Why isn't Lucky here? I need him. I don't think I'll ever feel warm again until he's here with me. Where could he be? Oh God, what if he's dead? What if he was shot, too? I don't think I can go through this again if he's dead. I know he always told me I was the strongest person he knew, but I don't feel so strong right now. I feel weak and tired and unable to go on. I feel my will to live slipping away from me. I want so badly to talk to Luke and Sonny but they don't hear me. I say the words, but no sound comes out. And I can never quite hear what they're talking about. They speak in hushed tones, away from my bed. I guess they aren't sure if I can hear them or not, and they don't want me to hear if it's bad news. I just don't know how much longer I can go on in this state of limbo without Lucky, without being able to communicate with anyone. It's like being in prison, in solitary confinement, just like what Lucky must have gone through all those years being held by that horrible Faison. Sometimes I feel him so close to me, like he really is here, but I know that's just because he's in my heart. I know he really isn't here and may never be again.
It was beginning to get dark and a light rain was falling as Lucky emerged from the catacombs. This was evidence that Faison had purposely confused him about the time of day. It had only been a few hours ago that George brought him breakfast, but now it was early evening. Why Faison would go to the trouble to confuse him like that Lucky had no idea. Perhaps there was no reason; perhaps it was just another control tactic. Well, that was the least of his worries now. He needed to see Elizabeth; nothing else mattered. The fact that it was getting dark made it easier for him to move through town unnoticed. By his calculations he was about ten miles from the hospital. Despite his weakness, he walked quickly, the thought of getting to Elizabeth driving him on. He wished there was a quicker way to get to the hospital, but he didn't want to take the chance of asking someone for a ride, or waste unnecessary time by calling Luke to come and get him. He decided to walk as quickly as he could and to stay out of view of passing cars in case Faison had other men posted along the way. He doubted that he did though. He had no reason to believe that Lucky would ever escape so no doubt felt it unnecessary for outside protection.
He hoped that he would get to the hospital before Faison found out he had escaped. When he finally reached the hospital he slipped quietly into a side entrance. He wasn't ready for anyone to see him just yet. He needed to see Elizabeth before talking to Luke and Sonny, before calling the police. Seeing her and making sure she was all right were the only important things right now. Besides, he knew George had plenty of food to last him until Jason could get there, and that Faison would not be back for several days. He also knew that George had his cell phone with him, and he hoped that if Faison called him he would lie and tell him all was well with his young prisoner.
Luke and Sonny and Jason have been taking turns staying with me since the beginning. They never seem to tire of being here. I know they're doing it to protect me. To be sure nothing else happens to me. They love Lucky so much that they will do whatever it takes to protect me because they know how much he loves me. I wonder if they know how much I love him. How much I need him to be here with me now. I feel Lucky's presence so strongly today. Today. I don't even know what day it is or how long I've been here. The time has been interminable.
As Lucky entered the hospital he realized that he had no idea which room Elizabeth was in, and he did not want to waste time by wandering the halls looking for her. He would have to ask someone. He hoped his appearance would not alarm anyone. He was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a flannel shirt, and was wet from the rain. His hair was hanging in his face, and he knew he probably looked tired and maybe even sick from lack of sleep and food. There was no one at the small desk just inside the door. He looked around to make sure no one was lingering before he went to the desk and began frantically looking through papers for a list of patient room numbers. He jumped when he heard the voice behind him. "What do you think you're doing?"
He turned and saw a nurse approaching him. "Um, sorry. I need to find a patient's room number and I'm in kind of a hurry. She could be in a lot of danger."
She eyed him suspiciously and asked impatiently, "What is the patient's name?"
"Her name is Elizabeth Webber. I need to see her right away."
Lucky was growing more agitated and desperate as she slowly consulted the print out at the side of the desk. He ran his hands through his hair and asked, frantically, "Can't you hurry? Please?"
She seemed not to hear him, and after several moments, she finally looked up at him. "I'm sorry, Miss Webber is not allowed visitors other than those listed here."
"Right. Luke Spencer, Sonny Corinthos, Jason Morgan and Audrey Hardy."
"That's right. And if you were one of them you wouldn't be asking for her room number. You would already know."
Lucky sighed, "I'm Lucky Spencer. I'm Luke Spencer's son."
"I'm sorry, I can't give you the room number. We've been instructed to be very strict about this and to call security if anyone asks to see her. I'm afraid that's what I'm going to have to do now."
She reached for the phone and began dialing. Lucky went behind the desk and placed his hand over hers to stop her from dialing. He saw the fear in her eyes as she looked into his. He backed away, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry. I don't mean you any harm. I have an idea. Do you know Bobbie Spencer?"
The nurse nodded. "Yes I know her."
"She's my aunt. Could you call her to come down here, please?"
"I don't know…"
He was even more desperate now. "Look, what can it hurt? Please! You don't know how important this is."
She thought for a moment. "All right. I'll call Bobbie. Wait over there in that waiting area."
A few moments later he heard the elevator door open and jumped up to see Bobbie racing toward him. "Lucky!" She pulled him into an embrace. "My God, how did you get here?"
"I don't have time to explain right now, Bobbie. Just tell me Elizabeth is okay and take me to her."
"She's doing as well as can be expected, but, Lucky, she's been in a coma since she was shot. We just don't know at this point if she'll ever come out of it."
Lucky took in a deep breath, tears welling in his eyes. "I need to see her."
Bobbie nodded and led him to the elevator. He was silent as she said, "Your father and Sonny are with her now."
They emerged from the elevator as Sonny came out of her room. His face registered shock at seeing Lucky with Bobbie. "Jesus, kid, you always look like shit when you come back from the dead." Lucky only nodded as Sonny placed his hand on his arm. "I'll take you to her."
"Sonny, I need to talk to you, after….after I have some time with Elizabeth."
"Sure, I'll be right here."
Sonny led him to the room and opened the door, calling out softly to Luke who was sitting in a chair by the door, his head against the wall, his eyes closed.. He looked up, startled and stood up to approach Lucky. "Thank God," he whispered as he embraced Lucky briefly.
Lucky pulled away and looked into Luke's eyes. "Mom and Lulu…are they…?"
"They're safe. You don't need to worry." Luke then stepped aside to allow him to approach Elizabeth's bed.
Lucky stood by her bed, looking down at her for a long moment, his tears blinding him. She seemed only to be sleeping, and she still looked so beautiful. He stroked her arm gently, afraid to touch her for fear of hurting her.
Lucky? Oh God, is it really you, or is this just another dream that you've come back to me? God, please let it be real. Please let it really be you.
Finally he leaned over to kiss her forehead, then her cheek as he whispered, "Elizabeth, I'm here. I love you. I'm not going to leave you ever again." He kissed her lips softly as he began to weep, just as he had when he emerged from the catacombs, but this time he was weeping only for Elizabeth. Lucky sat back on the chair beside the bed and took her hand in his, pressing it to his cheek. He had never felt so exhausted or so desolate. How could he go on if she never came back to him? She was his life. She was his future. It would be such a cruel twist of fate to have her taken from him now, now that he was free again, now that he knew he would never let Faison capture him again.
It is him! His lips feel so warm against mine. And his tears against my hand are so warm. I feel so much stronger with him here. He is really here, isn't he? What other explanation could there be? I can feel him this time, and hear him. This isn't like the other dreams where I reach out to touch him and he disappears.
Lucky felt Luke put his hand on his shoulder as he said softly, "We'll leave you alone for awhile." He heard Luke and Sonny leave the room and sat staring at Elizabeth for a long time.
"Baby, you have to wake up and come back to me. I need you. I need you with me. You have to fight to get better, sweetie. Please."
I can hear you Lucky. I want to come back. I really do, but I can't hear myself when I talk to you. So I know you can't hear me yet. But I know you're here. I can feel your hands around mine and they give me strength. Be patient with me Lucky. I'm trying. I'm really trying to come back to you.
He had been in her room for awhile when Bobbie came in. "Lucky, I need to take her vital signs and do a few other things. Can you wait outside for just a minute?"
"Can't I stay?"
"It will only take a few minutes, Lucky. I promise."
He nodded as he stood up and leaned over to kiss her forehead again. "I'm just going to go talk to my dad and Sonny for a few minutes. I'll be right back."
Luke and Sonny were sitting outside when he emerged from the room. They both stood up and approached Lucky. "You okay, son?"
He nodded.
"You don't look okay to me."
"How I feel doesn't matter, Dad. Do you think Elizabeth is going to be all right?"
"Well, if anything can make her better, it's you being here. Give it some time, Lucky."
"We don't have a lot of time. As soon as Faison finds out I'm gone, he'll come after her or Mom or Lulu. I know him. That's how he gets to me. He won't come after me. If he ever had any intention of killing me, he would have done it a long time ago." He looked at Luke. "It's you he wants. Or rather it's something you have that he wants. Any idea what it is? I've wracked my brain, dad, and I can't think of anything you have that could be this valuable."
Luke's expression turned dark. He couldn't tell Lucky that he knew what it was Faison wanted, he couldn't tell Lucky that he had the Ice Princess, the coveted diamond from years ago, the one thing Faison would kill for.
"Tell me Dad, I need to know what this has all been about."
"Lucky, I can't tell you just yet. I've only just begun to put it all together myself. Just trust me that now is not the time to discuss this. I need time to figure out what we're going to do. Can you do that, give me some time?" Lucky nodded. "Good. Now I want to know how you managed to escape, beside using that cunning Spencer intuition of yours."
Lucky smiled. "It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I finally figured out where I was. He had me here in Port Charles the whole time you know, when he first took me three years ago."
"You suspected that didn't you? That the plane trip and long drive was just a ruse to make you think you'd been far away?"
"Yea. Well, this time when he took me back to that God awful room, I kept smelling something familiar. It was a vague scent, one I couldn't quite define, and unpleasant one. Then last night I dreamt about Sly. We were in the catacombs and he was yelling at me that I knew how to get out because that was where I was."
"The catacombs? Of course!! Faison is nothing if not a genius. I should have figured that out a long time ago, though."
"You would have had no way of knowing where he had me, Dad. You didn't know he even knew about the catacombs. But the best part is that he didn't know I knew anything about them. Once I figured that out, or rather, Sly figured that out…."
Luke shook his head, "Sly? Man, I knew that boy would be good for something one day. Remind me to thank him personally."
"Anyway, once I knew where I was, the rest was easy. This morning, or rather this afternoon, whenever it was….I don't know, because Faison messed with my mind making me think it was morning when it was really night, and it was hard for me to really know since there was no window and he kept the lights off most of the time."
"He kept you in the dark?"
Lucky laughed. "Yea, literally and figuratively speaking. Anyway, a few hours ago one of his guards, George, brought me my breakfast. I had a feeling that Faison was gone because the lights were on for a long time. George had a soft spot for me from way back and would always bring me extra food if Faison wasn't around, would stay and talk to me like I was a real person, not just some pathetic prisoner. Anyway, I got him to play a game of chess with me, tell me about his life. When he started feeling comfortable and relaxing a little all I had to do was shove the table into him so he fell on the floor, and I was able to grab his gun. Funny thing is, he didn't offer any resistance at all. I think he was even smiling as I left. I think he was glad I was escaping."
"Where's George now?"
"I locked him in the room, but I told him Jason would be there before I called the police. I told him he would have a lot of money for him and that he could leave town and start a new life. He's got a kid that's really sick and he only worked for Faison for the money. Deep down he's a decent guy. Can you do this for me Sonny?"
"No questions asked, Lucky. If you trust this guy, I trust him. I'll get right on it. Get him an airline tickets outta here, too."
"Thanks. Dad, can you go with Jason since you know your way in the catacombs? The room is in the northeast corner…"
"I know right where it will be, Son. We'll get him out of there and get him to the airport, too."
"Thanks." He turned to Sonny. "I owe you."
Sonny waved his hand and said, "You owe me nothing. You stay with Elizabeth and we'll go take care of George."
Lucky nodded and turned to go back to Elizabeth. Luke and Sonny were gone for several hours and Lucky never left her. He talked to her just as if she could hear him. He told her Faison had grabbed him that day just as she was shot. He told her about George and how he had asked Sonny to help him start a new life away from Faison. He told her everything he thought about, everything he did while he was gone, which by his calculations must have been a little over a week. He told her everything except the part about Faison wanting him to kill Luke. He could not even entertain the thought of that, let alone talk about it. The whole idea was just too painful.
Finally, exhausted, as he sat in the chair by her bed, he had laid his head down on the bed and fallen asleep. He must have been dreaming, because he could hear her talking to him.
Lucky, I know you're here. And I know how tired you are, how scared you are for me. I can feel you beside me and I promise you I'm getting stronger every minute. I know you can't really hear me, but I'm trying. You just have to be patient with me.
Her voice sounded so clear, but when he awoke his heart sank when he looked up at her only to find that she was still sleeping. Still, even awake, he thought he heard her voice, but it was so faint he couldn't make out the words.
I love you Lucky. Don't give up on me, please. I'm coming back to you just as soon as I can. I'm trying to lift my hand to touch you to prove that I know you're here, that I know what's going on, but it feels like I'm lifting it through mud. Please don't leave me. It won't be long. I promise.
He sighed deeply as he heard Bobbie enter the room and whisper, "Everything okay, Lucky?"
"Yea, she's still asleep."
"I'm going home now, but I'll be back tomorrow morning. You call me if you need anything."
"Okay. Thanks, Bobbie."
She leaned over and kissed the top of his head. "Try and get some sleep, Lucky. I love you."
"Love you, too, Bobbie."
She quietly left the room and Lucky looked around, running his hands through his hair, then rubbing his eyes with his fingertips. He was so tired. He needed to lie down, but there were only chairs in the room. He wanted to lie down with Elizabeth, wanted to hold her close and keep her warm, keep himself warm. He saw that there was room on the bed and made the decision that it couldn't hurt to lie down beside her. He climbed onto the bed and gently pulled her close as he laid his head against her shoulder and finally fell asleep.
At Port Charles Airport George was preparing to board a plane to an undisclosed location of Sonny's choosing where he found the best doctors to help George's son. He was in a disguise and had a new name, a new identity. Sonny and Jason had worked quickly to prepare for his departure. He would meet his family at the secret location and would begin his new life independent of Cesar Faison. He turned to Sonny, Luke and Jason before boarding the plane. "I still don't understand why you're doing this for me. Why Lucky did this for me."
Luke spoke up. "Well, let me tell you something. My son says you're okay and in my book, that means you're okay. It's that simple. You see, he's the best judge of character I've ever known. Don't know who he got that trait from, certainly not me. Just go, be happy, live your life, get your son well."
"Thank you isn't adequate. One day I will repay all of this money."
Luke waved his hand in the air, towards the plane. "Go."
"Wait, one more thing. Get Faison and make him pay. Lucky never deserved what he got from him."
"Amen to that."
"I just wish I could have been more helpful in telling you where to find him, but he was very secretive about everything."
"You let my son go free. That's good enough for me. Don't worry, we'll find Faison, and trust me, he will pay dearly for what he's done to him."
George nodded and shook their hands, and they watched as he boarded his plane.
Lucky was dreaming again. He was dreaming about the night he and Elizabeth had spent alone in Sonny's penthouse. He was dreaming that they were dancing again, holding each other tightly, so happy and so much in love. Suddenly it became the other dream, the dream where she was shot and he could not get to her. He fought to wake up, not wanting to relive it again. He stirred, as he felt the hand touching his face so softly it was barely perceptible. He was awake, though not fully, when he heard Elizabeth's voice floating above him. Then he felt it again, the unmistakable hand caressing his face. He lifted his head slightly to look up and saw the most beautiful sight he could imagine. He was staring into Elizabeth's eyes as she looked at him and tangled her hand in his hair and whispered, "Lucky…"