CHAPTER
SEVEN
The plane ride home was long and
silent between Lucky and Luke. Neither knew what to say to the other. Lucky had
been so angry with Luke for so long and Luke…this was the first time in months
that he hasn’t had a drink all day. Having his son back was better than a
scotch on the rocks anyday.
It was Lucky who finally broke
the silence. "So…does mom know?"
"Not yet," Luke shakes
his head. "I thought it’d be a great surprise for her. Ever since the fire
son, she’s been a changed woman."
"How about LuLu? Is she
okay?"
"A happy little girl.
Doesn’t seem to be affected by any of the mess going on around her. She’s taken
to Stefan pretty quick," Luke sighed, forgetting that Laura’s relationship
with Stefan Cassadine was news to Lucky.
"What do you mean she’s
taken to Stefan?"
Luke looked at Lucky, wishing
that he had kept a tighter riegn on his tongue…but then again, that’s what got
him in trouble with Lucky the first time. Honesty was the best policy when it
came to building a new relationship with his son.
"Well…after your death
Lucky…our marriage…it just fell apart. We said some pretty nasty things to one
another…and Stefan was there to pick up the pieces. I was too drunk and
wallowing in my own grief to do anything about it."
"So he just rode in and
swept her off her feet huh?"
Luke nods. "I’m sorry
Cowboy. I’m sorry that things got so screwed up and you have to come home to
the mess."
"It’s not your fault
dad," Lucky examines the floor. "It’s just one of those things. I’m
just sorry that this whole mess ruined things for you two…that I ruined
things."
Luke heart melts at Lucky’s
confession. How can Lucky think that the failure of his parents marriage was
his fault? There was nothing further from the truth. The had been so many
secrets and lies between Laura and himself, the marriage would have ended
whether Lucky was kidnapped or not. Luke takes his son’s hand.
"Lucky look at me. This
wasn’t your fault ok. My marriage with Laura was heading for failure anyway. We
had so many secrets and lies between us…They just finally exploded in our
faces. Believe me when I say that this is all for the best," Luke squeezed
his son’s hand. "Look at it this way, at least Nikky has a full family to
look after him."
"Yeah," Lucky smiled
shakily. "Dad…how’s Nikolas…really? We were just getting our relationship
started when all this happened."
"He took it pretty hard.
Losing his only brother and having wasted so much time fighting with him
instead of getting to know him…for a while he blamed himself I think."
"He wasn’t the only one who
wasted time. I did too. It wasn’t until Em got in trouble that we finally
started to bond more," Lucky sighed. "How’s Elizabeth?"
"She’s better. She took your
death the hardest, next to me that is. Nothing we said could make it better for
her. But now she’s pretty much got herself together. Got her own art studio and
everything. Lots of pictures of you hanging up."
Lucky smiled. "I’ll have to
stop in one of these days."
"As soon as you get back to
Port Charles huh?"
"You know me too well dad," Lucky smiled, then his smiled faded as he
remembered what Helena had told him about Luke. "Dad…Helena…she told me
something pretty disturbing the other day. She said that you’ve drunken
yourself into a stupor. That you didn’t even know which day it was anymore. Was
that true?"
Luke inwardly cursed Helena for
the thousandth time that day. There was no telling what that old bat and her
partner did to his son, but he was going to make sure that both of them paid
somehow. "Well…at the beginning it was true. I was so full of self-hatred
and pity. It was so painful even to think about you…I had to deaden it somehow
and what better way than alcohol. It made me forget that I lost you…when I was
drunk…you were still alive and well, probably out hanging with Elizabeth and
the prince. I ignored all those who tried to get me to sober up and get out
more. Telling me that you wouldn’t have wanted me to kill myself with
alcohol."
"They were right dad. I
didn’t want that…no matter how angry I was at you for that whole rape thing…I
never wanted you in that much pain that you’d drink yourself to death."
Lucky cried, throwing his arms around his trembling father, tears coursing down
both of their faces.
"I know that son. I’ve
always known that," Luke huged his son back hard, reassuring himself that
he was really there, that this wasn’t a hallucination.
"Dad…no matter what I may
have said or say now…or what I do in the future…I never stopped loving you.
You’re my old man. That never changed. Just the hero part did."
"I know son. And that’s
okay. I don’t have to be your hero. Being your father is good enough for
me," Luke smiled through his tears, holding his son tightly. No matter
what he’s determined to protect Lucky for now on. He wasn’t going to take any
chances of anything happening to him again. Sonny and Roy just sat back and
watched. Touched by the father and son reunion.