With Love; Now & Forever (18 page)

Georgia showed up precisely at seven. She was in her late fifties, short with bleached blonde hair. She was as round as she was tall, a face that appeared pink and jolly, flushed from the shots of whiskey she had drunk thirty minutes before.

She knew that she was going to be seeing Anastasia Cassadine again, the trollop that stole her son’s heart. She knew back then that Ana wasn’t going to be good for her son but she never dreamed that she would be sitting with her in the same room while a psychic talked with her husband. Trouble, she always knew that Ana was going to be trouble.

“You call me up, tell me that my dead husband isn’t feeling right about how things ended between my darling Austin and that…harlot, that I am to come to a séance tonight and I’m not supposed to have a little drink? Pshaw! I just needed something to calm my nerves, it’ll be fine. So tell me, is
she
here?” Georgia peered over Jennifer’s shoulder, looking around the manor for Ana.

“Yes, she is here. She’s staying here as my guest.” Jennifer took her coat and hung it up in the foyer. “So is Rick and Lissa Perry, the other psychic that’s involved. Mom, I really appreciate you doing this and I know you dislike Ana but this is for everyone’s benefit.” she tried to explain but seeing the disgust in Georgia’s eyes at the mention of Ana made her angry. “And whether you like it or not, she’s my friend. She will be here as much as her work allows her to be and I’ll be visiting her in the States.”

Georgia visibly bristled. “You would socialize with that trailer trash?”
“She’s not trailer trash, she’s worth millions of dollars! Besides, Austin told me that you lived in an old trailer, in a park, when he was in high school. I won’t ask you again to behave, she’s my friend and my guest.”
“Humph! It’s all on how you present yourself and they didn’t present themselves with any respect, that mother of hers was a loud-mouth-drunk. She never knew when she was out of line.” Georgia mumbled, “But because I love you, I will keep my comments to myself.”
She raised her eyes and searched Jennifer’s face, tears quickly forming. “Although my, um, our beloved Austin is gone, I still consider you family, you’re still my daughter, if you’ll have me.”
Jennifer slid her arms around her mother-in-law’s broad shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Of course I will, Mom, you’re still
my
family.” Jennifer guided Georgia down the hall towards the den where the others were waiting.
“I didn’t think you had ever met Ana’s mom…” she said absently.

Ana’s grip on Rick’s hand tightened as Georgia and Jennifer walked into the room. Their eyes locked for a moment before Georgia turned her focus on Stavros.

Hate, pure and vicious. That’s what emotion filled Georgia’s eyes when she looked at Ana. Rick saw it too and he placed his arm protectively around her.

Why? Ana wondered. Why did she still hate Ana so much? She had, in a sense, respected Georgia’s wishes and had never come back into Austin’s life after she had caught them together. Of course, it had been Barry’s actions that caused Ana to stay away and not Georgia’s threats but she figured Georgia didn’t need to know that.

“Stavros! So good to see you again! Get over here and give me a hug young man!” Georgia scampered over to Stavros, squeezing him tightly.

“Mrs. Troy, so good to see you again! How’s your knee feeling?” he smiled warmly.
“Just fine, thank you for asking. Have you been taking care of my Jennifer? Ever since we lost our Austin, God rest his soul, I’ve been so worried about her.” she cupped her hand on the side of Jennifer’s face and smiled.
“Of course, ma’am, but I find that she doesn’t need me as much as I need her.” he smiled at Jennifer as he spoke. “She’s a very strong woman.”
“ Ah, so she is.” Georgia agreed. “Rick, good to see you again too. I trust you are well?” her tone was slightly cooler but didn’t hold any hostility.
“I am, Georgia, thank you.” he stood and shook her hand, then escorted her to the chair next to Lissa. “Georgia, this is Lissa Perry, she is also a medium, the best in the field. Lissa, this is Georgia Troy.”
Lissa stood and shook her hand. “Mrs. Troy, it’s a pleasure. My condolences for the loss of your son, I understand he was a very special young man.”
“Thank you, he was.” she sniffed.
Both ladies sat down as Rick made his way back to Ana’s side. Not even an acknowledgement, he thought angrily, Ana at least deserved an acknowledgement.
“Hello, Mrs. Troy. I’m also sorry for your loss.” Ana spoke softly and tentatively. “I know how much you loved Austin.”
Georgia finally looked at Ana and once again, the hate filling her eyes. “Yes, he was a beautiful person who deserved the
bes
t. Only he and the good Lord know why he was taken so early from me.” she spat out, “and his beautiful
wife
.” she added.
Seeing she wasn’t going to get anywhere with her, Ana just nodded and averted her eyes. Rick cleared his throat and broke the thick tension.
“Well, let’s get started, shall we? Georgia, we called you here because it seems that Barry has been unable to move on. Austin has also been around and it appears that there is some unfinished business.”
When Georgia didn’t say anything, Lissa cut in. “You don’t seemed to be surprised or in disbelief, have you been to readings before?”
“When Rick did his reading for Jennifer, I was invited to join. I was able to speak to my baby.” she sniffed.
“Yes, well.” Rick continued, “Let’s get started with our opening prayer and we’ll get going.”
Twenty minutes into the reading, Rick and Lissa started asking for Barry.
“Barry, this is your opportunity to make right what you have done wrong, to put to rest that which is haunting you. Your wife is here, will you please communicate with us, let us know how we can help you.” Lissa spoke calmly and clearly.
“No more games, Barry. We are truly here to help you and those that you are affecting. You have died and need to pass on, leave this earth and those living to get on with their lives,
without you
!” Rick spoke those last words a little harsher than he had intended but he was getting frustrated at Barry’s noncompliance.
After another thirty minutes, without any response from Barry, Georgia started getting visibly irritated. “Maybe
he’s
not the one that has something to settle. He doesn’t seem restless or needing to clear something up, he appears to have moved on, maybe we
all
should.” she glared at Ana. “Or maybe Barry changed his mind and doesn’t have any unresolved guilt for her, he could have realized that he was wasting his energy and crossed over.” Georgia sniped.
“We need to eliminate the negative energy and the comments are not necessary, Mrs. Troy.” Rick spoke with a steely calm.
“Mom, please. You promised…” Jennifer pleaded, embarrassed by Georgia’s words.
“I’m sorry Jennifer, I tried but obviously neither one of my men are willing to be in the same room as this tramp, even dead!”
“That’s enough!” the voice thundered through the room and all eyes focused on the owner. “I have had
enough
of your verbal abuse! I have done
nothing
wrong and I will no longer tolerate your mouth!”
Anastasia had raised herself out of the couch and now stood glaring at Georgia. Georgia’s eyes bulged as she stared at her, shocked at the outburst. Everyone else stayed quiet, their eyes glued on Ana.
“Why, I never!” Georgia sputtered, her face turning beet red.
“No, I’m sure you haven’t, seeing as how you have had everyone bow down to you and obey your every wish! I did because I loved Austin and because he loved you so much, I never wanted to put him in the position of him having to choose between us. Maybe I should have! He was my world, my everything, I wanted to marry him, have his babies and grow old with him! I wanted my happily ever after! But you couldn’t accept that, no one was good enough for your Austin. I’m surprised that Jennifer was welcome! Or maybe you said something to Austin and he stood up for Jennifer,
telling
you he was going to marry her, like it or not. I never allowed that opportunity to happen. If things had been different, if
he
hadn’t shown up with the roses…” Ana trailed off, lost in the memory of that night.
Oh, pshaw! I still don’t believe that
my
Barry would come over with roses and proclaim his love to you! Just a chit! It’s all lies, a scheme that you and your drunk of a mother dreamed up…” Georgia seethed.
“What did you say? I never said it was Barry, I never told anyone, not even Austin. You knew?
You knew
that your husband came over and threw himself at me?” Ana stared at her in disbelief as the others gasped in shock.
“Well, I didn’t know exactly, it was just a story! Again, lies! A way for your mother to try and ruin my family the way she ruined yours! She was just jealous because she didn’t have a loving husband anymore!”
The slap was strong and sure, leaving an angry red welt as evidence of the assault. “Don’t you ever speak of my mother again, you bitch.” Ana’s voice was low and venomous, Georgia said nothing, shock averting her eyes to the floor, knowing she had given herself away with talk of the betrayals that her family had done.
“Ana, honey, are you alright?” Rick stood and pulled her into his arms. She was stiff with resistance for a moment, still charged up with the adrenaline she felt but soon softened in his arms.
“She knew. She knew this whole time and didn’t say anything. I let Austin go to try and protect his family, I let him go for nothing.” she started sobbing. “I held this burden for all of these years for nothing. All I did was punish myself.”
“It wasn’t for nothing, Austin didn’t know of his father’s betrayal and his mother’s deception until after he died. He lived believing in his family and taking strength in that belief.” Lissa said softly. “He’s here, Ana, he wants you to know how sorry he is that you went through the sorrow and pain that you did, he loved you so very much and never forgot about you. He’s sorry that his parents caused you so much heartache but he’s happy to see how successful you are, that you made a life for yourself and have found another soul mate. He knows that Rick will make you happy and offer you the life that you have always dreamed of having.”
“My baby! I did it for you! For us! We were a family! I couldn’t let that tr…uh…
girl
tear us apart! Barry was just confused, he didn’t realize that we just needed to talk more. We fixed our marriage, it got better! You had a good life!” Georgia spoke into the air, twirling, seemingly looking for her dead son.
“Shut your hole, you fat cow!” Rick’s voice bellowed through the room, his face twisted angrily, his eyes revealing a craziness that was unnatural.
All attention turned to Rick as he stood and ambled over to Georgia, swaying over her as if drunk.
“Barry’s here.” Lissa said softly.
“Barry! Honey! What are you talking about? We were so good! A team!” Georgia sobbed, staring at Rick as though she were looking at her long lost husband instead of a family friend.
“Shut
up
! For so many years I took your crap, your domineering, bossy bitchiness because I was
afraid
! After Ana’s mom told you what I had done you swore to me, screeched at me like a harpy, that you would take
everything
, leave me in financial ruin and I would never see my son again! I stayed with you, put up with you, to keep my son in my life! I tried to find another love, another soul mate like I knew Ana was to me but all I found were warm beds and cold hearts, just like you, Georgia, your bed was always cold, cold and unwelcome. Now everything is so clear, Ana can join me, we can be together forever! I saw the love in her eyes, it was beautiful, breathtaking, I want to see that again!”
“Bastard! The love you saw in my eyes was for your
son
! It was never for you! I looked up to you, as a father figure, I wanted to love you as a daughter would her father, I wanted to be a part of your family as your son’s wife! I will never love you, Barry! I will
never
be with you and now I’ve been given another chance, I am in love with Rick and I choose to be
with him
, for the rest of my life!” Ana stood next to Georgia, poking her finger in Rick’s chest, searching those mad eyes for any sign of comprehension and any sign of Rick. “You and Georgia deserve each other, you’re both selfish and controlling. You never thought of what your son wanted and now you’re acting like fools in front of the last living person who truly loves you. I have sympathy and sorrow for Jennifer because when she lost Austin, she truly lost her family, you two are nothing but soulless weasels, trying to steal anyone else’s happiness because you can’t find your own. I pity you, both of you and now I turn my back on both of you. Go to hell, Barry.” Ana spoke softly as she turned, walking slowly to the mantle.
“Bitch! You’re all bitches!” Barry seethed and suddenly Rick’s body crumpled to the floor as a hurricane force wind whipped through the room. Vases, statues and books started flying, turning into odd missiles that aimed for the vulnerable bodies that were in the room. Georgia screamed as a small Bernini statue hit her between the shoulders as she dove for cover behind one wingback chair, Lissa taking cover behind the other.
Ana flung her body over Rick’s to protect him and she saw Stavros doing the same to Jennifer. Crazy, this is crazy, she thought to herself. She searched the room for anything to protect herself when she saw a shimmer by the fireplace. At first, she thought it was a reflection from the flames but then saw it grow and begin to form.
“Austin!” Ana stood, knowing that Rick was safe at the foot of the floral couch. “Austin, please help me, help
us
.” she looked down at Rick, “I love him. I truly love him and I don’t want to lose him.”
She looked back up at the shimmering apparition and felt warmth, love and joy fill her body, she gasped at the power of the emotions that filled her and felt her body float down to Rick. Just before she passed out, she saw Austin glide over to Jennifer.

na woke to buzzing in her ears, high and low pitches all jumbled together excitedly. She felt her body being held, comforted, a cold