Chapter 24 - A Gift for Georgie

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It was the middle of the night and Robert was in a taxi. Georgie was leaning into him with his arm around her while she looked out the window at the lights going by. He gave her a squeeze and she looked up at him, smiling a small smile. He could tell she was worried but he knew she’d be alright. They’d take things slow at the beginning.

“We’re almost home,” he told her.

Hearing the word ‘home’ was too much for her. She put her arm around him, burying her face in his chest. He gave her another squeeze before she let go and looked out the window to watch the lights again.

The taxi stopped and he paid the driver. They got out and stood on the sidewalk for a moment looking up at his house while the taxi drove away.

“Is this your home?” Georgie asked. He put his arm around her, so happy she was with him and they had made it.

“Yeah, it’s where I grew up.” He let go of her, opened the gate and stepped in the garden.

“Robert?” Georgie said quietly. He turned to her.

“What, Georgie?” She didn’t look good and he wondered if she was afraid.

Then she looked like she was about to cry and he took a step toward her just as she said, “Robert?” again.

Her legs crumpled and she started to fall. He lunged forward, getting his arms around her just in time to catch her before she hit the pavement. He saw a movement behind her out of the corner of his eye and looked up. The bastard was across the street, looking at him with a smug smile. He looked down and saw a knife sticking out of Georgie’s back.

Robert didn’t know what he was doing that let Georgie know he was having a nightmare and she should wake him, but when he saw her, he grabbed onto her and sobbed uncontrollably into her chest for a few minutes while she held him, shushing him.

When he recovered, he let go of her, wiping his face with his hands. She pulled him to her as she laid on her back, putting her arms around him so he could rest his head on her chest. He cupped her breast with his hand and listened to her steady heart beats while she began running her fingers through his hair to soothe him. It was comforting, but he couldn’t shake the feelings from his nightmare. It gave him a lot more sympathy for what Georgie went through every night. He had no idea how she hadn’t gone mental having a nightmare as bad as that every night for years.

But he knew what he’d had wasn’t just any nightmare. It was a not so subtle message from his subconscious that any bargain he made with the bastard could end with him stabbing Robert – and therefore Georgie – in the back. But what fucking choice did he have? He was helpless to force the bastard to honor any agreement they entered into. All he could do was try to judge the situation as best as he could before he agreed to anything.

He sighed deeply and tried to push the worries out of his mind. There was plenty of time to think about what he was going to do later. The most important thing now was the guaranteed week he had with Georgie and making the most of it.

“Do you want to talk about it?” she asked softly, interrupting his thoughts. He was surprised. He’d never thought to ask her about her dreams. He’d always assumed she didn’t want to talk about them, but maybe he was wrong.

“I dreamt I lost you – I lost you forever,” he said quietly.

“I have that one a lot,” she said sadly with a sigh.

He lifted his head and kissed her gently, remembering the nights she’d woken him screaming his name. He laid on his back so he could pull her to him. She snuggled next to him as he held her.

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