Episode 108

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Episode 108

Scene 1:

Georgia rolled over, waking slowly from a nice dream. She moved closer to the man sharing her bed, nuzzling his shoulder. What could have been a potentially bad night had gotten considerably better after he had joined her. Introducing himself as Ian, they had chatted while she ate and he drank. Then chatted some more after she was done eating and joined him in a drink. He was charming and interesting and very good looking which never hurt. He had offered her a ride home and she had accepted knowing full well what she was getting herself into.

Ian stopped to buy a bottle of wine and they shared another glass at her apartment before she gave in to the wine and his advances. They made love in the living room dozing lightly afterward. Ian was enthusiastic and forceful as a lover, something Georgia had never experienced. Her last partner was Bobby Stigliano and to say that he was adequate was being kind. After waking from the nap, he suggested they move into the bedroom, where much to Georgia's delight, he made love to her again, slowly and thoroughly, taking his time. They fell asleep tangled together under her grandmother's quilt, finally letting the alcohol take over.

"Good morning," she murmured happily, feeling him stir. His hand fell to her hair, stroking it gently. Outside, she could hear the steady patter of rain against the roof. This was a nice way to wake. "Sleep well?" She asked as Ian's eyes opened and he let out a yawn.

"Beautifully," he replied. "How about you?"

"Best night of sleep I've had in weeks," she murmured with a small yawn to match his. "I hate to ruin it by waking up too."

"What time is it anyway?" Ian muttered rolling over to face her. She looked over his shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand.

"A little bit after seven." Ian jumped with a start bolting to an upright position. "What? What's wrong?"

"Georgia, I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have some place I have to be this morning." He pushed the quilt back, letting his long legs slip over the side of the bed. "I need coffee."

"I'll make you some coffee," Georgia volunteered. Anything, to keep Ian and the magic of the previous night around a little longer. She slid out of bed reaching for her robe. Ian reached for her and pulled her back into the bed. "Don't you want coffee?" She asked between smothering kisses from him cutting off what little air she could get.

"I can think of something better that I want," he murmured in her ear.

"I thought you had to be somewhere?"

He sighed and rolled off her. "You're right, I do. Can I have a rain check on that though?"

"Of course," she replied pulling her robe on again. "How about tonight?"

"No good, kiddo. I've got a family gathering I'm being forced to attend. I'll tell you what though...this is my pager number. Call me around 7:30 tonight and I'll tell them all I have an emergency." He scribbled the number down and left it on her dresser. "Don't leave me hanging though. I hate my brother and I know I'm going to be subjected to him tonight." He kissed her again. "And Georgia, last night...that was..."

"It was," she interrupted. "Now go on. I'll see you tonight."

Scene 2:

Tyler felt better than he had in weeks. He slipped into the living room, listening for Noah. He had promised that as soon as he was well, he would leave. In the weeks he had spent at Noah Wallace's, he'd gotten to like the medical student. He even liked Dinah Stafford. She was nosey and pushy at times, but Noah was right, she meant well. But getting friendly with them was certainly not a good idea.

He scribbled a quick note to Noah adding a thank you to Dinah and taped it to the door. He left the apartment, staying close to the building. No sense getting caught now after Dinah and Noah had done everything they could to keep him safe. Though, he had been missing for long enough, the police probably thought he had left town. He hoped they were laboring under that belief because there was something he had to get before he could leave town.

He kept his head low sticking to the alleys and side streets as he walked towards his apartment in the steady rain. Twenty harrowing minutes later, he was at his building. He took note of the strange car parked across the street and walked past, keeping his head down, grateful that he had borrowed a baseball cap from Noah. His apartment was on the second floor of an old house that had been renovated into four different apartments. Fortunately for him, his neighbors were never all that concerned with him to take any note of his hours or his life.

Ducking down the alley, he scaled the dumpster to reach his bedroom window. He pried it open and shimmied through landing on his shoulder. He winced in pain as a shooting pain ran down the length of his arm. Shaking it off, he crawled towards his dresser, careful to keep his head low in case the car across the street was a cop after all. All he needed was to get his important papers. The cops had gone over the apartment pretty well but he doubted they would have found his hiding place.

He reached the dresser, and shifted it as much as he could without making too much noise. Feeling along side the baseboard of the wall, he found the crack of the loose board where he had hidden everything. He hadn't opened it in some time and it took a moment to loosen it enough to pull it off. Finally, it gave way and fell with a clatter to the floor. Breathing a sigh of relief, he grabbed for the leather billfold that contained, among many things, his birth certificate. If that had been found, he would be in a lot worse trouble than he was now.

Shoving the billfold in his jeans pocket, he replaced the board and began inching the dresser back into place when he heard a noise in the hall outside. He froze, staring at the bedroom door. Faint voices floated to him and he caught the general gist of the conversation.

"...telling....he hasn't...back... I...one more....just to be..."

"Shit," he muttered scooting along the floor to the window, forgetting about the dresser. They could see his hiding place now that he had his papers, he didn't care. He hauled himself up and out the window, less careful this time, jumping into the dumpster. He clamored out hitting the pavement at a dead run without looking back.

Scene 3:

"I'm telling you, he hasn't come back yet. I want one more look around just to be sure. Do you mind?" Toni asked the plain clothes cop watching the building. He had followed her up and insisted that she would ruin any surprise if he showed then.

"Well if he shows up and you ruin my chances of catching him, you explain it to McCormick," the cop snapped, turning on his heel. She watched his lumbering frame stomp down the stairs before unlocking the door and stepping inside, leaving the door ajar to hear the cop when he inevitably came back with a warning from Detective Holier-Than-Thou, Andrew McCormick.

She stared silently at the room, taking in the sparse decor and bland colors. She was missing something. Something important and it had to be here. His background wasn't checking out and there was that number in Florida. She poked through his bookcase pulling random books off the shelf. The kid liked to read about nature and wildlife, she noted scanning the titles.

"Even reads Jack London," she muttered. "How appropriate." She moved on towards the kitchenette opening cupboards and eyeing the canned foods. Nothing too out of the ordinary there. She didn't think there would be much in the kitchen though. Most people kept their secrets in the bedroom after all. She walked towards the closed door of Tyler Jones' bedroom, hand outstretched to the doorknob.

"Who are you?"

She let out a small yelp of surprise, spinning on her heels at the voice. She came face to face with a tall man with black eyes staring down at her coldly. His gaze sent a shiver of apprehension down her spine but she stiffened sharply, holding her head higher. She swept an officious gaze over the man, noting his expensive suit and meticulous appearance.

"Actually," she said finding her voice at last though it quavered a bit as her heartbeat returned to normal. "I should ask you that. This apartment is off limits."

"Is it? Then why are you here?" The man returned carefully.

"Because I am with the CGPD and this is my case and I have every right to be here. Now, if you'll tell me who you are?" Toni shot back.

"Ohhh." The man nodded, realization or recognition, she wasn't sure which, flooding his features. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes sweeping over her making her uncomfortable and yet... She snapped herself out of the thought and lifted her chin higher waiting for an answer. "My name," he said after a moment. "Is Nicolas Tejera. I'm looking for Tyler Jones."

"What a coincidence," Toni replied, her interest piqued. "So am I."

Scene 4:

"He's gone!"

Noah smiled at Mrs. Hughes, ignoring Dinah at his elbow for the moment. "Okay, the usual for you, Mrs. Hughes? I'll be right back with your water." He scratched the name "Hughes" on his order pad and tore it off. Turning, he caught Dinah up by the elbow and pulled her towards the kitchen with him. "What are you doing here Dinah?" He hissed after making sure no one could hear them. "And who is gone?"

"Tyler! I went to check on him just now and he's gone," she insisted lowering her voice. "He left this." She pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her purse, shoving it towards him. Noah took it, scanning it quickly.

"Hey Noah," it read. "Thanks for letting me stay with you. I've got to go now. I'm sure I've caused you and Dinah enough trouble as it is. I'll be heading out of town tonight. Tell Dinah thanks for me. She saved my life. Tyler."

He looked up at Dinah's worried face. "Well, I guess that's that then." Her mouth fell open shocked at his attitude.

"Noah, he can't just leave. He'll get caught. We have to find him!"

"Dinah, listen to me. Tyler knew he was causing us trouble. He left to spare us any more. Let it go, okay?"

"I can't! I know he didn't hurt Melissa Cravens. If he had just waited another couple of days I might have been able to think of a way to get her to admit she lied!"

"Come here," he demanded yanking her through the kitchen and out into the alley. She jerked free of him and glared at him. "Look, I don't what you think you're doing, but he's gone and never asked for your help anyway. Let him go."

"He needs our help, Noah. Don't stand there and scold me like that! If it wasn't for me, he'd be dead. He's going to get caught," she insisted.

"Why do you have to help him? Who is this guy to you? Because you know what, you're acting like helping him is the most important thing in the world. And it's not. He doesn't want your help." Dinah stamped her foot angrily trying to think of a response. "Calm down," he added wrapping an arm around her, comforting her. "Now that he's gone, Dinah, we don't have to worry about the police anymore."

"You don't understand Noah," she replied pulling away from him. "When Tyler crashed his bike in front of Galen's house, I was there to help him. Me. I did something worthwhile for a change and it meant everything to me."

"I know..."

"And then my dad acted like I'd just gotten lucky and treated me like...well, like an idiot. I mean, when I started helping Tyler, I'll admit it was to get back at my dad. But then, he asked me for help and I couldn't say no. So I did the only thing I I could do. I took him to the one person I could trust. You."

"I'm flattered Dinah, really I am. But Ty had to go some time..."

"I'm not finished. Look, as long as Tyler was at your apartment, then I knew I could still see you and Piper wouldn't matter." She gazed at him, with tears dotting the corners of her eyes. "Because I hate it that Piper has you and I have nothing. She's got you, she's got all these new friends, she's doing what she wants and what do I have? Nothing. Until Tyler. Then I had something and I had you back even if it was just as a friend."

She blinked back tears waiting for him to say something. He opened his mouth but all the words he could think of to say stuck in his throat. What could he say that would make the situation any better? He cared about Dinah. They were good friends even when they dated. But they had never even gone past the goodnight kiss. He was in love with Piper, he reminded himself. Even if her behavior since the Chase incident was erratic at best.

"You don't have to say anything. I can see it in your face," she added sadly. "I wasn't expecting some pronouncement of love from you so relax. But I just want you to know...I let you go because of Piper. I did it for her, not me. And I did it for you too." She wiped her eyes with the tips of her fingers. "Okay, I've made a fool of myself so I guess I'll be going." She offered him a bittersweet smile and turned to leave.

"Dinah, wait," Noah called after her, finding his voice. She glanced over her shoulder pausing for just a moment. "He's heading to New Orleans. He has a sister there." She nodded briefly and continued on her way, leaving Noah in the alley to berate himself silently for adding to her hurt.

Scene 5:

"Once again," Nicolas repeated. "Who are you?"

"Detective Antonia Hamilton, Conlan's Glen Police Department," Toni replied flashing her badge at him. He raised an eyebrow at it. "Mr. Tejera? Why are you looking for Tyler Jones?"

Nicolas smiled, shifting easily into a pleasant tone. "Ah well, Tyler is a family friend. His father was my father's best friend. I check up on him once in a while. But I haven't heard from him in quite some time, so I thought I would look into his whereabouts. It seems I'm not the only one interested in him. What's he done to upset the police?"

"I can't really tell you anything," Toni started.

"So he hasn't been charged with a crime?" Nicolas said cutting her off before she could finish.

"Not technically no. But he has an outstanding warrant for his arrest."

"I see. Detective Hamilton, if it's not too much to ask, might I prevail upon you to be a bit more detailed? You see, Tyler is a troublesome boy. I'd like to be sure he hasn't gotten himself into any danger." He could see her warring with herself over whether to believe him. "It would mean a great deal to me," he added pressing her.

"Tyler Jones is wanted for the rape of a young woman here. She's pressed charges against him but he fled before we could question him. He was involved in an accident shortly after and taken to the hospital where he disappeared a few days later," Toni explained choosing her words carefully.

"I see. So the warrant is just to question him? That isn't as bad as I had feared." He rubbed his jaw pensively for a moment. Stupid kid, he thought, his anger rising. If he'd just gone in and answered their questions a lot of this hassle could have been avoided. "The young woman in question? What is her name?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that," Toni countered warily.

"I understand." He fished his wallet out from his pocket and drew out a cream colored card. "If he is found, perhaps, you would be so kind as to call me? I'll be staying at the Corrine Circle Hotel downtown for a little while longer." He wrote the number on the back of the card and handed it to her. She took it staring at the writing on its face. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Detective Hamilton."

He took his leave of the detective and stormed to the car. His driver opened the door for him and hurried himself behind the wheel. "Let's go back to the hotel," he instructed the driver who obediently started the car and pulled into the street. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Rafael in Miami. "Rafe, it's me. I just had an interesting encounter with the very same police detective who called the club. It seems young Tyler has gotten himself into trouble with a local girl....no, not that kind. I wish it were that simple....Do you have any contacts up this way? I need to find out everything that detective knows."

He ended the call and stared out the window at the passing buildings. Of all places, he mused, for Tyler Jones to get lost it would be Conlan's Glen. If he believed in fate, he would think it had drawn him to the town that Vivian had recently acclimated herself to. But he didn't. It was simply dumb luck that dropped Nicolas Tejera and Vivian Marek into the same town once again.

Scene 6:

"He's very nice, Jory," Georgia said describing the man she had met the previous night. "And gorgeous."

"How gorgeous? Scale of 1 to 10," Jory asked watching her change the bandage on his arm.

"I can't grade him on his looks. There's more to a person than their looks after all," Georgia retorted seriously. She gave him a quick wink and turned away for a moment. "Now if I had to grade him on everything I know about him? I'd give him an eight."

"An eight? That's all? What happened to gorgeous? You can't be gorgeous and be an eight," Jory scolded her. "It isn't possible."

Georgia opened her mouth to reply but was cut short by someone at the door. "Georgia, Dr. Stafford wants to see you." She glanced over her shoulder at the orderly, nodding briefly.

"I'll be right there," she told him as he ducked back into the hall. "Well, duty calls. Get some rest and I'll be by to see you before I go home." Georgia left and headed towards the nurses station. Dr. Stafford was there, signing off on his charts and giving the staff there a critical review, Georgia added mentally.

"You wanted to see me, Dr. Stafford?" Georgia asked pausing just opposite him at the nurse's station. He glanced up at her, his brow creasing slightly.

"Georgia...yes I did. Walk with me." He pushed the charts back across the counter to the charge nurse. "How is Jory Conlan today?" He asked leading her towards the elevator.

"Tired of his family," she replied smiling. "Physically? His burns are healing slowly but steadily..."

"Good," John interrupted. He jabbed the call button at the elevator. "I have something I'd like to run by you if you don't mind." The doors slid open and the stepped inside. "Jamie Mason hired a new ER departmental head this week."

"Oh? That's good." She folded her arms across her chest. "I assume it's an outsider?"

"Well, yes and no. Are you familiar with Dr. Tavish McCormick?"

"Yes, she came for Jory's psych consult after he was lucid. But she's a psychologist."

"Yes, she is, Georgia. However, her eldest son is not. She recommended him to Jamie and apparently Jamie thinks he's more than qualified as well. I've worked with him through referrals and I'd say he's more than capable."

"And you're telling me this because?"

"Smart girl! And. He needs a ER Charge nurse. In other words, Georgia, you."

She blinked in surprise. She hadn't entertained the idea that he would consider her for the position given her relatively new status on the staff. "Me? But..."

"Don't argue, Georgia. It's a good move for you professionally and financially."

Georgia laughed nervously, stifling it with the back of her hand and a cough. Was her state of poverty that obvious? "All right, Dr. Stafford. I accept."

"Good, I think you'll do well under Dr. McCormick. And what's more, I think he'll do well to have you," Dr. Stafford complimented as the elevator doors slid open to the ER. They stepped off, pausing briefly to let an emergency team pass. Georgia watched as they pushed a gurney into an exam room shouting stats at each other. Soon, that would be her, she thought hoping she wasn't making a mistake. Shaking herself, she looked back down the hall to where Dr. Stafford had gone and hurried to catch up with him.

"Dr. McCormick," Dr. Stafford was saying. "I've brought your head nurse." Dr. McCormick's back was to her but he turned at Dr. Stafford's nod to her. Her mouth fell open as she met Ian's startling blue eyes. This was what he'd left early for?

Collecting herself, she gave him a warm smile. "Hello."

Ian studied her briefly with a critical eye. "Thank you John. I assume she's trained properly for the ER? I don't want some neophyte who'll get in my way," he said ignoring her greeting altogether.

"Yes, Ian, she's trained quite well. And she has a name as well. Ian McCormick, Georgia Corelli."

Georgia opened her mouth to tell Dr. Stafford that they had met but Ian cut her off with a sharp glare. "Make sure you report to my office tomorrow at 7am. Not 7:05...7am. I prefer punctuality so get your donut and gossip before that time." He dismissed her with another critical gaze before turning back to Dr. Stafford. "John, if I might have a word?"

"Of course. Georgia, I'll see you later. And congratulations on your promotion." The two men walked away in silent conversation leaving Georgia standing in the hall feeling as if she had just been run over by a semi.