Chapter 28

The idea of turning the house into a bed and breakfast was so perfect, that Rafe wondered why he hadn't thought of doing that in the first place. Rafe thought of his mother, thinking of how she absolutely loved staying at bed and breakfasts when she traveled. He couldn't think of a better way to honor his parents' memory, and the house that his family had lived in for generations.

But as perfect as it all was, things weren't so simple. The house still had a lot of work to be done, and it would take a lot of time and effort to transform a place of this size into an operating business. There was no way it would be finished by the summer, as he and Alison had to get back to Port Charles soon.

So when a group of locals carrying their toolboxes and supplies walked up the path, Rafe was a little surprised.

"What is all this?" he asked Alison.

"They want to help you, Rafe. Violeta told them what you were doing to the place and everybody in the village wants to help."

At first, Rafe didn't understand. Why was everyone so willing to help him? But then, it all became so clear. Caleb had affected all of these people in some way, years and years ago. The Kovich family had kept the villagers safe for so long, and now, it was their turn to give something back. And they wouldn't take no for an answer.

With big smiles on their faces, the men got to work. Some brought out their ladders and paint supplies, while others had hammers and tools.

Alison looked to Rafe and smiled. "I'd say that you'll have no trouble at all finding people who want to run this place for you."

"You know, I was thinking of that. Do you think if I asked Violeta if she would like to be in charge of the B & B, she would accept?"

Alison smiled. "I think that's a great idea, and I think she would love to."

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Two weeks had passed, and Rafe and Alison were preparing to go back home.

The house of course, still had a lot of work to be done, but Rafe felt confident he was leaving it in good hands. Violeta promised to oversee the renovations and was thrilled to be offered to run Kovich Manor once the B & B was up and running. She had always loved the Kovich house and was looking forward to all of the guests and tourists that would someday stay there.

Even though they looked forward to going back, leaving was still hard. Rafe hadn't realized how much he had missed his first home until they arrived here. But it made him happy to know that he could always return and visit whenever he liked, and that his children would always know where their family came from.

He placed some flowers on his parents' graves, silently saying hello to them and knowing that somewhere, they were listening, and that they were proud.

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Katrina rummaged through her drawers, looking for the pajama top that matched her pink pants. She finally found the shirt and dug it out, putting it over her head.

Looking behind her, she saw Bernie sitting in the chair. She grabbed him and put him into the bed before he got any ideas about running away. They were leaving tomorrow, and she was taking no chances that he would be left behind!

"Hello, Precious."

Katrina looked up. "Hi, Grandma!"

"I see you're all packed and ready to go."

"Yeah, cause we're leaving tomorrow. You going to come on the plane with us?"

"No, Precious, I'm afraid not."

"Why? You scared of flying?"

Grandma Katrina laughed softly. She would miss spending time with her granddaughter. Katrina always made her smile. "No, it's not that. Come here." Grandma Katrina sat on the bed. Katrina sat beside her.

"I'm afraid it's time for me to go."

Katrina frowned. "You're leaving? How come?"

"I have to go back from where I came from."

"To heaven?"

"Yes, Precious."

"But you said you'd always be with me."

"Oh, but I will. Listen, you may not be able to see or hear me, but I promise you that I will always be with you, right here in your heart." Katrina placed a finger over her heart.

"But I'll miss not seeing you."

"Oh, I'll miss you too. But you can talk to me anytime."

"I can?"

"Yes. Come here. I'll show you."

Katrina followed her grandmother over to the window.

"You see all of those beautiful stars up there?"

"Yeah."

"Anytime you want to talk to me, you just look up to the sky, right where those beautiful stars are, and I promise you that'll I'll be able to hear you."

"Will I ever see you again?"

Grandma Katrina kneeled down to her level. "Yes, someday."

Katrina's chin started to quiver. "I don't want you to go now. Can't you stay? Just for a little bit?"

"No, Precious. I must go. Oh, no tears, okay? Even though you won't be able to see me, I'll be able to see you. And I'll watch over you. You remember that I'm always your guardian angel, okay?"

Katrina nodded.

"Will you do something for me?"

Katrina nodded. "Yes."

"You keep being a good little girl for your mommy and daddy. And when your little brother comes, you be a good sister and help your parents with him. Can you do that?"

"Yes."

"Can you do one more thing?"

"Yeah."

"Give your daddy a kiss and hug for me. Tell your daddy I love him."

"Okay."

Grandma Katrina smiled, then reached out to touch a strand of her granddaughter's soft blonde hair. "I love you, Precious."

"I love you, too."

She kissed Katrina on her forehead. Then slowly, she faded away, waving as she smiled at her.

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Downstairs, Rafe took one more look around at the study that had once been his father's. All day, he had gone through the house, gathering things, pieces of history from his family, to bring back home with him.

Behind him, he heard a shuffle of feet in the hallway. Turning around, he saw Katrina standing in the doorway.

"I thought you were already in bed, Princess."

"I couldn't sleep."

"No?" Rafe took a seat in the desk chair.

Katrina walked over to her father and climbed up in his lap. "I miss Grandma."

"I miss her too."

"She had to leave. She had to go back to heaven."

"Oh, I see."

Katrina suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah." She gave her father a big hug and kissed him on his cheek. "That's from Grandma. She says she loves you."

Rafe smiled. "Come here, Princess. Let's go outside."

Katrina took her father's hand as he led her outside to the back porch. Once there, he picked her up. "You see all those stars up there?"

'Yeah. Grandma's up there in heaven."

"That's right. And you can talk to her anytime. She'll always hear you."

"That's what Grandma said. Let's talk to her, Daddy."

Rafe held Katrina tighter. "What do you want to say to her?"

"Um…what do I tell her, Daddy?"

"You tell her anything you want. Tell her how you feel."

Katrina looked up to the sky. "I love you, Grandma Kat. I miss you." Katrina turned to her father and smiled.

"I love you too, Mama," he said softly.

In heaven, Katrina was smiling. She had been so worried about her son before, but now she could see that her job was done. Everything would be just fine now.