Lucky sat at the head of Elizabeth's bed, looking down on her as she slept peacefully. He was exhausted, but he knew he could not afford to sleep as long as he was alone with Elizabeth. And even though two of Sonny's men stood guard outside the door, he knew he wouldn't feel completely safe until his father returned. He also knew that Faison would return as soon as he learned that he and George were no longer in the catacombs. And he knew that he would exact a precise revenge on Lucky and that Elizabeth would be his most likely target.
Lucky leaned his head back against the wall for just a moment, closing his eyes, the prospect of sleep seducing him. He felt himself starting to drift off even as he fought to stay awake. A thousand images danced before him, images of his first time with Faison, the beatings and the mind games, the endless hours on the computer trying to learn how to outwit Faison at chess so that he could have one question answered. The question was always the same, and on the rare occasions when Faison would allow him to win, he always asked the same one. "Why?" A simple question that should have elicited a simple answer, but Faison continually evaded the issue and danced around it, never giving him anything concrete other than the fact that there was something he wanted and he would do whatever it took to get it. But he never told Lucky how he figured in the equation. He could still hear his hideous, maniacal laughter as he left his steel room, leaving Lucky all the more confused and frustrated. Of course now he knew that the something Faison spoke about belonged to Luke. If only Luke would tell him what it was, maybe it would all make sense to him.
Lucky went from those images to the ones of Elizabeth being shot, and all of the emotions and feelings of that day came flooding back to him. The images floated before him just on the edge of his consciousness, but he was startled back to reality by the sound of he door opening and his heart began to pound. "Shit." He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking up. "Dad, thank God it's you. It's the middle of the night. I didn't think you'd be back until morning."
"You know I don't ever sleep at night. Besides I figured you could use a break. You doing okay?"
He nodded and stood up, leaning over to gently smooth Elizabeth's hair back from her face before approaching his father. He covered his face with his hands and pressed his fingertips into his eyes, shaking his head. When he looked at Luke, his eyes were rimmed with tears. "I'm so tired, Dad. I just want this to be over, for Elizabeth, for Mom and Lulu, for all of us."
Luke placed his hand on Lucky's shoulder. "I know, son. I know. We all want it to be over. But Faison will make his next move soon and we'll be ready for him."
"He's going to come after Elizabeth. I know this about him. That's why we need to move her somewhere safe as soon as we can."
Luke moved to the foot of the bed and looked at her. "She looks so peaceful, Lucky. Maybe it's good that she doesn't know what's going on. How is she? Has there been any change?"
Lucky nodded. "Good news. She woke up a while ago. Dr. Quartermaine came in and examined her. She told me she's out of the coma now but she'll be in and out for a while. Mostly she just needs a lot of rest now. She won't really know any more until she wakes up and is able to talk and answer some questions."
"She woke up? That's good, son. That's really good."
"She was only awake for a minute, but she looked in my eyes and said my name. She knew I was here."
Sonny, who had been standing in the background came forward to rest by the side of Elizabeth's bed. He looked up at Lucky. "No offense, but you look like shit, kid. Have you thought about getting yourself checked out by Dr. Quartermaine?"
Lucky shook his head. "I can't worry about myself until I know Elizabeth is okay." He turned to Luke. " We need to get her out of here, Dad, just as soon as we can."
Luke nodded. "We've moved your mother and Lulu to Jason's penthouse. They'll be safe there, and that's where we want to move Elizabeth. I'm not sure how we'll do it yet since we have no idea who Faison has watching the hospital. We'll get her out of here, Lucky, I promise, just as soon as she wakes up and is well enough to be moved."
Lucky paced the floor for a moment before stopping and reaching into his pocket. "Oh, I almost forgot. I found this." He handed Luke the small camera he had removed from the ceiling by the window.
"How did you find that? We swept this room a thousand times."
"I knew where it was from the angle of the camera on the tapes I saw."
"He showed you tapes of Elizabeth in the hospital?"
Lucky nodded. "He's a sick bastard, Dad. Those tapes were his own special brand of torture, but at least I knew she was still alive, though he kept taunting me that she wouldn't be for long, that he wasn't done with her yet." He slumped down in the chair and ran his hand through his hair, finally looking up at Luke. "So, you found George okay?"
"We found George. Put him on a plane to a location only Sonny knows with a new identity and lots of cash."
Lucky looked at Sonny. "I promise I'll pay back all the money."
Sonny waved his hand in front of him. "What money?"
Lucky smiled, letting Sonny believe it was okay, but knowing that one day he would pay him back every dime of the money he had given to George.
"Nice guy, George. He was a bit bewildered by our generosity, by your generosity so I explained to him that I trust your judgment above all others and if you said he was okay, that makes him okay in my book. He was very grateful."
Lucky turned to Sonny. "You sent him someplace where he can get the best medical help for his son?"
"He's going to be fine, Lucky, and I promise Faison will never find him."
"Good. Although I doubt that he'd go after him. I'm sure he was expendable, I just didn't want to take any chances you know?" He turned back to Luke then. "You're the one he wants, Dad, or rather something you have, and he'll do whatever it takes to get to you."
Luke nodded, his heart breaking for his son. He looked so tired, so beaten. And he knew that soon he would have to tell Lucky what Faison wanted from him, that he had the coveted Ice Princess that was worth an unfathomable sum of money. "Listen, will you try and get some rest? Sonny and I will stay here and stand guard while you get some sleep. You really don't look so good and I want you to think about getting checked out by Monica."
"I will, but not now. I need to be here for Elizabeth when she wakes up."
"Okay, I'm going to get some coffee for Sonny and me. You need to eat. What can I get you?"
"I'm not hungry, Dad, really." Luke looked at him for a long minute, wishing he could fix everything for him, wishing he could be the one to take care of Faison, but he knew Lucky. He knew he would have to be the one to face him, to take him down. After all, he was the one who had been held prisoner by him for three years of his life, three long years away from Elizabeth and all the people he loved. He was nothing if not his father's son, and Luke knew this, knew that he would not rest until Faison was either dead or in prison. He put his hand on Lucky's shoulder again. "Son, that room...I saw it...and I can only imagine what it must have been like for you..."
"It's okay, Dad. I'm out now and I don't ever have to go back. I swear to you, Faison will never get me again. I'll kill him first."
Luke nodded and then said, "I hope I get to him before you do."
After Luke left, Lucky sat on the edge of Elizabeth's bed, taking her hand in his, and looked up at Sonny. "Sonny, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, kid. You know you can ask me anything."
"Faison said something to me that day when Elizabeth was shot. I could see you kneeling by her, helping her. I tried so hard to get away from him so I could get to her. It was the worst moment of my life, seeing her lying on the ground like that and knowing I couldn't help her. But I was glad you were there to take care of her. I knew you would do whatever it took to make sure she was okay." Sonny nodded and said nothing as he waited for Lucky to go on. "Faison taunted me all the time, you know. He told me that you were the man who really loved her, that you were the one who should be taking care of her. What do you think he meant by that?"
Sonny's heart skipped a beat. How in the hell did Faison know how much he loved Elizabeth? How could he know? No one else knew, not even Jason. He would never reveal that to anyone, would never let on that he loved her as he had loved no other since Brenda. He blinked a few times, feeling the tears welling in his eyes. He could never let Lucky know, and he would keep these feelings to himself until his death. He looked down at Elizabeth and stroked her arm briefly before he finally looked up at Lucky, taking a deep breath and speaking softly. "Of course I love Elizabeth, Lucky. She's family. Just like you are. I'll always love her. Faison was just playing mind games with you."
Lucky nodded. "You're right. He's a master at playing mind games."
"Lucky, you don't ever have to worry about Elizabeth. I'll always protect her, whether you're around or not. I'll always do everything in my power to make sure she's safe. I'm just sorry I couldn't do the same for you, and that I couldn't protect her that day."
"But you were there for her when it happened. That's what counts. I'll always be grateful to you for that."
Sonny nodded and took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm going outside now and let you get some rest." He walked toward the door, then turned around and said, in a whisper. "She'll be okay now that you're back, Lucky. This I know."
"Thanks, Sonny...Thanks for everything."
Later, as the sunlight came through the hospital window in the early morning, Lucky pulled his chair up to the side of Elizabeth's bed and laid his head on her hand, closing his eyes, trying to sleep. He may have slept for a few minutes after Luke and Sonny came back, but he certainly didn't feel rested. He knew he would never really rest until Elizabeth woke up and he was finally able to talk to her, to tell her how much he loved her, to know that she was going to be all right. He thought again about the blissful night they had spent in Sonny's penthouse, and how they had made love and had awakened to sunshine for the first time in days. He truly thought that things were going to turn around for them, that perhaps he was finally free of Faison. He had gained a false sense of security while staying at Sonny's, and he cursed himself now for allowing himself to become careless. He knew Faison was coming for him, for Elizabeth, or for whoever he could hurt the most to get to him, and ultimately to Luke.
After a while he felt Elizabeth stirring and became aware of her other hand in his hair. "Lucky...." He looked up then and saw her eyes, clear and bright, looking into his.
"Hey." He moved closer to the bed and stroked her hair, tears welling in his eyes.
"You're really here?"
"Yes, I'm really here."
She nodded and smiled weakly, tears slipping down her cheeks. "Love you, Lucky..."
He started to stand up, still holding her hand. "Elizabeth, baby, do I need to get the doctor? Are you in any pain?"
She pulled on his hand, "No, Lucky, please don't go. I'm okay. Just stay here and talk to me for a while. I've missed you so much."
He sat down on the bed and stroked her face with his hand. "You're sure? I mean, you don't have any pain?"
"Well, maybe a little, but nothing unbearable. Just let me look at you." She was quiet for a moment, gathering her strength a bit before going on. Her speech was somewhat labored, but she seemed stronger than when she had awakened earlier. "I knew you were coming." "You knew?"
"I wasn't cold anymore. I've been so cold, so empty since you've been gone. I started feeling warmer and I knew that you were coming. I knew, Lucky. I could feel you getting closer and closer to me." He felt the tears spilling down his face as he started to cry and he made no effort to stop them. He felt himself finally giving in to the fatigue and fear and loneliness he had been feeling, and the happiness he felt at finally being able to talk to Elizabeth. She reached up and tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, but they continued to spill down his face. "Don't cry, Lucky, please."
"I can't help it, baby. I'm just so happy to finally be able to talk to you, so happy that you're awake and alive and that I'm here with you."
"I've missed you so much, Lucky. I didn't want to go on without you. I didn't know where you were, or what had happened to you. I was afraid you were dead."
She stopped and looked around the room, as if she were looking for something or someone. "Elizabeth, what is it?"
"George....have to thank George. He's the one who let you go."
"George? Sweetie, how do you know about George?"
"You've been through hell, Lucky. I know. I know how George helped you. You told me everything."
"You could hear me?"
She nodded. I heard everything all along. I knew every time your father or Sonny or Jason came in the room. They talked to me sometimes, but not about you. They always talked in whispers away from my bed so I couldn't hear them. I didn't know what had happened to you until you came here and told me everything. I tried to answer you. I tried to talk but the words just wouldn't come out."
He smiled, kissing her cheek. "I think I heard you, baby. I thought I was dreaming, but now I know it was your voice trying to reach me when I was lying beside you."
"I was fighting to get back to you."
"Just like I've been fighting to get back to you. And Sonny thanked George enough for all of us. He doesn't ever have to worry about Faison again."
"I'm glad. Lucky, you look so tired. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"
"I'm okay, Elizabeth, especially now that you're awake."
"I love you so much."
"I love you, too, baby." He leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips and she tangled her hand in the hair at the back of his head, holding him against her for a long minute. They were interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
"Lucky...." Bobbie, Luke and Sonny entered the room. "Luke called me because he heard you talking in here. He thought maybe Elizabeth was awake. Monica is on her way." She approached Elizabeth's bed and picked up her hand to take her pulse. "It's wonderful to see you awake, Elizabeth. Your pulse is a little fast, but I guess that could be because Lucky is here."
Elizabeth smiled and took his hand. "I'm just so happy to see him."
"How are you feeling?"
"I feel okay, I guess. Just a little weak."
"Do you have any pain?"
"Not very much, no."
Bobbie felt her forehead and took her temperature. "Well, your fever is down and that's a really good sign. It means the infection is getting better. You know, after Monica examines you I imagine she'll want you to start sitting up and eventually getting out of bed to walk. Do you feel up to that?"
"I think so. I want to get better, Bobbie, and I'll do anything I have to, I promise."
"Good. Let me go see if I can find Monica. She should be on her way. It's wonderful to have you back."
Bobbie left the room as Luke and Sonny came in, both smiling. Luke leaned over and kissed her on the forehead. "Hey, darlin', you sure are a sight for sore eyes."
She laughed. "Thanks. Sonny..." She reached out her hands and took his hand in one, Luke's in the other. "Thank you both for watching over me. I always knew you were here, and Jason, too. I don't know how to thank you."
"Just get better so we can get you out of here, okay?" Luke turned to Lucky. "Can I talk to you outside?"
Elizabeth spoke. "No...Luke, please, I want to know what's going on. You can tell Lucky whatever it is in front of me. I've been in the dark for too long."
Luke looked at Lucky. "It's okay. No secrets, Dad. She has a right to know everything."
"Okay. Mac was just here. They've intercepted a call to the control room in the catacombs. He's on his way back to Port Charles."