What Happened to Forever?

Chapters 81-82

~*~Chapter 81~*~

They step off the elevater to find Luke grinning at them. "So, how was the room?" he asks.

Lucky rolls his eyes. "It was great, Dad, thanks. But please don't ask any more questions. It's too weird!"

Luke laughs. "Okay, point taken. As much as I hate to say this, we need to get you back to the hospital."

They solemnly leave the hotel and pile into the waiting car. Lucky and Liz sit together in the back seat, their hands clasped together as if they are holding onto each other for dear life.

Back in the hospital, everyone crowds around Lucky's bed. The only people who are left are Liz, his parents, Nikolas, Emily, Bobbie, and Audrey. Bobbie and Audrey are on duty, so they pop their heads in every now and then to see how he's doing. They all make small talk for the next few hours, trying to avoid the one topic that's on all of their minds.

Luke checks his watch. Less than two hours left. He sighs. This was the part he wasn't looking forward to. "Okay guys, if this is going to happen, it'll be in about 2 hours, probably less, so maybe we should say what we have to and leave the two newlyweds alone. Is that okay with you, Cowboy?" he asks, a tear sliding down his cheek. This was going to be so hard.

Lucky smiles sadly and nods. "Yeah, I was kind of hoping you'd say that. I love you guys, but I'd kind of like to be alone with my wife when....well, you know."

They all look at each other miserably. No one wants to say good-bye to him, but they all know that they'll have to do it sooner or later. Finally, Emily sighs and approaches the bed. Liz gets up, squeezes Lucky's hand, and walks over to stand by Nikolas, while Luke and Laura go out into the hallway.

Lucky smiles and wipes a tear off of her cheek. She takes a deep breath. "Lucky, I don't know what to say. I hate doing this. I had to do it with my mom, and now I have to say good-bye to my best friend for the second time. It's not fair." She sniffs, and Lucky takes her hand. He hates that he has to see them go through such pain, and he's uncomfortable listening to them tell him good-bye like this, but he knows that it's something they need to do.

She smiles at him and squeezes his hand. "I love you, Lucky. Not like I love Nikolas, obviously. You were the first friend I made here, and you were always there for me. You've been the best friend anyone could ever hope for, and I'll never forget my last birthday because of you. Even with the plane crash, it's one of my happiest memories, because I got you back in my life. You were the best birthday present I've ever gotten. I just don't know how to lose you again." She starts to cry, and Lucky sits up and hugs her.

"I love you, too, Em. You'll be okay. You have Nikolas now, and you can be there for each other. I'm so glad I was able to be around to see you two find each other. All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. You have to do me a favor, though. Promise me you'll look after Elizabeth for me? She's going to have a hard time with this, and I don't want her to have to deal with it alone. I know you were there for her last time, so I have faith that you'll do the same for her this time. Be good to my brother. He deserves all the happiness you can give him, especailly after all he's been through lately." He sniffs and wipes his face, then smiles at her. "And name your first boy after me, okay?"

She laughs and nods her head. "You got it. God, I'm going to miss you so much, Lucky!" She leans down and hugs him again, her tears falling on his shoulder. He hugs her back forcefully. She reluctantly lets go and wipes her face. "I guess I should give someone else a chance, huh?"

Lucky smiles sadly and squeezes her hand again. She walks back to stand by Elizabeth and the two girls embrace as Nikolas approaches his brother.

Lucky sees the look on his face and chuckles. "Oh, come on, don't tell me the Prince is going to get all emotional on me!" he jokes.

"You never shut up, do you?" he asks, laughing. Lucky smiles and shakes his head. Nikolas sits on the chair. "You know, as hard as it was to lose you the first time, this time it's even harder, because now we've become real brothers. After that fire, I was so upset that we hadn't had a chance to get to know each other better, and when I found out you were alive, I was so happy that we were given a second chance. These past few months have been the best of my life. I'm in love with Emily, and I finally have a brother, who is also one of my best friends. When we found out that Luke was my father, I was afraid that you would hate me again. Instead, you accepted me into your family with open arms, and I will never forget that. I couldn't even hope to replace you in our parents' eyes, but I do hope that someday I can feel even a fraction of the love they give you so unconditionally."

He stops to wipe his eyes. Lucky starts to say something, but Nikolas stops him. "Let me finish, or else I won't be able to say it later. Okay, my biggest regret after the fire was that I never told you how much I loved you. If you had told me when I first came to Port Charles that I would be saying this to you, I would have laughed in your face, but it's true. I love you, Lucky. You're the best brother anyone could ever ask for, and I feel blessed to be able to say you were mine." He sobs slightly, and Lucky pulls him into an embrace. The two brothers cling to each other for a moment, forgetting that they had feuded for so long.

Lucky sniffs and looks at his brother. "I know I tease you all the time, but it's only becase I love you, too. I had always wondered what it would be like to have a brother, and now I know that it's one of the most wonderful things in the world. I only wish we hadn't been robbed of the chance to grow up together. These past few months have been the best, and I'm sorry that I spent so much of that time with Faison hating you because I thought you were moving in on Elizabeth." They both laugh. "I should have known that you wouldn't do that. Please take care of her for me, and watch over Mom and Dad. They're going to need you to be there for them. I'm so happy that they're back together, I'd hate it if this breaks them apart again."

Nikolas nods sadly and hugs Lucky again. "I'm going to miss you, little brother," he whispers, before going back and hugging Emily. Elizabeth goes back to the bed and kisses Lucky tenderly. She can tell how hard this is for him, and knows that it's going to be even harder when it comes time to say good-bye to his parents.

"Do you want me to call Luke and Laura in?" she asks gently.

He shakes his head. "Not yet. I need a few minutes to recover first. I never realized how hard this was going to be." She nods and sits silently as he cries.

A few minutes later, Luke pops his head in the room. "Hey, Cowboy, how ya doing?" he asks quietly. Lucky wipes away his tears and tries to smile.

"I've been better," he says, as he begins to sob again. Elizabeth tightens her hold on him as his body shudders with emotion.

~*~Chapter 82~*~

Luke's heart is breaking for his son. He sits down next to his bed and takes his hand. "It's okay, Cowboy. We're all here. Just let it out." Lucky lets go of Elizabeth and transfers himself into his father's arms. She slowly gets off the bed and goes over to Nikolas and Emily. The door opens and Laura enters, her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"Let's give them some privacy," Elizabeth whispers, and the three of them walk to the door to leave Lucky alone with his parents. Before they leave, Laura hugs each of them, then turns back to her husband, who is still embracing Lucky. She walks up behind him and rests a hand lightly on his shoulder. He pulls back slowly and looks up at her.

"Hey, Angel, how are you holding up?" he asks. She just shakes her head.

After a minute or so, Lucky calms down enough to speak. He looks at his parents, the two people who were always there for him, who loved him no matter what he did. "Mom," he whispers, his voice cracking. She rushes to the side of his bed and gathers him in her arms.

"Oh, baby, it's okay. Go ahead and cry." She sits and rocks him back and forth while he cries, just as she did when he was a baby. "I love you so much, Lucky. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't know how I'm going to be able to let go of you again. I always knew that you were sent to me from Heaven, but I never expected that I'd have to give you back so soon." She starts to sob, and Lucky tightens his grip on her.

"I'm so sorry, Mom. I'm sorry I was so horrible to you for so long. I always loved you, you know that, don't you? Even when I was mad at you and Dad, I never stopped loving you guys. For most of my life, you were my whole world. You taught me what love is, and I will always be grateful for that. I always knew that I was the luckiest kid in the world to have a mother like you. Don't ever forget how much I love you, okay?" She nods as tears stream down her cheeks. "Don't let LuLu forget about me, and help Nikolas and Dad. I'm so happy that we were able to be a real family again, and I don't want this to stop that from continuing. I love you, Mom." He kisses her forehead tenderly, and she hugs him again.

Finally, they pull apart and Lucky looks, teary-eyed, at Luke. "Oh, Dad..." he chokes out, letting go of Laura. She moves out of the way reluctantly so Luke can take her place on the side of the bed. They hug for a few minutes until their tears cease a little.

Luke looks sadly at Lucky and smiles. "I guess it's my turn now. I don't know what to say...you're stubborn, obnoxious at times, and you aren't afraid to tell me exactly what you think of me, but even still, you're the best son I could have ever asked for. I said this after the fire, and I'll say it again. You're my hero, Cowboy. You're everything that's good in me and your mom, but in you it's all magnified. I'm gonna be lost without you, son. I don't think I can say good-bye to you again. I love you so much!" He sobs quietly as Lucky hugs him again.

"I love you, too, Dad. I know I've been horrible to you, but I want you to know that I don't blame you anymore for anything that's happened. I see how much you and Mom love each other, and I realize how rare that is. Promise me you'll be there for each other, and that you'll give Nikolas the family he's always wanted. Take care of each other for me, especially Elizabeth. And, Dad, you're more of a hero than I'll ever be. You were the sun, the moon, and the stars all wrapped up when I was a kid. I thought the world revolved around you back then. I may have lost some of that faith, but a few months ago, when that door in my prison opened, and I saw you standing there, rescuing me, it was the most beautiful sight in the world. You came and got me, and brought me back to my life, to my family. Because of you, I was able to finally marry Elizabeth, and to have a real realationship with my brother. I'm so happy that you have been able to accept Nikolas as your own. I love you, Dad, more than you'll ever know." He sniffs, and hugs his father again.

After a few minutes of heavy tears, they manage to break apart. Luke sniffs and looks tenderly at his son. "I'm gonna miss you so much, Cowboy," he whispers, getting off the bed. "I know you want to be with Elizabeth now, so we're going to go, okay?"

Lucky nods sadly, shaking with emotion, as he hugs his parents for the last time. "I love you guys," he whispers. They wipe away his tears and kiss him on the cheek before finally tearing themselves away. They leave the room and find Elizabeth waiting outside. She quickly hugs them both.

"He needs you, sweetheart, don't worry about us," Luke whispers, pushing her towards the door. She smiles sadly at them and goes inside. Once the door closes, Luke and Laura lean against the wall and hold each other, letting their tears fall again.

"Hey, angel," Lucky whispers, seeing Elizabeth enter. She rushes to the bed and climbs in next to him, embracing him as tightly as she can. "Oh, Lucky, you can't go. I can't live without you. I tried once, and I can't do it."

"Yes, you can. You're stronger than you let yourself believe, Elizabeth. My family will always be there for you. Remember, they're your family now, too. Take strength in each other, and never forget how much I love you. I am so lucky to have had someone like you in my life. I thank God every day for giving you to me, you know that? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I love you more thatn anything else in the world." He kisses the top of her head as she cries.

"Lucky, you saved me so many times, and in so many different ways. I still can't believe it sometimes that you love me, but I am so thankful that you do. You're my angel, and I will never forget you. No one will ever be able to replace you in my heart, but I promise that I will try to go on and find love again. I can' t guarantee that it will happen, because after the kind of love we've had, I can't imagine anyone else comparing to you. I love you more than my own life, and I will never, ever stop. I pledged to love you forever, and nothing can stop me from honoring that." She kisses him deeply as they lay back in the bed and hold each other, waiting for the end to come. Lucky reaches over and turns off the heart monitor. He doesn't want her last memories of him to be the sound of him flatlining.

~*~

Luke and Laura stumble out into the waiting room. Laura rushes over to Nikolas and hugs him, sobbing.

"Shh, it's okay, Mom. He's with Elizabeth now, and we all know that's exactly where he wants to be. All we can do is be strong for her when this is over, because honestly, I don't know if she's going to be able to handle it." Laura steps back, nodding.

"I know. As upset as we all are, her pain is going to be so much worse. I can't even imagine what I would have done if I lost Luke on our wedding day like this." She looks sadly at her husband. He wraps his arm around her and leads her to a chair.

"All we can do now, baby, is wait. Come on, let's sit down." They sit next to each other and she rests her head on his shoulder, still sniffling. Emily and Nikolas sit nearby, in pretty much the same position, as they prepare to wait.

~*~

Luke had been dreaming, and is jolted awake. He looks frantically around the room, trying to get his bearings straight. As the events of the past night hit him, he quickly looks at his watch and curses.

"Oh no, baby, wake up!" he says, shaking Laura gently. She stirs, and looks at him sleepily.

"Wha...where are we? Oh! What happened? Is he..." Her eyes are full of fear as she waits for him to answer.

"We fell asleep, babe. It's been 3 hours."

She gasps. "Oh, God, no. That means..." They rush out of the room as Nikolas and Emily wake up.

"Oh no!" Nikolas exclaims, realizing the time. "Em, we fell asleep. Hurry!" They jump out of their chairs and follow Luke and Laura.

Laura is the first to arrive at his room. She fearfully looks in the window and gasps, turning to bury her face in Luke's chest. His eyes tear up at the scene in front of them. Lukcy and Elizabeth are laying on his hospital bed. She's asleep, her arms wrapped around him. Lucky's head has rolled to one side, and his arm is dangling limply over the edge of the bed. The heart monitor has been turned off.

"No....we're too late," Luke whispers, nearly collapsing to the floor. He hears a gasp and turns to see Nikolas and Emily staring, horrified, into the room. Emily begins to cry again, and Nikolas tries to comfort her, but his tears are falling just as hard.

"Oh, no.." Nikolas whispers a minute later. They follow his gaze and see that Elizabeth is stirring. As much as they want to save her from the horror of waking up next to her Lucky like this, they are frozen in place, unable to move. She shifts her position on the bed slightly, but is thankfully still asleep. They begin to breathe a sigh of relief when another movement catches their eye. Lucky's arms come up around her and tighten as he turns his head and buries his face in her hair.