LUCKY

PROLOGUE:

June 1, 1988

Earl Hatfield, Big Earl to all his friends continues to tidy his little cabin just two miles down from the big house, readying his place for visitors, trying his best to ignore the screaming and yelling from the big house up ahead. He usually tries to stay out of it, but every now and then, when he can, he lends some comfort to the little boy that lives there, such as tending to bruises, cuts, anything the adults may have done in their rage. Big Earl knew he’d be in trouble if his bosses found out what he does for the boy, but he didn’t care. No child should be subjected to that, especially not a five year old child.

"Lord have mercy on that child," Big Earl prayed. "May God keep little Lucas safe."

"You no account bastard! Get back here!!!" A rough voice floats down to Big Earl’s cabin. "I’m gonna teach ya a lesson you ain’t nevah gonna forget!!!"

"Please daddy!!! I’m sorry!!! I ain’t never going to do it again," a little boy cries out. "Please daddy!"

Big Earl winces as he hears Calvin McCoy bash his son into a nearby barnyard door. "Shut up you little prick! Now get those clothes off now so I can give you your punishment!"

Laying down the cloth he was cleaning his table with, Big Earl goes out behind the barn and peeks over at the scene. He gasps in surprise and disgust as Calvin McCoy forces his son to strip naked and begins to whip the boy with a horse whip. The boy screams each time the whip comes down on his tender flesh. About twenty whips later, the boy is dripping with blood, huddled in the corner. Calvin hoovers over his son and spits on him. "Next time think before you interrupt me and your ma again!" Calvin once again spits on his son before storming back to the big house, leaving the boy bleeding and sobbing.

Careful not to startle the boy, Big Earl steps out from behind the barn and goes over to the bleeding boy. He stoops down and winces as he sees the criss-cross of whip marks all over the boy, plus the black eye from being bashed into the door. The boy just lays there crying for his mommy. Big Earl shakes his head. This was going to have to stop. The boy wouldn’t live much longer if Big Earl didn’t get help soon. But from where would he get it without the McCoys knowing it was him? He needed this job. He couldn’t afford to lose it, but he couldn’t stand watching the boy get hurt like this either.Being extra gentle, Big Earl re aches out to lift the boy into his arms. The boy cries out in terror and flinches away.

"It’s okay Lucas. It’s just me…Big Earl. You know Big Earl don’t ya? I’m not gonna hurt ya. Now stay calm and let me tend to ya."

The little boy shakes his head, his blue eyes wide. "You’re get in trouble."

"No I won’t. Besides what can they do to me besides fire me? Now come on. Let me help ya."

The boy sighed and nods, allowing the big man to lift him up in his arms and as gentle as possible carry him to the house. "What happened Lucas? Why did he beat you like this?"

The little boy’s voice quivered. "I walked in on him and ma in bed. I don’t know what they were doing but they were awful angry about it."

"Oh," Earl nods, knowing perfectly well what the McCoys were upto.

"Daddy says I’m a bad boy and deserved my punishment."
"Oh no Lucas. You’re not a bad boy at all and you never deserved this," Big Earl takes him into his bed room and put the boy on his bed. He leaves the room for a second to go to his medicine cabinet and takes out the necessary supplies.

"But Daddy’s always right," Lucas sobs.

"No he’s not Lucas. Your pa’s not right at all, in a lot of things. Now just let me clean ya up here then you can lay down on my bed and get some sleep. How about that?"

Lucas nods and wipes his tears away.

Two hours later Big Earl has the boy in one of his t-shirts and tucked into his bed. He stands in the door and listens to Lucas say his prayers. "God bless ma and pa, my puppy Foster, and God bless Big Earl for being my best friend."

Big Earl wipes away the two big teardrops at the corners of his eyes. "God bless you too Lucas," Big Earl leaves the room.

Two days later…

Lucas has been at Big Earl’s cabin for two whole days now and Big Earl still doesn’t know what he’s going to do. One thing is for sure though. That boy’s not going back to that house. He’s sure the McCoy’s will kill him if he does.

"Big Earl…can I stay here forever?" Lucas stares up at the big black man with wide blue eyes, hope shining in them.

Big Earl sighed. He’d give anything to keep Lucas with him and raise the boy as his own, but that could never happen. For one the McCoy’s were too close. They’ve already been down at the cabin once looking for the boy. Another thing was he didn’t make enough money for a child, nor did he have a woman.

"I’d love to have you here forever Lucas, but I can’t. Your ma and pa are too close and you’d never be safe. Get what I’m saying?"

"Do I have to go back?"

"No. No you’re not going back. You see, I’m working now on finding ya a new mommy and daddy. Ones that don’t beat little boys, whether they be bad or not. Ones that will raise and love you like their own."

"Who are they?" The little boy asks, just as the front door bangs open and a loud boisterous voice booms, "Hey big Earl! Where the hell are ya!?! We’ve been waiting at that damn trainstation for two hours waiting!"
"Oh no," Big Earl slaps his face. "I totally forgot about them coming today. Listen Lucas, stay here. Don’t come out until I say. Alright?"

The little boy nods, his eyes full of trust. Big Earl smiles lovingly at the boy and ruffles his blond hair. "Get some rest."

"Ok," The boy lays down as Big Earl exits the room to greet his visitors. A man and a woman, both blond and both carrying bags. The man is lean tall and has curly blonde hair. The woman is medium hieght, has a gentle face, is also blonde with straight hair. Both have huge grins on their faces.

"Luke Spencer! What took you so long?!" Big Earl greets his friend, giving him a big hug.

"Waiting for you to pick us up. What’s the deal?"

"Sorry about that. Something came up. So how’s life on the run? Treating you two well? Any rugrats on the way?"

Laura looks at Luke, a weird gleam in her blue eyes, reminding him of Lucas, who has the same blue eyes.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Luke sighed, replaying the conversation with Laura on the way here, trying to explain why having a baby now would be a very bad idea. Frank Smith’s men were breathing down their necks right now. Having a baby would only slow them down. What if Laura went into labor when they had to make a fast get away? What if somehow they were captured. A baby was a extra person to hold over Luke’s head.

"Laura here wants a baby."

"Really? Well congratulations? When can I expect an invitation to the baby shower?" Big Earl grins.

"Luke thinks it’s a horrible idea," Laura suddenly bursts into tears. "He just doesn’t understand how incomplete I am! I need a child Earl! I need a child to care for! Someone to love and depend on me just as I depend on Luke!"

"Oh Laura. I want a baby too and maybe if the child was a little older fine, but this is a infant we’re talking about," Luke tries to comfort his wife. "We can’t afford a baby right now."

Suddenly a light goes off in Earl’s head. A dim light, but a light all the same. Laura wanted a child, Luke wanted one too, but only if the child was older. And Earl, has a five year old boy in the other room in need of a new mommy and daddy as soon as possible. True life on the run wasn’t a good life for a child, but it beat the heck out of living in fear of beatings everyday. Plus Luke and Laura were good people. They’d never hurt Lucas. They’d protect the boy and love him as their own. Big Earl was sure of this. And maybe, just maybe whenever they could, they can keep him up to date on Lucas’s progress.

"Come on baby, don’t cry," Luke rubs Laura’s back.

Earl leans in close to Luke and Laura and whispers. "Can you two keep a secret?"

Luke scrowls at Earl. "Earl, we’ve been living life five years now on the run with secret identities and all. Now do you think we can’t keep a secret?"
Earl grins and stands up. "Follow me. I have someone I’d like you two to meet."

"Who? A new girl friend?" Luke grins widely at his old friend.

"No not a new girlfriend," Earl shakes his head, getting irritated at Luke always making a joke. "Just follow me. You’ll see."

The couple nod and follow Earl into his room, where Lucas is laying on his back against some soft pillows, he looks towards the door, his eyes widen in fear when he sees Luke and Laura.

"Lucas, I’d like you to meet some friends of mine. Luke and Laura Spencer. Luke and Laura, meet Lucas," Earl nods towards the boy.

Laura eyes fill with tears as she sees the bruised and beaten little boy laying in bed, practically lost under all those blankets. She runs to him right away and smoothes back his hair. "Poor dear. Earl what happened to him? Who did this?"

"My boss, his pa up the ways there. Beat him with a horse whip. Calvin McCoy has beaten the boy plenty of times but this time was the worst and I just can’t allow him to go back there."

"Well you know you can’t keep him here don’t ya?" Luke stares at his friend. McCoy is up the ways there and he’ll soon figure out that you’ve been keeping the kid here. "

"I know that. In fact, I’m working on finding a decent couple to give him to. Good people who will rise him right and love him as if he was their own," Earl glances fondly at the scene of Laura stroking the boy’s hair, lovingly looking down at him. It’s obvious that she’s fallen in love with the boy, who’s also stareing up at her, probably mesmirized by her beauty.

Luke nods, understanding Earl’s motives. "And that’s why you brought us in here isn’t it?"

"Well…you two are the perfect candidates. You’re good people, you’ll teach the kid survival skills and all that, you’ll love him, that’s obvious by the way Laura is falling all over him and…"

"We’re on the run from the mob Earl! That’s no type of life for a child!" Luke throws his hands up.

"It’s better than being beat up everyday by the same people who are supposed to love and take care of you. Don’t you agree? Life on the run with two loving parents is better than life settled down with parents who would rather kill ya than spit on ya."

Luke nods, remembering all the beatings his own father had given him. Thank God for his Aunt Ruby. She had stepped in and whisked both Luke and Barbara Jean away from that life. And now, here was Earl, begging for Luke to do the same thing for this little boy. How could he say no to a kid that was in the same situation he was in at that age?

"Luke please. This is the perfect solution. You said it yourself, if it was an older child fine. He’s five years old Luke and he needs us. Look at him. Can you actually leave him to people that does this type of thing to children?"

Luke sighs and shakes his head. He was beaten by both his own heart and Laura’s. All reasons for not to do this was quickly overruled. "Okay. You both win. We’ll take the kid with us."

Earl laughed happily. "May God’s angels smile down on you both for what you’re about to do!"

"First thing first. We have to change his name. His parents will be looking for him and if he doesn’t go by the same name it’ll be difficult…even though we’ll have to change his name a number of times anyway."

"But he’s used to Lucas," Laura glances up at her husband.

"How about Robert. After my best friend?" Luke strokes his chin.

"How about Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr.? After his new father?" Laura smiles at her husband. "The world sure can use two of you."

"You sure are one Lucky kid Lucas. Just getting two parents that fight over silly things like what to name you," Earl laughs.

"Lucky indeed," Luke snorts then his eyes light up. "That’s it! Lucky! We’ll name him Lucky!"

"Lucas Lorenzo Spencer Jr. will be his official name though. Right?" Laura furrows her brow.

"Of course baby. But for now on everyone will know him as Lucky Spencer."

"Sounds like a fine name to me. How about you Lucas?" Earl smiles down at the boy who looks back and forth between the man and woman who had agreed to be his new parents. He nods eagerly, wanting to please them.

"Okay then Lucky Spencer. Laura and Earl here will go shopping for you first thing in the morning and I’ll stay here getting to know my new son a little better," Luke grins happily, having a feeling that this was a start of a wonderful relationship. Luke’s grin widens noticing that the boy even had the Spencer look down pat. Blond hair, deep set blue eyes, yet he had Laura’s gentleness about his face.

Two days later, the Spencers are ready to leave. Laura is carrying their bags and Luke is carrying their new son. They stop at the door to say good-bye to Earl.

"Hey there pal, don’t look so sad. We’ll see each other again," Earl grins, ruffling the boy’s hair. "You’re going on a new adventure with your mommy and daddy here."

"I’ll miss you Earl," Lucky reaches to give the man a hug. Earl wipes away his own tears and strokes Lucky’s cheek.

"Dreams of Gold Lucky. You hear me? Dreams of Gold," Earl smiles. "May life be extra good to you. Take care of him Luke."

"Oh I intend to. Ain’t that right cowboy," Luke grins at his son, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you Earl. You’re a Godsend," Laura hugs him.

"No Mrs. Laura. I think that title’s reserved for you. You came along just in the nick of time," Earl smiled.

"We’ll send you pictures and video tape whenever we can. Keep you updated on Lucky’s progress."

"Thank you Luke and Laura. I’m going to miss all of you. Take care and if you ever need anything, just give me a ring."

"We will. Bye Earl," Luke waves one last time before carrying Lucky out the door.

"Thank you," Laura whispers before following her husband out into the dark night.

"Good luck you three. May God look after you," Earl watches the little family disappear into the dark woods, heading for who knew where. He was just grateful that he was able to find Lucas suitable loving parents. He’d no longer have to worry about Calvin McCoy laying a finger on him again.

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