Chapter Twelve
Gia sat down on the couch at Wyndemere, determined to get through the book she'd started the day before. She'd never been much for classics, but A Tale of Two Cities had really captivated her and she was having a hard time putting it down. And besides, it gave her something to do.
Gia opened the book to the page she'd left off on and right as she started to read the telephone rang. Gia glared at it, annoyed with its timing. Lucky and Elizabeth were at Kelly's and Mrs. Lansbury had the day off. Gia hastily replaced the bookmark in her book and went to the phone.
"Gia help me." The words came so softly that Gia wasn't sure if she'd heard right. There was a long pause.
"Hello?" came a hasty voice that was not Nikolas.
"Uh, hello?" Gia managed to stutter into the phone.
"Oh, sorry, wrong number." Gia heard a click before she could reply and the line went dead.
Gia stared at the phone for a minute, with tears forming her eyes, before she cradled it. She suddenly couldn't breathe and bitter tears stung her eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth and tried to think.
Before she had regained her composure the doorbell rang. Gia was slow to answer.
"GIA!" Florence exclaimed when she laid eyes on her daughter. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Gia fought the urge to cry on her mother's shoulder and insisted she was fine. As they sat on the couch, Gia asked her mother why she'd come.
"Gia, I'm not happy with the way things are between us, and before you say anything, I'm not here to do any finger pointing." Florence paused, taking a deep breath. "Gia, sweetie, you are my daughter and I love you so much. If you want to stay here I will not fight you on it. I just want to support you."
"Okay," Gia replied weakly.
"And sweetie, I am NOT happy about what happened to Nikolas, not at all. He was a very generous, loving, compassionate young man."
Gia did not have the energy to fight. As a tear slid down her cheek, she asked softly, "Then why were you so against him?"
"Gia, I just want what's best for you, and maybe sometimes I go overboard, but. Well, I was wrong honey, okay? I was. And I hope the two of us can start fresh. I want a good relationship with ou."
"I want that too," Gia said right before she burst into tears. She couldn't handle it any longer.
"Gia?" her mother whispered as she threw her arms around her daughter. "Honey what is it?"
Gia sobbed onto her mother's shoulder for a few minutes before she answered. "I don't want to stay here anymore," she cried finally. Florence stroked her hair.
"Do you want to move to the Brownstone?" Florence asked.
Gia pulled away and wiped her tears. "No. I don't want to stay in Port Charles anymore. It was a bad idea to stay."
"What are you saying? You want to go back to Brooklyn?" Florence asked, knowing she was risking making Gia mad.
Instead, Gia nodded slowly. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is. Just let me know when and we'll make the arrangements to go."
**
"Lucky! Elizabeth!" Emily exclaimed as she rushed into Kelly's. "I have a huge favor to ask you."
"Sure, anything," Lucky replied.
"I cannot keep living at home, it's way too crazy there. I swear Ned is the only sane person living there and he's smart enough to live at the gatehouse."
"You want to move into Wyndemere?"
"Well Kelly's is full and Jake's..no way. Would that be okay?"
"I don't see why not," Lucky replied. "But I'd get the okay from Gia; she wouldn't appreciate you moving in without asking her first."
"Did something happen with your family?" Elizabeth asked Emily. Emily took a seat.
"I'd really rather not talk about it." Lucky and Elizabeth nodded their understanding.
Elizabeth looked at Lucky and Emily and realized their group would never be complete again. No matter who came and went, Nikolas would always be missing. A vacancy no one else could fill. A laugh no one could replace.
"Hey you okay?" Emily asked.
"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed shakily. "Just. missing Nikolas." She saw Lucky look at the ground, fighting tears. She grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry!"
He looked up at her, tears still in his eyes. "Don't be, you're allowed to miss him too. Don't guard your feelings for me."
"I just hate to--,"
"We're in it together, right? We all loved Nikolas; we all miss him. Why should we all do it separately?"
"You're right, we shouldn't," Elizabeth agreed. "So, Emily, you gonna ask Gia or what?"
TBC
Gia sat down on the couch at Wyndemere, determined to get through the book she'd started the day before. She'd never been much for classics, but A Tale of Two Cities had really captivated her and she was having a hard time putting it down. And besides, it gave her something to do.
Gia opened the book to the page she'd left off on and right as she started to read the telephone rang. Gia glared at it, annoyed with its timing. Lucky and Elizabeth were at Kelly's and Mrs. Lansbury had the day off. Gia hastily replaced the bookmark in her book and went to the phone.
"Gia help me." The words came so softly that Gia wasn't sure if she'd heard right. There was a long pause.
"Hello?" came a hasty voice that was not Nikolas.
"Uh, hello?" Gia managed to stutter into the phone.
"Oh, sorry, wrong number." Gia heard a click before she could reply and the line went dead.
Gia stared at the phone for a minute, with tears forming her eyes, before she cradled it. She suddenly couldn't breathe and bitter tears stung her eyes. She brought her hand to her mouth and tried to think.
Before she had regained her composure the doorbell rang. Gia was slow to answer.
"GIA!" Florence exclaimed when she laid eyes on her daughter. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Gia fought the urge to cry on her mother's shoulder and insisted she was fine. As they sat on the couch, Gia asked her mother why she'd come.
"Gia, I'm not happy with the way things are between us, and before you say anything, I'm not here to do any finger pointing." Florence paused, taking a deep breath. "Gia, sweetie, you are my daughter and I love you so much. If you want to stay here I will not fight you on it. I just want to support you."
"Okay," Gia replied weakly.
"And sweetie, I am NOT happy about what happened to Nikolas, not at all. He was a very generous, loving, compassionate young man."
Gia did not have the energy to fight. As a tear slid down her cheek, she asked softly, "Then why were you so against him?"
"Gia, I just want what's best for you, and maybe sometimes I go overboard, but. Well, I was wrong honey, okay? I was. And I hope the two of us can start fresh. I want a good relationship with ou."
"I want that too," Gia said right before she burst into tears. She couldn't handle it any longer.
"Gia?" her mother whispered as she threw her arms around her daughter. "Honey what is it?"
Gia sobbed onto her mother's shoulder for a few minutes before she answered. "I don't want to stay here anymore," she cried finally. Florence stroked her hair.
"Do you want to move to the Brownstone?" Florence asked.
Gia pulled away and wiped her tears. "No. I don't want to stay in Port Charles anymore. It was a bad idea to stay."
"What are you saying? You want to go back to Brooklyn?" Florence asked, knowing she was risking making Gia mad.
Instead, Gia nodded slowly. "Is that okay?"
"Of course it is. Just let me know when and we'll make the arrangements to go."
**
"Lucky! Elizabeth!" Emily exclaimed as she rushed into Kelly's. "I have a huge favor to ask you."
"Sure, anything," Lucky replied.
"I cannot keep living at home, it's way too crazy there. I swear Ned is the only sane person living there and he's smart enough to live at the gatehouse."
"You want to move into Wyndemere?"
"Well Kelly's is full and Jake's..no way. Would that be okay?"
"I don't see why not," Lucky replied. "But I'd get the okay from Gia; she wouldn't appreciate you moving in without asking her first."
"Did something happen with your family?" Elizabeth asked Emily. Emily took a seat.
"I'd really rather not talk about it." Lucky and Elizabeth nodded their understanding.
Elizabeth looked at Lucky and Emily and realized their group would never be complete again. No matter who came and went, Nikolas would always be missing. A vacancy no one else could fill. A laugh no one could replace.
"Hey you okay?" Emily asked.
"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed shakily. "Just. missing Nikolas." She saw Lucky look at the ground, fighting tears. She grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry!"
He looked up at her, tears still in his eyes. "Don't be, you're allowed to miss him too. Don't guard your feelings for me."
"I just hate to--,"
"We're in it together, right? We all loved Nikolas; we all miss him. Why should we all do it separately?"
"You're right, we shouldn't," Elizabeth agreed. "So, Emily, you gonna ask Gia or what?"
TBC
