"Greenlee!" Dr. David Hayward greeted upon seeing his sister-in-law standing outside of his daughter's room at Pine Valley Hospital. "I thought that I saw your car in the parking lot. Are you here to see Leora?"
David was referring to his infant daughter, Leora, who had been born with heart defects and thus, didn't have a good immune system. It wasn't uncommon for the child to be in Pine Valley Hospital as the slightest cold could cause major problems for her.
"Actually," Greenlee replied with a huge smile, "I brought someone else to see Leora, and you too, of course."
"Really?" David asked, "Who?"
"Go in and find out." Greenlee urged, nodding towards the door.
Putting a hand on Greenlee's shoulder, David couldn't help but notice that the petite, brown-haired woman looked happier than she had in months! In fact, David couldn't remember seeing her this happy since...
Realizing that what he was thinking was impossible, David shook his head slightly before entering Leora's room. He realized that Greenlee must have somehow arranged for Trey, David's youngest half-brother who was currently in prison, to be able to visit Leora and himself. Looking down at some paperwork, David turned the rest of the lights on in the half-lit room as he closed the door.
"So, Trey," David asked, not looking up, "how are you?"
"Um, good." came the reply, "But last time I checked, I wasn't Trey."
Upon recognizing the voice, David gasped and looked up instantly. Standing next to Leora's crib, Leo simply smiled at his older brother, who dropped his paperwork and stared at Leo in disbelief.
"Can it really be..." David wondered, slowly walking forward.
"Anyone else look this good, bro?" Leo shrugged, still smiling.
"Oh my God! Leo!" David exclaimed, hugging his brother tightly, "It really is you!"
"It's good to see you too, David." Leo commented. He had been looking forward to reuniting with his brother almost as much as his reunion with Greenlee.
"I can't believe this!" David stammered, as the two broke their embrace, "Where in the hell have you been, little brother?"
"Eh, I promise that I'll tell you about that later." Leo promised, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Right now though, I need to thank you for watching over Greenlee while I've been gone."
"Don't mention it." David said, waving Leo off, "After everything you've ever done for me, it was the least I could do. I see that you've already met your niece."
"Yeah." Leo replied as the two brothers turned their attention to the crib behind them, "I thought that no one could be prettier than Greenlee, but I was wrong on that one. What's her name?"
"Leora." David answered, as Greenlee walked into the room.
"Leora?" Leo repeated surprised, "You mean..."
"We were going to name the baby after you if it was a boy." Anna, David's ex-wife, explained, "Why not the same if it was a girl?"
"Anna!" Leo greeted with a grin, "You're not going to go back to arresting me every five minutes, are you?"
"Got something you need to be arrested for?" Anna inquired with a smile, as she hugged Leo, "Do you know how good it is to see you again?"
"I'm guessing it's as good as seeing all of you again." Leo replied as David picked up the suddenly fussy Leora, "Uh oh! Am I stealing someone's spotlight?"
"Yeah." David said with a chuckle, "You want to hold her, Leo?"
"I don't think I should." Leo said nervously, "I mean, knowing me, I'll probably drop her or something."
"Oh, you'll be fine." David dismissed, "But if you do drop her, Anna and I will kill you with our bare hands."
"So, no pressure, right?" Leo chuckled, gently taking the baby from David. Once she was in her uncle's arms, Leora seemed to calm down instantly.
"I wouldn't worry, Leora." Anna said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "I think your Uncle Leo and Aunt Greenlee are going to spoil you rotten, just like your mommy and daddy."
"It's nothing that she doesn't deserve though." Leo commented, as Leora smiled up at him, "Isn't that right, squirt?"
As Leora made a sound in agreement, everyone in the room smiled.
"Well, she needs her rest." David commented, turning to Leo and Greenlee, "Why don't we continue this at your guys' place? If you're not too busy, that is."
"Sounds like a plan." Greenlee agreed with a nod, "You coming, Leo?"
"I'll meet you at the car." Leo replied with a smile.
"Don't take too long." Greenlee said, before she and Anna exited the room. As the door shut behind the two women, Leo layed Leora carefully back down again in her crib. David clapped a hand on his younger brother's shoulder as they watched Leora fall fast asleep.
"I still can't believe it." David remarked, "I still can't believe that you're right here in front of me. God, Leo! I thought that I'd never see you again."
"Hmm." Leo nodded, "I know the feeling."
"When I heard that you fell," David said with a sigh, "I wanted so much to have traded places with you. I mean, if it hadn't been for me and my troubles, you would have been in Paris, starting your new life with Greenlee."
"And Vanessa would have found us there." Leo countered, as the two exited the room. "She would have found us, and we wouldn't have had any of you to help us out."
"I didn't exactly help you here either." David commented sadly.
"You did though." Leo assured, as David shut the door behind them. "I was counting on the fact that you and Trey would be around for Greenlee, even if something happened to me."
"Leo?" a voice asked quietly.
Leo turned to see that Bianca Montgomery, one of his closest friends and a surrogate little sister to him, had just come around a nearby corner. He smiled at the dark haired, young woman, who stared at him in shock. David simply watched the whole thing with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey Binks." Leo greeted, "What's up?"
Saying nothing in response, Bianca simply ran into Leo's arms and started to cry. Taken aback for a moment, Leo simply stood there, before gently hugging the young woman. Seeing that Bianca's mother, Erica Kane, and uncle, Jackson Montgomery, had rounded the same corner, David walked silently over to them.
"David," Erica gasped, putting a hand over her mouth, "is that..."
"Yeah." David confirmed with a smile, "That's really Leo. It turns out that my little brother has been alive this whole time."
"How wonderful." Erica commented as Bianca let go of Leo.
"Incredible's more like it." Jackson added.
"It's a miracle." Bianca sniffed, looking at Leo, "Do you have any idea of how much I've missed you?"
"I missed you too, Binks." Leo assured, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh my God." Bianca said, suddenly thinking of something, "Greenlee! Does she..."
"She knows." Leo replied with a nod, "And she's going to have my butt if I don't hurry up at meet her at the car. How about you and I get lunch sometime soon here, and you can tell me everything I missed?"
"All right." Bianca agreed, "You just go to Greenlee."
To be continued...............
David was referring to his infant daughter, Leora, who had been born with heart defects and thus, didn't have a good immune system. It wasn't uncommon for the child to be in Pine Valley Hospital as the slightest cold could cause major problems for her.
"Actually," Greenlee replied with a huge smile, "I brought someone else to see Leora, and you too, of course."
"Really?" David asked, "Who?"
"Go in and find out." Greenlee urged, nodding towards the door.
Putting a hand on Greenlee's shoulder, David couldn't help but notice that the petite, brown-haired woman looked happier than she had in months! In fact, David couldn't remember seeing her this happy since...
Realizing that what he was thinking was impossible, David shook his head slightly before entering Leora's room. He realized that Greenlee must have somehow arranged for Trey, David's youngest half-brother who was currently in prison, to be able to visit Leora and himself. Looking down at some paperwork, David turned the rest of the lights on in the half-lit room as he closed the door.
"So, Trey," David asked, not looking up, "how are you?"
"Um, good." came the reply, "But last time I checked, I wasn't Trey."
Upon recognizing the voice, David gasped and looked up instantly. Standing next to Leora's crib, Leo simply smiled at his older brother, who dropped his paperwork and stared at Leo in disbelief.
"Can it really be..." David wondered, slowly walking forward.
"Anyone else look this good, bro?" Leo shrugged, still smiling.
"Oh my God! Leo!" David exclaimed, hugging his brother tightly, "It really is you!"
"It's good to see you too, David." Leo commented. He had been looking forward to reuniting with his brother almost as much as his reunion with Greenlee.
"I can't believe this!" David stammered, as the two broke their embrace, "Where in the hell have you been, little brother?"
"Eh, I promise that I'll tell you about that later." Leo promised, stuffing his hands in his pockets, "Right now though, I need to thank you for watching over Greenlee while I've been gone."
"Don't mention it." David said, waving Leo off, "After everything you've ever done for me, it was the least I could do. I see that you've already met your niece."
"Yeah." Leo replied as the two brothers turned their attention to the crib behind them, "I thought that no one could be prettier than Greenlee, but I was wrong on that one. What's her name?"
"Leora." David answered, as Greenlee walked into the room.
"Leora?" Leo repeated surprised, "You mean..."
"We were going to name the baby after you if it was a boy." Anna, David's ex-wife, explained, "Why not the same if it was a girl?"
"Anna!" Leo greeted with a grin, "You're not going to go back to arresting me every five minutes, are you?"
"Got something you need to be arrested for?" Anna inquired with a smile, as she hugged Leo, "Do you know how good it is to see you again?"
"I'm guessing it's as good as seeing all of you again." Leo replied as David picked up the suddenly fussy Leora, "Uh oh! Am I stealing someone's spotlight?"
"Yeah." David said with a chuckle, "You want to hold her, Leo?"
"I don't think I should." Leo said nervously, "I mean, knowing me, I'll probably drop her or something."
"Oh, you'll be fine." David dismissed, "But if you do drop her, Anna and I will kill you with our bare hands."
"So, no pressure, right?" Leo chuckled, gently taking the baby from David. Once she was in her uncle's arms, Leora seemed to calm down instantly.
"I wouldn't worry, Leora." Anna said, putting a hand on Leo's shoulder, "I think your Uncle Leo and Aunt Greenlee are going to spoil you rotten, just like your mommy and daddy."
"It's nothing that she doesn't deserve though." Leo commented, as Leora smiled up at him, "Isn't that right, squirt?"
As Leora made a sound in agreement, everyone in the room smiled.
"Well, she needs her rest." David commented, turning to Leo and Greenlee, "Why don't we continue this at your guys' place? If you're not too busy, that is."
"Sounds like a plan." Greenlee agreed with a nod, "You coming, Leo?"
"I'll meet you at the car." Leo replied with a smile.
"Don't take too long." Greenlee said, before she and Anna exited the room. As the door shut behind the two women, Leo layed Leora carefully back down again in her crib. David clapped a hand on his younger brother's shoulder as they watched Leora fall fast asleep.
"I still can't believe it." David remarked, "I still can't believe that you're right here in front of me. God, Leo! I thought that I'd never see you again."
"Hmm." Leo nodded, "I know the feeling."
"When I heard that you fell," David said with a sigh, "I wanted so much to have traded places with you. I mean, if it hadn't been for me and my troubles, you would have been in Paris, starting your new life with Greenlee."
"And Vanessa would have found us there." Leo countered, as the two exited the room. "She would have found us, and we wouldn't have had any of you to help us out."
"I didn't exactly help you here either." David commented sadly.
"You did though." Leo assured, as David shut the door behind them. "I was counting on the fact that you and Trey would be around for Greenlee, even if something happened to me."
"Leo?" a voice asked quietly.
Leo turned to see that Bianca Montgomery, one of his closest friends and a surrogate little sister to him, had just come around a nearby corner. He smiled at the dark haired, young woman, who stared at him in shock. David simply watched the whole thing with a huge smile on his face.
"Hey Binks." Leo greeted, "What's up?"
Saying nothing in response, Bianca simply ran into Leo's arms and started to cry. Taken aback for a moment, Leo simply stood there, before gently hugging the young woman. Seeing that Bianca's mother, Erica Kane, and uncle, Jackson Montgomery, had rounded the same corner, David walked silently over to them.
"David," Erica gasped, putting a hand over her mouth, "is that..."
"Yeah." David confirmed with a smile, "That's really Leo. It turns out that my little brother has been alive this whole time."
"How wonderful." Erica commented as Bianca let go of Leo.
"Incredible's more like it." Jackson added.
"It's a miracle." Bianca sniffed, looking at Leo, "Do you have any idea of how much I've missed you?"
"I missed you too, Binks." Leo assured, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Oh my God." Bianca said, suddenly thinking of something, "Greenlee! Does she..."
"She knows." Leo replied with a nod, "And she's going to have my butt if I don't hurry up at meet her at the car. How about you and I get lunch sometime soon here, and you can tell me everything I missed?"
"All right." Bianca agreed, "You just go to Greenlee."
To be continued...............