Kennedy's Redemption (The Protectors 3)

While she went to her appointment, the guys had gone for a run on the beach saying they wanted to take in as much of the Mediterranean as possible before they went home. She was terrified they thought she was ready to face this head-on. How could they know when she wasn’t even sure about it herself?

Shaking off the confusing thoughts, she grabbed her car keys and was opening the door just as Deedee was about to knock, nearly knocking on her forehead. “Hi, Ken!” she said in a chipper voice.

“Dee?” she questioned because her friend was not known for being up this early, nor this happy without a serious amount of caffeine in her system, and she didn’t seem too jumpy yet so she couldn’t have had more than a cup or two.

“I’m finally going home, Kenny.” She sounded so enthusiastic about it.

“Home?” She was beginning to sound like a parrot.

“Dublin.” Dee’s placating smile told her she should have known that.

“Umm, you’ve never told me where you were from, Dee.” She was beginning to get more and more confused by the second.

“Right. Well, I’m Irish and from Dublin.”

“Picking up on that, Dee. What I don’t get is what the heck is going on?” she asked feeling exasperated.

“Too much to explain to you right now, but I’m leaving tonight. You going to Florence now?”

The change in topic wasn’t confusing at all, she thought sarcastically. “Tonight?” Parroting again, Kenny?

“Yeah, my ma needs me at home, and it’s time,” Dee told her with a sad smile.

There was more going on that her friend was keeping from her. Luckily for Dee, she didn’t have time to get to the bottom of it. “So you came to say goodbye?”

“I couldn’t leave without knowing you’re ok or, at least, going to be,” she told Kenny softly, her face full of concern.

“I will be, Dee. Thanks in part to your friendship. You’ll stay in touch, right?” She hoped she would anyway.

“Promise!” Dee crossed her heart and leaned in for a hug before stopping at the last second remembering how much Kenny hated to be touched.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed past the burn and pulled Dee in the rest of the way, letting her know without words how much their friendship meant to her. “Take care, Dee,” she whispered.

“You too, Kennedy.” Smiling at her, Dee was off and running back to her home while Kenny was left feeling far more emotional than she anticipated at the departure of her friend.

Getting in her car, she started her journey to Florence once again. Lost in thoughts of what else she didn’t know of Deedee’s life, she found herself at the doctor’s before it registered that she was there. Full of more questions than answers, she hoped Dee would keep her promise of staying in touch.

“Good morning, Miss Maxwell,” Dr. Schroder greeted her like usual. “No sketch pad today?” he asked noticing her hands empty except for her small purse.

“I thought maybe today we could talk.” She could see her answer seemed to stun him.

“Yes, of course.”

Leading her into his office, she went to her usual spot on the couch by the window while he went behind his desk, watching her.

“There’s something different about you today, Kennedy. I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

“I’m homesick,” she stated realizing just how true it was. She missed her family fiercely.

“Are you ready to go home?”

“I’m not sure. Sometimes I think about it and excitement will fill me. Then there’re these other times where I’ll be filled with panic at the thought of leaving to go anywhere. I miss my family so much, though.” She tried to explain her confusing feelings about going back home.

“The panic you feel, is it a nervous panic or fearful one?” He tilted his head in question.

“Is there a difference?” she asked seriously.

“A big one,” he told her. “If what you feel is fear then you still have some things to work on. Now I’m not saying don’t go home, but maybe examine just what you’re afraid of a little more. If you’re nervous, then I would say you’re ready. You left in a highly emotional time in your life; an extremely painful one too. Your nerves have every right to be showing themselves at the thought of seeing the people who have only ever known the old you.”