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Chapter Nine

A few days later

Dillon and Lulu were in a hotel in New York. They had spent much of the last few days at the hospital. Clark pulled through his medical crisis and the transplant. When they left the hospital the Katie had just woken up from her surgery.

Lulu was dressed and drinking coffee when Dillon came out of the bathroom. He was dressed in slacks and a white shirt. Lulu wore a black dress.

She said, "Lucky called. Kate's doing well. There are still monitoring Clark for signs of rejection though. He isn't awake yet. We can head back over as soon as you are ready."

"It's all going to be a success. I can feel it in my bones."

"You're faith is unbelievable."

"I learned when Georgie was sick that faith is about the only thing that is free and unlimited to you."

"I wasn't sure if it was okay to talk what happened. I'm so sorry you lost her, Dillon. She was a great woman. I admired her even when we were kids."

"She was the love of my life, for sure. I didn't think I could ever get over losing her... yet, I'm still here. My kids need me...all my kids.. so I'm not about to start being negative and have a defeatist attitude."

He came over and poured himself a cup of coffee from the carafe.

He added, "I didn't get to be a director in Hollywood by thinking "That's impossible." and I don't run ELQ thinking small. I start out with the premise it will all work out and it usually does."

"I missed you."

"That came out of no where."

"It's just... you're so..optimistic. You always have been. And I'm always waiting for the disaster. My marriage was like that and that's why it lasted all of 8 months."

Dillon sat down with her. "You never mentioned you were married. Tell me about it."

Lulu took a sip of coffee. A faraway look was in her eyes as she said, "I was about... 27, I guess. We met on a plane flying from LA to Hawaii. A couple weeks in the sun and it was love. Or so we thought. We came home and moved in together right away and then married a month later. It was a whirlwind of excitement. He was ...great, actually. But I never trusted in him or us."

"Why not?"

"That's just me, I guess. If things seem perfect I think "RUN!" before it all falls apart. I think it couldn't possible turn out right. Don't give me that sad look. I'm not as much of a mess as I seem."

"I never said you were. I don't think that way about you. But what good is what I think of you if you think so little of yourself?"

"I don't. It's fate I don't trust. It always screws up the good thing I have going. And when I was married I guess I just kept waiting for it to fall apart. Then I made it happen before it could."Lulu shook her head, sadly "I thought his late nights at work were late nights in another woman's arms. I thought something had to go wrong. And it did. It was over before it started. I vowed not to ever get married again. I'm not wife material."

"For the right man you would be."

"You're still such a romantic."

"Guilty as charged. And, for the record, I missed you, too."

She grinned. "You did not."

"At first, no. But later I would see a movie I knew you'd love and wish you were seeing it with me. Or Katie would babysit my daughter Frankie and I'd see you in her. Not in how she looks, because Katie is a taller version of Liz, but in her laugh. It shocked me the first time I heard it. She has your

laugh."

"I never knew that."

"Come home more often and you might be surprised what you'd learn."

"I was sure you never wanted to see me again."

"I forgave you a long time ago."

"How?"

"By growing up and seeing that life wasn't black and white. It was all grey and compromises and for every lucky break or good luck there was a mistake or failure to get through first. And what other choice did I have? I couldn't hate you forever. You did what you thought you had to. I'm just glad to know you choice adoption over abortion."

"I was scared to choose either and I don't know how I will explain what I did to Clark."

He reached out and took her hand."We'll find a way together."

Lulu felt her heart flip flop and she said to herself, Oh no, you don't. Don't you dare go falling for Dillon again.

She feared her heart was too far gone to listen now.