I never in a million years thought I'd be making the journey to graduate school with my grandma, but here we are. Tyler drove us to the airport and we're getting ready to board a plane to Baltimore in less than two hours.

A lot has happened in the past day; things I never saw coming.

Or maybe it's just that I didn't want to see them coming.

For months, I worried about leaving my grandma behind in Louisiana for various reasons. While I felt in my heart she would be just fine without me, I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her in the care of someone with a target on his back. And I didn't really know about that target for sure until last night.

I haven't even had time to process everything that's happened. I still don't know exactly how bad it is or how bad it's going to get. I'm relieved that my grandma will be safe, but what about Tyler? What if something happens to him while I'm hundreds of miles away?

The thought alone makes me feel sick to my stomach.

"I haven't been on a plane in at least twenty years," grandma says, looking around the airport like it's a foreign place to her.

"Not much has changed since then," Tyler shrugs, rolling both mine and grandma's suitcases behind him as we make our way to security. "It's still just as noisy and uncomfortable as ever, but at least you only have a three hour flight."

"I've never been to Maryland before. I guess that's one more state I get to cross off my list," grandma smiles.

I smile back at her. She's wearing a winter coat, even though it's the end of August. She thinks the plane will be cold and she wants to be prepared. She seems so excited to be making this trip with me, but I hope her excitement doesn't dwindle away when she realizes how different Baltimore is from the bayou.

Or when she doesn't know anyone and will have to make new friends.

Or when she gets sick of the cold weather.

I shake my head to rid myself of all the negative thoughts and worries that are bouncing around. I can't just assume things will turn out bad. Tyler could fix things with his siblings and everything can go back to normal.

But wow, that is easier said than done. I think I'll worry about Tyler every waking hour of every single day until I can actually see him again and know that he's safe.

We arrive at airport security and my heart sinks. This is where I'll be saying goodbye to Tyler, for at least a few weeks. And since there's a small chance things could go bad before I get the chance to see him again, saying this goodbye is going to be hard.

"Well, this is it," I sigh, stopping in front of him. "Thank you for the ride."

"You're welcome," he replies, forcing himself to smile.

"I expect a phone call every day. Don't make me worry about you."

"I promise, I will check in daily. No need to worry," he chuckles.

I fall into his arms, trying like hell to hold back the tears I feel coming. "Please take care of yourself."

"I will, I promise," he whispers. "And as soon as I can get away, I'll come and visit."

I hold him for as long as I can, wondering if this could be the last time I ever feel his arms around me. And that brings the tears on strong.

"Sessy, please...don't cry," he says, holding me even tighter. "Everything will be fine when you get to Baltimore. You're gonna make new friends, probably become a teacher's pet again...and at the end of it all, you're going to become Dr. Cecily Martin, and thousands of lives will change for the better because of you. Just like mine did."

I pull away and look up at him. "I love you, Tyler."

He smiles, and this time, it doesn't look forced. "I love you too, Cecily. Call me the second you land so I know you made it safely."

I nod, not able to speak another word. I finally let go of him, not knowing if it will be the last time we ever see each other. I give him one last smile before I take grandma by the arm and lead her to the very long line for security.

I try to keep my mind blank as we go through boarding procedures. I know if I give myself too much time to think about it, I'll break down. There will be plenty of time to cry later. For now, I just want to make it through this flight.

Once we've made it onto our plane, I mindlessly follow the line of people heading to their seats. I feel like I'm stuck in a fog, like I'm not even really here; or at least, my heart isn't. My heart left with Tyler, and it will stay here with him until we meet again.

"Oh, these seats are smaller than I remember," grandma says, taking her seat while I cram our carry on bags into the overhead compartment.

"At least it's not a very long flight," I shrug, taking my seat next to her.

She wanted the window seat, so I'm stuck in the middle between her and some chatty older lady who started taking as soon as she sat down next to me.

I try to be polite, but I'm in no mood to talk. I just want to drift off to sleep and wake up in Baltimore. I feel like once I get there, my heart won't feel so damn heavy. Maybe I will start to get excited about a new place, new friends and a new start.

At least, I hope so. Because right now, all I can think about is Tyler.

I just want him to be okay; physically and mentally.

I eventually doze off and I don't wake up again until I feel the sudden jerk when the plane lands. I sit up and look out the window, smiling when I see the ground outside.

We made it.

I take out my phone and turn it on, ready to call Tyler to let him know we've made it. I'm so excited just to hear his voice again I can hardly stand it.

And it's only been three hours since I've seen him.

I pull up his contact and press call, but I'm surprised when it goes straight to voicemail.

I try calling him again, but still...voicemail.

I sigh, deciding to send him a text instead.

Hey baby! We made it. I tried calling, but I got your voicemail. Call me back when you get this.

___________________

Grandma and I have been settling in to our new apartment and I'm only just now realizing how small it is. It's the perfect size for just me, but when I rented this place, I never expected to be sharing it with someone else.

There's only one bedroom, and only one bed, so I've insisted that grandma take it until we're able to figure something out. She gave me hell about it, but I refused to let her take the sofa. She finally relented when I told her we could go shopping for a pullout sofa or a futon tomorrow.

What she doesn't know is I don't have the extra money to make a purchase like that right now. I have to be careful with what money I do have until I find a job. And I can't let her pay for something like that when it's my fault she had to come here.

After I'm finished unpacking my clothes and hanging them up in the closet, I toss the empty boxes to the corner of the room.

Thankfully, this place is fully furnished- complete with a television in the bedroom and living room. Grandma is already propped up in bed watching reruns of NCIS: New Orleans, her favorite show.

"Are you good for the night?" I ask her.

"Oh, yes baby. There's a marathon on tonight and you know how much I love that fine man Scott Bakula," she smirks at me.

I smile, relieved that she's been in good spirits. "He is definitely a silver fox."

"Are you done for the night?" she asks.

"Yea ma'am. I'm too tired to go on. I'll finish the rest in the morning. If you don't need anything else, I'm gonna go crash on the sofa."

"Okay, angel. Come give your grandma some love," she smiles, holding her arms out to me.

I gladly cross the room and fall into her arms, hugging her tight. I know we didn't plan this, but it all seemed to work out perfectly. After what I found out about Tyler just before I left, I needed someone to get me through. And who better than the woman who not only raised me, but gave her all for me, every single day. I'm hurt, confused, angry and uncertain right now, but I have her. It makes it a little easier to breathe.

"I love you," I whisper, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too. Sleep well," she whispers back.

After a quick shower, I grab a book and a bottle of water and settle down on the sofa. I check my phone for the first time in hours and my heart sinks when I still don't see a text from Tyler.

Starting to worry, I try calling him again. When I get his voice mail for the third time, I know something is wrong.

I send him another text, really needing to hear from him before I go crazy. I knew I'd worry about him once I left, but I had no idea it would start right away.

Tyler, I'm starting to worry. Please call me. I love you.

I set my phone down on the coffee table and try to get comfortable. This sofa is clearly not meant for sleeping, but I'm starting to wonder how it's even meant for sitting. It's so hard, barely any cushion.

I sigh and throw my fluffy purple blanket over my body. I grab my book and open it up to my marked page. I start reading, but my eyes seem to wander to my phone every few seconds.

Ugh, I won't be able to concentrate until I hear from him.

And the more time that goes by, the more worried and frustrated I become. Why would he leave me hanging like this? Especially after everything he's told me...

Since I know I won't be able to sleep anytime soon, I decide to busy myself with my phone. I start by going through pictures of Tyler and me, some as far back as a couple of weeks after we met.

Wow, things were so different back then. I had no idea I'd end up falling in love with this guy, but then I did- and I fell hard. So hard that I'm willing to stick with him through whatever it is he's facing.

I just need to know he's okay.

A tear slips out and rolls down my cheek, followed quickly by another. I knew they would come eventually, but only because I missed him...

Not because I don't even know if he's alive or dead...

My phone rings, nearly startling me out of my skin. I don't recognize the number, but it's local to the New Orleans area, so I answer.

"Hello?"

"Sessy! Oh my God, I'm so glad you answered!"

"Tyler? Where are you? What happened?"

"It's a long story, but I'm calling you from...jail. I don't have long so I won't bother to explain what happened. Just know I'm fine and I plan to get out of here soon."

"I was so worried about you!" I cry, so relieved to hear he's okay, the whole jail part barely registers.

"No need to worry. I will explain everything to you once I have a chance, but for now, just know I'm safe and I will be out of here soon."

"When will I hear from you again?"

"I can't say exactly, but I promise it won't be long. Even if I have to call you from here again, I will at least keep you updated and let you know I'm okay."

"Please take care of yourself, Tyler," I beg him.

"I will. And you do the same. I love you, Cecily."

"I love you too."