Chapter 6:
A week had gone by and things between Dillon and Georgie were awkward. They were still friends but she had been busy with Sam and school had just started again. He had graduated the year before so he was left with nothing to do.
It was 9:30 on a Monday morning and his phone ringing awaked Dillon. "Hello?" he asked groggily.
"Dillon? It's Maxie," he heard the depressing voice on the other end of the line say. When he heard the tone in Maxie's voice, he sat upright in his bed; now wide-awake. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Georgie? She took off this morning and Sam hasn't seen her," she told him.
"What happened? Georgie doesn't just take off. Besides, it's 9:30 on a Monday morning," he said.
"I know, Dillon my mom just got into a car accident. She's in a coma and I there's a good chance that she won't make it. Georgie is freaking out, she's not answering her cell phone. I'm really worried about her," she explained.
Dillon jumped out of bed and got a pair of jeans on and grabbed a shirt. "When did she leave?" he asked running down the stairs and trying to put his shirt on at the same time.
"About ten minutes ago," she replied.
Ned and Edward were in the living room of the gatehouse talking when Dillon had come down stairs. "You couldn't even take the time to get properly dressed before coming out of your room, children today," Edward scoffed but Dillon ignored him. He looked out the window and saw Georgie pass the gatehouse.
"She's here Maxie, I'll call you later okay," he didn't wait for a reply before hanging up the phone and walking outside. "Georgie! Over here!" he yelled. She turned and ran to him.
She was letting the tears run freely down her face and collapsed in his arms. He slowly picked her up and carried her to the nearest chair. He sat her in his lap and let her sob on her shoulder. "Shh.it's going to be okay," he whispered.
"How can you say that?" she asked. "Do you even know why I'm crying?"
Edward and Ned had walked back into the room, but remained quiet while watching the two. "Yes, Maxie called. They're really worried about you. She told me about your mom," Dillon replied.
"Dillon, she could die!" she yelled. "And you're telling me everything's going to be okay!?"
"yeah Georgie she could die. There's still a chance she could pull through," he explained softly, trying not to upset her.
"that's what everyone keeps saying! 'Don't give up hope, Georgie! you're mother's going to be fine.'" She mocked. "nobody knows that she's going to be alright! The doctors say that she's in a coma. She could come out of it in a few days, or she could never wake up from it," she screamed at him.
"yeah, you're right. she may never wake up, but that's not what you need to hold onto. there's ALWAYS a chance until the doctor calls the time of death!" he yelled, matching her tone. He knew that that was the only way she would listen to him.
Georgie fell back in his lap and looked at him with a new set of tears in her eyes. "It's really easy for you to say, but I can't do it Dillon," she whispered.
"why not?" he asked.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Hope has let me down before Dillon. I was ten years old and my mom woke me up every morning for school, but this one morning was different. This time my grandmother woke me up. I was confused at first, but then my grandmother explained that my grandpa was in the hospital and my mom was with him. he had been in the hospital before but it had been worse lately. my mom had given my grandma instructions to keep me home from school that day if I didn't want to go, so I decided to stay home. I was sitting on the couch with my grandma and I asked her if my grandpa was going to live. She told me not to give up hope, she said that I needed to make sure I hoped for the best," she pause briefly to re-gain her composure enough to keep speaking and went on, "then she told me that she thought that he would enjoy a pretty card with lots of different colors. I was ten years old and I believed that if I made this card, it would help him get better, so I spent all day working on this beautiful get well soon card with a cross and all of the colors of the rainbow on it. I thought that my mom was going to come home and pick me up so I could give it to him. I made myself believe that he was going to come home in a few days, but when I asked my mom if I could go see him, she told me that my grandfather had died. I never gave up hope, Dillon! He still died and I didn't give up hope!" she was sobbing uncontrollably again, but there was nothing Dillon could say.
"I'm sorry, Georgie. I didn't know," he whispered after a few moments of silence.
"I know. And I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to get my hopes built up just to find out that she really died," she confessed. "You probably think I'm an idiot. I mean that only happened once and I was ten when it did."
Thankful that she had calmed down some, he sighed in relief. "I don't think it's stupid or that you're an idiot. I think it makes since actually, but you can't give up hope now. This isn't your grandfather; this is your mother. Georgie I'm sure she's fighting with all of her strength to stay alive," she told her reassuringly.
"And how can you be so sure?" she asked, bore bitterly than she wanted to.
"Because she has you to live for," he whispered. He wiped the tears off of her face and let her lean into him again.
Edward and Ned had watched the whole thing and Edward was amazed at how Dillon had calmed a hysterical Georgie down in a few minutes; how easily she had opened up and told him something that no one else knew. For the first time, Edward didn't see his grandson as the "devil's spawn" or Tracey's son. He saw him as Dillon Quartermaine.the gentle boy who didn't care or even notice that he was soaked with tears from the fragile girl sitting in his lap.
Ned saw the look on his grandfather's face and couldn't restrain his smile. It was unfortunate that it had taken Georgie coming over for Edward to realize that Dillon wasn't Tracey and that he was just as capable of love as any other person, but Ned was glad that his grandfather had come to the realization.
After several minutes of silence, Georgie lifted her head off of Dillon's shoulder. He looked her in the eye and whispered, "You need to call Maxie. She's really worried about you."
Georgie stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "NO! if I call Maxie, she'll put Mac on the phone and he'll make me come home. I can't go back there Dillon. Everyone expects me to be strong for them. I can't do it anymore," she told him, getting quieter with every word until she was barely heard.
He turned her around and forced her to look into his eyes. She hated for him to do that because she knew that he could see through the front she was putting up. "I don't expect you to be strong," he said gently. He pulled her into another embrace and breathed into her hair. "we can do whatever you want okay? We can go watch old movies, or talk, or we can turn up the music as loud as it can go and you can just cry. It's up to you," he whispered.
"Thanks Dillon. I don't care what we do as long as it gives me a reason not to go home. I don't know how I'm going to face it again right now," she said with her head still buried in his shoulder.
Ned spoke up for the first time since Georgie had entered his home, "Georgie, you're welcome here any time. in fact, if you want me to I'll talk to Mac and see if you can stay here for the next night or two. You'd have to sleep in Kristina's room but there's an extra bed in there," he offered.
Georgie turned to look at Ned in shock. She hadn't really noticed that there were any other people in the room, but at the moment it didn't matter. They were going to find out sooner or later. "that would be great!" she told him, but then reality struck. "but Mac would never go for that. I mean he hates Dillon. he would never go for that and neither would Sam," she explained.
Ned shook his head in confusion while Dillon rolled his eyes, "who is Sam?" Ned asked.
"My boyfriend. I don't think he would be too thrilled if he found out that I was spending the night at my ex's," she replied.
"Georgie, you just found out your mother was in a horrible accident. If he gets mad because you don't want to go to the house that she used to live in with you.he's not worth it," Dillon said.
"yeah, I guess you're right," she said going over the options in her head. "but I still doubt that Mac will go for this."
"leave Mac to me. I'll call him now and sort this out," Ned assured her.
"well, I came over here to inform you two that there is going to be a family dinner tonight and I expect you both to be there," Edward said sternly. "I'll tell Cook that we're going to have an extra guest tonight also," he added smiling at Georgie. after he exited, Ned went into the neighboring room to place a call to Mac.
Dillon sat down on the couch and Georgie curled up next to him. it was 10:45 and she had only been up for a few hours but was exhausted from all of the crying that had taken place within the hour that had felt like a lifetime to her. she drifted off to sleep, thinking about her mother and crying silently.
A week had gone by and things between Dillon and Georgie were awkward. They were still friends but she had been busy with Sam and school had just started again. He had graduated the year before so he was left with nothing to do.
It was 9:30 on a Monday morning and his phone ringing awaked Dillon. "Hello?" he asked groggily.
"Dillon? It's Maxie," he heard the depressing voice on the other end of the line say. When he heard the tone in Maxie's voice, he sat upright in his bed; now wide-awake. "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen Georgie? She took off this morning and Sam hasn't seen her," she told him.
"What happened? Georgie doesn't just take off. Besides, it's 9:30 on a Monday morning," he said.
"I know, Dillon my mom just got into a car accident. She's in a coma and I there's a good chance that she won't make it. Georgie is freaking out, she's not answering her cell phone. I'm really worried about her," she explained.
Dillon jumped out of bed and got a pair of jeans on and grabbed a shirt. "When did she leave?" he asked running down the stairs and trying to put his shirt on at the same time.
"About ten minutes ago," she replied.
Ned and Edward were in the living room of the gatehouse talking when Dillon had come down stairs. "You couldn't even take the time to get properly dressed before coming out of your room, children today," Edward scoffed but Dillon ignored him. He looked out the window and saw Georgie pass the gatehouse.
"She's here Maxie, I'll call you later okay," he didn't wait for a reply before hanging up the phone and walking outside. "Georgie! Over here!" he yelled. She turned and ran to him.
She was letting the tears run freely down her face and collapsed in his arms. He slowly picked her up and carried her to the nearest chair. He sat her in his lap and let her sob on her shoulder. "Shh.it's going to be okay," he whispered.
"How can you say that?" she asked. "Do you even know why I'm crying?"
Edward and Ned had walked back into the room, but remained quiet while watching the two. "Yes, Maxie called. They're really worried about you. She told me about your mom," Dillon replied.
"Dillon, she could die!" she yelled. "And you're telling me everything's going to be okay!?"
"yeah Georgie she could die. There's still a chance she could pull through," he explained softly, trying not to upset her.
"that's what everyone keeps saying! 'Don't give up hope, Georgie! you're mother's going to be fine.'" She mocked. "nobody knows that she's going to be alright! The doctors say that she's in a coma. She could come out of it in a few days, or she could never wake up from it," she screamed at him.
"yeah, you're right. she may never wake up, but that's not what you need to hold onto. there's ALWAYS a chance until the doctor calls the time of death!" he yelled, matching her tone. He knew that that was the only way she would listen to him.
Georgie fell back in his lap and looked at him with a new set of tears in her eyes. "It's really easy for you to say, but I can't do it Dillon," she whispered.
"why not?" he asked.
She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Hope has let me down before Dillon. I was ten years old and my mom woke me up every morning for school, but this one morning was different. This time my grandmother woke me up. I was confused at first, but then my grandmother explained that my grandpa was in the hospital and my mom was with him. he had been in the hospital before but it had been worse lately. my mom had given my grandma instructions to keep me home from school that day if I didn't want to go, so I decided to stay home. I was sitting on the couch with my grandma and I asked her if my grandpa was going to live. She told me not to give up hope, she said that I needed to make sure I hoped for the best," she pause briefly to re-gain her composure enough to keep speaking and went on, "then she told me that she thought that he would enjoy a pretty card with lots of different colors. I was ten years old and I believed that if I made this card, it would help him get better, so I spent all day working on this beautiful get well soon card with a cross and all of the colors of the rainbow on it. I thought that my mom was going to come home and pick me up so I could give it to him. I made myself believe that he was going to come home in a few days, but when I asked my mom if I could go see him, she told me that my grandfather had died. I never gave up hope, Dillon! He still died and I didn't give up hope!" she was sobbing uncontrollably again, but there was nothing Dillon could say.
"I'm sorry, Georgie. I didn't know," he whispered after a few moments of silence.
"I know. And I know it sounds stupid, but I don't want to get my hopes built up just to find out that she really died," she confessed. "You probably think I'm an idiot. I mean that only happened once and I was ten when it did."
Thankful that she had calmed down some, he sighed in relief. "I don't think it's stupid or that you're an idiot. I think it makes since actually, but you can't give up hope now. This isn't your grandfather; this is your mother. Georgie I'm sure she's fighting with all of her strength to stay alive," she told her reassuringly.
"And how can you be so sure?" she asked, bore bitterly than she wanted to.
"Because she has you to live for," he whispered. He wiped the tears off of her face and let her lean into him again.
Edward and Ned had watched the whole thing and Edward was amazed at how Dillon had calmed a hysterical Georgie down in a few minutes; how easily she had opened up and told him something that no one else knew. For the first time, Edward didn't see his grandson as the "devil's spawn" or Tracey's son. He saw him as Dillon Quartermaine.the gentle boy who didn't care or even notice that he was soaked with tears from the fragile girl sitting in his lap.
Ned saw the look on his grandfather's face and couldn't restrain his smile. It was unfortunate that it had taken Georgie coming over for Edward to realize that Dillon wasn't Tracey and that he was just as capable of love as any other person, but Ned was glad that his grandfather had come to the realization.
After several minutes of silence, Georgie lifted her head off of Dillon's shoulder. He looked her in the eye and whispered, "You need to call Maxie. She's really worried about you."
Georgie stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "NO! if I call Maxie, she'll put Mac on the phone and he'll make me come home. I can't go back there Dillon. Everyone expects me to be strong for them. I can't do it anymore," she told him, getting quieter with every word until she was barely heard.
He turned her around and forced her to look into his eyes. She hated for him to do that because she knew that he could see through the front she was putting up. "I don't expect you to be strong," he said gently. He pulled her into another embrace and breathed into her hair. "we can do whatever you want okay? We can go watch old movies, or talk, or we can turn up the music as loud as it can go and you can just cry. It's up to you," he whispered.
"Thanks Dillon. I don't care what we do as long as it gives me a reason not to go home. I don't know how I'm going to face it again right now," she said with her head still buried in his shoulder.
Ned spoke up for the first time since Georgie had entered his home, "Georgie, you're welcome here any time. in fact, if you want me to I'll talk to Mac and see if you can stay here for the next night or two. You'd have to sleep in Kristina's room but there's an extra bed in there," he offered.
Georgie turned to look at Ned in shock. She hadn't really noticed that there were any other people in the room, but at the moment it didn't matter. They were going to find out sooner or later. "that would be great!" she told him, but then reality struck. "but Mac would never go for that. I mean he hates Dillon. he would never go for that and neither would Sam," she explained.
Ned shook his head in confusion while Dillon rolled his eyes, "who is Sam?" Ned asked.
"My boyfriend. I don't think he would be too thrilled if he found out that I was spending the night at my ex's," she replied.
"Georgie, you just found out your mother was in a horrible accident. If he gets mad because you don't want to go to the house that she used to live in with you.he's not worth it," Dillon said.
"yeah, I guess you're right," she said going over the options in her head. "but I still doubt that Mac will go for this."
"leave Mac to me. I'll call him now and sort this out," Ned assured her.
"well, I came over here to inform you two that there is going to be a family dinner tonight and I expect you both to be there," Edward said sternly. "I'll tell Cook that we're going to have an extra guest tonight also," he added smiling at Georgie. after he exited, Ned went into the neighboring room to place a call to Mac.
Dillon sat down on the couch and Georgie curled up next to him. it was 10:45 and she had only been up for a few hours but was exhausted from all of the crying that had taken place within the hour that had felt like a lifetime to her. she drifted off to sleep, thinking about her mother and crying silently.