"Tomorrow?" Ant asked surprised "that soon?"

"No time like the present" Dec replied "I've found the best place for you and they can take you straight away.I had a long,serious chat with them while you were asleep and it sounds perfect"

Ants stomach was in knots.He was terrified of what lay ahead,but he knew it had to be done.

"Tomorrow it is then" he nodded "but I need to tell Lisa"

"I've already called her" Dec informed him "I hope you don't mind?she's totally on board with this,she just wants you well again,we both do"

"Ok then" Ant smiled gratefully.

"As soon as you're finished at rehab,you go straight to the doctor ok?" Dec insisted "and get that knee sorted once and for all"

Dec knew how worried Ant was about that and his silence just confirmed it.

"Ant" Dec smiled kindly "you know,just because you can afford to pay for private doctors,that doesn't mean you have to.I know you're scared after the botch job they've done on you,but you're entitled to use the NHS as much as the next person,so maybe that's something you should think about?"

"Yeah,I might do that" Ant nodded.

Ant and Dec spent most of the day together,before Ant and Hurley made their way home.

Dec had insisted on driving Ant to the rehab facility the next day and as much as Lisa wanted to go too,she just couldn't get the time off work.

Dec waited patiently in the driveway of Ant and Lisa's house while the couple said their goodbyes,just before Lisa left for work.

"You're going to get better love" she smiled,as she kissed her husband on the cheek "you know that right?"

"Yeah" Ant smiled as he hugged her "thank you for everything you've done Lisa and for putting up with me"

"You're my husband" Lisa replied "for better,for worse,in sickness and in health right?isn't that what we promised the day we got married?"

"Yeah,we did" Ant replied,although he wasn't sure if he even believed in those vows anymore.

He knew he had made things incredibly difficult for Lisa over the last few months as he struggled with his addiction.She had put up with a hell of a lot from him and for that he was grateful,but he knew his feelings for her were wavering.

He didn't get that same little flutter in his heart whenever he saw her anymore and he also doubted that she did,but that wasn't his most pressing issue right now.

He climbed into the passenger seat of Decs car and flung his bag into the back seat.

"Ready?" Dec smiled encouragingly.

"Ready" Ant stated "let's do this"

"Here we are" Dec announced as they pulled up into the car park of the rehab facility some time later "this is where you start to get your life back"

"Yeah" Ant nodded.

"Look Ant" Dec smiled "I know you're scared and this is going to a be a very testing time for you,but this really is for the best,you know that right?"

"Yeah,of course I do" Ant replied "I just feel...you know...a bit...umm"

"Overwhelmed?" Dec offered helpfully.

"Yeah,overwhelmed" Ant agreed.

"That's only natural" Dec replied "I'm sure every single person who has ever walked through those doors has felt the same way,but you've got this,I know you have"

"I'm glad you have confidence in me at least" Ant sighed.

"Why wouldn't I have?" Dec questioned "I know you and I know how determined you can be when you put your mind to something,let's get this show on the road then shall we?"

As much as Dec wanted to keep Ant with him for as long as possible,he knew that wouldn't be fair on either of them and would only be delaying the inevitable.

They both walked towards the doors where a smiling doctor came out to greet them.

Dec knew he was allowed to visit Ant at the facility,but not until he was settled in.He would also be allowed to speak to him on the phone.

Even so,Dec knew he was going to miss Ant like hell.He was used to having him just three doors away,constantly in and out of each others houses,walking the dogs together every day,going to their local pub for a pint,as well as all the endless hours they spent together for work.

They said their goodbyes as the doctor waited patiently to escort his new patient to his room.

"I believe in you" Dec whispered,as he embraced his frightened best friend.

He felt Ant nod in agreement.He didn't need to say anything,Dec understood.

"Bye then" Dec smiled affectionately as they pulled out of the hug.

"Bye Decs" Ant sniffed as he wiped a tear from his eye.

For once,Ant was the more emotional of the pair.As hard as it was,Dec was doing his best to keep his emotions in check.It was his time to be strong for Ants sake.He knew that if he showed any sign of becoming an emotional,blubbering wreck like he often did,then that would make Ant feel even worse and doubt that he was doing the right thing.

So Dec managed to hold it together.That was until he got back in his car at least.

He drove away and quickly found a quiet spot at the side of the road where he could pull over and gather his thoughts.

It didn't take long before tears were streaming down his cheeks and burning his eyelids.

He made no attempt to stop them or even wipe them away.He just sat there in the loneliness of his car,staring blankly at the approaching traffic on the other side of the road.

He had no idea how long he had been sitting there,thinking about Ant...his Ant.His wonderful,caring,loyal,funny,amazing best friend.Wondering how it could have come to this and where it all went so horribly wrong?

He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts as his mobile phone rang and Ali's name was displayed on the screen.

"Hi" he answered weakly.

"Dec?" She replied concerned "I just wanted to see how it went and if you're ok?I was worried as I hadn't heard from you yet,you said you'd call me as soon as you got there"

"Yeah,sorry" Dec sniffed as he wiped his face with his hand and tried to compose himself "I just needed a bit of time to pull myself together"

"Where are you?" Ali asked concerned.

"I'm parked in a lay by near the rehab facility,just dropped Ant off"

"Are you ok?" Ali asked.

"I will be" Dec replied "it's all just a bit much at the moment"

"Yeah,I know it is darling" Ali smiled sympathetically "I don't think you should be driving if you're upset,how about I get a taxi there,then I can drive us back?I'm sorry i should have come with you,I never thought it through properly"

"Don't worry" Dec said "Ant wouldn't have liked that anyway,you know what he's like,the less people fussing over him the better"

"Yeah,good point" Ali agreed "so shall I come and get you?"

"No,don't worry babe" Dec smiled "I feel better now after talking to you.Just make sure you're ready with a big hug for when I get home"

"Always" Ali whispered lovingly.

"I'll be home soon" Dec promised "love you"

"Drive carefully" Ali stated "love you too"

Indeed,Ali was ready and waiting at home with endless love and sympathy for Dec as soon as he walked in the front door.

"Was it really that bad?" She asked concerned when Dec dissolved into her arms in a sobbing heap.

"No,it wasn't that bad" Dec replied,once he'd composed himself and sat down on the sofa with a mug of green tea "it was actually fine.Nice place,nice staff who obviously know what they're doing.It's just the whole thing I guess,everything has come to a head,it's crazy,the whole thing"

"Yeah,I can understand that" Ali replied thoughtfully "he's your best friend and he's been through a lot,stuff we didn't even know about.I'm not surprised if your head is all over the place"

"Yeah,it is" Dec nodded "but I know he's now getting the help he needs,things can only get better"

Ants stay in rehab really did help him.Dec dealt with him being away just fine as he was allowed to visit him often as long as it was prearranged,no turning up whenever he felt like it and the boys spoke on the phone every day.

Ant was keen to fill Dec in about the progress he was making and Dec was absolutely delighted.

"I'm being discharged at the end of the week" Ant announced proudly a few weeks later,during a phone call to Dec.

"Oh Ant" Dec beamed "that's absolutely brilliant,you've worked so hard to get yourself sorted,I'm so proud of you"

"Thsnks kidda" Ant replied "but I couldn't have done any of this without your help"

"It was my pleasure" Dec smiled "can't wait till you come home"

"Er yeah" Ant muttered "there's something I need to talk to you about,can you arrange a visit with reception?I've got something to tell you"

"Ok" Dec replied "is something wrong though?"

"Absolutely not" Ant smiled "I'll fill you in when you visit,but please don't worry ok?it's nothing bad,I just want to tell you in person rather than over the phone ok?"

"Ok" Dec sighed.

He managed to book a visit the next day.As usual,he couldn't wait to see Ant,but was also very curious and rather worried about what Ant had to tell him.

"Great to see you" Ant announced as he hugged Dec warmly "come and sit down"

"They think you're ready to leave then?" Dec smiled as they sat side by side on the sofa in Ants spacious room.

"Yep" Ant beamed "I've worked bloody hard to get myself straight since I've been here and they're really happy with me and think it's time for me to get back to the real world"

"That's brilliant" Dec smiled "I'm so proud of you,I knew you could do it"

"Yeah" Ant nodded "it's been extremely difficult,but I got there in the end and do you know what's really good?"

"What?" Dec asked curiously.

"They said that I'm not an alcoholic" Ant smiled "my addiction was to prescription drugs only,but they agreed that even though I like a drink,I don't rely on it,so we can still have a pint down the pub"

"That's good" Dec laughed "was that what you wanted to tell me?"

"No,that wasn't it" Ant frowned.

"What then?" Dec questioned.

"Declan" Ant stated seriously "coming here and being forced to deal with my addiction and talking things through in detail with my therapist made me realise just how much was wrong with my life"

"What do you mean?" Dec asked cautiously.

"Well" Ant continued "I've just been struggling on for the last couple of years now,but things have been a lot worse than you could ever imagine,there's been more than just the knee pain and drug addiction"

"I think that's more than enough for any one person to have to deal with" Dec frowned.

"Yeah" Ant nodded "but there's more"

Ant looked into his worried friends curious eyes.He knew what he was about to say would hurt Dec,but it had to be done.

"Decs" Ant smiled gently "me and Lisa haven't been getting on for a long time now.It's been bloody awful in fact"

"Really?" Dec asked surprised.

He knew things hadn't been the same lately,as Lisa didn't invite him over for dinner as much.The three of them didn't hang out as often as they used to,but Dec thought that was because Lisa was working so much and he obviously had Ali now,so she and Dec sometimes wanted time with just the two of them anyway.

"We've had some horrendous arguments" Ant said sadly "and I know it's mostly because of me and my addiction.I've put her through a hell of a lot and I'll always feel guilty about that as she has stuck by me up until now and I know that's been hard for her"

"She loves you" Dec pointed out.

"Maybe" Ant sighed,although he wasn't sure if she genuinely did anymore,likewise he hadn't been sure if his feelings towards her were still the same.

They'd been through a lot,especially over the last couple of years with Ants complicated issues,but there was also the fact that they had failed to become parents,which was something they both desperately wanted.That just put even more strain on their marriage,but as things had turned out,Ant now thought that maybe that had been for the best as he wouldn't have wanted a child to be caught up in the middle of all this.

"I'm not coming home" Ant announced in a matter of fact manner.

"What?" Dec asked surprised.

"I'm not coming home" Ant repeated.

"What do you mean?" Dec asked.

"Exactly that Dec" Ant sighed "my therapy sessions here have made me realise that what I have with Lisa has become toxic,we're not good for each other anymore and going back there and to her would only hinder my recovery"

"Oh" Dec replied,not really sure what to say to this unexpected news.

It was Ants life and he had to do what was best for him,it made Dec incredibly sad though as he thought about how lovely Lisa had been to him over the years and all the fun times they'd had together.

"It's ok to be upset you know" Ant interrupted his thoughts "I understand,I'm upset too,but I'm coming to terms with it"

"So you won't be living three doors away anymore?" Dec asked sadly "where are you going to live?"

"No I won't" Ant replied "but don't worry,I won't be going far,I'm renting a place for the time being until I find something more permanent,I've told Lisa she can stay in the house"

Dec suddenly thought of Lisa and wondered how she would be taking all this "how is she?"

"She's upset to be fair" Ant frowned "I don't think she saw this coming.The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her,but I know this is best for both of us and hopefully she'll see that eventually too"

"So where are you going to live?" Dec asked.

"Just a couple of streets away" Ant beamed "so you won't be getting rid of me that easily.It's fully furnished,so I'll go straight there when I leave here"

"How did you manage to arrange all that while you were in here?" Dec asked confused.

"Umm...well I didn't really" Ant smiled "I had help"

"Help?" Dec enquired curiously "who from?"

Dec was feeling slightly put out that Ant had turned to someone else for help instead of him,but he had to put those thoughts to the back of his mind,this was all about what was best for Ant,not him.

"Well" Ant continued "you know Anne-Marie?"

"Anne-Marie Corbett?" Dec questioned.

"Yeah,her" Ant smiled.

"Well...she's been helping me out a lot!"