part of me. I was falling apart trying to figure out how to not love him that much."

Kendal glanced up, his face pale, dark circles under his haunted-looking eyes. "Morning, guys. Glad to hear you and Damon are working things out."

"I'm not," Jake muttered and winked playfully before rolling to the other side of the room.

"Me too." Bethany set her bag down and moved up to the stage, climbing up and standing in front of Kendal. "I would ask how you are, but it seems like a trivial question. I know you must be suffering."

He glanced up, his green eyes dull. "I'm just taking each day as it comes. Some part of me knows that it's going to get better, but it feels like a promise that's just out of my grasp right now." He turned toward Jake. "Thanks for your help last week. Guess we were lucky that Bethany showed up on a day she wasn’t scheduled to." He turned back to Bethany. "And thank you for teaching for me. It’s nice to know I have someone I can count on."

"I loved it. I hated the reason I needed to step in but getting to do it was exhilarating. I don't think I realized how much information I retained from this class when I took it."

He nodded. "It's pretty hands-on because of it being more about product accounting. Have you thought about going into teaching? Not everyone that gets an accounting degree has to become a CFO of a large organization. Some of us dive into academia and enjoy life immensely."

She thought about his question before responding. What kind of life did she want for herself? What kind of career? With her raising being so rough, the only thing she had focused on since starting college was to get a degree in something that would pay lots of money. There was no way in hell she was going to let her future family suffer the way she and her mother had.

"It's something to think about for sure." She brushed her hair off her shoulder. "I haven't given it much thought. I figured I would end up in public accounting like everyone else seems to."

"I didn't." Kendal gave her a tight smile and glanced back down at his notes.

"Very true. I'll think about it, and maybe we can have coffee sometime soon and talk about it." She didn't wait for a response seeing that he wasn't in a mood to talk from what she could tell. Time would help to heal the wounds of losing his sister, but having someone hold him at night would certainly speed up the process.

Damon had already tried to get Kendal to think more about giving Dana a chance. Bethany was going to hit the same nerve, but meeting the girl and trying to put her in a position where Kendal would have to pay her attention didn't seem like a bad idea at all.

She bit her tongue, grabbed her bag and waited for the students to start filing in. Maybe she should just leave good enough alone and let Kendal find his own way.

Maybe, but what was the fun in that?

"So, when are we having this wedding?" Bethany's mom asked through the phone.

Beth shrugged and turned down the long road that would lead to the mental hospital. The last thing she wanted to do was visit with Krista, but she promised Jake that she would.

"I think it would be nice to do in the spring next year. Maybe around March?"

"That sounds great." Her mother paused. "Christmas would be fun too, but it's late October. There is no way in hell we'd have everything done by then."

"Exactly. Let's shoot for March." Bethany tugged at her seatbelt as nervousness ran through her. "I really don't want to do this."

"Then don't." Her mom let out a sigh. "You don't have to be everything to everyone, baby. Just because Jake feels the burden for the two of you to help Krista through this transition doesn't mean you need to."

"I know, but I don't want him out here, and some part of me wants to help her, you know?"

"I know, but she's not going to be the same girl, Bethany. They have her medicated until they can figure out if there is something deeper going on besides her being bi-polar."

"I understand. I'll just go in, talk to her for a few minutes and get out of there." Bethany reached up and rubbed her chest just above her left breast. It would have been incredibly comforting to have Damon with her, but he was at the office, putting out fires from what she understood. Their conversation moments before had been quick and very to the point. Where she'd have gotten upset in the past with him for being so short, she worked on understanding the why behind his actions.

"All right, well, when you get done, come out to the house and let's start picking colors and looking at dresses. Are you going to want a destination wedding like Kent and I had?"

"I'm not sure. I don't have a ton of people that I want to invite. Maybe going somewhere would be a good idea. Could be fun for sure."

"I like the idea, but it's your wedding. Talk with Damon about it, and I'll see you in a little while. I'll have lunch waiting for you when you get here."

"Perfect, Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, baby. All my heart."

Bethany dropped the call and reached over to put her phone back in her bag. "What in the world am I going to say to Krista? I'm sorry you didn't take your meds? I'm sorry your life is ruined? I'm sorry you ruined Jake’s life and scarred his body?"

She pulled into the closest parking lot and parked the car, but didn't get out. It took a few minutes to gather her courage, but finally, she forced herself to simply get out of the car. What the hell was she afraid of?

Lots of things.

"Just breathe," she mumbled and walked toward the building, forcing a tight smile on her face as various doctors and nurses passed by her, each smiling kindly.

She pushed the doors to enter the hospital and walked to the front counter. "I'm here to see my friend, Krista Grey."

"Sure, honey." The nurse stood and pointed down the hall behind Bethany. "She's down that way in four twelve. She's not very talkative, so don't let it bother you, okay? She's on some light sedation drugs that keep her calm."

"Right." Bethany glanced over her shoulder before returning her attention to the nurse. "Has she not been calm up to this point?"

"She's been okay. It's a rough transition for everyone. They don't understand it. It'll do her some good to see you, I'm sure. She hasn't had a visitor yet."

"Her father hasn't come out to see her?" Sickness rolled around in Bethany's stomach.

"No." The nurse’s expression saddened. "We're taking good care of her, but we're not family, you know?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She turned and walked down the hall, trying to convince herself that Mr. Grey just hadn't had time to get over there. By the time she reached out to grab the handle, her heart hurt so bad she was having trouble breathing.

Pausing, she closed her eyes and tried to find the source of her fear. Was she scared that Krista would attack her? No. That was ridiculous.

That her friend would look like death? Not really.

That she would be hallowed and unresponsive at all? Like the world had forgotten her and no one cared?

Tears blurred Bethany's vision, and she reached up and pressed her fingers to her lips. That was it. She was scared to see what her not being there for Krista looked like. How many times could she have come by and she hadn't? The fear was tied to the guilt of not reaching out when she should have.

She forced herself to push the door open and walked in.

Krista sat in a wheelchair with a blanket over her legs by the window; her attention fully focused on whatever was going on outside. Her long dark blond hair was halfway down her back, and she'd lost all of her extra weight.

Bethany's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out before wiping at her tears.

Damon: I figured you were in the hospital with Krista. I know you didn't want to go there today, but I'm proud of you. I'm thinking about you, and I hope that visit turns out to be something that frees you from all the shit you've been through with your friends. If you're too scared to go in to see her, come get me and I'll go with you. I love you, baby. All my heart.

She smiled and put the phone back into her bag. She could do this.

"Krista?" She spoke softly as she moved to sit down on the couch near the window where Krista sat. "It's Bethany. Jake and I wanted to see if you were okay and to let you know that we're here for you."

Krista turned her head slowly, her blue eyes filled with tears that broke Bethany's heart. She extended her hand toward Beth as the first tear dropped.

"I've missed you," she mumbled softly.

"Me too." Bethany let her fears subside as she got up and walked over to pull her friend into a tight hug. Jake was right. No one else was going to pull Krista from the darkness but the two of them. Maybe there would even come a day when she was completely healed and could leave the hospital.

Warmth raced through every part of Beth to know that when that day came, she would be there to pick her friend up. It wouldn't surprise her much if Jake and Damon were with her.

Krista wasn't alone, and neither was Beth anymore.