Insanity.

Two days later;
Her request was finally answered and she saw the man she loved and supposedly put her in hospital, she could finally walk around but as soon as she saw Russell she ran into his arms.
He was skinnier than before but he returned the hug just as tightly "I missed you" she whispered to him, he didn't say anything back.
"Addison Bailey? Would you please take your hands off of the prisoner."
"Prisoner? They heard your case already?" Addison stared into his eyes, he shook his head "not this case involving you... other cases"
"others?"
"this felon has confessed to killing 2 other people. He's only allowed out for an hour, so I think you should hurry along."
Addison gasped and stepped back, she couldn't believe it... wouldn't believe it.
How could the man she loved... do that?
Her mind flashed back to certain conversations all those years ago when she was in the mental hospital and she smiled "I knew... I always knew."

Russell was so surprised by her reaction, he had killed two other people... by all means they deserved it but he was going to jail, for twenty five years and everyone else doubted him, they looked down upon him and he gave them no other reasons not to but Addison didn't.
"You knew?" he asked staring at her as she played her cards sitting by the window, she didn't answer directly but only nodded.
"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner... you know, I nearly killed you..." he trailed off
"I know" her voice held no bitterness, it was calm and casual.
"What's the damage?"
"They think I'm going to go permanently blind... I don't think so though, they were wrong about my condition when I was in the mental hospital you know.. why should they be right about this"
Russell didn't answer; he caused this... he put this upon her and he would always hate himself for it, she didn't deserve it.

She was twenty three years old and she didn't deserve this.
"If I could take back what I did, I would.. Oh I would, but only to you. I wouldn't take back the others"
"I know this too Russ." Addison stopped her game of cards for a moment so she could stare directly at him "When I die... I want you to sing at my funeral... would you like to do that, for me?"
Russell flashed a small smile towards her, yet she didn't care for it, she only cared for the soft notes he was softly singing already as he walked over to her side.

"Blackburn don't get too close." the guard warned, Addison rose her hand "It's okay, he wouldn't intentionally hurt me... not really"
"You have a heart of gold, shame no one has really seen the best side of it. I'll never forget you, Addison Bailey"
Addison cupped his cheek with her hand as she rested her forehead on his "I don't care if you did this to me, I hate that you're going to jail. I don't care if you killed those people, I don't care if they deserved it. I love you"

*~*

Thirty five years later...

It was a usual Autumn sunny day; leaves flowed over the gathering of people flying along with the wind. If anything it was more peaceful to be a mournful day than anything; It was the day of Addison's funeral.
Marshall cleared his throat before walking up towards the mic; he swore to her all those years ago he'd make a speech.
"Here lays Addison May Berks, we went to high-school together; I watched her grow up into the lovely woman she was, I was by her side through most of her troubles and I also watched her life change completely yet she didn't let that stop her. She never gave up and if she did it was only for a little then she sprang back, good as you... if not even better." he paused to wipe at a fallen tear "She was my everything, not just my wife or my best-friend, my life my whole world; she had my heart and I had hers." he stepped down from the microphone with the tissue still in his pants pocket.

Marcus squeezed his fathers shoulder and bounced his daughter upon his knee. He had a big business meeting tomorrow, but even the world could wait.
"It's okay Dad, she would've loved your speech" Marcus gave his fathers a brave face, "I know son, I can hold Maybelle if you want" Marcus shook his head and kept his daughter close.

Marshall tensed up as he watched the older man walk up to the mic, wondering with all his might why he of all people were here... jealously and rage boiled in the pit of his gut.

"H-Hello..." the older man aged sixty one said into microphone "A long, long time ago when I was twenty six, I made the biggest mistake of my life... I attacked the only woman who ever understood and loved me, for me. My attack towards her set off something in both our brains, so to speak. It set off a rare brain condition in hers; and my insanity. Some of you may remember the murderer Russell Blackburn, some of you sitting here today may even recognize me... I know she would"
he sighed, unable to cry the tears already shed
"I made a promise thirty five years ago, that I would sing at her funeral. I loved Addison, even though we haven't spoken in twenty six years, I still love her, yes I'm glad she grew up into the wonderful happy woman she was, lived the life she did and had a wonderful family but I can't help but feel bitterness in myself, that it wasn't with me. That she didn't grow old with me, didn't bare my children, that I didn't wake up to her beautiful face everyday and make her smile. No, I didn't have the chance to do that but I can do this..."

He strummed softly on his guitar, sang those words of the perfect song yet his mind was some place else; some place set forty years ago when he was twenty two and she was nineteen; when she forgave him for all his mistakes outside that apartment where her lips met his in the middle of the road.

'This is for you....
You're the one worth waiting for.
You're all I ever needed in this life.

Let's take a look back, so we can see,
What it took to bring us here and we're
So reminded of better days,
When we were both happy.

This is for you (this is for you).
You're the one worth waiting for.
You're all I ever needed in this life.

Words can't express,
the impact you've made on me,
And -- in my entire life.
And all I can say is that I love you,
For everything it turned out to be.

This is for you (this is for you).
You're the one worth waiting for.
You're all I ever needed in this life.

Cause I try,
So hard to make this right (right).
You've got my back on the wall.
Why couldn't you prove me wrong?'

Everyone clapped, even the little girl Russell kept staring at sitting upon the young mans knee, she stared directly at him with those big round green eyes but her a bob of brunette hair; Addison's eyes. Russell thought... he nodded once before walking away, he couldn't stay any longer, not with reminders of her floating around everywhere, not with her own husband..
"Wait." Russell turned around, old age wasn't ever good with him. He was surprised to see who it was "I was about to leave you to the rest of the funeral... family only and close friends.. ya know" Russell was never put in awkward situations but this was he never thought he'd do.
"She'd want you here, I was an idiot to not let her see you after you got out of prison... she wanted to see you, I'm sorry."
Russell glared fuming at the man in-front of him, but suddenly as if someone had touched his shoulder it was gone, he shook his head "It's okay... I'm trying to put the past behind me."

"She was apart of your past..." Marshall blurted out "yes, but I can't put her behind me, not when she's still in my heart."
Russell walked along side the man who married the woman he loved, "you know..." Marshall started saying, Russell only glanced at him "she still loved you too, even with her eye sight gone, I saw it in her eyes and on her face whenever she heard your name. She always loved you, I was jealous to think I'd never have all of her..."
Russell despite the situation and the effort of putting peace between them, he laughed loudly, causing those close to them to stare in disgust.
"No one could ever completely have a woman's whole heart, no one could ever have all of Addison."
Marshall smiled "Oh, how I know"
"She wanted me to tell you something, but only on this day..." Russell muttered, wanting Marshall's full attention "they were wrong about her mental condition, she wasn't hallucinating... to her it was real, she was reliving memories, horrible horrible memories of her brother killing himself in-front of her when she was two years old. She wasn't crazy, she was just traumatized."
The hope on Marshall's face was enough to say to Russell he had done enough, he squeezed the mans shoulder and left the funeral without another word.