Jeremy Donovan was fully invested in Julia's mental health. He'd been obsessed with her from day one when he first saw her on America's Voice and now, she is at The Avalon. What are the odds? But when Julia finished her very first week at the well-known facility, she had Jeremy stumped. 

He had been studying her behavior daily and though he had already known she was Bipolar, the complexity of Julia baffled him. She had so much more going on mentally. Much more than he would have imagined. She almost reminded him of a patient that slipped through the cracks not that long ago. A patient who killed himself due to his mental instabilities. Julia reminded Jeremy of Eric Furgeson. A man who Jeremy could have helped if he had the chance. But it was too late. Eric Furgeson hung himself in the garage of his house for his family to come home and see.

Donovan wasn't going to let that happen to Julia.

Jeremy had previously dedicated so much time to his wife, Maddie, an alcoholic that only married him for the money. Once Maddie was no longer in the picture due to her infidelity, Jeremy had nothing better to do than to put his energy into other people. Other people like his current obsession, Julia Moretti.

So that's just what he did.

After "partially" separating from his wife, because she still wouldn't get out of their fucking house they bought together, he decided to tackle the complex patient, Julia. She was intriguing, more than he had imagined. He knew if anyone could help her it would be him. But he needed time with her. A lot more time. So unbeknownst to Julia when she registered to be an Avalon patient, he checked off the box for the weekend program. That would give him more one on one time with Julia. And she needed it. Because her mental health was beginning to spiral out of control and Jeremy knew it was going to get worse before it got better. Scientifically proven. Bipolar is tough to treat and is always evolving and changing... almost like his own mental health issues.

Springing the surprise on Julia Friday afternoon when she thought she had the weekend off was anything but uneventful, and Jeremy truly did feel awful for doing this. But it had to be done.

"See you tomorrow." Jeremy waved goodbye to Julia as they finished up the end of the day meeting in his office.

"Tomorrow? Tomorrow is Saturday, remember?" She squinted her eyes at the doctor, thinking he made a mistake.

But there was no mistake.

"Well, yeah. But just because it's the weekend doesn't mean your treatment stops, Miss Moretti. You know this program runs every single day, correct? Even on Saturdays and Sundays."

"Wait, what? You mean I have to come back here tomorrow? There's not one day off??" Julia became anxious fairly quickly, and Jeremy was expecting as much.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you knew this already." Jeremy showed Julia the forms she signed that were sitting on his desk. He already highlighted the box checked off for daily care. He pointed down to the box checked off that showed Julia's initials.

"I don't remember checking this box off. At all." Her eyes widened in confusion.

Of course she wouldn't remember. She wouldn't remember because she wasn't the one to check off the box. It was Jeremy. And it was Jeremy who practiced her initials until his writing looked identical to hers so he could forge it. He had never done something so wrong. He had never been so deceiving before. Jeremy had never done anything illegal like this. It actually made him sick to his stomach. But it was the only way to spend more time with Julia, to really study her emotions and how she reacts to different things thrown her way. It had to be done.

"No. I made a mistake then. I didn't mean to check that box off!"

"Julia. It's ok. This will be good for you. It will benefit you in the long run. And the weekends are much slower around here. It won't be as chaotic."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Julia's rage got the best of her. She ripped up the forms on his desk and then had this complete meltdown right in front of the psychiatrist. "I'm not coming here tomorrow! I worked so fucking hard this week!"

"I know you did. And I understand, believe me I do. It will take some time to adjust to this." Jeremy picked up the ripped-up forms she scattered on the floor and took a deep breath. He had a feeling this would turn into the explosive outburst Julia had. He was prepared for it. He called in a nurse to take Julia into another room until she calmed down so Jeremy could talk to Nate, who was waiting for Julia to be discharged.

Nate saw Julia walk out of the office distraught as he walked in.

"It's all normal, Nate. Well, it's not normal, but it's normal for someone like her. Especially with the med change. She's gonna be all over the place for a bit." Jeremy said calmly but could tell Nate Hollan was anything but calm. He knew about Hollan's temper just from watching Julia's interactions with him for so long.

"Then find the right fucking med! You're the doctor!" Nate threw his arms up and paced the small office. "She really had her hopes up of having two days off every week. Doctor, she has worked so damn hard."

"She certainly has. But like I told Julia, this will only benefit her in the long run. She needs to be monitored closely, Nate. She has a lot of things going on in that head of hers. I can help her. I know I can. You just need to trust me on this."

Nate sighed but nodded. He knew Julia was a work in progress. He was already aware of her complexity, and he was desperate to help her. If that meant going into the Avalon every single day, then so be it.

But watching Nate leave the building with a crying, very distraught Julia, put a pit in Jeremy's stomach. He knew what he did was so wrong ethically and morally.

That night, Jeremy had his work cut out for him. He had asked Nate to bring in some of Julia's journals so he could get a better idea of what he was dealing with, but he didn't think Hollan would give him ALL of the journals.

Instead of going home to an empty house full of memories with Maddie, Jeremy took it upon himself to spend the night in one of the Avalon's in-house luxury apartments. When his grandfather thought up the idea of this facility, he had designed these spacious, upscale, contemporary apartments on the east wing of the Avalon. Originally, these apartments would be available to family members who have loved ones staying in the treatment center full times.

Jeremy's grandfather had plans of living in one while his daughter received treatment. Getting her away from her abusive husband, and when Jeremy was home from college, he could go to the Avalon apartment to stay for as long as he wanted so he could be close to his mother.

But that never happened. It never happened because Jeremy's mom's mental illness got the best of her, and she committed suicide before the Avalon was open. Just like Eric Furgeson, his mom slipped through the cracks. His mom is the reason Jeremy went into this field of expertise and then being diagnosed with similar mental illnesses; he threw himself into his work. He studied hard, became smart. REAL smart.

The Avalon apartments remained vacant after Jeremy's mother passed away. Perfect for Jeremy for the time being. He had his gym bag in his SUV with clean clothes and always kept a spare outfit for work in his office. So he was prepared.

The only thing he forgot to pack- his medications.

Jeremy suffered his own series of diagnoses and had prescription anti-psychotic medications to keep his mental health in check. Without them, things could get ugly. Real ugly. Come to find out, the combination of mental illnesses Jeremy has is considered a "deadly combination." If left untreated, Jeremy could do some pretty bad things. It's why only one person in the entire world will ever know about his diagnosis. His therapist, Dr. Katherine Cohen. Like Julia baffles Jeremy and other doctors, Jeremy baffles Dr. Cohen. How two very different mental illnesses can feed off each other to turn into such a monstrous combination is something she had never witnessed before.

But skipping a day or two here and there of his pills wouldn't affect Jeremy. He'd missed a few weeks in a row when he became depressed over his wife and the separation. He stopped taking care of himself for a little while. But he was fine. What's another few missed doses?

Back to Julia...

She's just lost, he thought to himself. She's lost and has a lot of trauma she suppressed for years. The type of trauma that slowly eats away at you if you don't heal from it. Julia never let herself heal. She never went to grief therapy. She never dealt with any of it. Jeremy vowed to himself not to let what happened to his mother and Eric happen to Julia Moretti. Her files already described her suicidal tendencies.

Jeremy ordered a pizza, and knowing he wasn't taking his depression meds, he then picked up a six pack of beer. You are not supposed to drink on certain prescription medications, so this would be a treat for him knowing he hadn't been taking his scheduled doses for a little while. He sat in the beautifully furnished Avalon apartment alone with his pizza, beer, and Julia's journals. It took him all night to read them, and what he read was so disturbing the man felt tears spring to his eyes.

Julia had been through hell. Not only had she been through hell, but she suppressed it for so long, trying to forget the trauma, that when it did come back to her, it was a shock to her system. With the medications and therapy, Julia was beginning to remember all the horrific details of her husband's affair with his co-worker, Nicole. How Julia managed to not deal with these things for so long was beyond him, but Jeremy knew things were going to get worse before they got better.

Once he was finished with the final journal, he sat in the empty apartment stunned. Julia, who had already been through so much when she lost her son but then had her husband live a completely separate life with another woman. He lied to Julia every single fucking day. Eventually, Julia mentally shut down. She was abusing her anxiety meds. She was there physically but not mentally. To the point it became a game to the other woman, Nicole. Like having sex with Julia's husband in her shower and when Julia walked in on them, Nicole smiled. Or leaving lingerie in Luke's travel bag, knowing Julia would eventually find it. It got to the point Julia was so checked out Luke stopped hiding the affair. He would go on "work trips" all the time and fuck his mistress in the hotel that Julia and Luke would go to every year to celebrate their anniversary. Or have sex with Nicole in their car, not caring if Julia found out. Donovan felt physically ill for Julia after reading some of the memories she jotted down.

Luke destroyed Julia. And that destroyed Jeremy. These memories were the type of memories that would haunt Julia for years to come. Not only that, but they would affect her relationships moving forward. With Nate Hollan AND James Gallo. No wonder she couldn't choose between the two men. She's never been loved before. Maybe Luke did in the beginning but certainly not towards the end. Julia's going to attach herself to anyone who makes her feel. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad- she just can't stand to feel numb. That's where her hypersexual tendencies play a part. She had no self-worth and got high off the endorphins produced when you are intimate. She had no boundaries.

Jeremy took another sip of his beer and pulled out another folder. Another one of Julia's files. He opened it up and scanned through some of the documents. Nothing seemed to be documented before Julia came to California. She was married for 17 years and wasn't promiscuous until she came here. Julia was very open during her one-on-one therapy sessions with the doctor. He knew he needed to have a meeting with both Nate and James the next morning to go over the things he read in those journals -before Julia started her day at the Avalon.

*****

The next morning, Julia was told to wait in the intake room while Nate had a morning meeting with the psychiatrist. What she didn't know was James was also present for the meeting.

What Jeremy didn't know was Julia was in an intake room only two doors down from his office. He should have specified a room further away because his door was left open and Julia could hear what was said in the meeting with Nate and James

"Listen, I get what you're saying ok? I'm trying to be helpful. Really, I am. It's really hard to be around her without wanting to be with her." James said.

"Understandable, sir." Jeremy replied.

"No. Fuck that. I don't need your reasons, James. I need you to step up." Hotheaded Nate raised his voice.

"Do you realize what your asking me, Nate? She chose YOU. Not me. Do you know how fucking hard it is to be around someone you love who chose another guy? She doesn't want me helping her. She doesn't need me. She chose YOU. And you're asking me to pick up your slack while you go fucking travel the world? C'mon, man." James retorted.

"You've got to be kidding me, Gallo. What she needs is her fucking friend. Help out a little."

"We gotta stop pretending this is normal, Nate. You... me...what we're trying to accomplish here. It's not normal. It's one side. And I'm trying to be ok with it. I'm trying to put my feelings aside and help her. But you can't expect me to pick up the slack when you're away. To take another leave from work so my life revolves around yours. To be with her every night while your on tour and be expected to reel in what I feel for her. I'll never look at her as just my friend. You damn well know I love her. This is an impossible situation."

"Ok. Guys, let's take a breather. I understand both sides here. It's a lot to take in but I see where both of you are coming from. The one good thing is, if you can't agree on what to do, Julia can stay at The Avalon overnights while you're away." Jeremy reminded both of them.

"Yeah, I need to go home and sleep. I just got done with a 19-hour straight shift after having only 4 hours off before that. I haven't slept in over two days." James said and Nate became much quieter hearing this. Because he knew James was a hard worker. This was putting too much of a burden on James. James was working way too many hours on too little sleep. That concerned Jeremy AND Nate.

"Sorry, mate. I had no idea. I would have scheduled this another time."

"We can end here. Nate, if you could stay a few extra minutes to go over the weekend itinerary... James, you're free to go. Go home, get some rest." Jeremy said and James exited the office.

Nate and Jeremy then came out of the room together to see Nate's sister, Cara, and Julia sitting together in the hall.

"Cara." Nate walked quicker, and she practically ran to her brother, throwing her arms around him.

"How ya doing, kiddo."

"Miss Moretti." Jeremy now knew Julia could have heard that meeting.

"What the hell was that all about? Why was James here?" Julia redirected her attention to the doctor. Jeremy slouched a little in defeat, took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose for just a second before putting his glasses back on. He looked just as tired as James. He pulled an all nighter reading those journals.

"No, Jules. This was all my doing." Nate let go of his sister and focused on Julia now. "Everything's fine, doll. We can talk about it at home."

"At home... right." Cara repeated all irritated. "Ok well you all do that. I'm going to get my pancakes." She walked away in a huff.

"I should probably take you down to the cafeteria. We're usually short staffed on the weekend but never this short staffed. Looks like I'm your doctor AND nurse today." The doctor said to Julia. "We can talk more when you sign her out, Mr. Hollan." The doctor smiled down at her, put his hand on the small of her back and walked Julia down to the cafeteria.

******

The next two weeks Jeremy forgoed all other patients and spent most of his time with Julia. The other patients were set in their ways. They didn't need his help like Julia did. Here was this attractive woman so broken and her life was in shambles. She started trusting and relying on Donovan more and more, just the way he wanted.

He also stayed in the Avalon apartment almost every night since that first night. It was easier for him. He could be closer to Julia. At her disposal at all times. He was loving it. He was beginning to fall in love with the patient. How could you not? She was easy to love. Kind and loving and so goddamn trusting. To Jeremy this became more than an obsession. This was infatuation, adoration, lust and love all wrapped into one woman. A woman he couldn't get enough of.

Jeremy also knew one specific morning was going to be a tough one. Because this was the morning Nate told Julia he would be traveling a few days later and she would need to spend her nights at the Avalon. Nate would be going to Austin, Texas for a full week. Julia had no choice in the matter and the safest place for her would be at the Avalon. Under Jeremy's care.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me." Julia glared at Nate. Jeremy could tell this was tearing them away from each other little by little just the way he wanted it to.

"Julia, James is on the list so he can come here and visit you whenever he wants to check in on you. He can also sign you out after your sessions end at 3:30 if he wants to take on your overnight care." Dr. Donovan reminded Julia, but she continued to stare at Nate.

"James works full time at night. You know that's not gonna happen. Everyone's just leaving me behind. All because of a fucking diagnosis. Do you know how that makes me feel, Nate?" She began to get worked up.

"Jules, no one's leaving you behind. I just want to make sure you're safe and healthy. I'm gonna worry about you no matter what when I'm gone. Besides. I am making sure James has enough money to cover any shifts if he wants to take time off of work to take care of you, ok? He'll come around, love. He just needs time." Nate reminded her and looked to the doctor for help while sitting outside at a table as they tried to explain it all to Julia.

"Julia, the goal is for you to be safe and continue treatment." The doctor patted Julia's hands that were resting on the table a few times but then lefts his hands on hers. He couldn't resist touching her. His drug of choice, his obsession, was sitting right in front of him wanting to be comforted.

"And while you're here the extra hours I will be here if you need anything. I moved around my schedule to accommodate you since this will be your first time spending the nights here."

"Do you do that with all your patients, Dr. Donovan?" Nate eyed Donovan while he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Depends on their diagnosis. If the patient is here for detox, no. I don't deal with a lot of that. But when it comes to mental illness, especially Bipolar and Mania, yes. I try to make sure the patient is well adjusted. The smallest change in routine can sometimes affect behavior in negative ways. Especially when you have no control over the routine change, such as Julia having no say in the matter of her spending her nights here or in her own home. Right now, being alone for long periods of time isn't an option. And with the nurse traveling with you, and her friend unable to be with her, this is the best place for her. I will make sure you adjust properly, ok?"

"We still have two days before I leave. Is there ANY way she can take this weekend off so we can spend time together before I travel? She hasn't had one day off yet." Nate asked.

Jeremy slid his hands away when he sensed Nate staring at them. Julia was oblivious. He was falling hard for her and only wanted to see her happy and healthy. He knew she would never be happy with Nate Hollan. Jeremy knew he was the right choice for her. He just needed to give it time. Time, patience and trust earned from Julia. Which meant he would have to give in every once in a while to make her happy...

"I could give your nurse the meds and schedule. But this can't happen often Julia. At all. Two days. Then you report back here Monday morning, ok? Mr. Hollan, you'll still have to track all her meds, meals, moods, and document it all throughout the weekend."

"THANK you!" Julia smiled brightly at Jeremy, and he knew he made the right decision. Baby steps.

Julia jumped up and pulled Nate up with her, ready to get away from the facility for the weekend. Jeremy stood up and Nate shook his hand before the doctor walked back to the building. He knew he had to gain Hollan's trust as well, and he just accomplished that one.

Not only was Jeremy gaining both Julia and Nate's trust. He would get a full week of having Julia at the Avalon full time. He would continue to stay in the Avalon apartment to be close to her.

And eventually, he would not only do whatever it took to help Julia with her mental health and make sure she gets the medical treatment she needed; Jeremy Donovan would do whatever it took to make Julia fall in love with him.

But plans took a turn and it wasn't for the better. That weekend away changed everyone's life.

*******