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Georgie stood in the hallway, carefully reading the test results of one of her patients. Her mind was in a million places at once and she was finding it very hard to concentrate.
"Guess who?"
She turned around to find Dillon standing behind her.
"Hey, what are you doing here? You're a day early."
"Yeah, I finished up sooner than I thought."
He noted the distracted look in her eyes and lifted her chin up with his finger.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Maxie," she sighed "Kyle came by her apartment last night."
Dillon was taken back.
Kyle had been in a downward spiral of drugs ever since they had graduated high school. Maxie, who was blind to it at the time, had agreed to move in with him and ended up being the object of his fits of rage he often got after a high. He never touched her, or so she said, but the verbal abuse was bad enough. Maxie finally told his parents how serious his problem was and they insisted on getting him treatment. Before he left town for the rehab, he had told her she was worthless and stupid, and that she had made a huge mistake. Of course, he had said it while he was high on heroin and hung over after a night of drinking. That had been almost a year ago and now here he was, back in Port Charles and clearly searching for redemption.
"She was really upset. She slammed the door in his face and told him to never come back but I don't know how well he'll listen to her."
"How is she now?"
"She didn't come to work today," Georgie shook her head "I'm really worried about her, Dillon."
"Can I do something to help?"
"I was thinking that, maybe you could, protect her. Maybe have somebody watch her just to make sure she doesn't have to be alone with him. I don't want her to know..."
"I can do that," Dillon nodded.
"Thank you," she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I've got a surprise for you," he grinned devilishly.
"What?"
"You gotta come with me to find out."
"Ok, are you're eyes still closed?"
"Yes," Georgie laughed "Where are we?"
"Just keep 'em closed," he whispered, picking her up off the ground. It took her by surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"Just a second."
He carried her a few feet, then sat her back down again.
"Ok, open your eyes."
When she did, she let out a little gasp. She was standing in the middle of a beautiful apartment. Everything was richly decorated. Candles were lit all over the living room and a dozen roses sat in a crystal vase on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, walking further into the room.
"I know I probably should have asked you before I bought it but I wanted to surprise you."
"No," she shook her head, turning to him "I love it."
"It's ours," he smiled "Yours and mine."
"This is going to be our home," she walked toward him.
"Yeah."
"Can you believe this?" she grinned.
"No," he shook his head with a laugh.
"We're getting married," she giggled.
"We're getting married," he echoed her as he pulled her toward him and kissed her.
Maxie walked through her living room and picked one of the wedding magazines off the floor. Just looking at the images, made her cry. She had once had the same dreams. She had wanted the biggest, fanciest, flashiest dress she could find. She had wanted to marry Kyle. Ever since the night he left, she hadn't even thought of him. He had hurt her so much, and for so long, she never gave him a second thought. She had never expected him to come back, to want to see her, to talk to her. Last night, she had slammed the door on him but that was mostly because Georgie was there. Georgie would have called her an idiot if she had allowed him to come inside and explain.
Knock
She dropped the magazine onto the couch and walked toward the door. It was probably Georgie, coming by to check up on her. When she opened it, it was Kyle.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"Please, please let me just talk to you, for five minutes."
She knew she shouldn't, she should just tell him to leave but instead she moved aside and opened the door a little wider.
"Come in."
Dillon and Leo walked into the warehouse to find the rest of the families' leaders sitting around the table. This was the last place he wanted to be. He had been at the apartment with Georgie when he received a phone call from Tagliati. He usually didn't follow orders, Sonny had taught him to never act like he was underneath anybody, but he had agreed.
"Who called this meeting?" he stood in the doorway, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets "What's so important?"
"I did," Faith stepped out of the corner, with Ric close behind her "I want my cut, I want my respect. I want back in to the families."
"Forget it," Tagliati shrugged his shoulders "We have no use for you."
"My late husband did not get the respect that he deserved," she shot a glare in Dillon's direction "But make no mistake, I will get my respect. My husband, the brilliant lawyer that he is," she rubbed her hand down the side of Ric's face "He can take you all down for the corrupt, *fools* that you are."
"My patience is wearing thin with you. If you make trouble for me, I'll take you out. You and your husband, make no mistake about it," Tagliati replied in a cool tone as he stood and left the warehouse, his men close behind.
"I'm so sorry," Georgie sighed as she and Dillon walked into Kelly's. She had been apologizing all morning for burning his breakfast.
"It's fine," he smiled "I'm not marrying you for your culinary skills, that's what hiring a cook is for."
The two took a seat near the front of the restaurant at the bar. Bobbie Spencer was staring intently at the portable television sitting on the counter. She glanced up and shook her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Georgie smiled "What were you watching?"
"Have you seen the news?"
The two shook their heads, their eyes curious as to what was so intriguing.
"They found Ric and Faith murdered this morning," Bobbie shook her head "They were shot."
Dillon tensed up. Tagliati. He had finally had enough, just like he said.
"I mean, don't get me wrong," Bobbie shook her head as she wiped down the bar, "I wasn't fond of either one of them but it's still so shocking."
"Yeah," Georgie glanced over at Dillon "It is."
Georgie stood in the hallway, carefully reading the test results of one of her patients. Her mind was in a million places at once and she was finding it very hard to concentrate.
"Guess who?"
She turned around to find Dillon standing behind her.
"Hey, what are you doing here? You're a day early."
"Yeah, I finished up sooner than I thought."
He noted the distracted look in her eyes and lifted her chin up with his finger.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Maxie," she sighed "Kyle came by her apartment last night."
Dillon was taken back.
Kyle had been in a downward spiral of drugs ever since they had graduated high school. Maxie, who was blind to it at the time, had agreed to move in with him and ended up being the object of his fits of rage he often got after a high. He never touched her, or so she said, but the verbal abuse was bad enough. Maxie finally told his parents how serious his problem was and they insisted on getting him treatment. Before he left town for the rehab, he had told her she was worthless and stupid, and that she had made a huge mistake. Of course, he had said it while he was high on heroin and hung over after a night of drinking. That had been almost a year ago and now here he was, back in Port Charles and clearly searching for redemption.
"She was really upset. She slammed the door in his face and told him to never come back but I don't know how well he'll listen to her."
"How is she now?"
"She didn't come to work today," Georgie shook her head "I'm really worried about her, Dillon."
"Can I do something to help?"
"I was thinking that, maybe you could, protect her. Maybe have somebody watch her just to make sure she doesn't have to be alone with him. I don't want her to know..."
"I can do that," Dillon nodded.
"Thank you," she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I've got a surprise for you," he grinned devilishly.
"What?"
"You gotta come with me to find out."
"Ok, are you're eyes still closed?"
"Yes," Georgie laughed "Where are we?"
"Just keep 'em closed," he whispered, picking her up off the ground. It took her by surprise.
"What are you doing?"
"Just a second."
He carried her a few feet, then sat her back down again.
"Ok, open your eyes."
When she did, she let out a little gasp. She was standing in the middle of a beautiful apartment. Everything was richly decorated. Candles were lit all over the living room and a dozen roses sat in a crystal vase on the coffee table in front of the couch.
"It's beautiful," she whispered, walking further into the room.
"I know I probably should have asked you before I bought it but I wanted to surprise you."
"No," she shook her head, turning to him "I love it."
"It's ours," he smiled "Yours and mine."
"This is going to be our home," she walked toward him.
"Yeah."
"Can you believe this?" she grinned.
"No," he shook his head with a laugh.
"We're getting married," she giggled.
"We're getting married," he echoed her as he pulled her toward him and kissed her.
Maxie walked through her living room and picked one of the wedding magazines off the floor. Just looking at the images, made her cry. She had once had the same dreams. She had wanted the biggest, fanciest, flashiest dress she could find. She had wanted to marry Kyle. Ever since the night he left, she hadn't even thought of him. He had hurt her so much, and for so long, she never gave him a second thought. She had never expected him to come back, to want to see her, to talk to her. Last night, she had slammed the door on him but that was mostly because Georgie was there. Georgie would have called her an idiot if she had allowed him to come inside and explain.
Knock
She dropped the magazine onto the couch and walked toward the door. It was probably Georgie, coming by to check up on her. When she opened it, it was Kyle.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered.
"Please, please let me just talk to you, for five minutes."
She knew she shouldn't, she should just tell him to leave but instead she moved aside and opened the door a little wider.
"Come in."
Dillon and Leo walked into the warehouse to find the rest of the families' leaders sitting around the table. This was the last place he wanted to be. He had been at the apartment with Georgie when he received a phone call from Tagliati. He usually didn't follow orders, Sonny had taught him to never act like he was underneath anybody, but he had agreed.
"Who called this meeting?" he stood in the doorway, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets "What's so important?"
"I did," Faith stepped out of the corner, with Ric close behind her "I want my cut, I want my respect. I want back in to the families."
"Forget it," Tagliati shrugged his shoulders "We have no use for you."
"My late husband did not get the respect that he deserved," she shot a glare in Dillon's direction "But make no mistake, I will get my respect. My husband, the brilliant lawyer that he is," she rubbed her hand down the side of Ric's face "He can take you all down for the corrupt, *fools* that you are."
"My patience is wearing thin with you. If you make trouble for me, I'll take you out. You and your husband, make no mistake about it," Tagliati replied in a cool tone as he stood and left the warehouse, his men close behind.
"I'm so sorry," Georgie sighed as she and Dillon walked into Kelly's. She had been apologizing all morning for burning his breakfast.
"It's fine," he smiled "I'm not marrying you for your culinary skills, that's what hiring a cook is for."
The two took a seat near the front of the restaurant at the bar. Bobbie Spencer was staring intently at the portable television sitting on the counter. She glanced up and shook her head apologetically.
"I'm sorry."
"It's ok," Georgie smiled "What were you watching?"
"Have you seen the news?"
The two shook their heads, their eyes curious as to what was so intriguing.
"They found Ric and Faith murdered this morning," Bobbie shook her head "They were shot."
Dillon tensed up. Tagliati. He had finally had enough, just like he said.
"I mean, don't get me wrong," Bobbie shook her head as she wiped down the bar, "I wasn't fond of either one of them but it's still so shocking."
"Yeah," Georgie glanced over at Dillon "It is."