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~*~Chapter 57~*~
“You want to name her Elizabeth?” Lucky asks softly, looking down an his new niece.
Emily nods. “Yeah, if it’s okay with you. We’ll understand if it isn’t.”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s fine. I think she would like that.”
“We’re going to call her Beth or Bethie, so there won’t be any confusion,” Nikolas adds quickly. While most of them had given up hope that Elizabeth would be found, he knew that Lucky hadn’t, and didn’t want to upset him.
Lucky nods. “That sounds good. I’m really happy for both of you, congratulations.” He steps forward and kisses Emily on the forehead, hugs Nikolas, then walks out of the room.
“Should I go after him?” Luke asks, looking at the empty doorway.
“No, let him be alone. This is a lot for him to deal with, that’s all. I don’t think the baby seemed like a reality until now, you know?” Laura says.
“Maybe. I just hate to see him like this. I thought by now he’d be more like his old self again.”
“Well, Liz was his life. He’s lost without her, and I just don’t think he’ll ever be happy again until she comes back, if she comes back.”
“I’m trying, baby, you know that. The girl just vanished. I don’t know where else to look,” Luke says quietly, sighing in frustration. He turns his attention back to his granddaughter and smiles. “Well, looks like we’ve got another Spencer on our hands here. I bet she’s going to be a handful.”
Emily smiles up at Nikolas, then back at her daughter. “I can’t get over how beautiful she is.”
Laura chuckles softly. “Yeah, you’ll be staring at her a lot for the first few weeks. I spent days just watching Lucky when he was first born. It was like I was afraid he would disappear if I looked away for too long, like it was all a dream.”
“That’s kind of how I feel right now, too. Hey, did the doctor say when we can take her home?”
“No, but I’m sure it won’t be long. She looks perfectly healthy to me.” Laura reaches down and touches the little girl’s nose, grinning proudly.
~*~
Lucky walks down the street, not sure where he is going or why. All he knows is that he couldn’t bring himself to stay in that hospital room, watching his parents and brother gush over the baby. He couldn’t stop thinking how that should be his and Elizabeth’s child, not theirs. It was selfish, but he couldn’t help it.
After wandering for an hour, he finds himself at Jake’s. He stands in front of the building and sighs, knowing he shouldn’t go in, but unable to walk away. He pushes the door open and seats himself at the bar.
“Hey, stranger,” an all-too familiar voice calls out. He turns around and groans.
“Kimber, I didn’t think you worked during the day.”
“I don’t usually, but I’m covering for someone today. What brings you here?” she asks sweetly, walking behind the bar.
Lucky sighs and rests his head in his hands. “My sister-in-law just had her baby today.”
“And this is bad because....” she says, not sure why he’s so upset.
“Nevermind, just get me a drink, okay?”
“Sure, the usual?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” He takes the glass from her and gulps it down, then puts it back on the bar for a refill. Kimber hides a smile as she turns to grab the bottle of liquor.
~*~
A few hours, and many, many drinks later, Lucky stands up and starts to stumble towards the door. Kimber rushes around the bar and grabs him. “Whoa there, you’re not planning on driving like that are you?’
He shakes his head. “Nope, I walked this time. Thank you for the drinks, but I really need to go home now.”
“Lucky, you can barely walk to the front door, how do you expect to get all the way home?” she asks, placing her hands on her hips for emphasis.
“I’m fine, Kimber, just please get out of my way,” he says, pushing past her, then nearly falling as he stumbles over an uneven floorboard.
Kimber quickly steps in and catches him. “Uh-huh, yeah, you’re just fine there. Look, I’m off in about twenty more minutes. Why don’t you wait here, and I’ll drive you home?”
Lucky looks at her for a moment, not sure what to do. Realizing that in his condition, he really had no other option, he sighs and sits back at the bar. “Fine, I’ll wait. Give me another drink, then. I need something to pass the time.”
She smiles and pours another drink, then hurries to finish with the last few tables she has, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Something was telling her this just might be her “lucky” night.
~*~Chapter 58~*~
Sergei had been gone for about a week, and Liz was using the time to bond with her son. He was growing so fast, and she never tired of playing with him, or walking around in the garden with him. He hardly ever cried when she was around, so she usually didn’t leave, except to sleep at night. Helena pretty much left her alone, which made her more than happy.
Liz is out in the garden, like she is most afternoons, letting Mikkos get some fresh air and sun, when Sergei comes home. He walks out to her, smiling as he sees her playing with their baby. “Hey,” he greets, hurrying over.
She looks up and smiles. “You’re back. How was the trip?”
“It was okay, boring mostly. But, I did manage to stop at that music store. That woman was working again, so I had her recommend some new CDs.” He hands her a bag, taking Mikkos from her so she could take it.
Liz pulls a small pile of CDs out of the bag and starts to flip through them, reading the artists out loud to herself. “Sarah McLachlan’s new one, that should be good. New Goo Goo Dolls, soundtrack to ‘Star Wars, Episode 2’...” she stops when she sees the last disc, recognizing the artwork on the cover as her own, then quickly clears her throat. “Robert Foster?”
Sergei shrugs. “The woman said it was flying off the shelves. He’s some new guy from America, he’s supposed to be really hot here. I figured since you liked the other stuff she recommended, this would be good, too.”
She nods, trying to remain calm. “Yeah, I’m sure it will be. Um, actually, I think I’d like to go listen to these. Would you mind watching him?”
He kisses Mikkos’s forehead and nods. “Of course. Elisha, are you okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I think I just got too much sun today, I’m feeling kind of tired. I’ll see you at dinner, though.” She gives him another shaky smile, then hurries back into the house, up the stairs, and into her room, locking the door behind her. She grabs the CD player and brings it to her bed, sitting and trying to calm herself down.
She digs through the bag and pulls out the CD that has her so frazzled, taking a good look at it. That was definitely her painting on the cover, no doubt about it. Maybe the Spencers sold it in her memory or something, maybe that was all there was to it. Then again, the name was too much of a coincidence as well. Foster was Lucky’s best friend when he was young, and he still loved him. Because Lulu loved the dog so much, they kept him at Luke and Laura’s house, but Lucky would go over there all the time to play with him. And Robert, that was Luke’s best friend’s name, the guy who was supposedly killed by Faison. It all just seemed like too much to be a coincidence.
“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” she mutters to herself, tearing away the shrink wrap, then fighting with the sticker along the top of the case that held it closed. Finally she gets it open and pulls out the booklet, scanning for pictures, but is disappointed to find none. As she’s about to give up hope, a song title catches her eye and she smiles. It’s “Hero,” the song he wrote for Luke and sang at his showcase. Her eyes begin to water as she sees the writing credit listed as “Robert Foster,” and not Lucky. Could it be? Was it possible that he wasn’t dead after all?
“Elizabeth, get a hold of yourself. This could have been put out posthumously, so don’t get your hopes up yet,” she whispers, gently removing the CD from the case, her hand shaking as she puts it into the player. She waits a moment before hitting the play button, afraid that it wouldn’t be Lucky’s voice she was about to hear. After a slight hesitation, she presses it, adjusts the volume, and waits as the chords of the first song begin.
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began as a passionate start
And they may not want it to end
But it will, it’s just a question of when
I’ve lived long enough to have learned
The closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned
But that won’t happen to us
Because it’s always been a matter of trust
Liz smiles as tears run down her face. It is Lucky, she’d know that voice anywhere.
I know you’re an emotional girl
It took a lot for you to not lose your faith in this world
I can’t offer you proof
But you’re gonna face a moment of truth
It’s hard when you’re always afraid
You just recover when another belief is betrayed
So break my heart if you must
It’s a matter of trust
You can’t go the distance
With too much resistance
I know you have doubts
But for God’s sake, don’t shut me out
This time you’ve got nothing to lose
You can take it, you can leave it
Whatever you choose
I won’t hold back anything
And I’ll walk away a fool or a king
Some love is just a lie of the mind
It’s make believe until it’s only a matter of time
And some might have learned to adjust
But then it never was a matter of trust
I’m sure you’re aware love
We’ve both had our share of
Believing too long
When the whole situation was wrong
Some love is just a lie of the soul
A constant battle for the ultimate state of control
After you’ve heard lie upon lie
There can hardly be a question of why
Some love is just a lie of the heart
The cold remains of what began as a passionate start
But that can’t happen to us
Because it’s always been a matter of trust
As the CD moved on to the next song, Liz quickly scans the booklet, reading over the lyrics of the one that had just ended, wiping away her tears. She gets to the end of it and smiles at the copyright date: 1998. He must have written it when they first started to fall in love, back when he was angry with his parents and living in the boxcar.
The CD continues on, song after beautiful song, and she listens in utter wonder at the sound of his voice, scanning through the booklet, until she gets to the end and reads the acknowledgment section:
First and foremost, I would like to thank my family. My parents, who have loved me no matter what, even when I turned them away. Mom, you’re an angel, you’ll always be my first love. Dad, you’re my hero, literally. Thank you for instilling a love for music into me at such an early age, it’s been one of the best gifts you’ve given me. Also, thanks to my brother, who, although I grew up not knowing he existed, and later spent years hating, has turned out to be one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Thanks for everything, bro. And my sister-in-law, who was my first true friend, and always stood by me, through everything that’s happened to both of us. I always loved you like a sister, and now you’re finally a part of this family, like it should be. To my little sister, I’ll always be there for you, no matter what you need, even if it’s advice about boys. I’d also like to thank L&B Records, who pursued me until I just couldn’t say no any longer. V, you’re the greatest, thank you for being a friend when I’ve needed one.
And finally, my wife. No words can properly express how grateful I am to have had you in my life, even if it was for such a short time. You are my soulmate, the only woman I will ever truly love. We found our way back to one another once before, and I firmly believe we will again. Wherever you are, I love you with all of my heart, and that’s a permanent lock.
Liz closes the booklet and breaks into tears. Those were not the thank-yous from a man who had died in a club shooting. Those came from someone who was alive. Lucky was still alive.
[Song credit: “A Matter of Trust” by Billy Joel © 1988 Joelsongs, Sony Music]
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