Chapters 29 - 31       CHAPTER 29: NOTIFICATION   Gina runs up to the nurses station and grabs the attention of the nurse on duty. "Sarah, I got a page." The nurse gives Gina a blank look, "I don't think so, Dr. Williams, but let me check." She looks over the pages that went out, "No, doctor, I don't have that anyone paged you." She sees an envelope behind the desk with Gina's name on it. Handing it to Gina, she says, "This was left for you, though." "Thanks Sarah," Gina says, tearing into the envelope. She reads quickly over the note and has to grab the counter to steady herself. The nurse notices, "Are you okay, Dr. Williams?" Tears stream down Gina's cheeks and she struggles to control her sobbing, "Give me the phone!" she yells at the nurse. Instead of waiting for the nurse to hand it to her, she fumbles for it, but knocks it in the floor. The nurse hands it to her silently, but concerned. Gina grabs it, but her hands are shaking so much she can't dial the number. "I have to call Nik! I have to call Nik!" she starts repeating between sobs. She can't get her fingers to work and her brain is in a crazy autopilot. Matt Harmon rolls up behind her, "Gina, are you okay?" She screams slightly, surprised by his presence. She wheels around to face him, "I, uh, my..." is all she can croak out before breaking down again. Matt reaches up and takes the note from her trembling hands. "I'll call Nikolas for you," he says tenderly. Gina merely nods, the initial shock wearing off and her brain trying to engage. "He needs to know," she says quickly but quietly. Matt dials Nik's number. After a minute that seems to last an eternity, Matt gives her a gentle look, "He's not answering." "I have to find Nik." Matt nods, "I'll go with you." With that, they rush out of the hospital. Bobbie walks into the trauma room and takes a look at Dylan's chart. Her eyes glance over the listed next of kin, Ned Ashton. She goes over to the doctor who is examining Dylan. "Has anyone gotten a hold of Ned to tell him his brother's here?" He shakes his head, "There was no answer when the nurse tried." "Have we heard back from Alan or Monica yet either?" Bobbie asks. The doctor merely shakes his head, then leaves the room. Bobbie sighs and goes upstairs to see if Ned is still there. Bobbie wastes no time getting upstairs. Ned and Lois are heading towards the elevator on their way out. "Oh, Ned, I'm glad I caught you." "What's the matter?" he asks concerned by the look on her face. "Your brother, Dylan, is in Trauma One. He had a motorcycle accident." "Omigod, is he okay?" Lois asks in alarm. Bobbie nods, "He has a broken arm, a concussion and some minor internal bleeding, but for the most part he's okay." Ned nods slowing, the information sinking in, "Then he was wearing his helmet." "Atta boy, Dylan," Lois adds. Ned gives her an odd look, "Well Ned, he woulda cracked his head open if he wasn't." "True." Then to Bobbie he adds, "Can we see him?" "Of course. He's sleeping now and they're going to move him to a regular room and keep him overnight for observation. I've paged Alan and Monica too." Keesha walks slowly into Bradley's room, with Alex following a supportive distance behind. She smiles as she watches Bradley sleep peacefully. As she sits next to his bed, he stirs and wakes up. His eyes light up when he sees her, "Mommy!" "Hey baby," she says softly as tears well up in her eyes. "Why are we talking so quiet?" he says, mimicking her quietness. "Cause Mommy's tired. And I was worried about you." A scared look crosses Bradley's face, "Did I do something bad?" Keesha smiles, "Oh no, baby, but you were in an accident, and I was scared." Bradley looks down, "Oh yeah, I remember," he says in almost a whisper. Suddenly, he remembers who was in the car with him. "Where's Dad?" "He's at home," Keesha says reassuringly, even though she has no idea where AJ really is. She smiles again and adds, "Mommy and Alex have some good news for you." Bradley's eyes sparkle in anticipation, "What, what?!?" "You have a new baby sister." Disgustingly, he flops back against his bed, "A girl? Yuck!" Alex and Keesha both laugh, "Sounds like you're getting back to normal there, Brad," Alex says proudly. "Why'd you have to go and have a girl? I told you I wanted a brother," Bradley says sulkingly. Lucky paces in the OR waiting room. Laura, Stefan and Nikolas rush in, just as Karen approaches Lucky. "Mr. Spencer, your sister's out of surgery." "How is she?" Stefan asks, his hands grabbing the back of the chair for support, just in case. Karen addresses the group, "We were able to remove the bullet without incident. I want her to stay here for a few days, but there's no reason to think she won't make a full recovery." Laura grabs hold of only one word in that sentence, "Bullet?!? What bullet? I want to see my baby. Where is she?" "She's in recovery..." Laura cuts Karen off before she can say anything else, "I need to see her. NOW." "Of course, follow me." Karen heads off, with Laura and Stefan following closely behind. Nikolas starts to follow, but Lucky catches him by the arm. "Nik, wait, we need to talk." Nik turns and glares at Lucky, "You want to explain what all this is about?" Lucky takes a deep breath and prepares to break the news to Nikolas. "You want to explain to me how the hell Lesley Lu managed to get SHOT tonight!" Nik says harshly, glaring at Lucky. Lucky takes another breath, "Lu wasn't alone tonight." Nik shakes his head, "I knew it. That punk that she was with at the Nurses' Ball. He's gotten her into this, hasn't he?" Lucky quickly goes with Lu's previous decision not to tell Nik about Dylan, "No, it wasn't him. Staci was with her." "Impossible. Staci is with Gina." Lucky shakes his head, "Sit down Nik." Nikolas asks roughly, "Where is Staci?" "Lu came 'round long enough to say that Staci was kidnapped." "WHAT!" Nik explodes, "How can this happen? Where were their bodyguards? This CAN'T happen!" Calming himself, Nik tries to rationalize the situation, "This isn't right, Lu was delusional from the loss of blood. Staci is safe with Gina." "Excuse me, Mr. Cassadine?" Nik's chauffeur says as he holds out a piece of paper, "This was delivered for you just a minute ago. I thought you'd want it right away." Nik takes the paper silently and glances over it. He gives a nod of dismissal to the chauffeur, then turns to Lucky. "You were right," he says, almost silently. He leans over the nearby table to steady himself, "They've got my daughter." Nik's eyes betray a mixture of fear and anger. He grabs the lamp off of the table and yanking the cord from the wall, throws it across the room where it hits the opposite wall and crashes into a million pieces. Lucky steps in front of Nik and looks at him closely. The fury in Nik's eyes is something Lucky has never seen. "I know you're itching to hit someone, so go ahead, take your best shot." Lucky braces himself for the punch. Nik just looks at him blankly. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it won't work." Nik crosses the room and sits in the chair by where the lamp used to be. Tears well up in his eyes, but don't spill over. His lip trembles slightly, "What am I going to do?" "Get your daughter back, safe and sound," Lucky says certainly. Lucky puts a hand reassuringly on Nik's shoulder, "Don't worry, Nik. I'll move heaven and earth to get her back for you. You can count on me." Stefan walks in, talking, "Your mother is with Lesley Lu now, but she's still asleep." He immediately notices the looks on Lucky and Nik's faces. Bracing himself, Stefan asks, "What happened?" *****     CHAPTER 30: I'VE GOT NEWS   Nik gives a quick glance at Lucky before turning to Stefan. "Anastacia's been kidnapped." Nik says softly. Stefan sinks into the closest chair, his legs becoming jello-like beneath him. "What did you say?" he croaks out. Nikolas starts to repeat himself, but Stefan stops him, "How did this happen?" he asks blankly, "Is whoever did this also responsible for Lesley Lu being shot?" "Yes," Nikolas replies. "I'll find that scum and get Staci back, I promise," Lucky adds reassuringly. Stefan explodes, "Just like you got Richard back?!?" "Now wait just a damn minute!!!" Lucky says just as loudly before Nik can stop him. "Calm down, both of you! We can't turn on each other now. First things first; we have to tell Mother." Stefan holds his head in his hands and says quietly, "Your mother. I feel this may be too much for her." He runs a hand through his hair and remembers an earlier conversation with Laura. "Just a few days ago, I promised her that this sort of thing could never happen again," he says despondently. Nikolas puts his hand on Stefan's shoulder reassuringly, "There was no way any of us could have been prepared for this. We just have to be strong for each other, and for Staci. We WILL get her back." The words echo with a strength he doesn't feel. Nikolas remembers how Laura reacted when Richard was kidnapped ten years before. "We should all be here when Mother finds out." Lucky adds, "Which means, tell her before Lu wakes up and blurts it out." Stefan gathers all of his strength to pull himself out of the chair. "I'll bring her here." Ned and Lois stand at Dylan's bedside. Dylan opens his eyes slowly, "Hey kid," Ned says, "How do you feel?" "I've got a killer headache," Dylan says, wincing. Ned sits down, "You're lucky it's not worse." "So I heard." The doctor sticks his head in the door, "Mr. Ashton, may I have a word with you, sir?" "Certainly," Ned says, following the doctor out. Once Ned is out of the room, Dylan looks up at Lois pleadingly, "Can you find out how Lu is for me?" Confused, she asks, "Lu who?" "She was with me. Lu Spencer." Lois nods and smiles, "Okay kiddo." She starts to head out of the door, but Dylan calls out to her, "Lois." She turns back to him, so he continues, "Her family doesn't know we were together when it happened." Understandingly, Lois says, "And you wanna keep it that way?" "If you see Lucky, ask him. He knows. I owe ya." Lois smiles, "Big time," she says as she walks out the door. Ned comes back in just a moment later, "Where's Lois going?" "To check on something for me. What did the doctor say?" "He's going to let you out of here tomorrow, but only if you go directly home and get plenty of rest." Dylan nods slightly, but asks, "Home here, or home Bensonhurst?" Before Ned can answer, Alan and Monica peek their heads in through the door. Dylan motions them in with his unbroken arm. "How are you feeling, Dylan?" Alan asks. Dylan smiles, "I've been better." Monica turns to Ned, "Bradley woke up this morning." "Great! How is he?" She smiles, "He'll be fine, no permanent damage. Dr. Von Vetten is an amazing surgeon." She turns back to Dylan, "I suppose Ned's going to have to drag you back to Bensonhurst now." "No," Dylan contradicts, "He's still on tour." Ned turns back to Dylan, "No, we're canceling the rest." Dylan glares at his older brother, "Over Lois' dead body. This is just a bump on the head. You know how Lois is about tours. You'll be in a full body cast if you try to cancel this." "You can't stay in Bensonhurst alone." "Why can't he continue staying with us?" Alan suggests. "Well, I..." Ned stumbles. "I don't see why he can't. If that's what he wants to do." Dylan smiles again. "Absolutely." He can't wait to see Lu again. As Jason walks towards his wife's room, his cell phone rings. "Morgan." He pauses as he listens intently to what his young associate, Mark, has to say. "Yes, I know about Lisa Smith being in town, but I'm not happy about it. I didn't clear it." Another pause for information. "Smith's boss wants a meeting?" Jason repeats incredulously. "Am I hearing this right? I get to finally meet this boss of hers? Whoever it is has higher security than anyone I've ever known." Jason sighs, thinking about the prospects, "Set something up near here. I want you and Smith there as well." Mark wants to know why, so Jason says simply, "Because like it or not, Smith is already here in town, and I can read her like a book." Stefan escorts Laura into the private waiting room where Lucky and Nikolas are waiting. She notices their expressions. "Why are you all so somber? Lu's going to be fine." Nikolas goes over an takes Laura's hands in his own. Gently, he says, "Mother, Anastacia has been kidnapped."   CHAPTER 31: AWAKENINGS AND REALIZATIONS   Lesley and Hans wait anxiously at Lu's bedside. Lesley turns to her husband, "Will she be okay?" Hans nods, "Lu is a strong girl. The doctor said the most dangerous time was during her surgery." Hans puts a comforting arm around Lesley's shoulder, "The worst is over." Laura turns to Stefan harshly, "How could you LET this happen? You promised me that this couldn't happen again!!!" Stefan tries to talk to her, but her eyes keep him from saying anything. Stefan crosses over to his wife and watches her as the news of Staci's kidnapping starts sinking in. Her eyes go blank, her gaze unfocused as she says, "We have to find her. She can't be gone!" Slowly she starts repeating herself, building up into a frenzy, "Gone! Gone? They took her!" She looks at, or rather through Stefan, who suddenly feels helpless as he wraps his arms around her supportively. She struggles against him. "You can't take my baby! You can't keep him from me! I will get him back! No!" As Stefan tries to get her to sit down, she screams out, "NIKOLAS!" Nikolas rushes to stand in front of her where she can see him. He takes her hands in his, alarmed by her trembling, "Mother, I'm here. I'm right here, Mother." Her eyes look right through him without registering his presence. "MOTHER!" Her eyes focus on Nikolas briefly. Tears well up as she throws her arms around him and pulls him tightly to her. "My baby," she says consolingly as she strokes his hair, "My sweet baby. I told her I'd get you back. Helena couldn't keep me from you." Laura looks around the room quickly, trying desperately to see her other son, "Lucky? Where's Lucky?" Totally unnerved by Laura's reaction, Lucky remembers her reaction when she feared Lulu was kidnapped from the hospital after her bone marrow transplant. His mother's breakdown that day had been terrifying for him. He walks over to her slowly. "Mom. I'm here, Mom." She pulls him into a tight embrace, seemingly regaining her composure. "Oh Lucky, I'm so glad you're here. Where's your sister? She's sick, she shouldn't be out of the hospital! Bring her back, Lucky, NOW!" They all realize in an instant that she's still zoning. She starts to get nervous and upset again, "Lulu, where's Lulu?" She wheels around to face Stefan, "Your family's got her; they have to give me my daughter back! Give her BACK! Don't you understand?" Nikolas tries to get Laura's attention, "Lesley Lu is safe. She's okay, she's in her room." Laura doesn't hear him. "It's okay Mom, Lulu's okay. I took her to her room," Lucky adds reassuringly. "Lulu's right down the hall." Stefan tries to draw Laura close to him, "Let me go!" she demands as she starts pounding his chest. "Get my child back! Don't you understand? I can't lose my baby! They've got our son, Stefan, get him back! They've got Richard!" "He can't be gone," she mumbles as she breaks down in tears and sinks into the chair, rocking back and forth slowly as she sobs. Dr. Julie Scanlon is standing by, at Nikolas and Lucky's request, just in case Laura broke down like this Stefan gives a brief nod to Doctor Scanlon, who brings over a sedative injection. Looking at Julie, he says, "Let me explain it to her." He then turns to Laura, "Lasha, they'd like to give you something to help calm you down. Is that okay?" Laura sits quietly, without acknowledging the doctor or Stefan. Stefan gives a sad nod to Julie. When Laura feels the prick of the needle, she jumps up, "You can't drug me forever! I will get my child back! No matter what you think you can't keep me locked up on this island forever. I'll get back home to my family, you just wait and see!" Loudly she adds, "YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE!" The sedative kicks in and Laura sways slightly. Stefan catches her to keep her from falling and eases her into a sitting position on the floor. He sits beside her, wrapping his arms around her tightly as they rock slowly back and forth. He buries his head in her hair and they both cry softly together. Lu's eyes flutter open, "Where am I?" she mumbles. Lesley pushes a stray hair out of Lu's face, carefully avoiding the bandages covering her more severe cuts. "You're in GH, sweetie. You're okay." Hans heads for the door, "I'll tell the doctor she's awake." Lu focuses on Lesley's face, "Grandma." Lesley smiles, but Lu doesn't return it. "Where's Staci?" Lu asks nervously. Lesley shrugs, not having yet heard about the kidnapping. "I've not seen her." Lu's eyes widen, "You mean she's not here?!? Dylan didn't get to her? All of this was for nothing?" She starts to cry softly. "Lu, honey, what's wrong?" Lesley asks, concerned. "It's my fault, Grandma. I should've been paying more attention and now she's gone!" Hans comes back in with Karen following close behind. Karen checks all of Lu's vitals while Lu keeps repeating, "It's my fault, I'm so sorry," between choked sobs. "What has her so upset?" Karen asks, looking at Lesley. "I don't know. She asked about her niece Staci, then started crying and saying it was her fault." Lu's repetitions get softer and softer until she drifts back off to sleep. Karen turns back to Lesley, "We have to keep her calm. It's not good for her to be so upset so soon after surgery." Hans nods in agreement, "We'll find out what's disturbing her, Doctor. Thank you." Karen nods and leaves the room. Hans and Lesley exchange worried glances then turn back to watch Lu. Derek Barrington enters a dimly lit house on the edge of town. He's carrying a small paper bag. Upon entering, he calls out quietly, "You here?" A male voice calls out of the darkness, "Yeah, I'm here." "I brought food," Derek says. The wiry man smiles, "Good, I'm starved." Derek shakes his head, "Not for you, Harris, for the girl." Harris sighs, "She'd be a lot less trouble if you'd just let me kill her." "I've given you a thousand reasons why she's more valuable alive," Derek says, rolling his eyes. Flashing a gun, Harris says encouragingly, "Why don't you spell it out for me again?" In the next room, Staci sits in the dark, gagged and blindfolded, her hands and feet tied together. Terrified, her whole body shakes and she cries silently. She can hear every word being said about her by her kidnappers. She wants to cry out, but she can't. She hears her father's voice in her head from her many years of Tai Chi lessons. "Focus is what gives you the control, Anastacia," he always said. In her mind, she begins the exercises taught her since she was old enough to stand. Even though she can't move, she mentally pictures all the motions. Slowly but surely, her breathing becomes more steady and her body calm. She smiles inwardly, knowing her family would be proud of her.