~*~Chapter 31~*~

Nikolas and Emily turn down the hallway towards Lucky’s room. “How is he?” Nikolas asks, seeing Luke and Laura outside his door.

Laura smiles and hugs them. “He’s better. Kevin just told us that we can take him home today.”

“Really?” Emily asks happily. “It’s only been a couple of weeks, I was sure it would be longer before they would release him.”

“Kevin says he’s been responding really well to the treatment, and that he finally accepted that he hadn’t really been talking to Liz that day. I think that was all it took for them to see he was okay,” Laura says.

“So, he really had a breakdown?” Nikolas asks, still unable to believe that Lucky had lost it like that.

Luke nods and drapes his arm across Laura’s shoulders. “Yeah, that’s what they’re telling us. They think he was trying to do too much too soon, and it backfired on him. We’re supposed to make sure he rests a lot, doesn’t try to run back to work right away, that sort of thing.”

“Can we go in?” Nikolas asks, nodding towards the door to his brother’s room. Lucky had been at GH for over two weeks, but none of them had really been able to see him much. Kevin had thought it best to keep him relatively isolated for a while until he could come to terms with his loss.

“Sure, I think he’d like to see you,” Laura says warmly. Nikolas and Emily head for the room as she turns to face Luke. “Do you think he’ll really be okay? He looked so tired in there, so beaten.”

Luke nods sadly and embraces her. “He’s a tough kid, baby. It may take some time, but I think the worst of it’s past him.”

Nikolas pauses at the door, collecting his thoughts. “Honey?” Emily asks quietly, noticing his hesitation. “Are you okay?”

He nods and turns the doorknob. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just not sure what to expect, you know?”

“Yeah, me too,” she sighs, holding her breath as he pushes the door open. They walk inside the small room, clutching each other’s hands. Lucky turns his head and smiles.

“Hey, I wasn’t expecting to see you guys today. Did you hear they’re springing me?” he asks, shifting his weight so that he’s sitting up.

“Yeah, Mom just told us,” Nikolas says, taking a seat next to his bed. Emily leans against the chair, still holding his hand. “How are you feeling?”

Lucky shrugs. “Same. Empty. But, I’m not going to give up. I know that wherever Elizabeth is, she wouldn’t want that. I keep thinking about when Faison had me in that room, how I used to always hope that she was moving on, that she wasn’t letting herself fall apart over my so-called death. I suppose I’d be a hypocrite if I turned around and did that now, right?”

“Well, when you put it that way, how can we argue?” Nikolas asks with a small laugh, happy that his brother was getting back to his old self.

Lucky smiles and looks up and Emily. “How are you doing, Em? You look great.”

She smiles and looks down at Nikolas, still not sure if talking about the baby to Lucky is the best idea. She doesn’t want to say anything to upset him. “I’m good. The morning sickness is starting to go away, at least.”

“Well, in case you were worried, if it’s a boy, I won’t hold you to that promise you made when we all thought I was going to die. You remember, right? I asked you to name your first son after me?” He chuckles. “You’re off the hook since I’m still around.”

Nikolas shakes his head and smiles. “That’s a relief, cause I’ve always hated the name Lucas!” he jokes. backing away as Lucky’s hand comes flying out at him. They all laugh, happy that things seem almost normal again.

~*~

Luke turns to Laura and raises an eyebrow. “Did I just hear laughter?”

She shrugs and walks to the door. “I don’t know. Should we go inside and see?”

“Nah, let them be. We should go sign those papers anyway. The faster we get him out of this place, the happier I’ll be. You know how much I hate hospitals.”

Laura nods and they walk down the hall to the nurses station.. About a half hour late, the paperwork is done, and Lucky is free to go. They return quickly to his room to deliver the good news.

“Hey, Cowboy,” Luke says, sticking his head in the door. “You’re a free man!”

Nikolas and Emily turn around as Lucky’s face breaks out in a grin. “Really? I can finally get out of this dump?”

They all laugh as Laura brings in some clothes. She drops them on the bed, then turns to the rest of them. “Why don’t we go outside so he can change?” They nod and stand up to leave, looking back at Lucky again before the door closes. Once they’re outside, Lucky sighs and leans back against his pillow, letting the smile he had been wearing finally drop.

“I just have to keep this up a little bit longer. Then I’ll be home, and everything will be back to the way it was.” He had finally realized that by fighting with Kevin about what really happened that day at L&B, he was only guaranteeing that he’d be staying in the psych ward even longer. He figured the best thing to do was just say he was imagining the whole thing. That way Kevin would be happy, and he could go home. Surprisingly, it had worked. They all believed he was better, and they were letting him go.

Lucky climbs out of bed and quickly gets dressed. The sooner he can get out of there, the better.

~*~Chapter 32~*~

Elizabeth yawns and stretches, sitting up in bed. She glances over at the clock and groans. Breakfast isn’t for another two hours, and she’s already awake. Ever since she became pregnant, she seemed to be waking up earlier and earlier. Since she isn’t allowed out of her suite before breakfast, she decides to take a long, hot bath. She grabs a book from the bookcase next to her desk, then heads into the bathroom. Once the bathtub is full, she climbs in, leaning her head against the wall as she reads.

A while later, the water starts to cool, so she closes the book and climbs out. She dries herself off and throws on a bathrobe, then goes back out into the bedroom, feeling much more refreshed. Unable to think of anything else to do to kill the rest of the time, she sits down at her writing desk.

Dear Lucky,

It’s been a while since I last wrote one of these letters. Maybe that means I’m getting more used to things here, or that I’m missing you less. No, that would be a lie, because I miss you just as much today as I did the day I was taken, if not more. I guess I just have more things to occupy myself with now.

I still spend most of the afternoon outside, sitting in the garden or walking along the beach. The more time I’m out there, the less contact I have with Helena. She seems to shy away from the outdoors. Maybe Luke is right about that whole vampire thing after all!

See, I can even make jokes now. Granted, I’m still not exactly happy here, but things are a little better. I think Helena is starting to trust that I’m not going to do anything stupid, so she gives me a little more freedom than before. She’s even decided to let me paint the baby’s nursery. I gave a list of supplies and paints to one of the servants the other day, and they’re supposed to have them here today, so for the first time in ages, I’m actually looking forward to something. Painting was always the best way for me to escape the reality of life. If there was ever a reality that deserved escaping, it’s this one!

Well, it’s almost time for breakfast, so I’m going to have to cut this letter short. I still need to get dressed. I love you, Lucky, and I miss you terribly. Maybe one day I’ll actually see you again, who knows? Until then, you have my heart. You always will.

Love, Elizabeth

~*~

The painting supplies had arrived that morning, and Helena kept her promise to let her start the nursery. Liz walks into the room and sets down the box of paints, smiling as the sun hits her face. She goes over to the window and looks out at the sea. The room is perfect for a nursery, very bright and sunny, with a gorgeous view of the water. She turns around and studies the walls, trying to decide which to paint first.

This room was going to be her own little rebellion. She had decided to do murals on all four walls, much like she had been doing with Lucky’s apartment before the fire. Only this time, she is going to paint scenes from Port Charles, so her baby will be able to see the place she still considers home. She finally decides on the wall opposite the window and picks out the paints she will need. After spreading out some sheets to cover the floor, she begins.

Hours later, she is so deep into the mural, she doesn’t realize it’s lunch time, until Sergei comes in looking for her. He walks into the room and looks in awe at the wall. It isn’t nearly finished yet, but she has a rough sketch painted out of a garden.

“Wow, that’s really beautiful,” he says quietly, trying not to startle her. Liz turns to him and smiles.

“Thanks,” she says, turning back to the wall.

“It’s not the garden out here. Is it any particular one?” he asks curiously.

She stops painting and puts down her brush. “Um, no, it’s just a random garden.” Actually, it’s the garden at her and Lucky’s house in Port Charles, but she doesn’t want him to know that. If Helena figures out she’s painting scenes from Port Charles on all the walls, she might get angry.

“Well, it’s amazing. You really are talented,” he says, staring at the wall in wonder. “Oh, um, it’s almost time for lunch. I thought you might want to get cleaned up a little.” He chuckles at how messy she is, all covered in paint.

Liz looks at her watch in shock. “You’re kidding, it’s that late already? Thanks, I better go jump in the shower.” She closes up her paints, drops her brush in a bucket of water, and rushes out of the room, leaving Sergei alone to admire her work.

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