Chapter 26:

Defeated, Dante went across the hall and knocked at Bruno's door. Maybe the other bodyguard would take pity on him and let him crash there for a few hours before he headed back to Port Charles.

Bruno opened the door. He was dressed in a pair of dress slacks and a polo shirt. "You must be Dante. Michael told me that you might be stopping by. Come in."

Dante entered the apartment. It was tiny compared to Lulu's lavish penthouse but it was larger than his loft back in Port Charles. Bruno made it his home with manly décor.

"Nice place," Dante commented.

"Mr. Corrinthos pays extremely well."

"When did Michael call you?" Dante wondered.

He wondered if he was that transparent when he was in Lulu's room back at Sonny's when he found out that she left town.

"Sometime last night, I was guarding Miss Spencer on her excursion with Dr. Hunter."

Dante walked around the apartment. He noticed that there were several gift bags on the kitchen table, large bouquet of flowers, and bunch of Mylar balloons. "What is this?"

"Miss Spencer's birthday is tomorrow. Sonny sent her that gift for me to give her. But I think he is going to give her something else as a surprise."

"Her birthday is tomorrow?" Dante demanded.

That is something that he should have known. There was no way that he was going to head back to Port Charles now. He needed to get her a birthday present even if she wanted nothing to do with him.

"It sure is. I bet that the good doctor has something nice planned for her."

Dante shuttered of the thought of that Matt had planned for his Lulu. "You have been guarding Lulu for awhile, haven't you?"

"Since her days at PCU, she came to Harvard, so did I," Bruno said. "Do you want some coffee? I could order some breakfast from this little diner that delivers."

"Matty- Dr. Hunter and Lulu mentioned that they were going to brunch soon," Dante informed him.

Bruno nodded. "I figured as much. Miss Spencer loves this little bistro in Harvard Square. She spends most Sundays there studying during the school year. I have to frisk every guy that tries to attempt to hit on her."

"That must have put a damper on her social life."

"It did until Brady Andrews came along. He seemed unfazed by it."

Dante bristled at the mention of Brady's name. He was really beginning to hate the Federal Prosecutor. He felt that there was something that he wasn't seeing with Brady. Whatever it was, it couldn't be good.

Dante stifled a yawn, he haven't slept in more than twenty-four hours. It was finally hitting him.

"The guest room is down the hall, the first door on the left. Take a load off. You have a long drive ahead of you."

Dante really wanted to tag along to Lulu and Matty-Boy's brunch date. He needed to figure out how to ruin it somehow since they were so far away from Port Charles and a call for the hospital wouldn't work. He needed to give Lulu her space. If he crowded her, she might never hear him out.

"Okay, I will get some sleep. Make sure you take good care of Lulu okay?" Dante asked as he went to the guest room.

"Don't worry; nothing is going to happen to her. See you in a few hours."

Dante was asleep for a few hours when he heard knocking at the front door. Groaning he went to answer it. There was a deliveryman standing in the hallway. "Are you Mr. Dante Perelli?" he asked.

"I am."

The deliveryman handed him a clipboard. "Sign your name on line ten, and then I will get you the delivery."

Who knew he was here? Dante wondered as he signed his name on the line.

The deliveryman handed Dante a medium sized box. "Here," He handed him an envelope. "Open the envelope first and then the box. I guess the note will explain it."

"Thanks." Dante reached for his wallet. He handed the deliveryman a ten dollar bill.

He closed the door and carried the box to the dining room table. He set it down. He opened the envelope. It was a hand written letter from Michael. " 'Dante, I would bet a thousand dollars that you are in Boston. I watched the baseball game too. I don't know what you did to my sister, but I know that she is pissed at you. In the box is a few days worth of clothes. Anyway as you probably know, Lulu's birthday is tomorrow. Enclosed is an address to a place for you to get a present for her. I hope she forgives you, Michael'."

Dante looked at the bottom of the note. "Copley Place, 100 Huntington Ave, Boston."

After he showered and changed, Dante left Bruno a note telling him that he was going to be back later. Dante looked at the address again. He was standing outside of Tiffany & Co. He gulped. Michael knew he was in some serious shit with Lulu. But Tiffany & Co.? Items in here cost more than he made in a year. Hell, more than he made in two years.

"Can't I get her a puppy instead?" he wondered aloud. "They are cuter and cheaper."

"Women can't resist the little blue box," the note read at the bottom.

The note written by Lulu's brother/cousin was mocking him. Yes, he was in the doghouse but was it supposed to cost him both arms and legs to get out of it?

The doorman opened the door for him. "Thanks," Dante mumbled.

He must have looked lost at the sight of all of the jewelry cases because a salesclerk came up to him. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Yeah, it's my girl's birthday tomorrow. Only thing is that she is mighty pissed at me. I need something to show her how much she means to me," Dante said truthfully.

"So you are in the doghouse, huh?" The clerk laughed.

"Pretty much, I need to get out of it. Hopefully once she sees the little blue box, all can be forgiven?"

"I will do my best to help you."

"I love her, but I don't want to sell one of my kidneys and half of my liver to get her something," Dante joked as he saw a wealthy lady try on a diamond ring the size of a ping-pong ball.

The salesclerk laughed. "Come with me, we have some nice stuff in your price range."

After much thought, Dante chose a toggle Tiffany's bracelet in sterling silver for Lulu as well as a sterling sliver Love and Kisses ring with the XOXO in the band. He watched as the clerk place each item in Tiffany's signature blue box and tied the white bow on it. Then she placed the two boxes in the blue Tiffany's bag.

He was glad to get out of the pricey store with all of his vital organs intact.

"This should get you out of the doghouse," the clerk smiled, handing him the robin egg blue bag.

Dante stuck the credit card receipt in his back pocket. He didn't want to look at it. He knew he blew at least half of his check on Lulu's birthday present.

"I sure hope it helps," he muttered to himself. He noticed something else in the case that caught his eye. "Can you wrap that up for me too?" he asked, pointing to it.

Lulu and Matt had their brunch. He had a mimosa while she just drank plain orange juice. "This is great," Matt said as their server cleared their empty plates away.

"It was, I am glad that you came this weekend," Lulu muttered.

"Hey Lulu, I don't mean to sound brash but your birthday is tomorrow. I called the hospital; they agreed to let me have the morning off. I remembered it was your birthday from your medical chart. We could do something fun in the morning. A picnic date in the park or something like that. "

"That would be nice. I don't think that my Dad or brothers could make it into town tomorrow anyway. But I suspect they will send me some really nice presents. Dad sends me the best gifts."

"I remember that bracelet he gave you for the reopening of the Haunted Star," Matt remembered. "Wow."

"It helps that I am the only girl. He likes to spoil me a little."

Matt laughed. "A little? You could feed a small country on what that cost him! Have you seen your loft? Presidential Suites are not that luxurious!"

Lulu kissed his cheek. "Sonny is my Dad. He wants me to have the best."

"Let's make the most of this day, okay?" Matt held out his hand. "Let's have some fun."

Dante drove back to Lulu's apartment building. He let himself into Bruno's place. There was no sign of him. He must still be out with Lulu and Matty-Boy.

His cell phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and groaned. "Hey Ma."

"Don't you hey ma me!" Olivia said. "I am standing in the pigsty of your loft. Where the heck are you? There are empty beer bottles and a empty box of pizza all over the place. Have you talked to Lulu yet?"

"I am in Boston," Dante confirmed. "I am in her bodyguard's apartment that is across from her penthouse. I tried. She won't give me the time of day. She is really pissed. No she is not alone; Matty-Boy is here spending the weekend with her."

"What did you expect, Dante? Give her some time. Maybe she will come around."

"Her birthday is tomorrow," Dante said.

"What did you get her? It better be something good. Do you want some help? I am a girl after all."

"I got her a couple of things at Tiffany's. I must have spent my entire paycheck. I really hope she likes it."

Olivia whistled. "Tiffany's? Wow, you are going all out, aren't you?"

"I had a little nudge in this direction," Dante admitted. "The saleswoman helped me out a lot so I didn't need to take out a loan to pay for the purchases."

"It might take more than a gift from Tiffany's to get her back. You need to regain her trust first. Hopefully it will work from there."

"How can I get her to trust me again if she won't see or talk to me?" Dante whined.

"Honey if I knew that, I would be a millionaire," Olivia said. "Good luck."

"Thanks ma," Dante grumbled.

Dante checked his watch, it was getting late. Bruno still hadn't returned home, meaning he was still out with Lulu and Matty-Boy. Their brunch date, turned out to be an entire day events. He paces back and forth in Bruno's place. He hated the fact that it was Matt was spending the day with her. He wanted to.

He was watching ESPN on Bruno's plasma screen. He heard the door open. Bruno was finally home. It only been the entire day that he was gone.

"You are still here?" Bruno asked surprised.

"I hope that you don't mind, I used your shower. I think I will head out sometime tomorrow." Dante sat up straight on the sofa.

"Not at all. Sonny does sign both of our paychecks. Ms Spencer and Dr. Hunter are back from their outing. I am beat; keeping up with her is a hard job. If they ring for anything can you see what they want?"

Dante nodded. He would take seeing Lulu any means he could. "Of course I would."
He hoped that the gifts he got Lulu was a step in the right direction. He hoped that she would allow him to spend some of her birthday with her.

Brady sat back in his office in city hall. It was early Sunday evening; he was the only one in the building other than the security guard at the front entrance. Good thing, he had a lot of work to do. There was a ringing sound. He checked his cell phone, it wasn't coming from there.

Brady reached for a key that was taped on the underside of his desk. He went to a credenza. He unlocked the bottom drawer. He pulled out an untraceable cell phone. "I thought I told you not to call me after you fucked up. The bullet was only supposed to graze her, not put in the ICU for days after they cracked open her chest to fix what you did. You are lucky that she didn't die on the operating table."

"I paid you handsomely. I don't owe you a thing. Yes, I figured that she was back in Boston by now. Fine, keep an eye on her. But maintain your distance, from what I remember she has a guard on her at all times. Even when she goes to class, I want tabs on her. Good, call me the minute you have something."

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