Chapter Eleven
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"Oh, Bianca!" Leo called through a mouthful of burger, putting his hand up in the air to get his best friend's attention as she walked into B.J.'s, Pine Valley's premier casual dining establishment, the next afternoon. With a smile, the younger, dark-haired woman walked over to him.
"Your father probably would have had a fit if he saw that." Bianca commented, sitting down across from Leo. "After all, Leo, you are part of the upper class now, so you should show good table manners."
"I'll try to remember that when I'm around the aristocracy." Leo said, grinning widely after swallowing some of his burger. "Then again, they'd probably expect me to have low standards, being Guy's illegitimate child and all."
"How is your father by the way?" a curious Bianca asked as the waitress brought her a glass of water. "Uncle Jack told me that he was having some sort of health problem."
"He had a problem with his heart." Leo replied, swirling his straw around in his soda. "But he's doing a lot better now. David was the one who did the operation on him, so, as you can imagine, he's doing just fine."
"Good." Bianca nodded with a smile. "I'm so glad to hear that."
"There's a bit more news that I haven't told you about." Leo said, scratching an itch on his shoulder. "I met Guy's family while I was over there."
"Really?" an interested Bianca asked with wide eyes. "That's awesome, Leo! What are they like?"
"Well, my stepmother, Madeline, is really cool." Leo reported, "She gives off this maternal vibe that I can't even explain." He shook his head. "I mean, she should have hated me, Binks, but she was nothing but accepting of me."
"Well, she should be." Bianca commented, "You're such a nice person, Leo. Anyone would be lucky to count you as a member of their family."
"Yeah?" Leo sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Well, you should tell that to my newfound brother, Jean." He turned his gaze towards the ceiling. "He made it perfectly obvious that he wishes that I had never been born."
"Sounds like a real winner." a sarcastic, yet sympathetic Bianca said.
"Yeah, he's only noble in one sense of the word." Leo agreed with a nod as a waitress walked over to the table. Seeing as how du Pres already had a plate of food in front of him, it was clear that she was there to take Bianca's order. "Why don't you go ahead and get something to eat? It's on me."
"I'll just have a ginger ale." Bianca smiled, looking up at the waitress. As the woman left to fill her order, the dark-haired child of Erica Kane looked back at her curious best friend. "I haven't been feeling too good lately."
"I'm sorry to hear that." a sympathetic Leo said, swirling ketchup around his plate via one of his French fries. "Hopefully, you'll feel better soon."
"Leo, can you keep a secret?" an interested Bianca asked quietly.
"Of course, I can." Leo smiled widely, thinking back to a few years ago when Bianca had asked to him to keep the truth about her sexuality a secret. A chuckle escaped him. "You, of all people, should know that, Binks."
"Yeah, you're right." Bianca nodded, obviously thinking back to the same time period. As she leaned on the table, her voice suddenly got quiet. "Remember how I was supposed to have an abortion a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah." Leo nodded, remembering that Bianca had decided to terminate the child that had been produced by Michael Cambias raping her.
"Well, I kind of changed my mind when I got to the clinic." Bianca revealed, sitting back in her seat. "I'm still pregnant."
"Wow! That's one hell of a secret!" a stunned Leo remarked, rubbing the back of his head. "Who else knows about this?"
"Just David and Maggie." Bianca replied, referring to Leo's older half-brother and cousin.
"I'm in good company then." Leo smiled, still rubbing the back of his head. Dropping his hand, his brown eyes looked sincerely at his best friend and surrogate little sister. "Whatever you need me to do, Bianca, don't hesitate to ask, all right?"
"I know, Leo." Bianca smiled back, putting her hands on his, which were currently resting on the table. "You've always been there for me, and I can't thank you enough for it."
"You're very much welcome." Leo replied, holding her hands in his.
"Aw!" a nearby woman Bianca's age with short, brown hair commented. "That's so sweet."
"Hey Maggie." Leo greeted, nodding at his cousin as she sat down next to Bianca. "What are you up to?"
"I've been trying to find you actually." Maggie replied, looking at Leo. "David told me this morning that you were back in town. How's your father?"
"Well, Dr. "I Save Lives" managed to squeak out another miracle, so he's doing just fine." a thankful Leo replied, leaning back in his seat. "Actually, I'm glad that you're both here because I've got some news."
"What is it?" a curious Bianca asked.
"In about seven more months, there's going to be another set of feet walking around me and Greenlee's house." Leo smiled, looking at the two younger women in front of him.
"You mean…" an ecstatic Maggie gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.
"Yep." Leo nodded, "You're going to be a cousin again."
"Oh, Leo!" Bianca exclaimed, hugging her best friend from across the table. "That's wonderful! Congratulations!"
"Thanks." Leo said, hugging her back.
"It's great to have some good news for once." Maggie agreed, taking her turn in hugging Leo. "Congratulations, cous!"
"Oh my God!" Bianca suddenly realized, "That means that Uncle Jack is going to be…"
"A grandfather." a nodding Leo finished, "We just told him the news yesterday, and he's probably still bouncing off of the walls."
"I'd imagine he would be." Bianca giggled.
"I also told David." Leo revealed with a laugh. "I think that he's more worried about Greenlee and the baby's health than I am!"
"Well, I don't think that you can blame him for that, Leo." Maggie replied with a shake of her head. "Not after what happened with Leora."
"Yeah, you're probably right." Leo nodded in agreement, suddenly remembering his infant niece who had passed away a few months ago.
"I've got to be getting to the library." Maggie said after suddenly glancing at her watch. "I've got a paper for Organic Chemistry to finish."
"Why don't I go with you?" Bianca suggested, grabbing her purse. "You'll need someone to help you haul around all of those books."
"Okay." a smiling Maggie agreed before hugging Leo once more. "Give Greenlee my love and congratulations. I'm here for you two anytime that you need a babysitter."
"I'm going to hold you to that, you know." Leo smiled back as Maggie let go and Bianca took her place.
"I'd promise the same thing if I didn't think that I'm already going to have my hands full." Bianca commented.
"Well, like I said, Binks," Leo replied, putting his hand on Bianca's stomach. "If you need anything at all, I'm here for you."
"I know." a grinning Bianca nodded.
The two younger women waved a final goodbye at him as they headed for the door. Leo had just waved back when a foreign hand clamped him on the shoulder, and the tall, brown-haired man looked up to see a recognizable, elderly gentleman standing behind him.
"Mr. Greenlee." Leo greeted as the older man sat down in what had just been Maggie's seat. Woodruff Greenlee was Greenlee's grandfather, whom Leo had encountered many times in the past.
"I'm sorry, Leo," the older man said in a polite voice, "but I couldn't help but overhear part of your conversation."
"Which part?" a curious Leo inquired, leaning back in his seat.
"The part where you mentioned that I'm going to be a great-grandfather." Woodruff smiled before extending his hand across the table. "Congratulations, my boy."
"Thank you." Leo nodded, shaking the older man's hand. "Just, uh, don't tell Greenlee that you know." He scratched the side of his face. "I think she kind of has her heart set on telling you and Millicent herself."
"I'll feign surprise." a chuckling Woodruff nodded, "So, any thought as to how you're going to support this little family of yours."
"Uh…well…" a nervous Leo stammered, rubbing the back of his head. Seeing as how the Greenlees were a very wealthy family, his mother-in-law, Mary Smythe, always made a point of ridiculing Leo about having no direct source of income and accusing him of leeching off of Greenlee. However, Woodruff himself had never done so. "I guess that I haven't really thought about it."
"Well, you should." Woodruff advised, reaching into his coat pocket. "After all, I assume that Greenlee is going to be on maternity leave from Fusion and I'll be damned if you two are just going to drain her savings account while that happens." He suddenly handed Leo a business card. "Meaning that it's up to you to find a job, Leo."
"Greenlee Investments?" a puzzled Leo read, looking at the business card. He glanced back up at the older man. "You want me to come work for you?"
"Well, I don't believe in the concept of nepotism." a smiling Woodruff replied, "But if you can't find anything else, then I'll be more than happy to find a position for you somewhere in my company."
"But I don't really have any employable skills." Leo pointed out, referring to his lack of a proper education.
"You'll never get a job with that kind of attitude, Leo." Woodruff commented, leaning back in his seat. "Employers want someone with self-confidence." A smile appeared on his face. "I'm sure with the Count and myself as references, you'll be able to land something." "Thanks for the vote of confidence." Leo grinned, his belief that at least one of Greenlee's maternal relatives wasn't so bad being reaffirmed.
"You're very much welcome." Woodruff smiled back.
To be continued...