Take My Breath Away

Blair shared with the girls about how Wesley had been treating her like a prisoner. Debbie felt bad for her. She figured that some soothing words were just what the doctor ordered, and told Blair that Wesley was only doing that because he loved her too much.

Blair didn't deny it, but still thought that confining her was out of line. He never really cared how she felt, while he selfishly kept her all to himself.

The four women had tea that afternoon. Blair enjoyed her much-needed freedom after a long time of imprisonment. She didn't want to go home to Wesley, so she convinced Debbie to take her in, and Debbie agreed.

Wesley always had his ways of finding her. Blair knew that he'd call her or track her phone down, so after reaching Debbie's place, she texted him saying that she would be spending the night at Debbie's, and then switched off her phone to avoid his calls.

Later that night, Debbie went on a date with Carlos downstairs in the garden; they had made an appointment to walk their dogs together. Blair had the whole apartment to herself. Relaxing in the hammock on the balcony, she took deep breaths of fresh air. For the first time in a long time, she felt truly free and happy.

Worried that Wesley might come to Debbie's place to drag her home, Blair had told Debbie to ask Carlos for help in case Wesley did come barging in.

This was important to her. So she took out her phone, intending to give Debbie a call to remind her, only to quickly realize that she didn't have her friend's new number. She took the elevator and went downstairs to talk to Debbie in person.

Eventually, Carlos agreed to help them.

But he and Wesley were best buddies after all. Blair had to go home with Wesley in the end.

It took a while for Blair and Debbie to say their goodbyes to each other. Wesley was in a bad mood because Blair was reluctant to go home with him. The long farewell irritated him so much that he yanked her away impatiently.

On their way back, Blair leaned on the car window, her eyes fixed on the view. She refused to talk to him.

Wesley was a man of few words, so he didn't try to start a conversation either. He let her be.

When they were home, he took her hand in his, but she shook it off without even looking at him.

After a long bath, Blair walked into the guest room. Wesley walked towards the room she was in after having his shower, but she had locked the door.

Surprisingly, this time, Wesley didn't force her to open the door. He walked back to his room.

She lay in bed alone, without the warmth of his embrace. Blair tossed and turned, unable to sleep. But she refused to sleep with him.

As the night wore on, Blair grew impatient. It was already past 2 a.m. She still had trouble sleeping. With a sigh, she got out of bed to drink some water.

The cold water didn't help with her restlessness. She scuffed her feet to the balcony and fell into a daze as she looked at the beautiful starry night.

It was a little chilly outside. She pulled her pajamas closer to her.

Inside his room, Wesley heard the noise around the house and knew that she was up. Wondering what she had gotten up for, he listened carefully for a while.

After some time, he heard nothing. So, he got out of bed silently and walked out of his room.

The living room was dimly lit. Wesley looked around but didn't see Blair anywhere.

He panicked and started looking for her everywhere before he finally found her standing on the balcony. She looked so lonely. Suddenly, it dawned on him that she was still not mentally well. He broke into a cold sweat.

What if she was planning to jump? That single thought frightened the brave soldier.

He dashed over as fast as he could, grabbed her and pulled her away from the rail.

"Aargh!" Blair screamed as he roughly dragged her away from the balcony and into the room.

Wesley covered her mouth with his hand; anger and sorrow engulfed him. "Did you think of me even once before you decided to jump?" he demanded in a low voice. He spent all the time he could spare on her, only because he loved her and wanted to keep her safe.

"What?" Blair was confused.

"You can't do this, Blair. If you ever try to kill yourself again, I'll take you everywhere with me—to work, to the base and even to missions."

At this point, Blair understood what he meant. She gasped and explained, "What are you talking about? I wasn't trying to commit suicide. I just couldn't sleep. So, I got up to drink some water. Then, I came here to enjoy the view and reflect on my life in this prison!"

Wesley blinked for a moment and then sighed in relief as he realized that he had overreacted. But he knew that her mental health was not yet stable, and that worried him. He stroked her hair for a while and said, "I have a friend who is a psychiatrist. She just came back from abroad. Shall we go and meet her?"

He was worried to death. He wanted her to get well soon.

Blair understood that he was trying to get her to take therapy. She resisted. "No!" she rebuffed and started to struggle in his arms.

Wesley grabbed her hands and forced her to look at him. "Blair, I want you to get well. I want you to be healthy and happy for the rest of your life. Can you do that for me? Please? I'll come with you."

Blair squirmed free of his grip and declared, "I'm not ill. I have recovered."

"If that's true, you wouldn't be thinking of leaving me all the time." 'She is less resilient now and doesn't know how to deal with pressure anymore, ' Wesley concluded.

His words were unexpected and Blair was disappointed. She was quiet for a moment.

'So, he thinks that I'm trying to leave him because I'm ill, ' she thought sadly.

There were too many things buried deep inside her, each of them heartbreaking. It was too hard to talk about them. It hurt to even think about them. So, she chose not to.

"I don't...I don't want..." She didn't want to expose herself to another person, not even to Wesley, the man she loved so dearly. She was afraid that he would find out about her vulnerability, and that he would be disappointed in her.

Wesley took her hands in his gently. "If you promise me that you'll see the doctor, I won't watch you so closely anymore. You can go wherever you want and hang out with whomever you like. Okay?"

Blair thought about it for a moment and then agreed to his deal.

Wesley made the appointment and accompanied her to the doctor's office the next day.

The psychiatrist was a gentle woman. Her tone was comforting. While talking to Wesley, she spoke about Garnet. Blair figured that the doctor and Wesley went way back.

Wesley had briefed the doctor on Blair's condition beforehand, so soon after they had gotten to the doctor's office, she was taken into a dimly lit room with a comfortable couch.

This was the first time she was in a place like this. Despite the soothing decor, she felt scared.

The moment Wesley let go of her hand, a fit of uneasiness seized her.

Wesley sensed her fear. He embraced her and reassured, "I'll be waiting right outside. I'm not going anywhere."

'I'm not going anywhere.'

His words calmed her. She lay down on the couch as she was told.

The doctor closed the door of the room, and then it was just the two of them.

She started asking questions, and Blair answered them honestly.

Once the doctor asked about the suicide attempt, Blair fell silent and refused to answer any of the following questions the doctor asked.

From outside the room, Wesley could see Blair's every reaction through the window. But she couldn't see him.

When Blair fell silent, his heart ached.