Chapter 21
Luke held Lulu in his lap all the way to Spoon Island. When he jumped aboard the boat she ran into his arms, and whispered "Thank you, Daddy" as the launch pulled away from the dock. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she had buried her cold little nose against his chest and held him until they landed at Wyndemere.
She smiled with relief at the sight of her home and took off toward the house at a rapid clip, looking back over her shoulder to urge him on. She stopped twice on the way up to the house: the first time to pet one of the Cassadines' evil-tempered Doberman Pinschers, who'd appeared from nowhere. It angled between Luke and Lulu, slavering, growling, and drawing back its lips to expose its teeth. Luke stood still, knowing that any fast move might prove disastrous.
"Silly Gypsy, stop that," Lulu commanded. "This is my Daddy. Now shake hands."
To Luke's amazement, the animal grinned in a sheepish, doglike way, sat back on its haunches and politely offered a paw.
"Good Gyspy. That's my princess," crooned the little girl.
Luke shook hands with the dog in a gingerly fashion. He knew full well that "good" Gyspy would have torn his arm off if he'd been unfortunate enough to try a night visit without Lulu.
"How's my baby tonight?" the little girl continued. The vicious beast flopped on the ground, rolled over on its back, and wriggled in ecstasy while Lulu rubbed its stomach.
Lulu's second stop was even odder in Luke's opinion. When they reached the garden gate, she stopped to pet a gargoyle. "For luck," she explained. "They protect us. This one's my favorite."
Luke's eyes were drawn to the bench where he'd sat only a few hours earlier. The moon, hidden behind drifting clouds, suddenly found its way through and shone again, casting an unearthly light over the stone bench. Everything seemed surreal. He hoped that he'd roll over and find Alexis next to him in bed. Perhaps this whole day was simply one long and dreadful dream.
But it was all too real. Mrs. Landsbury had the front door open before Lulu could ring the bell. Before he knew it, they were seated in the kitchen drinking cocoa and eating hot cookies at the kitchen table. The cavernous kitchen yawned around them. The light over the table and a flickering fire were the only lights available. Deep in the shadowy corners, something moved.
Lulu hopped up. "Go back to sleep, Foster. You're having a bad dream." He heard the old dog's tail thump as it greeted her. She petted her old friend gently until he drifted back into peaceful slumber.
Lulu skipped back to the table to finish her cookie. Luke tried not to smile while his daughter, face illuminated by the flickering firelight, proceeded to grill the housekeeper as to the welfare of numerous chickens, chicks, kittens and cats. Luke had never been able to imagine anyone wanting to be at Wyndemere, but looking at Lulu's animated face, he realized that she loved every nook and cranny of the creepy old joint.
Finally Lulu yawned. "I'd better go feed the bunnies now, Mrs. Landsbury. It's so late, and they must be hungry."
"No, Lesley Lu," the motherly housekeeper lightly stroked the child's shining hair. "Mr. Wenders and I took care of that for you earlier. All that's left for you to do is thank him tomorrow for his help."
"Okay. Thank you too." Lulu slipped off the chair to hug the housekeeper.
Mrs. Landsbury kept her hands on the child's shoulders for an extra moment. "You go up and get a quick bath. I laid out your things in the bathroom, and I'll be right up to check on you. Remember to wash behind your ears."
"Yes m'aam. I'll just take a quick peep at Sergei first."
"Bath first, young lady, then a very, very quiet peep. Miss Alexis has had a time settling that young man down tonight." Mrs. Landsbury bit her lip as if she regretted her statement.
"Grandma Lesley says that Sergei and Mommy are joined at the hip. He's lonely." Her eyes clouded. "I'll get my bath first, and then creep in so quietly. Even a butterfly couldn't be as quiet as I'll be. Okay?" she asked pleadingly.
"Very well, dear."
Mrs. Landsbury watched the little girl scamper out, and asked more formally, "Mr. Spencer would you like to see Miss Alexis now?"
When he nodded, she led him out the kitchen door and upstairs to the nursery.
With an unnecessary caution to be quiet, the housekeeper left him at the door to Sergei's nursery. As he silently pushed the door open, he heard Alexis crooning to the infant from the rocking chair where she sat with him in her arms. It was an odd melody, a strangely familiar lullaby.
He quietly crossed the room to her, but just as he reached her, the baby startled and began to cry.
She shifted him into a different position whispering, "Oh, little buddy, I don't what else to do for you."
Alexis's heavy-lidded eyes looked as if they'd been smudged with charcoal. Luke realized that she was exhausted. Had been exhausted for days, he thought.
He leaned over and took the baby out of her arms. "Let me take a shift with the small bat," he offered. "Lie down and rest."
"Yessir," she answered with a shadow of her ready grin, and made herself comfortable on the daybed across the room.
Luke looked at the baby. The baby looked back at him, his face puckered up, ready to scream.
In surprisingly gentle fashion, Luke comforted the infant, checked his diaper, then asked Alexis when he had last eaten.
He listened to her responses, then thought a moment. Sergei's watchful green eyes never left his face. He was clearly none to sure about this stranger, and opened his mouth to wail just as Lulu bounced into the room in her pajamas. The baby waved his arms, and smiled a watery smile at his big sister.
"Lulu," said Luke. "You're just the person I need. Come stand over here and distract your brother while I check somethin'."
His big hands probed Sergei's mouth. "Just as I thought," said Luke triumphantly. "The little Count's havin' fang problems."
Lulu looked shocked, and Luke regretted his offhand words instantly. Sergei must have objected also, because he bit Luke's thumb. Hard.
Luke muttered under his breath, while giving the baby an appraising glance. The baby's eyes, so like Stefan's, stared back at him unblinkingly.
"Lulu, get me the medicine your mom uses to rub on his gums when he's cuttin' a tooth. Then bring me whatever drops she uses for fever. After we dose this fellow up, he'll feel a lot better."
Once he finished caring for the baby, Lulu announced that she'd made a pillow fortress on her parents' bed, and asked permission to take Sergei in with her. At first Alexis demurred, but Luke nodded an okay, then walked the children in and settled them together. He was touched to see Lulu holding a cell phone in her hand in bed.
"Your mom isn't gonna feel well enough to call tonight, honey." He leaned over to kiss her and take the phone.
Lulu held on tight, and replied. "No, I'm waiting for Papa to call. He always calls me before bedtime when he's away from home. He'll call. He will." She set her jaw and looked so much like Laura that her father was stunned.
He left the children, and returned to Alexis, leaving the door between the nursery and bedroom open. Alexis was eating a cracker and drinking tea.
"Geez, Alexis. At least I got cookies. Are you still so low on the Cassadine totem pole that you only rate saltines?"
Alexis shoved her hair back from her eyes, and smiled. "No, I asked for them and tea." She sighed with satisfaction as she took a sip.
"We can't leave the children like that," she said.
"It'll take about half an hour before the baby gets sleepy," Luke replied. "He's okay for now. We'll move him back to his crib after he falls asleep."
"You're not too bad at this stuff."
"It's like ridin' a bike, I guess," Luke responded. It all comes back pretty fast."
She smiled gratefully, leaned back and sipped her tea quietly.
"Alexis," he asked, "why didn't you tell me that you know some Swedish?"
"What?" Her tea cup clattered as it hit the saucer. "I don't. What makes you think I do?"
Luke moved closer and put an arm around her. "Baby, you were singin' to Sergei in Swedish when I walked in the door. Don't you remember?"
Alexis shook her head. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Laura and I had a Swedish immigrant for a neighbor once. She sang that lullaby every night. We could hear her through the walls of our apartment. We lived there over a year. I couldn't forget it. I always wanted to pound on the damn wall with my shoe, but Laura wouldn't let me."
"Do you think that my mother sang that to me?" The question came in a whisper.
"Dunno know, baby." Luke put a gentle hand on her face, and turned it toward him. "Maybe."
Alexis leaned against his shoulder. She fought the tears, but they squeezed out from between her eyelids anyway.
"I've been dyin' inside," he whispered. "You've been holdin' back on me, talkin' to Stefan, and I've been stupidly preoccupied with all the wrong stuff."
She turned to hide her face against his chest.
He remembered his conversation with Bobbie the day Alexis had been taken to the hospital, the day she'd come back down the hall arm-in-arm with her brother. Stefan's green eyes had slid over and around Luke, contented, smug. The way the jerk always looked when he talked to Luke about Laura after he first came to town. This time it wasn't Laura and Stefan, but Alexis and Stefan keeping a secret. A secret that Luke knew he should know.
"I'm worse than an idiot!" Luke exclaimed. "When did you plan to tell me you're pregnant?"
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Lulu's characterization of Helena Cassadine had been only too apt, thought Stu. "A smile like a Cheshire cat," she had said. She had contrasted the warmth of her mother's smile with this woman's. "She leaves the room, but her smile stays behind, and you are sorry." Something like that. He couldn't remember the exact words, but their logic was undeniable. The force of the woman's personality and her aura of dangerous sexuality were almost overwhelming in a confined space.
"My friends in Port Charles call me Stu. My last name is Gray. How very fortunate that we should meet again, but I deeply regret the circumstances," he added courteously.
"Exactly what happened?" Helena asked.
"I believe that Mrs. Cassadine took a fall. The doctors seem very worried about her," he answered briefly.
The woman was silent momentarily before she asked, "Will she die?"
"One would hope not," said Stu quietly. Silently he prayed, "Dear God. No, not now. Please. Not now."
He struggled to maintain control in the face of this deadly woman. He had read his private investigator's report thoroughly. He had seen the fear in his daughter's eyes. He needed to buy time. Time to make his own plans. Time to remove this obstacle to his family's security and happiness. David had put out feelers to the people most apt to be helpful: the old boy network never failed to work. He blessed his family's social position, and prayed that at last he would be able to put it to good use.
"Do you find my lack of emotion odd?" Helena inquired thoughtfully, leaning back against the elevator wall.
"Yes," he responded honestly.
She lapsed into silence again. "Do you know what it is to hate?" she asked after a time.
He thought of Lesley's father and the nurse who had taken a bribe to switch his only living child with a corpse. He thought of Lesley, hugging the secret joy of finding their child to herself.
"Yes," he said, "I do."
Helena gazed at him silently and made an odd comment. " I was right about you."
"Shall we get off the elevator?" he asked, "and go for coffee?"
She pushed the button, and the door shot open. As they exited the elevator, she took his arm.
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Stefan finally used a pay phone in a deserted hallway to make a call to Lesley Lu. He knew for a certainty that she would not sleep until she heard from him. She reported that she was well and cuddling Sergei in his and Laura's bed at home. Momentarily, he was disconcerted to hear that Luke Spencer was in his home, wandering through Sergei's nursery and his own bedroom, but he was too grateful to Alexis for staying with the children to worry about such a small thing at this point.
He knew that GH's CEO should not violate hospital policy. It set a bad precedent, but considering that the Board still pretended not to remember the unbelievable Jerry Jacks/Bobbie sex video as they sat down for each meeting, he decided his decision to break the rules was at best, minor.
He went up the back stairs and into the Intensive Care Unit. The nurses were located in a central hub with patients in separate cubicles, each of which was visible to the nurses on duty. There were only three patients here tonight, including his wife.
He opened the door quietly. His familiarity with the machines that helped patients in serious condition stay alive kept him from being overwhelmed at the sight of Laura, lying in bed, hooked up to a number of machines which monitored blood pressure and vital signs. He leaned over her bed carefully and kissed her. He pushed her hair back from her left temple. It was disfigured by an angry bruise. They had put a number of stitches into her scalp right above the temple. She would be upset about her hair, he thought.
He sat beside her in the darkness and listened to her steady breathing. It was the music of his world. Sometimes on bad nights, he lay beside her all night, watching her sleep. Tonight he did the same. He rejoiced in the subtle throbbing of the veins in her neck and temple that assured him of the steady pumping action of her heart, the slow rise and fall of her chest. He might have dozed after a time for later he couldn't remember when she began to stir.
At first, he thought that he'd imagined a movement under his face. That made him realize his face was on the bed, resting on her wrist. He'd sat up straight, then realized that her lips were moving, working as if she were trying to speak. He held his breath and waited, willing his love to return to him and their children.
A long gusty sigh followed, and then, he heard the words that his heart had known for years. The words buried so deep within her that even Laura had not known they were there.
"It hurts, Daddy," she whispered.
He leaned closer to listen. The room was stifling. There was no air; he couldn't breathe. She continued as if she were having a conversation with someone.
"I know that you love me. I'm Daddy's special girl."
A sentence like a sigh. "Am I bad? Mommy was so mad."
" I want you to love me. I do."
" But it hurts so bad." Her voice trailed off.
"Listen to me," He stood up and cupped her face in his hands. "Listen to me."
She seemed to rouse from her dream state momentarily.
"He was not your father. He was not your father, Laura. Do you understand me?"
Her eyes flew open.
"Not my father," she repeated like a lost child. She began to sob.
"No. He was sick, twisted, evil. You were a little child. It was not your fault."
He wanted to kiss her, but was terrified that in her current condition she would believe him to be Jason Vining.
"Not my fault?" The voice of the child again.
"Not your fault," he responded. "That was not love. That was not your father. You have to believe me, Laura. That was not your father. That was not love."
She smiled. "I want daddy to love me." A tear rolled down her cheek. "But it hurt, Mommy."
Another ragged breath. "Not my father. Not love?"
An adult Laura's voice now. "If you act happy, people will love you. Sometimes it just hurts. They can't help it."
"That was not love," Stefan whispered urgently, his husky voice uneven. "You are safe now. I will show you what love is. For all the rest of my life."
"Stay," she sighed.
"Always."
She smiled again and drifted off into an uneasy sleep. Stefan watched the blue veins pulse. He listened to the musical breathing, the rhythm of his life. He sat in the darkened room, holding his wife's hand, crying for the lost child who had finally found her voice.
Where Will All Come Home?
Chapter 22
"So far," Tony Jones said, "the test results haven't proven helpful. Frankly, I've never seen a case like this before. Lesley says that Laura had seizures from emotional stress twice during childhood. This appears to be the first occurrence as an adult."
David Gray turned away from the reports he was studying, and sat down. "I thought these would be useless, and they are." He tossed them across the table. He wrote feverishly for a few moments then handed Tony a slip of paper. "And a neural ultrasound also," Gray said.
Tony glanced at the crabbed writing, and looked doubtful. "You suspect a congenital aneurysm? That was a brilliant series of papers - the ones where you traced a pattern of congenital aneurysms through multiple generations of the same family."
"Yes. Clever of you to remember."
"Don't you think that the probability of this type of aneurysm is almost nil? It's very rare."
Gray glanced over the tops of his reading glasses. "I think it's worth a try."
He picked up Laura's medical history and began to thumb through the folder again. Tony noticed the man's dismissive body language with irritation, but persevered. "If your hypothesis proves correct, how soon will you want to operate?"
"Immediately. My plane is on standby in case we need Fleming. He's one of the best."
Tony's goggled. "Fleming? Why won't you operate?"
"My good man," Gray snapped, "I owe you no explanations. Naturally, I'll supervise."
Tony held his tongue and left the room.
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Alexis began the day with her worst bout of morning sickness yet. After Stefan called with a comforting report on her mother, Luke delivered Lesley Lu to school, then drove Sergei to the hospital daycare center. Mrs. Landsbury had suggested that as a comforting alternative for the baby, who often stayed there when his mother worked.
Once he had disposed of the small Count, he took the elevator upstairs to check on Laura. In the hall outside intensive care, he found Stefan in conference with Tony and some other, older guy.
"How's Laura?" Luke asked without preamble.
The other guy paused in mid-sentence and looked annoyed.
"She is resting," Stefan said briefly. His heart pounded, and he breathed deeply. The age old rhythms of Tai Chi filled his mind as he struggled to maintain control. Luke was the last person he wanted near Laura. His presence might inadvertently prompt her to remember yesterday's revelations. Worse still, he might remind her of last night's dreams. Neither was acceptable. Until the physicians understood her condition, Laura must remain calm.
"So, can I see her?" Luke asked.
"No," said Stefan, at the same time that Tony said, "Maybe later ..."
Dr. Gray's bright eyes flickered with interest.
"I have asked Dr. Collins to consult with me before Laura sees visitors," Stefan added smoothly. "She doesn't remember yesterday. She was distressed this morning, because she thought our guests were on their way to dinner."
Luke nodded. "That's fine, but I plan to see her. And soon."
Stefan crossed his arms over his chest and rocked backwards slightly. His rumpled clothes, the dark circles under his eyes, and stress lines on his face bespoke exhaustion, but his voice was calm and determined, his control restored.
"If Dr. Collins agrees."
"Okay. Fine. But don't make this more difficult than it has to be." Luke turned and strode off.
He stopped and pivoted. "Don't bother to talk to Collins, Cassadine. Alexis and I see him today. I'll discuss it with him myself."
Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Indeed? As you like, then." He shrugged, and resumed his conversation with the doctors.
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Laura lay in her hospital bed longing for home. It was bleak here. She knew that Stefan would have filled the cubicle with flowers if they were permitted. She felt woozy, a result of sedatives she supposed. She entertained herself by imagining the room filled with roses and daisies, and her husband leaning over her. Her mind leapt from image to image of him leaning over her - his shadow falling across her while she sat in a field of daisies, his body outlined by moonlight on a beach long ago. His eyes desperate, haunted, as he strove to assure her of his love before sending her back to the hell that was his brother's bed.
Unsettled by that painful recollection, her mind lurched away from memories of the island and settled on the most comforting image of all: Stefan leaned over her in their own bedroom. The fire flickered in the background, its sparks reflected in his eyes. His face intent, he surveyed her body in a proprietary fashion. He leaned over the bed, and with characteristic catlike grace, suddenly leapt onto the bed, straddled her in one smooth movement. Her hands reached upward to pull him to her, then slipped down his sides to tug impatiently at the knotted cord securing the waistband of black silk pajama bottoms, pushing them downward, out of the way of her busy fingers. She inhaled his clean scent as his lips brushed hers.
The door flew open, and two nurses appeared.
"Mrs. Cassadine, can you hear me?" the older of the two nurses asked.
"Yes," answered Laura, somewhat irritated at having her pleasant train of thought interrupted.
"She looks fine," said the younger nurse, whose pale blue smock identified her as a student.
"Check the connections on the machines," said the older nurse sternly. "Your blood pressure soared sky-high! Are you light-headed? Dizzy?"
Laura blushed. "No," she answered meekly, just as Stefan barged in the door.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Just a bit of a turn, Mr. Cassadine. Not to worry. She's fine." The gray-haired nurse adjusted a monitor, and admonished Laura, "Lie quiet now."
The women left the room, and Stefan leaned over the bed.
"Maybe you shouldn't," Laura said nervously.
"It distresses you?" Stefan asked, recoiling.
"No, I like it. That's the problem," said Laura, rolling her eyes. "That's what went wrong with my blood pressure. I was daydreaming that you were leaning over the bed. The real thing might blow every circuit in this room!"
Stefan stroked his mustache to hide his smile of relief.
"But..." she added with a sudden gleam in her eye, "We could disconnect these machines. I'm not that out of it."
Stefan laughed, and kissed her. We can wait until the physicians disconnect this equipment, and we may enjoy ourselves in the privacy of our own home." He gently stroked her shining hair.
Laura pretended to pout. "Black silk pajamas?" she asked.
"I promise," he whispered, "to make it worth the wait."
"You look so tired," Laura said. "Go home. Sleep. I'll lie here quietly practicing deep breathing, so my blood pressure won't go up while I plan my reward for patience...."
"You are incorrigible," Stefan smiled. He looked up as the door opened to admit Tony and David Gray.
"Laura." Tony nodded, "Have you met Dr. Gray?"
"Hello," she said. Her eyes widened as she instinctively reached for Stefan's hand. "We haven't met, have we?"
"No, we haven't, but I'm quite pleased to meet you, Mrs. Cassadine." Gray smiled.
Oh brother, thought Tony. The guy must like women or well-paying patients. He certainly hadn't exuded this much charm for anyone else.
"Dr. Jones and I reviewed your tests. May I sit down ?" When she nodded, Gray pulled a chair next to the bed and patted her hand.
"I flew in last night. What do you remember about yesterday?"
"Nothing, honestly," Laura answered.
"Not surprising," he responded kindly. "You had a bit of an upset in the afternoon, and you fell. Probably you fall resulted from a seizure. Your mother and sister both reported two earlier instances of seizures."
Laura nodded. "They told me. I don't remember those times. I don't remember yesterday."
Her brow wrinkled, she turned to Stefan, "What upset me?"
Dr. Gray spoke before Stefan could. "That's irrelevant just now. We've discovered a physical reason for the seizures. An aneurysm. It needs to be repaired."
Stefan grip on Laura's hand tightened. "You're sure?" he asked.
"Yes, an odd one. A rather rare type actually. We found it with a neural ultrasound."
"It's in my head? My brain?" Laura asked.
"Yes."
She felt for Stefan's other hand. "Do we have to do anything? I feel okay today."
"You've been lucky, my dear. Another episode like yesterday's could kill you. If you did survive, you might be blind or paralyzed."
Stefan sucked in air. "There's no other option?"
"No." Gray was firm.
Stefan nodded grimly. "Laura?"
"Tony, what do you think?" she asked.
"I agree. It needs to be done. There is some good news, however. This type of surgery used to take anywhere from ten to twelve hours, but now, it is simpler and much faster."
"That's all true. One of the best surgeons I know is on his way here." Gray checked his watch. "He should arrive in about three hours."
"You will oversee the surgery?" Stefan asked.
Gray nodded.
"It's scary." Laura said. "You'll go into my head?"
"No, we'll begin with a small incision in your left thigh."
"My leg? I don't get it?"
"We'll insert a guide wire and a tiny micro-catheter into your femoral artery and guide it into your brain from there. We''ll be watching it on a series of tv monitors, moving the wire carefully through your body to the site of the aneurysm."
Gray pulled an ultrasound image from a folder. "That's where it is. Once we get to the aneurysm we'll send an electric current to detach a tiny coil of platinum filament from the end of the micro-catheter. Then we'll carefully withdraw the wire and the micro-catheter. That tiny coil we leave behind will soon be covered by your body's tissue and will become the new wall of that vein. Your difficulties will be ended. It should take an hour to an hour and a half."
He replaced the ultrasound plate in a folder. "What do you think?"
"You make it sound so simple," Stefan murmured.
"The procedure is not without risk. It requires great precision to move the wire through the circulatory system without damaging other organs, but it is far simpler than older procedures. Even ten years ago, your wife would be living with a death sentence," Gray added gravely. "We have much to be thankful for."
"When will you do the surgery?" Laura asked.
"Tomorrow morning," Tony answered.
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Dr. Collins leaned back in his chair, considering his new patient.
"If I understand what you've told me so far, Alexis, then we need to think carefully about our treatment goals here."
"Correct me if I'm wrong. You want to carry your baby to term."
"Yes. Absolutely." She gripped Luke's hand.
"Your obstetrician called. He's discussed risk factors with you."
She nodded.
Luke turned to Alexis. "Nobody's talked to me about risk factors."
Alexis's eyes shone. "This is my first baby; it's considered a high risk pregnancy due to my age. But my nightmares are a significant cause of additional stress."
"Isn't Luke aware of your obstetrician's recommendations?" Kevin leaned forward. "I didn't know you hadn't discussed this with him."
"What recommendations, baby?"
"An abortion. But I won't," she added fiercely. "I won't."
Luke put an arm around her. "Why would he even suggest it?"
Alexis hesitated. "Something could go wrong."
"What's the risk? You'd need to stay in bed for part of your pregnancy? The baby might be born early? What are we talkin' about here?" Luke asked.
Alexis seemed preoccupied with the patterns on the rug. "One of us could die," she said finally.
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Helena Cassadine's morning had been a busy one. From sources on the hospital staff, she had learned that Laura's condition was stable.
"A pity," she murmured as she folded back the cover sheet on a fax that had just arrived.
A preliminary report from her operatives on Gordon Stuart Gray. She scanned it rapidly. He once lived in Port Charles. His wife recently deceased.
She laughed and fingered her necklace. "Poor dear. He needs comforting."
Mr. Gray dispersed his wife's ashes in the Port Charles River. He went home, then returned, made another sudden trip, and once again came back to Port Charles. But why?
Why had he gone to Wyndemere for Thanksgiving Dinner? Why had he spent so much time with Luke? And of this she was sure. Her first impression that Stefan was very interested in this man had been correct.
Dinner tonight, she thought. She unlocked a drawer in her dresser and withdrew a small vial. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror and began to sing softly. "Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star...."
Chapters 23 and Conclusion
Chapters 19-20