What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 55-56

~*~Chapter 55~*~

When they reach the doorway, the nurse takes over for Luke and leads Audrey down the hallway. Everyone watches her go as though they are an inmate watching someone walk down death row for the last time: half sympathetic towards her and half relieved that it’s not them.

Luke goes back to his wife and grasps her hand. He hates it that he felt relieved when they called Audrey, especially since he knows how difficult it will be for Lucky if Liz was the fatality. He looks around the room and can see that everyone is thinking pretty much the same thing.

A doctor enters through the same doors that Audrey had just disappeared into. Everyone stops their conversations immediately and looks up at him expectantly. He clears his throat before speaking.

“I know how hard this must be for all of you, and I thank you for being patient. I guess I should start with the bad news: as you heard earlier, there was one fatality.” He looks around the room. He has seen these expressions so many times before, from parents who are hoping for the best and bracing themselves for the worst.

“The fatality was the pilot...” he has to pause as everyone breathes a sigh of relief and mutters to each other.

Luke grins. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy to hear someone was dead....oh, wait a minute, yes I have.” Laura hits him playfully. She’s happy too, but she finds his comment a bit tasteless. Then again, that’s what makes him Luke!

When everyone calms down again, the doctor continues, looking at his clipboard. “Luke Spencer?” Luke waves his hand to show where he is. “I have you listed as the contact for both Lucky Spencer and Nikolas Cassidine, is that correct?”

Alexis turns to Ned and raises her eyebrows. “That’s a new one!”

Luke nods, ignoring the curious glances from everyone. Everyone knows that there is no love lost between Luke and Nikolas, and wonders how he ended up as the boy’s emergency contact. Remembering that his wife was Nikolas’s mother, they assumed that was the reason, and forgot all about it.

The doctor continues. “Lucky was, well, lucky. He came out of it with no more than a few scratches and bruises. They’re cleaning him up right now, and once the sedative wears off, he’ll be able to go home.”

“Sedative? I thought you said he was fine.” Luke asks, confused.

“Well, it seems that he was hysterical when the paramedics arrived and they had to sedate him. I don’t know the details. He’ll be fine, I’m sure. As for Nikolas, he dislocated his shoulder. They managed to pop it back in place and are cleaning up his cuts. He should also be released soon.” Laura smiles for the first time since arriving at the hospital. Both of her boys are okay.

The doctor reads the clipboard again. “Doctor Quartermaine?”

“Right here” Alan and Monica say, simultaneously, causing the doctor to chuckle slightly.

“Are you Emily’s parents?” They nod. “She has a pretty bad gash on her leg. They’re stitching it up as we speak. She didn’t lose too much blood, so she should be fine. We’ll know soon when she can be released.”

“Excuse me, doctor?” Laura asks. “Do you know what Elizabeth Webber’s status is?”

“Are you family?”

“She’s our son’s fiancee.” Luke arches an eyebrow at her questioningly.

He looks back at his notes. “She suffered a serious head injury and is in what appears to be a coma. We’re examining her right now, and we should have more news soon. Because of the pilot’s distress call, the paramedics were able to arrive at the scene quickly. If they hadn’t, some of the injuries could have become more serious.” With that said, he walks back through the doors, leaving them all in silence, grateful for the good news about their children.

“Fiancee?” Luke asks his wife, smirking.

She smiles guiltily. “I figured he’d be more likely to tell us that way. Anyway, like you said last night, it’s only a matter of time.” He nods, smiling. His wife never ceases to amaze him.

A few minutes later, the doors open again. Everyone looks up to see Nikolas walk in slowly. He spots Luke and Laura in the corner and smiles. Laura stands up as he approaches.

“Oh, honey, I’m so glad you’re okay!” She gives him a careful hug, noticing his arm is in a sling. “How’s your shoulder.”

He shrugs, “It hurts a little, but I’m okay.” He looks at Luke and smiles. He goes over and gives him a hug, knowing that others are watching, but not really caring. Coming so close to dying like that kind of changes one’s priorities, and right now he just wanted to hug his father. Luke is touched at his gesture and whispers to him, “I’m glad you’re okay, son.” Nikolas looks up at him, a tear in his eye. Sure, Luke used to call him son all the time, but now it had a whole new meaning.

The rest of the waiting room is watching this exchange in shock. Alexis looks at Ned. “Okay, did we just fall into the Twilight Zone, or did I just see Luke Spencer hug a Cassidine?!”

Ned shrugs. “Maybe he just did it for Laura’s sake.”

Alexis isn’t buying it. “No, Nikolas initiated it. Something fishy is definitely going on here.” She thinks a moment. “Isn’t this one of the signs of the Apocalypse? Maybe it’s a millennium thing...” Ned laughs, cutting her off. She glares at him for a minute, then smiles. “I guess I should just be happy everyone’s okay. Poor Elizabeth, though....”

The front door opens and two men enter. They look around before speaking. “Are you the relatives of the four teenagers involved in the plane crash?” Everyone nods.

“We thought you would like to know that we have found the cause of the accident. It seems that a rather large bird flew into one of the engines, shutting it down,” he explains, trying not to smile. He nods at their shocked expressions and promptly leaves.

“A bird?! That’s what caused this whole mess?” Edward bellows as soon as the doors close.

Ned chuckles. ‘What’s the matter, Grandfather? Are you mad that you can’t put this on anyone’s head now?”

“Now, don’t be hasty, Ned,” Luke jumps in. “Maybe the bird was trained by the mob, and was on a suicide mission to disable the plane! You know, a kamikaze bird!” He and Ned chuckle, but Jason doesn’t seem to find it amusing. Carly, on the other hand, has to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. One thing about her uncle, he always made her laugh!

The inner doors open again, and Emily emerges on crutches. She immediately rushes over to Nikolas. He stands up and hugs her tightly with his good arm. “I’m so glad you’re okay! If anything had happened to you....” he trails off, unable to finish the thought.

“I’m fine, Nikolas. I’m worried about Elizabeth, though.” She turns and sees her parents for the first time, looking at her, full of worry. “Mom, Dad, you’re here!” She hobbles over the them and they both hug her.

“Oh, Em, we were so worried. When they said there was a casualty...” Monica starts.

“Casualty? Who died?” Emily asks, confused. “Oh, the pilot. I forgot. Does anyone know what happened?”

“A bird,” everyone says in unison. Monica elaborates. “It seems that a bird flew into one of the engines, and the plane couldn’t handle it. I’m just happy you’re okay!” She hugs her daughter again, not wanting to let go.

“Mom, I’m fine. You’re choking me!” Monica lets so reluctantly.

Emily looks around the room. “Where’s Lucky?”

~*~Chapter 56~*~

“Your granddaughter is In a coma, due to the head injury she received during the accident,” the doctor explains to Audrey. “As a nurse yourself, I’m sure you know that the sooner she wakes up, the better her chances are for a complete recovery.” Audrey nods, gazing down at the pale form in the hospital bed. Liz looks so weak with her head bandaged and tubes all over.

“When can we move her to General Hospital?” Audrey asks.

“Once she’s stabilized here, we can airlift her over. It shouldn’t be much longer. She’s doing rather well considering what has happened.”

Audrey sighs. “I probably won’t want to hear the answer to this, but what happens if she takes too long to wake up?”

“Well, the longer she’s in the coma, the greater the chance that she will sustain some permanent brain damage, possibly even develop amnesia.”

Audrey shakes her head, still unable to believe that all of this is happening. She looks around the room, and her eyes fall upon the observation window. Lucky is standing outside, staring at Liz in shock. He meets Audrey’s gaze, and then looks away quickly before walking away.

~*~

The Quartermaines are arguing again. Edward wants to leave, but Emily refuses to go until she sees Lucky and Liz. Jason and Carly have left, after Emily assured them that she was okay.

The inner doors open again, and Lucky enters. He’s pale and disoriented, but manages to find his way to Luke and Laura. They both hug him fiercely. Nikolas looks on, concerned. He remembers how the paramedics had to sedate Lucky back at the crash site. He was hysterical and had refused to leave Elizabeth’s side, and was getting in their way when they were trying to work on her. He prays that Liz wakes up soon, because he’s not sure how his brother will handle it if she doesn’t.

“It’s my fault Dad.” Lucky says, still dazed. “She could die now because of me.”

“No, Cowboy, it wasn’t your fault. It was an accident. A bird flew into the engine, that’s all.” Luke explains, trying not to show that he’s scared. He’s never seen his son like this before. There’s no life in his eyes, and he’s talking in a flat monotone voice.

“No, that’s not what I mean. She got up to sit in my lap, and then we hit some turbulence or something. I knew I should have told her to go back to her seat, but we were so comfortable, and I didn’t want to let her go. Then the pilot announced that there was a problem, that we would have to make an emergency landing, so I told her to go put her seat belt on. As soon as she stood up...” he pauses, wiping away his tears and shivering at the memory.

“As soon as she stood up, the plane went into a nose-dive, and she was thrown to the front. She wouldn’t move, and I tried to get up to help her, but Nikolas told me not to, and I knew he was right. Thanks, man,” he says, looking at his brother. Nikolas nods, not knowing what to say. Luke and Laura both look at him in gratitude, knowing what could have happened if Lucky had gotten up to go after her.

Laura embraces her son. “Lucky, don’t blame yourself. There was no way you could have known that was more than just normal turbulence. The important thing is that Liz is still with us, and we will all do whatever we can to help her wake up.”

Lucky just shakes his head, unable to speak. He cries on his mother’s shoulder, while Luke stands by, his arm protectively draped over Nikolas’s shoulder.

Alexis leans in to Ned. “Not to belittle the situation, but tell me that isn’t creepy!” she says, referring to Luke and Nikolas.

“Maybe Luke has finally realized the error of his ways, and accepted him as his stepson,” Ned reasons.

Alexis shakes her head. “No, not the Luke Spencer I know. His son is in agony over there, and he’s standing aside, comforting Nikolas? What’s wrong with this picture?”

Luke looks up and sees the expression on Alexis’s face. He leans in to Nikolas. “How would you feel about going public? I think your former aunt over there is about to implode at seeing us so chummy. Mind if I go explain things?” Nikolas shakes his head and walks over to her with Luke.

“I couldn’t help noticing you over here, Natasha. Is there a problem?” he asks, smirking, as he casually drapes his arm around Nikolas again. He is enjoying this way too much.

“Well, gee, Luke, I wonder. Could it be that seeing you hugging a Cassidine is just a slight shock?” she asks, still bewildered.

Luke chuckles and caresses the side of her face. “Don’t worry, Natasha, you’re still my favorite blood-sucker.” She shrinks away from his hand. “See, there was something very interesting in those records you gave me.”

She perks up. “You mean, other than the obvious stuff?”

“Actually, the obvious stuff wasn’t as obvious as everyone thought. The whole thing was faked by the doctor. The chart for Stefan was actually mine. Nikolas is my son, not his. He’s a Spencer!” he exclaims proudly, patting Nikolas on the back.

Alexis stands there in shock.

“What’s wrong, bat got your tongue?” Luke asks, laughing. He sure was going to love seeing everyone’s reactions to this news! She looks at Nikolas for some sort of confirmation.

“It’s true. I guess you’re the only heir left. I know we may not have been on the best of terms lately, but I want you to know that even though I’m not your blood relative anymore, I still think of you as family. I see now that you were the only one who truly cared about me all those years.”

She smiles sadly. She had wanted to hear him say that for so long, and now that he finally has, he’s not even her nephew anymore. She give him a careful hug, thanking him for his kind words. “I’ll always be here if you need anything, okay?” He nods, then goes back over to Laura and Lucky.

Alexis turns to Luke. “You never fail to surprise me, Luke. If anyone had told me a year ago that you’d be welcoming him into your family with open arms, I would have laughed in their face. I have to admit, though, he seems really happy about this. Be good to him, or I’ll come after you! I may not be as deadly as Helena, but I’m still my father’s daughter.” She tried to look menacing, but knows he isn’t buying it.

Luke laughs. “Don’t worry, Natasha. He’s family now, and you’ve seen first-hand what lengths I go to for my family. You have my word that he will be safe.” He smirks. ‘Like the boy said, you’re the only heir now. You gonna go after the estate?”

She shrugs and answers sarcastically, “I don’t know yet. If I do, I’ll make sure you’re the last to know.”

Luke grins, winks at her, and walks back to his family. She stands there, shaking her head, still trying to absorb the news.