"Hillcrest was hell for mine and Cassidy's relationship. Mainly on my part, but it was still Hell. I barely left my room and when I did leave my room, the only person I wanted to see was her. That doesn't sound that bad, but in all reality, when you spend months there.. it's bad. I met Cassidy in my first few weeks at Hillcrest. Her bitchy attitude drew me in to her almost instantly and I was hooked on her. My disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, made it almost impossible for me to have any sort of stable relationship. With anyone. I had my brother, Ryan, but he was as fucked up as I was. As I still am. I spent the last few months of my time at Hillcrest rooming with Cassidy. She'd be there when I felt all the things I did, and I'd be there for her. Cassidy had problems too. Has problems. She has a voice, Jessie, in her head that tells her to kill. People, animals, things. Anything she can get her hands on. We're two of probably the most fucked up people on this planet, but it works. She makes me smile and laugh on days when I feel so low it's insane.
During my last week at Hillcrest, I proposed to Cassidy. The ring wasn't much, but it was all I could do. A diamond in the middle and two to the side. She'd never complain though, at least not to me. I made a promise to Ryan that if I ever could get out of Hillcrest, I'd run like Hell. Remodeling was being done during my last week there. Patients were being brought in, some were being brought back. Everyone was stressed and their guards were down, so I made a run for it - With Cassidy, of course. We managed to get out of Hillcrest with the most important things we had. Clothes, and each other. Neither of us had anywhere to go but the idea that we were together meant everything to me. In all honesty, nothing was going to bring me down from that. We both got jobs and tried to save our money. We planned to buy a house, one that was on the beach somewhere.
The beach house is still being saved for, but for right now that's okay. Cassidy works at a local mental hospital as a nurse, as ironic as that sounds. I work construction, putting my muscles to work, as everyone likes to joke with me about. We eventually had enough money to buy a starter home. It's a decent sized house out in the country, far enough away from people in case things get bad with us from time to time. The house is white with white shutters, repainted recently for the new buyers - us. On the outside, the house is plain. On the inside, it's covered in painted walls and little things that make Cassidy and I ourselves. To calm herself down, Cass took up playing piano and painting which is why our house is covered in designs and bright colors. I told her she could become an interior designer, but she wasn't having it. We have one car for the both of us, a small Saturn that needs new tires and probably just needs to be thrown in the junkyard.. But it works. Eventually everything about our lives will work out.
As I'm sitting out on our front porch writing this, Cassidy is inside asleep. I don't exactly know why I'm writing all this down. Maybe just so it's proof as to how far we've come. I'll come back and read this and hopefully I'll smile."
As soon as Micah set the pen down on the table, Cassidy comes walking outside to him. Her lack of clothes to cover her up were okay, since their closest neighbor was about 10 miles down the road. She had dyed her hair about three times since they had moved out here, and it was now a chocolate brown color. Although he liked the color, the blonde always made him happy. It reminded him of when they had met. It seemed like forever ago. He grabbed ahold of her fragile hand and pulled her closer to him so she was placed on his lap.
"Good morning gorgeous." His voice chimed maybe a little too loud for mornings.
She rested her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh, obviously a little too tired for her own good. He knew she worked hard, but there was something else that was making her tired.
"Hey, sleepyhead, was he okay last night?" Micah asked, trying to find out what had happened after he fell asleep.
"He was fine, I just had trouble sleeping." She replied. Her voice still had a sleepy tone to it, but she sounded relieved that it hadn't been Ben's fault she was awake. "I need to go get ready for work." She kissed him softly on the lips and made her way back inside.
"I'll be inside in a second." He replied, not sure if she even had heard him after the door had shut. He picked up his pen and continued to write, realizing he had forgotten one important part to their story.
"Ben had been a surprise to both Cassidy and myself. After being settled into our jobs for about six months, Cassidy came home to me and told me she was pregnant. About three months along, according to her missing her periods. After going to the doctor, it was certain that she was. Six more months of awkward cravings, and I mean the weirdest shit you could ever think of, became my life. Midnight trips to the grocery store for ice cream, bacon, pickles, anything she felt like she could possibly crave. It was beyond worth it though. After a 12 hour labor session, Cassidy and I had a baby. A little boy that we named Benjamin, Ben for short. We went through countless names; Noah, Justin, Jake. Name's that to everyone else would seem normal, but they held unwanted memories of Hillcrest for us.
Ben is now around eight months old, and is the highlight of mine and Cassidy's life. He's the smartest kid I've ever met in my life (he gets that from Cass, but she won't believe me.) But like any kid, he gets into literally everything in the house. Cabinets, drawers, hampers - everything. Other than that, he's the perfect child. He looks like a mixture of both Cassidy and myself, which causes some funny conversations about who he looks more like. And I know the common question that everyone would ask - Is he healthy? Honestly, we can't tell. He's too young to show any of the signs of either mine or Cassidy's disorders. Normal sickness wise, he's a healthy kid. He's never had the flu, not even a cold. It's almost kind of obnoxious, but I'm more thankful than anything. When he gets older, he'll be tested for signs of any type of disorder.
Zach still comes by the house every now and then, and still stares at Cassidy like he has any type of shot with her. He actually still swears up and down he has a shot with her and the family dinners are awkward and hilarious at the same time. That's Zach for you. He claims he's settled down, but won't tell me with who, just that I was right the entire time. He gave Cassidy and I a little bit of hell for having a kid, but I've seen the way he smiles at Ben. He's kind of like the uncle he never wanted to be. Ben will probably know him as Uncle Zach, and thats fine by me.
Cassidy and I are still not married, which is probably the weirdest part of our entire story. Getting married was something I wanted to do but I'm okay with it not happening right now. I've got Cassidy, and I've got Ben. I know who my family is and where I stand. Although I do want to get married, I want it to be perfect for Cassidy. She deserves that."
Micah grabbed the notebook and took it inside, placing it in the drawer in the table beside his bed. The bedroom smelled like Cassidy's perfume, but he could hear Ben playing in the room beside him. He walked into Ben's nursery and picked him up, placing a kiss on his cheek.
"Hey buddy, how are you?" Micah asks him, knowing all he'll get is a smile. Ben isn't great with speaking yet, but he'll get it. He gets his smile and places Ben back down with his toys.
Micah turned around and walked back into the bedroom, wrapping his arms around Cass. "Guess who?" He asked her, smiling to himself.
"Hmmm.. Zach? It has to be Zach." A teasing tone came to her voice.
"Not even nice, baby girl." Micah turned her around and kissed her on the top of the head. "Ben's playing in his room, and he's probably still the cutest kid I've ever seen in my life."
"He really is. I have to leave for work though. If you get called in today, make sure you call Ben's babysitter an hour before you leave." Micah kissed her one last time before she left.
Micah looked around his room and shook his head, not sure exactly how he was lucky enough to get this life. How he was lucky enough to get a fiance that loved him, a son that was sickness free in every way shape or form, and a house. Away from Hillcrest. A place to call home, and the people that make a house feel like home.
