Stay: The sequel to Lost

Part 35

Jamie booked Penny a fight on the next plane to New York. Louis and Niall both stayed until it was time for Louis to take her to the airport. She told them, over and over that it wasn't their fault. They weren't responsible for Liam. Liam's parents told her that they should have insisted on rehab the first time he was out of control. She was tired of hearing how it was everyone fault. Everyone kept talking and talking until she finally yelled "Stop! It's Liam's fault, okay? Mine and Liam's fault. I knew he had a problem. I knew he needed help He knew he needed help, but we didn't do it, okay? Just stop!"

Everyone in the room froze. "Penny, dear, it's not...."

"Stop, please, Mrs. Payne. Please. Louis, I know it's a bit early, but can you just take me to the airport, please? I can't be here." She stood up and turned to Liam's mom. "Can you make sure he gets this? I just...." She pulled off the snowflake diamond ring and tried to hand it to her.

"Oh, I...." Mrs. Payne said.

"Just take it!" Penny threw it down on the coffee table and walked away. Louis followed. Her suitcases were in the foyer. She didn't even slow down, just scooped up her carry on bag and pulled up the handles on the other two bags, wheeling them behind her.

"Slow down, Pen!" Lou called. He caught her in the elevator. "And I thought Payno was the drama queen." He said, grinning at her.

Penny grinned a little. "You are still a total asshole, you know that?"

Louis just shrugged his shoulders. "I gotta be me."

Hours later, Penny landed in Detroit and made her way to the baggage claim. Sam was waiting, arms open. She flew into his arms, crying all over again. "It's okay, Cricket. You are home. Nobody will hurt you now, okay?" he said. Penny nodded, her face still buried in his shirt. "And don't snot all over me." Penny slugged him in the shoulder and let him lead her to the doors and back into the real world.

She spent a week feeling sorry for herself and then decided she needed to move on with her life. First, she had to keep a promise she made to Mrs. Payne. She had called and asked her to go say goodbye to Liam. To give him closure. It was part of the process, Mrs. Payne had explained. Liam needed to see her and apologize for what he had done. She needed to move out of Harrison House anyhow Mrs. Payne had reasoned and she would be able to pack things while Liam was still in treatment. "I know it's terrible for me to ask, Penny. I know, but he does need this step. He needs to understand the hurt he has caused."

"I just got home, Mrs. Payne. I just can't face him, this, right now." Penny had pleaded.

"It's for you, too, Penny. You will always wonder if you don't come and at least see him. He's very humbled by all of this. He didn't even realize what he had taken, Penny. His father and I went and he's...different? Calm. Better. For me, Penny. Please."

Penny had given in. Her mother had almost agreed that it was a good idea. Jon told her that he'd come along, just to see Liam's face and scare him into thinking he'd come to finally chop him into tiny pieces that would fit into the garden. Unfortunately, Jon wasn't allowed to fly.

"You need to face it, Penny." her mother said. "You need to close this chapter of your life and move on. You won't if you always wonder. I love Liam, too, sweetheart, but he isn't the same Liam he was here. Here wasn't real, it was just some love story that you fell into, small town girl, big popstar. And most love stories don't have happy endings, unfortunately, when faced with reality. You don't need to spend your life wondering, you need to say goodbye and move on. Go, see him, and tell him goodbye. That's all his parents are asking for."

She left for England and spent two days packing up her things at Harrison House. Maggie, the housekeeper was sad to see her go. On the day the truck came to pick up the boxes, she cried and told Penny that the only reason she stayed was for Liam's giant dog. If it wasn't for the dog, she'd have left a long time ago. She didn't want to go back to single, party man Liam who trashed the house. "You really changed him, Ma'am. For the better."

"I tried, Maggie. But, people don't change, I know that now. I can't make him be someone he's not. He is a singer, a showman? He likes the attention and all that comes with it. I can't take that away from him and I can't be around it. Not anymore."

Jake agreed to drive her to the 'celebrity retreat' where Liam was staying. She'd packed everything she wanted at Harrison House and would be leaving the next day.

He pulled up to the rehab center, which really looked like a fancy hotel, and dropped her off. Liam was waiting on the front patio. He looked shy, uncertain and shuffled her his feet. She waited for him to speak.

"Uh, I..." Liam started. "I guess I need to say I'm sorry, first. I'm so sorry. I don't even think I can say that enough. I have a session with my counselor? And I want you to come. I want to really listen to you and what you have to say. Will you? Come with me, I mean?" He held out his hand and she took it, letting him lead her inside and to an office.

The counselor first wanted to hear what had happened the night that Liam attacked her. Liam didn't remember much of what had happened and needed to hear and understand that hurt he had caused. Penny told her story, of him getting high. The counselor told her that the tox screen told them that he had cocaine and methamphetamines in his system. She accepted that information and continued her story, saying that he insisted on her going down on him. She told him how he'd grabbed her hair and forced her down. How she'd throw up on him and ran, hiding in the closet. She told him that she didn't know who to call because she didn't have any friends here or anyone's phone number. Liam listened, tears rolling down his cheeks. Then she told him what she had told Lou, that she couldn't find her place here, that she wasn't comfortable or happy. And she told him that she was going back to live in Michigan.

Then, the counselor told Liam to talk. He apologized, again. He told her that he knew now that he needed help and that he needed to be in a program. He didn't even remember taking meth and he barely remembered the cocaine. He told her that the facility had even done a hair test, to see his drug history. According to the center, he'd been on a mix of uppers and downer for quite a while, he didn't even remember taking any if the things they said he'd done. He had been completely out of control. All of her confused, unhappy feelings were his fault. He didn't think about her when he made choices about his career or his life and he knew now that they needed to be a team. They had to work together and make decisions. He was going to get a new team. He had talked to the record label about Tony and what he told Liam when he asked to go to rehab the first time. Tony had been fired. Liam was going to get to pick his new manager, when he was ready and not before.

He understood now that his mental health was important and that he needed to work on his fears and nerves instead of drinking them away. He was going to stay sober, with the help of a program, where he'd have to check in daily, and talk about his problems. He would learn to cope without drugs. "I feel so good, Penny. Like, I'm coming out of a fog? Like everything seems so clear and I see what I've been doing to you. To us? I have made all of these grand plans without asking you. I put everyone on fast forward without thinking of our promises. I'm ready to start over. Do whatever it takes."

"Liam, you scared me. You hurt me." Penny started.

"I know. I know. I can't even explain how much I hurt, knowing that I scared you. I would never hurt you and I hurt you in the worst way possible because I didn't listen. I just could stop doing what I was doing. And that night? I barely remember anything. I wish to god I could, but I don't." Liam said, his eyes pleading. "I will do whatever you want, start over? Just date? I'll move to Oscoda, rent a crap place and take you to crap movies until you trust me again. I just need you to believe in me. In us."

Finally, he took her hand and begged her for one more chance. For a chance with him sober. They could sell the London flat. They could live where ever she wanted, even stay in Michigan forever. She just needed to extent her faith, one more time. Trust him, just a little. Be with him, just like they planned.

Sobbing, she took his hand and nodded. She could try. She wanted to be the one whose love story worked out. She wanted her happy ending. 

There Jacki. Jeez. ;)