Secret Smile - Chapter One
"Emily?"
Dillon knocked softly on the door of the hospital room, opening it a crack to peek inside. "May I come in?"
Emily, looking tired but happy in her bed, smiled and waved him inside. He slipped into the room, a little unsure of himself around his cancer-stricken cousin and her new husband - between him and Georgie, his attempts to avoid all things Quartermaine and Emily's declining health, he really had not had much of a chance to get to know her. But she had made what everyone was calling a miraculous turn from death's door, so he figured - no time like the present.
"What have you got there?" queried Em, gesturing to Dillon's full arms as Zander jumped up to help the younger man.
"Portable DVD player and the essential recovery selection," Dillon grinned. "All movies that I like to watch when I'm feeling sick or just generally crappy, and somehow they always do the trick. So..." he shrugged.
"Oh that's right - Ned mentioned you were a movie fanatic," Emily said, as she shifted over in the bed to make room for Zander, gesturing to Dillon to take the chair beside it. "So, take me on the guided tour - what do we have?"
"I'm so glad you asked, madame," answered Dillon with a false imperious air, eliciting laughter from Em and Zander. He quickly dropped the act, unable to discuss his beloved classics in anything other than an enthusiastic tone. "First, we have Roman Holiday..."
"Audrey Hepburn," whispered Emily, smiling. "My mom, my birth mom Paige, loved her. Her favorite was that one when she's the chauffeur's daughter..."
"Sabrina," Dillon supplied. "Audrey Hepburn, William Holden and Humphrey Bogart. Directed by Billy Wilder, 1953."
"That's right - Sabrina."
"I'll bring you that one tomorrow," Dillon offered.
"Thank you, but you don't have to come back tomorrow if you don't want to - I know hospitals are about the least fun place to be..."
"Especially during the winter break" said Zander.
"Especially then," agreed Emily.
"I want to come back, and bring you the movie," Dillon insisted. "Look, Ned said you're like, the best thing to ever happen to the Quartermaines and they, I mean we, almost lost you, so I think that probably means that you're someone I ought to, well you know..." he trailed off, unsure of how to express his sentiment to the older girl.
Emily smiled softy and reached across Zander, outstretching her hand to Dillon, who, with a bit of hesitation, took it.
"Thank you," she whispered. Dillon, unsure of what to say, made direct eye contact with her and nodded. She kept her grasp on his hand for a few seconds, then gave it a tight squeeze and released it. She was touched by Dillon's offer of friendship, but knew the boy was uneasy with all things Quartermaine, so she didn't want to make him feel overwhelmed. She knew the best way to form a bond with her long-lost cousin.
"So tell me about these movies," Em demanded, laying her head on Zander's shoulder and focusing her attention on Dillon.
"Okay," he began. Roman Holiday - Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck - he's not as good here as in To Kill A Mockingbird, but it's a more cheerful story. Anyway, kind of a reverse Cinderella deal. Princess runs away from the castle to experience civilian life, encounters this American man who ends up being a news reporter and they basically both have to hide who they really are..."
"Sounds great," Emily enthused.
"Next, Annie Hall. Woody Allen, circa 1970-something or other, I can't quite recall, just a great look at relationships, life, men, women... he just always has this perspective and voice that no one else quite comes up with. Very unique."
"I like the sound of that one," said Zander, and Emily nodded in agreement.
"Moving on, It Happened One Night. Frank Capra, 1938. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. Actually pretty similar to Roman Holiday, heiress runs away, meets newspaper man on a bus, love story...but this one's more of a comedy, where Roman Holiday has a real bittersweet quality to it."
"Mmmm..." Em smiled, gesturing for him to continue.
"And finally, It's A Wonderful Life..."
"The Christmas movie?" asked Zander, raising his eyebrows,
"The very one," Dillon replied. "I know, but the whole spirit of it is always really good to see when you're not feeling well. Kind of, um, reaffirming, you know?"
"I love that movie," said Emily. "Especially the part when he says he would lasso the moon for her. It's so romantic..." her voice trailed off dreamily. Zander kissed her cheek and she gazed into his eyes for a minute before breaking away,
"Sorry Dillon..."
"Hey, newlyweds, no apologies necessary," he brushed it off. "Do you guys want me to take off?"
"No, please. I'm enjoying talking with you. So, what got you so into old movies?"
"Well, you know," he began. "Moving around from city to city, country to country, never staying in one place too long - it became a constant."
"Yeah, my best friend Lucky's family was always moving when he was younger. His constant was the blues - his dad taught him."
"Nice," Dillon grinned.
"It must have been tough to move around so much, but Europe is just so gorgeous. Monica took me to Italy for a summer when I was 14," Emily remembered. "It was so beautiful. So rich and cultural. Port Charles must seem like an abyss of boredom by comparison."
A few months ago, Dillon would have agreed enthusiastically with that statement, but now he shook his head ruefully. "You know, actually I think I'm kinda liking Port Charles." He smiled, a secretive smile, thinking of the reason.
Emily noticed the smile. Even though she had been in the hospital off and on since soon after Dillon arrived, she still knew what was going on, somewhat. Elizabeth and Lucky had kept her amused with stories of Kelly's and Ned, the gatekeeper, filled her in on the Quartermaine misadventures. She gave her cousin a sly smile of her own.
"Hmmm..." she teased gently. "I think you're kinda liking Georgie Jones."
Dillon blushed, smiling, as Emily and Zander grinned at each other, trying not to make Dillon blush any more. The younger boy kept smiling to himself, in his own little world.
Then suddenly his expression changed to one of surprise, or realization. He looked wide-eyed, baffled, almost alarmed.
Emily took notice. "What?" she asked, off the look.
"I think I'm kinda loving Georgie Jones," he replied, in a daze.
"Really?" Emily squealed, as Zander replied with a more subdued "wow."
"Yeah, I think...I really think I'm in...god, I feel like I just got knocked over by a tidal wave..." Dillon looked weak and slumped in his chair as the two newlyweds chuckled.
"Yup, definitely love," confirmed Emily in a brisk voice, as though supplying a medical diagnosis, then laughing.
"Hey, congratulations, man," chimed in Zander, nodding at Dillon.
"Thanks," he nodded back, then tried to compose himself. "So, this tidal wave feeling.."
"It seems pretty common," Em reassured him. "Tell us about it..." He knew she meant him and Georgie and not the feeling. He felt himself starting to float.
"She's the first person in my entire life that I've ever felt genuinely connected to," he explained. "She's beautiful, but not just how she looks - there are lots of girls who look beautiful. Georgie's beautiful on the inside and the outside. She's smart, she's passionate, she has a wonderful heart..."
Emily and Zander, touched, shared a meaningful glance and stole a kiss, which went unnoticed by Dillon, who continued ruminating as they turned back to him.
"...she has this incredible fire about her, this strength, but at the same time, she's so delicate, and her eyes can just melt my heart. Sometimes she looks so vulnerable, it makes me weak and I just need to hold her to give us both strength..."
He trailed off, blushing furiously as he realized that he was revealing deeply personal things to two people he didn't know very well. Granted, Emily was family and now so was Zander, but family, Dillon knew, was often a very technical term.
Still, there was something about Em, and her new husband, that was very un-Quartermaine, very devoid of judgment, that made him comfortable talking to both of them. Emily may have been raised by the Quartermaines, but she was definitely adopted.
He raised his eyes to the bed where he was met by Emily's eyes, shining with tears as she smiled at the display of first love - it was, she knew, the purest thing in life. Zander looked between Emily and Dillon, smiling in agreement with both of them, nodding his head. Dillon looked somewhat embarrassed at having just spilled his guts, so Zander broke the silence.
"Dillon, man, can I offer some advice?" he asked. "You don't have to take it."
"Uh, yeah, sure." Dillon wasn't usually much for advice, but when it came to ...love...- the word was still swimming around like crazy in his head - he was clueless, and Zander and Emily had overcome a lot of odds, so whatever they had to offer might be pretty useful.
"Get the hell out of here and go tell her what you just told us," Zander ordered him, then glanced sidelong at his wife, and continued, softening his tone. "What I mean is, if someone makes you feel that way, they should know about it, and sometimes you shouldn't wait to say these things. Time (he looked meaningfully at Emily) is more fleeting than you think. So if Georgie -"
"Completes you," chimed in Emily, trying to lighten the mood for her younger relative, who seemed in shock. Her efforts worked, for Dillon rolled his eyes and groaned.
"Jerry Maguire. The most overused romantic movie rip off of the last decade," he supplied.
"Hey, at least it's better than "love means never having to say you're sorry," offered Em. They both laughed as Zander knitted his brow in confusion.
"Love Story," supplied Emily.
"Hideously overrated movie," offered Dillon. "So sappy it would put a diabetic in a coma."
All three laughed, then as the laughter faded and they grew silent. Dillon rose from his chair.
"I think I'm gonna get going. I gotta see about a girl," he glanced sidelong to see if Em or Zander picked up the challenge.
"Good Will Hunting," she piped up triumphantly.
Dillon was impressed. It was nice to feel so comfortable with another member of his family. "I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship," he grinned.
"Casablanca." Emily didn't miss a beat.
He winked. "Here's lookin' at you kid."
They both laughed, and Zander, who had been watching the exchange like a tennis match, joined in. Emily smiled softly.
"Thank you for coming by, Dillon and for the movies." She outstretched her arms a little hesitantly toward him and he stepped toward the bed. Zander slipped off the edge and stepped aside to make room for Dillon to lean over so he could accept Emily's hug.
Dillon straightened up and Zander shook his hand.
"Good luck man."
"Thanks."
"I'll bring you Sabrina tomorrow, Emily," Dillon promised.
"Thanks," she grinned.
"Take care guys."
Dillon walked to the door and was turning the knob when he heard Emily call his name.
"Yeah?" he said, turning around. Emily looked content, snuggled into the crook of Zander's arm.
"About Georgie," she began. "Would you lasso the moon for her?"
Dillon broke out in a grin and shook his head ruefully. "About a million times," he said, feeling himself flushing.
Emily shot him a wink and smiled understandingly. He smiled back and nodded, thanking her with his silence and slipped out the door. Once in the corridor, he leaned against the wall, feeling lightheaded, his heart racing wildly. He had to go find Georgie.
