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Nikolas watched Lucky
approach, his anticipation growing with each step the younger boy took.
Nikolas glanced over his shoulder as Bobbie reached his side. Her expression
was worried.
All eyes were now
fixed on Lucky. Those who had not heard about the breakdown and his escape
from the hospital followed the example of those who did. Everybody seemed
to be waiting for some sort of explosion from the pale boy, but he only
walked to his aunt, his expression blank.
Bobbie smiled weakly
and folded her arms around Lucky's thin body. "I'm so glad you came," she
said. She looked over at the Quartermaines, her eyes pleading. Alan and
Monica nodded, a silent agreement passing between the three.
Lucky pulled away
from Bobbie and regarded her with empty eyes. He turned his eerie gaze
to Nikolas, then to Liz. Nikolas felt his skin crawl. Lucky did not seem
to recognize either of them. He turned back to Bobbie and grinned crookedly,
but the smile did not touch his eyes. "Where's Tony?" he asked.
Bobbie drew in a deep
breath. A small crowd had gathered around them, their eyes shifting between
Lucky and his aunt. "Why would you ask that Lucky?" she asked in a careful
voice. Lucky shrugged, and stared at her, waiting for a response. "I'm
sure he didn't come."
"He wouldn't miss
Jason's funeral," Lucky said with a small frown.
Nikolas sighed in
relief. He hadn't been entirely sure Lucky was aware of anything at all.
Bobbie was not as
reassured, although relief showed in her eyes. "Tony's changed, Lucky.
He couldn't accept Jason anymore after what happened with Carly."
Lucky's frown increased.
He looked briefly to Alexis, who, along with Stefan, had joined Lucky at
his side, before speaking hesitantly. "What about Lucas and BJ?"
Bobbie's jaw dropped,
and she felt tears sting her eyes. She stared at her nephew, hoping to
see the lie in his eyes. He stared back at her earnestly. "What about them?"
she asked after an incredibly long pause.
Lucky continued to
stare, a confused expression crossing his face. He whirled around and looked
to Alexis and Stefan. They watched him silently, their faces full of confusion
and worry. Nikolas watched his brother intently, startled at the turn the
conversation had taken. Lucky's breath was coming quicker, panic starting
to take hold on him. "What?!" he shrieked finally. "Why are you all staring
at me?! I asked a question!"
Bobbie brushed away
tears. She tried again to organize Lucky's frantic thoughts. "Lucky, what
about BJ and Lucas?"
"Where are they?"
Lucky asked. "If they're not with you and tony's not here, then where are
they? Or did Tony keep them from the funeral too?" His voice was raising
in pitch and volume, and his eyes darted wildly around the crowd, searching
the people's faces for an answer to his question.
Bobbie felt the tears
continue to spill down her face, her shock and fear hitting her with equal
force. "Lucky, stop it," she whispered.
Lucky was now practically
gasping for breath. His panicked eyes swept around the gathered crowd,
which was now all of the funeral's attendants. His eyes rested for a short
moment on Nikolas, then flitted past again. He seemed to be searching for
something or someone. After several moments, he found it. His gaze landed
on something behind Bobbie and Elizabeth. He didn't look through them,
Nikolas noted with relief, but past them. He looked past them and groaned
as he spotted Luke and Laura.
Lucky watched as his
parents joined the group assembled around him. They were dressed in black,
as the rest of the crowd, but they did not seem so much concerned over
Jason's death as they were him. He could see that in an instant. Laura
stopped walking and stared at her son, sorrow in her eyes. Lucky could
not guess why. He looked back to Bobbie, who was openly weeping.
"What?" he asked frantically.
"Why are you crying?" He looked around angrily, demanding an answer. "Why
won't you answer me?!" he yelled, and spun around to face Stefan and Alexis
fully. "Why won't YOU answer me?" They stared back, their mouths hanging
open. Lucky felt his frustration building. His mind was a confused jumble.
He didn't recognize most of the people around him, and everything seemed
--wrong, somehow, as if he had stepped into another person's life. He knew
the strangle couple before him had helped him, and that was all that was
important. His head was too painful, and the constant dizziness too powerful
to allow him much more investigation into them than that.
He turned his attention
finally to his parents. Just looking at them, caused pain to sear through
his heart, but he ignored it and watched them closely. Whatever the cause
for his anger at them, he had to forget it for now. There were too many
questions to be answered. He heaved a great sigh and started again, trying
to slow his rapid breathing. "What's going on?" he asked Luke and Laura.
"I asked Bobbie a simple question and now everyone's staring at me like
I'm mad! I want to know what's going on! I NEED to know what's going on!"
The Spencers could
only watch him, and stay silent. Flashbacks of the previous morning at
the police station were going through both their minds. Liz, too, was thinking
of Lucky's breakdown the day before. "Lucky," she said gently, touching
a hand to his elbow.
He looked at her,
and felt some recognition. Tears sprung to his eyes as he tried to recall
her name or importance, and failed. He wiped them away with the back of
his hand and looked around again, searching for recognition in any of their
faces. Luke and Laura he knew, obviously, and Bobbie. Then there was of
course the Quartermaines. He stopped short and stared in disbelief at the
sight before him. "Emily!" he cried.
Emily's look was one
of pure shock. She took a tentative step toward Lucky, who was staring
at her with wide eyes. "You," she began, then cleared her throat and forced
her voice to gain strength. "You recognize me?"
"Of course I do,"
Lucky said. "Why wouldn't I?" He shook his head, and started to back away
from her. "Not you too," he moaned. He struggled to bring some memory to
surface. He KNEW he had not lost track of all these people, that he was
not the one who was crazy, but everyone was staring at him as if he was.
The events of the previous day were foggy to say the least, but everything
before was crystal clear. He decided to focus his thoughts on one thing
to help ease his confusion, so chose Jason.
He had been alive
and well last he had seen him, but that, of course, was to be expected.
People did not usually die of illness at Jason's age. He thought of the
rest of the members of the family, starting with AJ. AJ! The thought struck
him so suddenly that he swayed where he wa standing. Jason's death had
something to do with Jason. He looked up at his parents, his face triumphant.
"AJ killed his brother."
The crowd gasped in
horror. The Quartermaines all groaned and Edward covered his eyes.
Lucky was silent again.
Realization was coming to him slowly. He remembered Jason's accident clearly
now, and that he was not supposed to tell anyone that AJ had cause it.
Other things were coming back to him as well, now, in connection to the
accident. He knew, for one thing, that BJ had long been dead when Jason
and AJ had had the car accident. Also, that Jason had survived the car
crash. Memories came crashing back and he was unable to suppress a loud
groan. He sank to the ground in defeat.
"Lucky?" Laura said
in alarm, stepping toward. Luke pulled her back. "Let me go!" she said
fiercely and lunged at her son. "Lucky," she said more firmly.
He looked up at her,
his eyes wide and full of tears. He grasped his head in both hands, hoping
that with this motion everything would cease to rock around him. His chest
began to rise and fall quickly, and he jumped up to be level with his mother.
"Stay away from me!" he hissed, his voice choked with tears. His breath
was coming in short gasps, and sweat was popping out across his forehead
and cheeks. "Everyone stay away!" he shouted as more hot tears trailed
down his face. He stumbled back and landed with a thud on the ground of
the cemetery.
He looked around the
now familiar crowd and felt overwhelming embarrassment and pain at their
expressions. He buried his face in his hands and wept.
Liz watched Lucky's
performance numbly. He sat on the hard ground now, his face hidden by his
hands. He was shaking uncontrollably. She longed to go to his side and
comfort him, but she wasn't sure if he would accept the solace. She felt
it would be safer to hang back and wait.
After several long
moments Lucky looked up, his face streaked with tears. His expression had
changed again to the strange blank look it had been at his arrival. He
wiped away the last of his tears and stood. He swayed and would have fallen
if not for Stefan's assistance. Lucky said nothing, but allowed himself
to be guided to a chair where he sat, his gaze fixed on Jason's grave in
front of him.
Stefan returned to
the crowd, and spoke quietly to Alexis, who nodded and walked in the direction
of the car. The crowd started to dispel in small groups. Liz stood still,
and looked to Luke and Laura. They were silent as well, both staring intently
at their son. Liz looked around for her grandmother, and, not seeing her,
approached Stefan. "Mr. Cassadine." she said softly.
Stefan cut off his
conversation with Nikolas and looked at her, his face grave. "Yes?" he
asked, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, I was
just wondering-- You seem to be taking charge here," she said at last.
He nodded solemnly. "I was just wondering what you were planning to do
about Lucky. I mean, I know something happened with him. I don't know what-"
"Another breakdown,
I'd imagine," Stefan cut in. "There is no other explanation. He is certainly
an ill young man."
Liz felt hot anger
boiling inside her. "He's not ILL," she insisted. "He's just having a hard
time right now." She fought the urge to hit the intensely calm man before
her. "If you could even IMAGINE what he's been through--"
"My uncle isn't accusing
Lucky, Liz," Nikolas interrupted. "He's only telling the truth. Lucky IS
sick, that's very obvious. Nobody's saying it's his fault."
Liz bit her lip and
forced herself not to reply. She didn't trust herself to say anything else
to the Cassadines right now. She turned and hurried away, only to run straight
into Detective Taggert. "Liz," he said smiling. "Where's the fire?"
Liz bit back an angry
retort and pushed past the detective. She practically ran to Lucky's side,
and grabbed his shoulder. He flinched, but otherwise didn't acknowledge
her presence. "Lucky," she whispered, shaking him.
Taggert came up from
behind her. "Well, well," he said, his tone pleasant. "I was hoping you'd
be here for the show, Lucky," he said, pulling out his handcuffs. "I'd
hate for you to miss your own party."
Lucky looked up and
regarded Taggert with uncaring eyes, then shifted his gaze back to the
coffin. Taggert frowned and stepped in front of Lucky, obstructing his
view. "You're under arrest Mr. Spencer," he said firmly, his voice carrying
far over the nearly silent crowd. Dozens of eyes shifted again to Lucky.
The Cassadines and Quartermaines watched curiously from afar, but not even
Lucky's parents approached him or the detective. They watched in silence
as their unresisting son was handcuffed and escorted to a squad car.
Taggert swaggered into the police
station behind Lucky, and pushed him into a chair at his desk. Whistling,
he unlocked the handcuffs and cuffed Lucky's hand to the chair instead.
Lucky sat in silence,
never taking his eyes off the detective. He moved only enough to allow
Taggert access to his desk, then sat motionless again. Taggert looked up
from a stack of papers and smiled. He picked up a handful of crumpled paper
in his hand.
"See what you did?"
he asked. "I've only now started to clean up this mess." Lucky remained
silent. Taggert grunted. He slid a drawer open and started to rummage through
it, humming as he did.
Lucky watched silently,
careful to keep his expression blank. He casually leaned forward in the
chair, and looked briefly around the room. Seeing that no one was watching,
he grabbed a paper clip off the desk and leaned back in his chair. Taggert
paid him no mind, but continued to search the desk drawer. He muttered
something angrily under his breath and nearly ran into the police commissioner's
office.
Lucky took this as
his cue and hastily straightened the paper clip. After a minute or so fumbling
with the lock, it popped and he was free. He rubbed his right hand where
the cuff had been, then quickly lowered his hand again as Taggert stalked
back into the room. His face was a thundercloud.
"Well, well, Lucky,"
he drawled, leaning over him menacingly. "Looks like it's your LUCKY day."
"Wait!" V ran out
of Mac's office, waving a file folder triumphantly. "We've got this!"
Taggert shook his
head, and smirked. "And what exactly would THIS be?" he asked, throwing
V a disgusted look.
"The papers you filed
yesterday. After he," she indicated Lucky with a wave of her hand, "went
nuts and threw your desk and everything." Taggert stared at her, uncomprehending.
"You can hold him for twenty-four hours," she said.
"Oh," Taggert said
finally. He looked as if he had just witnessed a miracle. "Thank you very
much, Officer," he said to V. "I hope to work with you again VERY soon."
V beamed. "Me too,"
she said, then glanced at her watch. "Oh no," she said, starting toward
the exit. "I was supposed to meet Jax for lunch half an hour ago." She
ran out of the room, grabbing a jacket off the coat rack on her way out.
Lucky watched the
exchange, confused. He thought he had been brought in for charges because
of his behavior the previous morning, but apparently Taggert had something
else in mind. His eyes followed the detective everywhere around the room,
finally resting again at the desk as Dara Jensen approached. She offered
Taggert a small smile, and Lucky only the briefest of glances, then got
down to business. "Have you filled out all the papers?" she asked. "And
PLEASE tell me you have an arrest warrant."
"Of COURSE I do,"
Taggert replied. "There's just one TINY little problem."
"What?" Dara asked,
clearly annoyed.
"We have no evidence."
Dara looked back to
Lucky, eyes wide. "Then WHY is he still here?" she asked. "Do you have
any idea-- wait a minute," she interrupted herself. "What about the knife?"
"Purely circumstantial,"
Taggert said. "He could've dropped that knife ANYTIME."
"But Luke said he
was there that night-"
"Oh sure," Taggert
scoffed. "Like Spencer's going to testify against his own son in court.
We'd have better luck calling in his girlfriend."
Lucky still said nothing,
but felt a growing suspicion in the pit of his stomach. He forced his mind
to work more clearly, but it was slow in obliging. He just watched and
waited, happy for the meantime that he knew it had something to do with
him, and dropping his knife, probably at the club. Lucky frowned, trying
to remember that night a little clearer. He didn't recall even carrying
the knife inside, but he had been pretty upset. He might have dropped it
when Luke threatened him with the gun, or afterward.
The thought of the
gun snapped him back into the present, and he stared in open-mouthed shock
at the man and woman before him. Realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
"No!" he shouted in outrage.
Taggert and Dara looked
down at him in wordless shock. Lucky shot up and out of the chair without
stopping to think, and snatched the gun off Taggert's desk. He pointed
it at the pair, his hand shaking almost uncontrollably. He used his left
hand to steady the gun, to give at least SOME control over the weapon.
He couldn't believe how fast his senses had returned to him. He had spent
the last two days in a sort of foggy daze, but in the car coming over from
the cemetery, things had started to make more sense. He had just come to
fully understand what they were accusing him of.
Lucky's vision wavered,
and he was reminded again of his physical state. He realized with some
shock that he had lost two days; he couldn't even remember if he had eaten
or not. He guessed he hadn't. He shook his head and blinked, wishing he
could sink into his chair again. Instead he cocked the gun and placed a
steady finger over the trigger. "I didn't kill anyone," he growled, backing
up. Why did his head hurt? He stumbled over the leg of the chair he had
just risen from, and barely saved himself form hitting the floor. For the
third time in two days, he had everybody's attention.
He backed up another
step and ran into something soft, but unyielding and definitely solid.
He whirled around and found himself face to face with his father. His eyes
flickered across a few feet and he saw Bobbie, Emily, Laura, and Liz as
well. He groaned, then remembered his agenda and turned back to Dara and
Taggert. "I didn't kill anyone," he repeated, forcing his voice to come
out stronger. He swallowed and lifted the gun again, his hand finally steady.
"At least I haven't yet."
The silence of the
room was shattered by a loud gunshot, and then a series of screams. Luke
pulled his wife and sister to the floor, while Emily screamed hysterically.
Nobody made a move toward the boy, the danger suddenly very evident. Liz
put a trembling hand to her mouth, and watched Lucky with fearful wonder
in her teary eyes.
Lucky stared in shock
at the gun in his hand, then at the crumpled form only a few feet in front
of him. Dara leaned over Taggert's still form, trying to shake him gently
back into consciousness.
Lucky felt numb. He
turned slowly to face his friends and family behind him. His parents and
aunt were still crouched on the floor, waiting for the next gunshot to
go off. He looked again at the cold, hard weapon, and could not suppress
a shudder. He shut his eyes, fighting off tears. He felt a hand on his
shoulder, and looked up, opening his eyes.
Liz stood before him,
eyes wide. Tears streaked down her face. She said nothing, but pulled him
into a tight hug, rocking him gently in her arms.
Lucky allowed himself
to be held, at least for the moment. The gun slid out his limp and landed
with a quiet thud on the carpeted floor. He buried his head in Elizabeth's
neck, the last of his resolve melting away. The tears that were building
up in his eyes at last flooded out and he broke down in the comfort of
her arms.
Bobbie smiled as Jerry walked
up to her. "How's your nephew?" he asked in his thickly accented voice.
"He's doing a lot
better," Bobbie said. She sighed. "I don't know what happened with him
this morning, but whatever it was, he seems to have recovered."
Jerry looked skeptical.
"After the way he upset you, I wouldn't be too quick to jump to conclusions."
He shook his head. "I wish there was something I could do to take this
morning back," he said regretfully. "For Lucky's sake and yours."
Bobbie stared back
at Jerry, wonder in her eyes. She smiled sadly and glanced at Jason's coffin.
"Thank you," she said softly. "But I think everyone's forgotten what we
were doing here anyway." She made her way slowly to the coffin, and Jerry
trailed behind. She stopped and turned to face him. "Thank you," she said
again, her heart in her voice. "I mean it. For everything you've done.
Just coming here with me today was the best thing you could have done for
me."
Jerry grinned and
lifted Bobbie's hand in his own. He brought it to his lips and kissed it
tenderly. "For you my lady, I would do anything." Bobbie didn't respond,
but hugged him with tears in her eyes.
Brenda sat beside Jax,
her eyes on Jerry and Bobbie. "Amazing," she said quietly.
"What's that?" Jax
asked, looking up at her.
Brenda shook her head
and made a disgusted face. "Despite everything that's happened today, with
Lucky and all, Jerry still manages to charm Bobbie. He's such a snake."
Jax watched Brenda
queitly, alarmed at her words and tone. "I thought you weren't going to
insult my brother anymore," he chided her.
"It's Jason's funeral!"
Brenda said, injured. "And he's still hitting on her!"
Jax sighed and straightened
in his chair. "Did the thought ever occur to you," he said, "that Bobbie
WANTED Jerry's affection." Brenda only gave him a dirty look, then returned
her attention to the couple.
"They've forgotten
why we're even here," she said after a long moment.
Jax smiled tiredly.
"WHY are we here again?" he asked, only half joking.
"To celebrate Jason's
death," Brenda said coldly, and bounded out of her seat to confront Jerry.
Jax watched her go, pondering her words.
Emily crossed the waiting
room and sank carefully into a seat beside Liz. "So you're grandmother
was actually arrested?" she asked, hoping to catch Liz's attention.
Liz looked up, her
expression slightly annoyed. "Yes," she said, then turned her face again
in the direction of Lucky's room. "I wonder why they won't let me see him,"
she said, just loud enough for Emily to hear.
Emily shrugged. "They
do that all the time. There's probably not anything wrong with him, the
doctor just doesn't want to risk upsetting him or something. That's what
they did after I--well-"
"Overdosed?" Liz asked
gently. Emily looked at her, surprised. "I'm not completely ignorant, Emily,
I do know how to ask someone a few questions."
Emily just looked
at her, and raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to know things about ME?"
Liz laughed, her attention
finally drawn away from Lucky. "I wanted to know EVERYTHING about you,"
she corrected her. "When I saw you with Lucky-" she stopped, giggling.
"I was so jealous. I hated you on sight. Do you remember what I did for
you your first day back?" she asked. "When those girls started bugging
you about the drugs?"
"How could I forget,"
Emily responded with a smile. "That was the only time you were nice to
me."
"Yeah," Liz said distantly,
"it was." She snapped out of her short reverie and smiled at Emily. "I
only did that because I knew Lucky was watching. I waited until he was
ready to defend you himself, then beat him to it." Emily was staring, her
mouth wide open. "I was a different person then," Liz said, regret touching
her voice. The girls looked up as the doctors finally emerged from Lucky's
room.
Luke and Laura, who
had been across the room, now walked over to join Liz and Emily. They all
looked at the doctors expectantly.
Gail Baldwin spoke
up first. She smiled and said, "It seems Lucky's made quite an astounding
recovery." She put up a hand and shook her head. "I'm not saying that he
IS fully recovered, only that he is well on his way. I think right now
you should be more concerned for his physical health and not his mental.
though. We can work on the rest when he's feeling a little better." She
smiled again, and looked ready to leave. "There's still a lot to rebuild,
however," she said, almost as an afterthought. "He's lost a lot of faith
in the world in the last few days."
"Thank you Gail,"
Laura said, and waited for her to leave before turning to the other doctor.
"Well?" Luke asked.
Eve Lambert cast Luke
an irritated look, then turned to face Laura and the girls again. "He's
got quite a few injries, actually," she explained. "First of all, there
is the head injury. It turns out he DID have a concussion after all. A
minor one," she said, noting the alarmed looks. "He's been experiencing
moments of dizziness and the pain hasn't abated any," she continued. "So
I ran some tests and sure enough, he had a concussion." She looked briefly
at her charts, then continued. "He also swallowed a lot of smoke, so we'll
want to hold him for smoke inhalation as well. It doesn't look as if he
has any gasses in his system, though," she said with soem relief.
Laura sighed happily
and clung to Luke happily. "So how long do you think it'll be before he'll
be released?" she asked.
"I'd say half a week
just to be safe," Eve replied. "If he's not feeling much better in three
or four days, then we can always keep him longer." She smiled at the assembled
group, then turned to leave. "Sorry," she called over her shoulder. "I
have another patient to see."
Laura turned
to Luke after she left and regarded him seriously. "So, are you ready to
see him?"
Lucky did not dare
to move. Every movement caused sharp pain in his head, and now his lungs
were hurting, too. He grimaced and wondered why he hadn't noticed the pain
before. He knew he must've been hurting for quite some time. He was relieved
when Dr. Lambert finally left him alone in the room. He hadn't wanted to
admit to her or himself how exhausted he was, but now it felt good just
to lie still on the sterile bed.
He closed his eyes,
and felt the now familiar spinning sensation around him. He almost laughed
out loud. He had to be careful; if he got tou accustomed to being dizzy
all the time, he'd start looking for ways to land himself in the hospital.
That thought DID cause him to laugh.
The door opened at
that precise moment and Luke poked his head in, a curious expression crossing
his face at the sight of his son. Lucky knew how ridiculous he must have
looked to his father, and only laughed harder. His laughter died as Luke
walked into the room, and he was left with even sharper pain.
"That's probably not
a good idea," Luke said, sitting on the bed beside Lucky. "The shrink will
come running back in."
Lucky stared at Luke,
but said nothing. He regarded him with icy blue eyes and started to pull
nervously on the IV in his hand.
"Hey," Luke said,
grabbing his hand and forcingit back down on the bed. "Don't do that."
Lucky remained silent, and Luke gritted his teeth in frustration. "You
won't ever forgive me, will you?" he asked, staring into his son's eyes.
Lucky smiled coldly.
"I would sooner cut out my heart," he said, and rolled over on his side,
leaving luke to stare at his back.
"I know that I've
said and done a lot of awful things in the last few days," Luke said to
his son's still back. "And I didn't mean any of it." He shook his head,
and felt hot tears spring to his eyes. "It just hurts me so much to see
the hate in your eyes, Lucky. I thought I could scare you into coming back
home, but I was wrong. So I pushed away in anger instead." The tears started
to flow down his cheeks, and he brushed them aside angrily. "I can't take
back what I did your mother," he said after a moment's pause. "I wish to
hell I could, but I can't. So I have to live with what I did instead. I've
lived with it for twenty years," he continued, the tears coming faster.
"I think I can live it with it now."
Lucky tried to ignore
his father's words, but found he couldn't. It was all he could do to keep
his back turned.
"Your mother forgave
me though, Cowboy. And that's the imprtant thing. God knows I didn't deserve
it, but she did, and if she hadn't, where would we be today?" He stared
at Lucky's back, begging him silently to turn around and face him. "You
wouldn't have been BORN if she hadn't forgiven me for what I did to her
Lucky. You wouldn't even be here. So how can you tell her she was wrong
to do it?" His shoulders began to shake as his tears came spilling faster
down his cheeks. He lowered his head, then, after a long moment, raised
his eyes to his son again. "I LOVE you Lucky," he cried. "I don't know
what I would do without you. I would do anything, ANYTHING, to change what
happened between me and your mother that night, but I WILL NOT apologize
for bringing you into this world!"
Lucky turned over
to face Luke, tears streaming down his face. "I never wanted you to
apologize for that, Dad," he said, his vopice trembling. "I didn't want
you to apologize for ANYTHING! I just wanted you to do something-"
"Do what, Lucky?"
Luke asked eagerly. "Change the past?"
"I DON"T KNOW!" Lucky
yelled. He wiped tears from his face with both hands and rubbed at his
bloodshot eyes. "I just wanted you to DO something to make things different."
He shook his head, and pushed his head into his pillow. "I can't talk about
this right now," he said in a shaky voice. "I need to be alone for a while."
Luke nodded and got
up to leave. "Dad?" Lucky said, his voice muffled by the pillow.
"Yeah, son?"
"Turn out the light
on your way out."
Luke stood in the
doorway for a moment, watching Lucky cry into his pillow, then flipped
off the light and stepped back out into the hall.
Lucky lay in bed for more than an
hour after Luke left. He was even more exhausted than he had been before
Luke came in, but his thoughts were too dark to sleep. He had begun to
wonder just what happened in the last two days. From what he gathered,
a lot of important things had passed between him and his family. He looked
toward the doorway and silently paryed for somebody to walk in, but the
door did not open.
He needed answers.
He closed his eyes, and tried to control and organize his memories to help
them make sense. The last clear memory he had was of his father pulling
an unloaded gun on him, then telling him he couldn't see his sister again.
Everything after that was lost in blur of confused images and fragments
of conversation. He frowned, and tried to remember where he had gone after
leaving the club.
Elizabeth suddenly
came to mind, and he wondered briefly where the thought had come from,
and then the idea hit him. He sat bolt upright in the bed, his heart pounding
in his chest. He quickly removed the IV from his hand, and slid carefully
out of bed. He waited, perched on the edge of the bed, for a moment before
touching his feet to the floor, then forced himself to walk to the closet
to get clothes.
He was relieved to
find a clean outfit waiting for him in the closet. His parents had obviously
not thought that he would escape. He grabbed the clothes and started toward
the bathroom at an unbearably slow pace. After a few steps he gave up and
pulled the hospital gown over his head. He was just starting to pull up
his pants when the door opened and Liz and Emily appeared, grinning, in
the doorway.
Lucky felt the blood
rush to his face and he backed up against the bed, struggling to keep his
balance and pull his oants up at the same time. Liz and Emily had both
turned bright red, but were now lost in a fit of giggles. Lucky's blush
grew and he sagged against the bed, not bothering to zip his fly.
"Very funny," he muttered.
This remark made Emily
laugh even harder, but Liz calmed down and shrugged. "That's what you get
for getting out of bed too early," she said, crossing the room to sit by
him on the bed. Emily, still laughing turned and left the room, pulling
the door shut behind her. Lucky could hear her laighter drifting down the
hall.
"I don't know why
SHE'S laughing," Lucky said bitterly, climbing back under the covers.
"Give up?" Liz asked,
and pulled the covers up to Lucky's neck.
"What?"
"You looked like you
were getting ready to go somewhere," she said, indicating the clothes.
"Oh yeah," Lucky said,
leaning over to grab his shirt off the floor beside him. "I can forget
that."
"Not as strong as
you thought you were?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow.
Lucky laughed. "No
way. I could hradly get out of bed." He sighed heavily, and reached out
to take Liz's hand. "I'm glad you're here," he said, squeezing her hand.
"I know I couldn't have gotten through this without you."
"I haven't done anything,"
Liz said inching closer to him.
"Yes you have," Lucky
disagreed, pulling his hand away from hers. He lifted it to her face, and
let his fingers linger on her cheek for a moment before pulling it away
again. "You were here for me. You were the first person I saw after I snapped
this morning," he continued, staring into her eyes. "I was ready to break
down. When you came up to me Liz, and hugged me; I think that was the best
thing anyone could've done for me. But you were the only one in any hurry
to do anything," he said, coldness creeping into his voice.
"That's not true,"
Lis protested, but Lucky put a finger against her lips to quiet her.
"Don't say anything,"
he whispered. "I know I hurt you," he said quietly, his voice pained. "I
don't remember how or why I did, but I know I hurt you and I'm sorry. I
wasn't---myself."
"I know," Liz said,
tears starting in her eyes. "You don't have to apologize."
"Yes, I do," Lucky
said, sitting up. He looked Liz in the face, and their eyes locked. They
moved together, leaning forward until their noses almost touched. Lucky
tilted his head slightly, and he felt the brush of Liz's lips against his
just before the door slammed open and they hastily pulled apart.
Dara sat lost in thought in the
ER waiting room. She looked up when Mac walked up to her. "Hi," she said
weakly.
"What happened?" Mac
asked, his expression confused. "I stopped by the station after the funeral
and they told me I should come here. What's going on?"
Dara stared down at
her feet, as if she might find some answers there. After a moment, she
lifted her eyes to Mac again. "Taggert was shot. The bullet hit his chest.
He's in surgery now."
Mac stared at her
in shock. "Taggert was SHOT?" he exclaimed. "Who shot him?"
Anger flashed in Dara's
eyes, but she kept her voice as level as possible. "Lucky Spencer."
Mac's eyes widened
in surprise and he turned from Dara. He glanced over hsi shoulder to check
that she was not waiting for a response from him, but she seemed lost in
her own thoughts again. He turned and walked briskly from the waiting room.
He had to get some answers.
Dara watched Mac leave,
then stared down at her feet again. Her left shoe was smeared with blood.
Taggert's blood. She shuddered at the thought and looked to the door again.
The doctor had left several hours ago, and had said he would return with
news on Taggert's condition as soon as possible, but had still not made
an appearance in the waiting room.
After a long moment,
the door opened and the doctor walked in, his expression grim. Dara stood
and walked toward him, expecting the worst. The doctor saw her and nodded
garvely, then came to a stop in front of her. He looked around the room
almost nervously, then returned his gaze to her. "I'm sorry," he said after
a short pause. "We lost him."
Dara made a stangled
noise and turned away from the doctor. She could not bear for him to see
the tears that were already rolling down her cheeks. "Ma'am," the doctor
said, touching a hand lightly to her shoulder.
Dara spun and faced
the doctor. "Don't touch me!" she shouted and ran out of the room before
anyone could see her cry.
Tony Jones walked into
the room and laughed. "Oops," he said. "Looks like I came at a bad time."
Lucky glared back
at Tony, and pushed Liz away from him. He grabbed his shirt off the bed
and pulled it over his head. "What do you want?" he asked hoarsely. "I
thought you weren't allowed in the hospital anymore."
Tony laughed again
and walked further into the room, pushing the door shut behind him. "I
just wanted to congratulate you," he said with a broad smile.
"For what?" Lucky
asked.
"For killing Jason
Morgan. I would have done it myself, but I had a certain---reputation---to
maintain."
"Oh sure," Lucky said,
his voice dripping sarcasm. "A reputation for being a cheater and a baby
snatcher."
Tony's lip curled,
but he didn't say anything in his defense. "You can think anything you
want about me, Lucky," he said instead, "but you're the one who committed
murder. I think you'll get more than community service for THIS. Double
murder is a pretty seroius charge." He turned and hastily left the room,
slamming the door behind him.
"What did he mean?"
Liz asked after he left.
Lucky looked at her,
equally puzzled. "You mean what he said when he left?" he asked. "About
the double murder?" Liz nodded. "I don't know," Lucky admitted. "Unless-"
"Oh god, no," Liz
said, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Taggert's dead,"
Lucky finished.
"I think we could plea
temporary insanity for that," Alexis said.
Stefan nodded. "Lucky
was certainly not thinking clearly when he shot Detective Taggert," he
agreed. "There is also the matter of Jason Morgan."
"Yes," Alexis said,
removing her glasses. "That will prove much more difficult." She watcher
her brother for a moment. "Why are so interested anyway?" she asked after
a moment.
"Why am I interested?"
Stefan asked. "In Lucky's defense? That's a good question, Alexis." Alexis
looked to him expectantly. "I don't know myself. Perhaps it is so I may
put myself in a position to infuriate Luke. Or it could be because--"
"Because of Laura,"
Alexis finished for him. Stefan turned to her. "You would do anything for
her, wouldn't you? Even help defend her son that you hate." She shook her
head and lifted her briefcase in her hand. "You know I'll help you in anyway
possible, Stefan. "But know that I have my doubts about us getting involved
in this case." With that said, she left, and Stefan was left alone with
his thoughts.
Bobbie smile brightly
as Lois stepped off the elevator in the hospital. "Lois?" she asked as
the woman approached her. "God, it's been a long time," she said, enveloping
her in a hug.
"Yeah," Lois said
as she pulled away. "I came back for Jason's funeral. I got caught in traffic
outside Brooklyn. I was hoping I wouldn't miss it."
"Sorry, you did. It
was probably just as well, though," Bobbie said, her eyes darkening.
"Why? Did something
happen?" Lois asked, curiosity coming into her voice.
Bobbie opened her
mouth to reply, but was cut off by Brenda.
"Lois!" Brenda squealed,
practically jumping the woman.
"Hey Brenda," Lois
said, laughing and squirming to untangle herslef from the smaller woman's
arms. "How are you holding up?" she asked, concerned.
"Holding up?" Brenda
asked.
"Well, I knwo you
and Jason were friends."
"Jason and I were
NOT friends," Brenda said stiffly, her eyes clouding.
Lois recoiled at her
friend's tone and smiled to cover her shock. "I guess he's changed a lot,"
she said carefully.
"He DID change a lot,"
Brenda said. "But tha doesn't matter anymore cause he's dead. He can't
hurt ANYONE anymore."
Lois nodded, not wanting
to do anything to send Brenda into a rage again. She remembered what she
had heard about her breakdown and decided to play it safe. "So what happened
at teh funeral?" she asked, looking around and seeing Bobbie had left.
"Oh, you're not going
to believe THIS," Brenda said, and launched into the story.
Lucky could not stop
worrying about what Tony had said. "If Taggert's dead, I'' face murder
charges no matter what," he said miserably.
"You weren't thinking
clearly!" Liz said, unconsciously echoing Stefan. "You barely knew what
century you were in!"
Lucky's eyes widened,
and he turned so he wouldn't have to face her. He was still ashamed at
his behavior before he had come to the hospital.
Liz saw this and leaned
forward to smooth Lucky's ahir back from his forehead. "None of it was
your fault," she said soothingly to him. "You weren't well when you did
any of that stuff, but you're getting better now. They'll see that." She
paused, then lifted his face so his eyes would meet hers. "And you DIDN'T
kill Jason Morgan."
Lucky's eyes filled
with tears. "Do you really believe that?" he asked her, his voice shaky.
"I believe it with
all my heart," she said, and threw her arms around him.
Laura signed Lucky's release
form and handed it back to Eve. "Thank you," she said and started toward
his room.
"Uh, Laura," Eve called
after her. Laura turned and sighed, then walked back to her. "It's hospital
policy," Eve said, and Laura left again with the wheelchair.
She knocked on the
door to Lucky's room, then pushed it open. "Hi, " she said and smiled.
Lucky sat on the edge of his bed, fully clothed. He did not look up as
she walked in. "You ready to go?" she asked sunnily.
"No," he responded,
finally looking up at her. His eyes were red rimmed, and had a puffy look
to them. "I can't go home with you," he said, turning away.
"Why not?" Laura cried,
and pushed the wheelchair away. She hurried to the bed and sat beside her
son. "Does this have anything to do with your father?" she asked finally.
"He RAPED you Mom,"
Lucky said tiredly. "Why do I always have to remind you of that?"
Laura could not find
a response. Instead, she took her son's hand in her own and gripped it.
"Your father and I have worked through our problems, Lucky. I wish you
could understand that, but I see that you can't. But can't you at least
come home? Maybe you just need to see for yourself that your father and
I have forgotten about that and moved on-"
"Forgotten?" Lucky
asked incredulously, his voice rising in volume. "How could you forget
something like that? You CAN'T TELL ME you've forgotten about THAT!"
"Lucky!" Laura said
sharply. "Stop it! You have to stop this!" Lucky stared back at her blankly,
his eyes practically boiling with rage. "You can't hate him forever," she
said, and stood. "Are you coming with me or not? You can always stay here
another night I suppose," she added. "Bobbie can't take you out without
our permission."
Lucky was silent.
He stood up, not looking at his mother, and seated himself in the wheelchair.
He did not have the energy for another argument.
Lucky leaned on Laura
and allowed her to help him inside. His experiences earlier that week and
the time in the hospital had left him weakened and now he could barely
find the strength to step out of the car. Once inside, Laura guided Lucky
to the couch, where he collapsed gratefully. "I'm a little weaker than
I realized," he admitted, sinking back into the cushions.
"I think everything
has finally hit you," Laura called from the doorway, where she was hanging
their jackets. "You won't be able to start school again for at least a
week."
Lucky laughed. "Do
you think about ANYTHING else?" he asked. His mother only responded with
a smile and Lucky felt a familiarity that tugged at his heart. It was just
like old times. Now his father just had to walk in and ask if they had
already eaten dinner without them. He laughed bitterly.
"What?" Laura asked,
shooting a concerned glance at him.
"Nothing," Lucky said.
"Just thinking." Laura stood and stared at him for a moment, the disappeared
into the kitchen. Lucky was grateful to finally have a moment alone and
shifted positions on the couch, grimacing at the effort it took to move
his tired muscles. He really hadn't realized how exhausted he was.
The doorbell rang
and Lucky looked toward the front door with a frown on his face. He was
just trying to decide how he would make it to the door without falling
flat on his face when Laura emerged from the kitchen. "I'd better get that,"
she said, hurrying over. She pulled the door open and smiled brightly at
the visitor. "Hi Liz. Come on in."
Lucky looked up as
Liz walked in and smiled. He patted the couch cushion beside him and called
to her. "There's no way I can get over there to greet you," he said, laughing.
"Sore?" Liz asked.
"Nah, not sore," Lucky
responded. "Just tired. Everything takes too much effort. Feels like I
haven't slept in weeks."
"Well that's funny
considering how much slept you got in the hospital," Liz remarked. "Maybe
it's just everything hitting you at once. You know, the exhaustion, plus
everything that's happened in the past week."
"That's just what
my mom said."
"See? I told you she
was smart."
Lucky laughed and
pulled Liz into a hug. "I've really missed you," he said.
"How could you? I
haven't left you alone for more than a minute in the past four days."
"No," Lucky said,
shaking his head. "That doesn't count. We haven't had any time alone."
Liz smiled slightly,
but pulled away from Lucky. Lucky looked around the room and coughed uncomfortably.
"I'm really glad you're here," he said at last.
"Yeah, really," Liz
replied. "Why's that?"
Lucky smiled weakly,
and glanced at the kitchen door, which his mother had closed again. "You
rescued me from HER." Liz stared back silently, fear taking hold of her
again. "I know there's another explosion just waiting to happen. The tension
was practically crackling in the air."
"I didn't notice any
tension." Liz disagreed, but Lucky was not reassured.
"Things aren't going
to be the same with us anymore, Elizabeth. I can't make myself forget what
he did to her. Or the way she ignores it."
"Lucky," Liz cried,
turning him to look her in the face. "You can't go on hating them forever.
If they hadn't gotten together, you wouldn't even EXIST!"
"You know, you're
all starting to sound like a broken record!" Lucky snapped, pulling away
from her. He stood on shaky legs and glared at her. "You're supposed to
be on MY side," he said. "YOU of all people should be!"
"DON'T tell me what
I should and shouldn't do!" Liz screamed, jumping to her feet. "You have
NO right!" They stared at each other silently, their anger fading as they
looked in each other's eyes. "This is stupid," Liz said after a long dramatic
pause. "There's no reason for us to be fighting."
Lucky shook his head,
and sank back down on the couch. "I don't want to think about ANYTHING
right now," he said, and dropped his head into his hands. "My head hurts
and I'm exhausted. I just want to lie down and die."
"NO you don't!" Liz
exclaimed in a panicked voice. She sat beside Lucky again and shook
him until he looked up at her. "Don't talk like that," she said.
Lucky smiled weakly.
"Whatever you say, my lady," he joked and that seemed to make everything
alright again. Liz was doubtful, though, and watched him carefully as the
afternoon wore on.
Brenda sipped at her
drink, and smiled over the rim of the glass at Jax. "I saw Lois today,"
she said.
"Really?" Jax asked.
"How is she?"
"She's good. She came
to visit me," she lied, standing and walking over to join Jax at his desk.
"Did she hear about
Jason?" Jax inquired, looking her in the eye.
"She doesn't need
to KNOW about Jason, Jax. He's just another dead criminal."
"What's with you Brenda?"
Jax asked, and shook his head. "I know you weren't a big fan of Jason Morgan's
and trust me, NEITHER was I, but I thought you'd be a little more sympathetic
over his death than this."
"The only one I sympathize
with is Robin," she retorted hotly. "Because she was too blind and naive
too realize what a monster he was! He was no better than Sonny. Given the
opportunity, I think he would've left Robin. He couldn't have handled a
relationship that emotionally demanding."
"I can't believe how
heartless you're acting, Brenda. Jason WAS, after all, your friend. He
may have changed a lot after the accident, but-"
"HE BECAME A NEW PERSON
AFTER THE ACCIDENT!" Brenda shouted, and Jax jumped back in shock at her
vehemence. "You don't understand Jax---you couldn't even begin to! SONNY
changed Jason, not the accident! It was Sonny," she sobbed and dropped
into a chair in tears. "I don't want to talk about Jason right now," she
said tearfully. Jax put a comforting hand on her shoulder, but Brenda shook
it away. "Just leave me alone!" she yelled. Jax drew away from her, but
refused to leave her alone, even for a moment.
"I did everyone a
favor," Brenda said quietly, and Jax stared at her in shock.