THIRTY
Three hours later…
Luke returns newly refreshed and determined to get his son back. He wasn’t going to let Lucky push him away this time. He Finds Robert, Anna, Nikolas, and Sonny all seated reading magazines. There was no sign of Kevin and Alan nor of Liz.
"Where’s Kevin and Alan?"
"Gone home. Alan says Lucky’s healthy physically, but Kevin wants you to call him to set up regular appointments. He says there definitely something wrong with Lucky’s thinking process and he wants to investigate it more," Anna explained. "Lucky had also been complaining of not sleeping well so Kevin gave him some valium. Said he should be asleep for a hour or two. It’s been a hour already."
"And Cowgirl? Where is she?"
"Setting with Lucky. We thought it’d be okay since he’s asleep," Nikolas explained.
"Poor thing. She loves him so much. I hope Faison didn’t poison his mind against her as well."
"I doubt that since Faison made him believe that she was dead," Luke shrugged.
Elizabeth gently strokes his hair, pushing down the guilt rising in her chest. She now knew what Faison was doing all those times he came to take him away. Faison was slowly but surely brainwashing Lucky. Turning him into a cold-blooded killer for Faison’s own evil purposes. She just thanked God that Luke and Sonny was there to stop Lucky from making such a big mistake. Lucky wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he had succeeded.
She looks at her engagement ring setting on her finger and sighed deeply. Their wedding. She couldn’t help but wonder when or if there ever was going to be a wedding. Probably not in the foreseeable future. But that was okay. She would wait. She’d wait forever for Lucky, just as long as she was able to be with him.
"Wake up Lucky. Wake up and tell me that everything will be all right now. You know, maybe we can just leave Port Charles all together. Go into hiding if you want. It’d be just like that time we ran away together, remember? I’ll never forget spending the night in that deserted department store, or the bacchanalia when we first danced. You made that night so special for me Lucky. When I was with you…everything was magic," Elizabeth begins to sob, embracing Lucky and burying her face in the curve of his shoulder. "Come back to me Lucky. I need you so much."
Lucky’s eyes slowly opened . He was a little disoriented, but alert to notice someone’s arms around him. He turns his head to face a headful of familiar brown hair that was as soft as silk. Who was this girl? She reminded him of his Elizabeth, but it couldn’t be. She was dead. He saw her die on that boat that Robert Scorpio had blown up.
Unaware that she was being watched, Elizabeth sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. It was when she looked down back at Lucky when she saw him staring at her in confusion, joy, and disbelief.
"Elizabeth? Is it really you?" He practically whispered.
Elizabeth smiled gently and touched his face. "Who else would it be?"
"Am I dead?"
"What? Why would you think that?" Elizabeth asked, furrowing her brow.
"Because you are. I saw the explosion," Lucky explained. "Faison said you were dead. That Robert Scorpio killed you."
Elizabeth gasped in surprised. She had never once thought that Faison would be so cruel to tell him that. But then again, there was no other way to break Lucky so completely as he had. Lucky must have been devastated. "Oh Lucky…no. Mr. Scorpio saved me from that explosion. Just as Faison took you away, your father, Mr. and Mrs. Scorpio and Nikolas arrived. They found me and we were looking for you. That’s when we found Helena. After questioning her, Mr. Scorpio had discovered a bomb on deck and we immediately got to that chopper."
"You mean he didn’t even try to kill you? That he saved your life?"
Elizabeth nods. "What did Faison tell you?"
"You were dead and Robert Scorpio was responsible," Lucky’s face went from soft and gentle to stone. His eyes revealed no emotion. "He lied to me."
"And you expected him to tell you the truth?" Elizabeth asked, wiping away the rest of her tears.
"…I don’t know," Lucky sighed. "I don’t know what to believe anymore. If what you say is true…oh god Elizabeth I tried to kill Robert Scorpio! How can you even stand to be in the same room with me?!"
"Lucky, he understands. He’s not holding it against you. He knows Faison was behind this all along," Elizabeth gently touches his face.
"And what does it say about me that Faison can break me like that! Make me believe anything he said!"
"Lucky he told you devastating news. He knew what your weak points were and he used them against you. There’s nothing for you to be ashamed of."
"And my father…all those things I said to him a couple of hours ago…Oh God I didn’t even try to stop myself! He hates me now doesn’t he Elizabeth? And I can’t say I blame him."
"Lucky no. Luke can never hate you. Nothing you say can ever make your father hate you, he loves you so much," Elizabeth scoots closer to the bed. "Everything’s alright now Lucky."
"No it’s not," Lucky shakes his head. "Nothing will ever be alright again."
Luke stands outside Lucky’s door, his ear pressed up against the hardwood, trying to get the drift of what was going on so far. He knew Lucky was now awake, he could hear him talking to Liz and by the sound of things, Cowboy was pretty upset.
"Why don’t you go in there Luke?" Robert asked, his concern for the young Miss. Webber growing. He was afraid Lucky may turn on her as well.
"Because one, Liz is in there with him and this might be a private moment and two, he doesn’t want to see me. You heard him."
"Maybe Elizabeth brought him around," Robert smiles knowingly. "Love brings out the best in us. We both know that."
"I don’t know Robert," Luke takes a
puff off his cigar, a habit he’s taken up again since Lucky’s second
disappearance. "You haven’t seen Lucky really angry with me. It took a
whole year for him to come around when I first told him about the rape. Who
knows how long this will take."
"Does it matter?"
"Hell no. I’d wait forever to have my son trust me again. But he doesn’t want me in there and what Lucky wants is more important than my needs right now."
"But what if he does want you to go in there Luke but is too scared and ashamed to ask? What then?"
Luke shrugged. "I don’t know."
"Go in there Luke," Nikolas gets to his feet. "I know Lucky. He won’t admit to needing anyone, but he does. And right now he needs you and Liz more than anything."
Luke looks at Nikolas and then peeks into Lucky’s door to see Elizabeth holding a very upset Lucky. The prince and Robert were right. Lucky needed him right now and by George, he was going to be there for him. "I’ll be back." Luke steps into the room. "Cowboy?"
Lucky looks up and his face pales at the sight of Luke. From the look of his father he’s been crying for the past couple of hours and Lucky knew it was because of him.
"Mr. Spencer," Elizabeth let’s go of Lucky as he sets up.
"Hey Liz. Mind leaving us alone for a minute or two? Then he’s all yours," Luke smiles warmly at the young woman.
Elizabeth looks at Lucky questioningly. Lucky looks at Luke then back at Elizabeth and nods, smiling reassuringly. "I’ll be ok."
"I love you," Elizabeth kissed him gently. "Go easy on him Luke. Please."
"Of course Cowgirl," Luke nods as she leaves the room. "Hold on to that one Cowboy. You’ll never find another one like her in a million years."
"She’s all I have after all I’ve done," Lucky looks away from Luke. "At least I think I still have her."
"Oh you do. You’ll never get rid of her," Luke laughs heartily.
"Dad…I’m…sorry. I’m sorry for all the things I said a couple of hours ago," Lucky looked away from his father, clearly ashamed. "I thought Elizabeth was dead and that you didn’t try hard enough to find us. I thought you cared more about your friends then you did us."
"Listen Cowboy," Luke sets at the
foot of the bed and looks his son squarely in the eye. "Nothing.
Absolutely nothing and no one is more important than protecting you. I’m just
sorry that I didn’t try harder. I should have killed Faison the first
time."
"And then you would have gone to prison dad and that wouldn’t have been
any good," Lucky shakes his head. "Dad…I need you to promise me
something."
"Anything,"
"Promise me that you won’t kill Faison. It’d only land you in jail. Promise me dad. No matter what. Don’t kill Faison," Lucky pleads.
"But cowboy…the man…he screwed with your mind, made you a prisoner…"
"I know dad, but I can’t bear the thought of you going to prison. So please, let the cops handle him."
Luke sighed. Lucky was right. Killing Cesar Faison would not change a thing. It’d only take him away from Lucky, and Luke just won’t let that happen. "Ok son. I promise. Cesar Faison will not die by my hand. "
Lucky nods and smiles leaning back against the bed. He’s more tired now then he’s ever been. He’s wanting to get some sleep, but he needed to see Elizabeth again. Just to make sure she was really there and not a figment of his imagination. "Dad…send Liz in will ya? I need to see her."
"Sure thing Cowboy," Luke gets up and heads for the door. Soon after Luke exits, Elizabeth enters and goes straight to Lucky who pulls her into a tight embrace. "I never want to let you go again," Lucky kisses her forehead.
"Well then don’t. We’ll just stay like this forever," Liz smiled, cuddling up closer to Lucky.
Lucky smiled at the thought as he drifts off to sleep, knowing that Elizabeth will be here with him.