Evermore :||: Nick & Charlie

Chapter 27: We Want You Home in One Piece Now

Charlie's POV
December

It's now December, marking seven weeks since I've been away from home. I've learned a lot here, especially techniques for when I'm feeling compulsions while eating. I just have to take my time and breathe through it, remember that it's all just thoughts and nothing bad will happen if I eat.

Today, I'm having a therapy session that may or may not determine if I'm going home. I feel like I'm ready, but I know that there's still some things that I need to work on.

"Charlie, have a seat." He says warmly. I sit down on the all too familiar couch, my leg bouncing nervously up and down. My therapist sits down and looks over his notes before looking back up at me. "Right, so these last couple weeks have been very good. You've had less and less instances of needing the caloric drink and you've been doing very well during meal times."

"It's been hard, but I think I'm getting the hang of it. Breathing really helps quiet the voices and also taking my time to eat has been very useful."

"I'm very glad to hear that, Charlie." He jots down a few notes before looking back up at me. "I think you might be able to go home at the end of the week." I smile.

"Wait, really?" I ask, just to be sure that I'm understanding him.

"You've made really good progress since you first arrived. Your first two weeks didn't start off the best, but once we pushed past why your need for control was so strong, you really started to improve. It seems like visits were always helpful for you too, so I'm sure that going home is going to be the last push you need in your step towards recovery."

"I'm really happy." I know I'm smiling like an idiot right now, but I can't help it. Exactly what I wanted to happen has happened. I get to go home, and most importantly, I get to be with Nick on Christmas.

Luckily for me, once my therapy appointment is finished, I actually get to see Nick. He's visiting again with my family, but this will be the last time he has to do that because after this visit, we'll be able to see each other whenever we want to.

I wait in my room for the nurse to tell me that my family and Nick are here. Once that happens, I swear I run as fast as I can to give them, mostly Nick, the good news. When I see Nick, I jump into his arms, taking him by surprise, but he always catches me.

"What's got you in such a happy mood?" He asks, setting me down. We sit down with my family and I hold Nick's hand below the table.

"You're oddly happy for it being ten in the morning." Tori remarks.

"Well, I have a lot to be happy about." I look at Nick and squeeze his hand. He squeezes it back and smiles, not really understanding why I'm so happy. "They're releasing me at the end of the week." I finally spit out, unable to keep it to myself.

"What?! That's amazing!" Nick is quick to pull me into a tight hug, nuzzling his face in my neck. I close my eyes, feeling his embrace. I feel someone put their hand on my arm. I open my eyes to see Tori giving me a soft smile.

"We're very happy for you Charlie." My mom says, smiling too. She hasn't done much of that while I've been here. I think a part of her blames herself, but it's not really anyone's fault that I ended up in here. I'm just glad to finally be going home.

As much as this place has helped me, I've been extremely homesick. I miss my room, my house, Nick, my friends, even though I told them I didn't want them to visit me. It's kinda confusing, but I can't help how I feel.

When Nick finally pulls away, I see tears pooling in his eyes. I cup his cheeks with my hand, preparing to wipe away any tears that spill over.

"Why are you crying?" I ask him. He sniffles.