The Worst of Times - 3
by Carol

    Lucky's gaze shifted to Liz, but her presence there seemed almost
unreal to him. Suddenly not even her beautiful face could pull her
thoughts together. ''Go away!'' he shouted.  ''It's not really you! It
can't be!'' Liz, along with      everyone else in earshot stared at Lucky
in disbelief. He groaned loudly and sank to the floor. He held his head
between his hands, as if it hurt him. ''None of this is real. It can't
be.''
     Laura walked slowly to her son and put a hand on his shoulder.
''Lucky, you aren't making any sense-''
     ''DON'T TOUCH ME!'' Lucky screamed, his voice panicked. He jumped to
his feet and his eyes darted around the room. He stepped back, stumbling,
and fell back against Taggert's desk. ''Why are you doing this to me?'' he
asked a little more calmly, but his voice was shaking.
     ''Doing what, Lucky?'' Liz asked, advancing on him. ''You were the
one who pushed ME away!'' Lucky said nothing, but pushed himself further
back on the desk, scattering the piles of paper there. Liz bit her lip.
''I'm sorry if I scared you, by disappearing like that, but I-''
     ''YOU LIED!'' Lucky shouted hysterically. ''Just like EVERYONE
ELSE!'' He dropped his voice and spoke directly to liz, his voice dripping
venom. ''That's it, isn't it? You were helping THEM all along, weren't
you? Just one big, happy plot to reunite me with my parents! Stage a
fight, try to comfort me, KNOWING how I would react, then disappear, so
WHAT- so they can be there to comfort me when I think YOU'RE DEAD?!''
     Liz only stared at him with wide eyes. She looked toward the
entrance she had walked through herself a moment earlier and saw Gail and
Scott Baldwin walk in. She uttered a silent prayer and returned her
attention to Lucky. ''Lucky-'' she started.
     ''STOP IT!'' Lucky said, and this time there was real panic in his
voice. He had noticed Dr. Baldwin walk in and was now sliding even further
back on the desk, near the point where he would fall off. Scott and Gail
looked to Lucky with equally shocked faces, he looked unnervingly
like a caged animal. ''You can't do this to me,'' he muttered, eyes
darting to his parents, the psychiatrist, Liz, and then back to the doctor
again. ''I'm NOT falling into your trap!''

     Gail fished around in her bag and handed something to Scott.
''Always be ready for an emergency,'' she whispered in explanation. Scott
nodded and walked with her toward the distraught boy. He carefully hid his
hand, and the syringe Gail had given him, in his pocket. Lucky's eyes
locked with his, but he didn't notice the syringe or Scott's attempt to
hide it.
    ''Lucky, honey,'' Gail began, then paused, waiting for his response.
Lucky said nothing, but continued to stare, enraged at her and the group
standing further back. Taggert, Garcia, and the Spencers stood watching
silently, too shocked to move or speak. ''Nobody's trying to hurt
you, Lucky, or trap you.'' Lucky's attention was now focused wholly on
Gail, but everyone could see the panic in his eyes and face.
     Scott sidled up to the side of the desk, his hand dipping into his
pocket. ''WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!'' Lucky shouted, enraged. ''GET AWAY FROM
ME!'' He jumped off the desk and backed into Taggert's chair, and
sat on its back. He threw each booted foot on Taggert's desk, one
after the other. Scott stepped toward him, holding the syringe carefully.
Lucky suddenly drew his legs toward him, then pushed mightily. The desk
creaked, then toppled over, sending pens and papers flying in every
direction. Everyone stepped back involuntarily, except Taggert, who rushed
toward Lucky, running around the toppled desk. He paused only to
lift the phone off the floor, then advanced on Lucky. Scott walked
toward him from the other side, and Lucky looked wildly back and forth
between them, assessing each man's strength and weapon. Finally he decided
     Scott, with the syringe, was a bigger threat, and lunged at him,
yelling something about tricking him. Taggert ran in from behind, and hit
Lucky smartly on the head with the phone.
     Lucky felt the sharp blow from the phone and fell to his knees. The
world swam in shades of gray before his eyes, then he passed out, and
slumped to the ground.
 
 

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