"Knock, knock," Sam smiled as she opened the hospital room door. Kristina looked up from the papers on her tray and matched her expression.

"Hey," she chirped, closing the manila folder the papers rested on, "what brings you by?"

"Can't I just see my little sister?"

"That depends: any special guests?"

"Unfortunately, no. They're at school and work, respectively. I had an off-day and thought I'd drop by."

"Well, aren't you sweet?" Kristina opened her arms, and Sam obliged with a tight embrace, "Thanks for coming."

"How are you?"

"A lot better. I should be discharged in a day or two."

"Oh yeah?" Sam looked down at the folder, "What's that?"

"The Floating Rib," Kristina pulled the top over, "just some final contracts and agreements."

"And then?"

"And then it's all mine. I can work on hiring staff, setting menus, all the fun stuff."

"Who brought them by?"

"Mom. After…encountering Esme Prince, she contacted the company and had them send everything to her while I recovered. Each form has been picked apart."

"Good. Is Sonny helping at all?"

"He's already vetting employees for me," Kristina giggled, "God, between Mom and Dad and Dex, things with the bar are just…great!"

"Dex?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "How's he involved?"

"He bought it for me."

"...Wow," Sam's eyes widened, "With what money?"

"His paycheck, or at least, however much Dad took out of it."

"Damn, I'm actually kind of impressed."

"Why?" Kristina scowled in intrigued, "You know Dex and I are an item."

"No, I know, it's just-" Sam ran a hand through her hair, "He works in the mob, and…well, you know how things can get with that."

"I know."

"I'm just glad he's so committed to you. Some of us aren't as lucky."

"Oh, Sam, don't do that."

"Don't do what?"

"Jason," Kristina stared at her head-on, "You're bringing up Jason."

"I can't talk about Jason?"

"Not if you're going to wallow. You have Dante now. Danny and Scout have a dad, so-to-speak. Don't-"

"Oh my God, Krissy, no!" Sam put her hands up, "I'm not breaking up with Dante if that's what you're thinking!"

"Then why is Jason being brought up?"

"Because I don't want what happened to me to happen to you!"

The room fell silent. Kristina's glare was a mix of confusion and irritation, while Sam sighed, slowly standing up. She paced the room as the younger woman watched.

"What do you mean?" Kristina finally asked.

"Do you…" Sam took a deep breath, "Do you remember a few years back, at the youth center? We got into an argument over Dawn of Day-"

"And you and Jason," Kristina looked down, "yeah."

"You were right."

Kristina kept her mouth closed, unsure of how to respond. A small part of her wanted to gloat, to tell Sam that she told her so. Another part of her grew defensive, building up deflections against the idea that Dex was anything like Jason and that her situation was anything like Sam's. Instead, she stayed silent.

"Jason and I…we loved each other very much," Sam began, her hands together, "You know that, I know that-"

"Pretty much everyone knows that," Kristina responded.

"But his loyalties lied with the mob."

"With my dad and Carly…which tied into the mob. Mostly."

"I don't want Dex to be caught up in that cycle, for your sake," Sam sat down on the hospital bed, "You've been through a lot of relationships, and a lot of those relationships hurt you. This is the first person you've been with that loves you, that is in it for you, and yet, there's this…dark cloud hanging over him, following him around."

"Dex isn't Jason," Kristina's statement was firm, "He's not completely tethered to my dad or Carly; I don't even think he and Carly have ever met! And like you said, he's gone out of his way for me and loves me without any kind of hang-ups or ulterior motives. They're not the same."

"I know but-"

"Sam," Kristina held a hand up, "I'm sorry that you and Jason didn't work out. Your love was real, even with all the adrenaline and drama that ran through it. And I'm sorry you won't be able to rekindle that love, if you guys were ever going to. But you and Jason, and me and Dex, it's just not the same, okay? Don't project that onto us."

"It's not projection, Krissy. I'm just looking out for you," Sam explained, "I spent a lot of years with Jason. I married him, I had kids with him. I spent so much of my life to be with him, I tried to make things work while Sonny and Carly needed him, and I stayed a lot longer than I should've and I watched him choose the mob over me."

Kristina stayed quiet, eyes bright as she bit her bottom lip.

"I know it's way too soon for you and Dex to even consider something like marriage or kids or anything that major, but Kristina, it's just something to consider. Dex works for the mob, and you either marry it or let death be the breakup."

Sam held her sister's hand, "I just don't want you to get hurt again, especially at the hands of something that hurt me."

"And I appreciate that, okay?" Kristina squeezed her hand in return, "I do, but Dex isn't like that. He isn't a mob goon who puts his kids beneath his job. He's there for me, he's able to balance his personal and work life-"

"I know, I know. He's been really good to you."

Kristina bit her bottom lip, "...I'm sorry. I shouldn't be going after you. You guys were the love of each other's lives, and here I am getting defensive and rude-"

"Hey, hey," Sam leaned forward, their hands still intertwined, "it's okay. I was the same way to you at the youth center. And you're right, thus far, Dex isn't Jason. I still want you to be aware of what could happen, though."

"I will," Kristina nodded, "Thank you."

"I love you," Sam pulled Kristina into a tight hug.

"Love you too," Kristina replied, holding her sister in an equally tight embrace. The door clicked open ever-so-slowly, Dex's head poking in. The women pulled apart and smiled at him in response.

"Hey," he said softly, walking in. There was a bag from Beradino's in his hand.

"Hey," Sam stood up, approaching him, "I was just leaving."

"Oh, no, I didn't mean to rush you-"

"Yeah, Sam, stay," Kristina smiled. Dex walked around the elder woman and leaned down, kissing the younger woman on the cheek. He sat down on the available stool, the bag in his lap.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I don't want to interrupt your…lunch date."

"Sam-"

"I'll text you, okay?" Sam walked over, pressing a kiss to Kristina's cheek, "Love you."

"Love you too…" she answered softly as she watched Sam leave the room.

"I'm sorry," Dex said, pulling out a clean white box from the bag. Kristina moved the manila folder onto the table to her left, taking the box and placing it on the tray, "I should've waited outside."

"It's okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, totally," she opened the box, taking a bite of the pasta, "You came at the right time."

"Is everything okay?"

"Mhm," she took another bite, "she was just giving some sisterly advice, that's all."

"...Okay," Dex pulled out a second box, opening the flap. He subsequently took a bite of the alfredo, "How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing alright," Kristina grinned. Dex matched her face before his eyes darted to a spot of tomato sauce on the left corner of her lip. He pulled a napkin from the bag and rubbed it off. She giggled, "Thanks."

"No problem," he took a second bite of his alfredo.

"How are you?"

"Good."

"Good."

They ate in silence, occasionally exchanging glances as they finished out their individual boxes of food. Dex piled the garbage into the bag and placed it on the ground to his right. He then took her hand in his own.

"So," he cleared his throat, "when are you getting discharged?"

"Not sure," she answered, "The doctors think I'm all but ready, but they want to wait a few days to really make sure."

"Soon," he cooed, leaning over to kiss her.

"Soon," she echoed, pulling away first, "Soon I'll be able to go home, and be with you, and finally get The Floating Rib off the ground-"

"How is that going, by the way?"

"It's in the last leg of paperwork. I've spent all morning signing things off…after my mom went through them, of course."

"What about employees or furniture?"

"Dad's pretty much hiring them for me, and I haven't had a chance to look at anything yet," Kristina sighed sadly, "Things got…derailed thanks to Esme."

"Well, thankfully, she's been caught. And thankfully, you have a boyfriend and a family who's stepping up."

"I know, and I appreciate all of you, but I just wanted to do everything myself, y'know? Be a little self-sufficient."

"I get it. I mean, that's how I lived before coming to Port Charles," Dex smiled, "and I admire that you want The Floating Rib to be completely yours. But we're here for you and we want to help. Besides, you didn't even ask us to do anything for you, and we run everything by you anyway. I promise you, Kristina, you haven't been making us do your work whatsoever."

"If you say so," Kristina matched his smile as she took his lips in for a kiss. Her voice was gentle as he pulled back, "I love you."

"I love you too," Dex responded in kind. Kristina turned to grab the folder, flipping through the documents.

"And speaking of work, I think," she closed the manila flap, "these are all done."

"Great," he took the item from her, "I can get these to your mom."

"Please do," she settled into the back of her bed, "Thank God that's done. All that's left is the decor."

"Have you given it some thought?"

"I wish. I mean, the original bar was rustic. It gave a roadside attraction vibe to it, which I've always loved. I don't know that I want to completely replicate the way it looked, but I want to keep most of it."

"What would you want to keep?"

"The pool table and jukebox, for sure. The bar set too: there was this really cool art piece of license plates that surrounded the bar logo behind the counter and I want that too."

"And you'd part with everything else?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I want the seats and table to be more modern, in a way. Better wood and steel and a sleeker look."

"Okay," Dex pulled out his phone, scrolling through.

"What are you doing?" Kristina raised an eyebrow.

"Looking for a deal on a good jukebox."

"Oh my God, you're not-"

"I am," Dex leaned in, "We're getting this bar up and running."

"I don't want you to spend all that money-"

"It'll come out of my paycheck," he said nonchalantly, "What matters is getting The Floating Rib to be exactly what you want it to be."

"You're really committed to this."

"I'm really committed to you," Dex grinned, flashing his white teeth.

Kristina felt her cheeks flush, watching him look through sale options. A million thoughts raced through her head, each one leaving as soon as it arrived. The photos of jukeboxes, ranging from old-fashioned to futuristic, blurred into the background as she melted into the moment, eyes going between the phone screen and Dex's face. Sam's face entered her mind, and she felt herself tense up.

"Kristina?" Dex gently nudged her. She remained spaced out, staring past him. He snapped a finger in her face to further jolt her, "Kristina, baby, hey."

She blinked rapidly, "Hm? What?"

"You okay?"

"Yeah…yeah, um, sorry. Just…zoned out."

"I could tell. What were you thinking about?"

"Um…nothing. Nothing important," she looked between him and the phone, "Find anything?"

"Oh, yeah, check this out," Dex sat next to her on the bed, their shoulders almost touching, "It's an old-time box in pretty good condition."

"It's used?"

"Yeah…" Dex sighed, "I was thinking if I get an old one, it can be refurbished and revamped to work as if it's brand new."

"You're into refurbishing?"

"I'm sure I can figure it out."

"Wow…" Kristina's voice was breathless, "You're really willing to do that for me?"

Dex blinked, putting his phone down and wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "What's wrong?"

"Why do you think something's wrong?"

"You're asking questions."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Krissy," Dex gave her a knowing look, "I know you."

Kristina kept quiet, gently biting the inside of her bottom lip, "It's just…I'm just surprised you're doing so much for me. Y'know, more than the average boyfriend would. And I know, you love me and you want me to get everything I want, but…with my history, it's just a little off-putting. In a good way."

"I get what you mean."

"You have a rough dating history too?"

"Oh, um, no. It's kind of hard to have a rough history if you don't have much of one at all."

"Really?" Kristina scowled in disbelief, "I find that hard to believe."

"Oh, do you now?"

"I do. You're handsome, loyal, kind-hearted, just…kind of the perfect guy."

"You're giving me a bit too much credit."

"Mm, I don't think so."

"Sure," Dex laughed, "but, uh, even though I don't have a lot of relationship experience whatsoever, I still know what it's like to feel that apprehension."

"Your family didn't give you the love you deserved," Kristina remarked gently.

"They didn't, and I eventually learned that if I can't get that selfless love, then I have to provide it. I had a girlfriend or two who took it for what it was, so-to-speak, and now I'm here with you, and I have to say, I'm pretty happy."

"Oh, how I appreciate you," she sighed dreamily.

"I'm glad you do," he kissed the side of her head, "but seriously, Kristina, I'm not going anywhere. I love you, I'm here for you, and I'm going to do everything in my power to maintain that."

"I love you too," she beamed, grabbing his cheeks and pulling him in for a kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, hands settled on her waist. They melted into the moment, a comforting warmth coursing through their veins. Their backs pressed against the hospital bed as they relaxed, Kristina's head on Dex's shoulder. For a moment, she forgot about the fear and anxiety that ate away at her earlier, and he forgot about the looming threat yet to come, a threat he's still unwilling to consider.

"Hey," she spoke softly.

"Yeah?" he looked down at her.

"Could you show me that jukebox again?"

"Yeah, sure," he lifted his phone and pulled up the image. She gave it a once-over, somewhat marveling at its fairly good physical condition.

"Hm…" she hummed.

"What do you think? Is it worth the investment?"

"...You're serious about refurbishing it?"

"I am."

"And you're serious about losing another paycheck to get it?"

"One-hundred percent."

Kristina bit her bottom lip, thinking it over for a beat, "Then okay, I think you should get it."

"Awesome," Dex flashed his teeth, tapping on his phone screen. She watched in awe as he worked, like two children at a candy store, one step closer to a dream fulfilled. She wrapped her arm around his, snuggling against him while he scrolled on his device, scrolling through set after set of tables and chairs as they searched for the last remaining pieces to the bar that they could afford. Dex's voice faded into white noise as he described each piece he found, eyes full of wonder as she gazed up at him.

This is really happening, she thought to herself, I'm really going to re-open The Floating Rib, she smiled at him as he focused on his phone, and I have the best support to do so. I couldn't be more grateful.