CHAPTER 8: REELING

 

         At Lucky's Club.      "Daddy! Look! Look what Uncle Mike found for me! Isn't she beautiful?"Holding out a Barbie doll, Leia combs her hair lovingly. "Can she havelunch with us?"      Lucky shoots Mike a glare over Leia's head. "Sure, Baby. We'd bedelighted to have your friend to lunch." Planting a smacking kiss on hercheek, Lucky scoots her in the direction of the kitchen. "Would you goand test one of Gregory's cookies to make sure they're good?"      "SURE!" Leia smiles and skips from the room.      "Mike, you are spoiling Leia rotten." Lucky objects mildly, clearlyhaving said this many times to him.      "I know." Mike looks around the club. "So when are they going to behere?"      "Soon, and no you can't stick around to see if the kid hits me again,either." Lucky leans against the mantle over the fireplace. "I'm glad Ithought to ask them here instead of to Kelly's. This is more private,and in case he decides to swing at me again, at least he won't have anaudience."      "Sure, go ahead, ruin all my fun and send me away!" Mike grumbles goodnaturedly. "I'm going, I'm going! You know, I am an old man, LuckySpencer. Who are you going to push around when I'm gone?"      Letting out a short bark of laughter, Lucky shakes his head. "Ha!Corbin, you and I know you'll live forever just to get the last word!"      "How does Emily feel about you introducing Gabe to Leia?"      "I told her my plans last night and invited her to come. She declined,but said she would never stand in the way of Leia knowing her brother."Lucky sighs, remembering the chilly sound of Emily's naturally warmvoice. "I wish she were here, Mike. I need her."      "You're asking a lot, Lucky." Mike replies.      "I know, but I don't think it's more than I give."      "Lucky, love's not measured that way." Mike's eyes search Lucky's face."You gonna be okay?"      "Yeah. Go ahead and take off. I have some introductions to make. " Luckyanswers thoughtfully, thinking to Emily's unhappy response to his newsthat the mother of his eldest child was in town. She had looked so hurtthat for one second, Lucky almost wished that he hadn't told her. Butshaking off that unhappy thought, Lucky firmly reminds himself that itwas better that Em hear it from him, instead of around town.      "Okay then Lucky, I'm outta here. Tell Leia I'll see her tomorrow."      "Will do, Mike." Lucky answers. He drops into a chair wearily thinkinghow best to handle his son. Almost before the thought is out of hishead, the door opens and Gabe enters the club.      Everything about Gabe screams 'Hands Off!' or at the very least'Danger!'. He is dressed from head to toe in black: boots, jeans, teeshirt, vest, and jacket. Dark shades cover his eyes. Gabe scans the roomquickly searching for his mother.      "Beth's not here yet." Lucky answers Gabe's unspoken question. "But I'mglad you came anyway."      "Yeah, well Mom asked me to." Gabe shrugs, looking closely around thebar, he removes his sunglasses. "This place isn't so bad. Better lookingon the inside than it is on the outside," he remarks neutrally.      "Yeah, well the outside has taken a lot of hard knocks." Lucky answereasily. "Can I get you something to drink?"      "Look, I don't know why I'm here or what you want from me, but I do knowthat whatever it is, I want you to leave my mother out of it. She's hada hard enough time without you or me making it worse. I won't go aroundhitting you anymore, and you just leave her the hell alone."      "I don't want to make your mother's life any more uncomfortable than italready is," Lucky answers slowly. "I would, however, like to know you.I think that after all this time we have the right to at least get toknow each other." Trying to keep his tone non threatening andreasonable, he continues. "I think your mother has been honest with youabout what happened when you were conceived. I didn't know about you.Otherwise all of our lives might have been different."      "You're not trying to tell me that you would have wanted a son, are you?Come on!"  Tapping his sunglasses impatiently on the bar, Gabe rolls hiseyes. "I doubt it."      "I don't know what I would have wanted. I never got asked."      "You never stuck around long enough to be asked." Gabe counters.      Throwing his hands up in the air, Lucky expels a frustrated breath."This argument is going absolutely nowhere."      "Amazing! Something that we agree on!" Gabe snaps. Turning on the heelof his boot, Gabe starts to leave the club.      "Daddy? Who are ya talking to?"      "Leia, Honey." Lucky begins, trying to take a deep breath to calm hisraging emotions. "This man is your brother. His name is Gabe."      Gabe stops with his hand on the door and turns to find himself beingstudied with a short set of extremely serious chocolate brown eyes.      "A brother? But Daddy. . . " Leia tugs on Lucky's pant leg and whispersloudly, "He's too big to be a baby."      "I know, Honey, he's your older brother. I only just met him myselfyesterday," Lucky explains patiently.      "But why is he leaving, Daddy?" Leia asks, stepping away from her fatherand closer to the handsome brooding man who is standing motionless. "Myname is Leia Paige Spencer. It's very nice to meet you." Holding out hersmall hand, Leia waits impatiently. Then, after a moment, when Gabe istoo stunned to move, Leia helpfully whispers. "Now is when you shake myhand and tell me your name. It's okay, I forget too sometimes."      "I'm pleased to meet you, Leia." Gabe responds, dropping back on hisheels into a squatting position to meet her on her level. "My name isGabriel Young Bear."      "You have pretty hair. Prettier hair than my new doll." She remarksreaching out tentatively to touch a long shiny dark lock. "Did you knowyou had a sister?" She asks.      "No, I didn't know." Gabe chokes out.      "Do you mind? Cause my friend Kitty has a big brother and he picks onher, and breaks her dolls and won't ever play with her. And that doesn'tsound like any fun! So don't break my dolls, okay?" She asks hopefully.      "I promise." Gabe smiles at  the adorable little girl, knowing his hearthad been officially stolen.      "Oh good! And we can share my Legos!" She confides thoughtfully. "I havetons and tons of them."      *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*      The Brownstone. "So today's the day?" Felicia asks as she finishes thelunch dishes and faces her husband.      "Yeah. I just don't know if I can do this, Felicia. It' so damn hard.And it's nothing compared to what Anna and Michael have to go throughevery time she leaves. It's killing them."      Kissing her husband's hand, Felicia takes it between her own. "It'skilling all of us to see her go. But Mac, you know that Robin can't stayhere. Port Charles isn't her home anymore. This isn't her life."      "But it could have been if it weren't for Jason!" Mac blurts out.      "Mac, you have to let it go. That's what Robin is trying to do. She'snever  fully recovered from losing the baby. The last two years havebeen almost unbearable."      "I know, that's why when she started going to church I thought it was agood thing. I hoped  somehow her faith would get her through it."      "And it has. Maybe not in the way you hoped. But Robin's faith has madeher feel whole again," Felicia reminds him. "And she is happier in Paristhan anyplace else. If she stayed married to Jason, one of them would bedead by now. Either Robin would have killed herself, or she would havekilled Jason for allowing them to be in a position where they were undersiege."       "Robert would have been four today." Mac rubs at his eyes sadly. "Ijust can't believe that anyone would gun down a baby."      "We were all devastated, Mac. Including Jason. He hurts too." Feliciasqueezes Mac's hand hard as he tries to tug away is disgust. "I know youdon't believe that Jason is in pain, but he is. There isn't a momentthat he doesn't think about Robin, or Robert. He does everything exceptwear a hair shirt. And I know you don't like to be reminded of this,Mac, but Jason was Robin's choice. He never promised her a safe life.She knew who he was when they said their vows. But still Robin chose tomarry him, love him, and have children with him. Even though there was achance everything could come tumbling down around them. Even perfectlynormal, safe happy families lose children, Mac. Look at B.J. Tony andBobbie weren't in the mob and still B.J died. And their marriagedisintegrated even though neither one was at fault."      "In my head I can see that, I really can. But it's my heart that has ahard time with the fact that Robin is hurting so much she can't be hereto raise the two children that are living. Anna and Michael are the onessuffering."      "Jason loves them and gives them every part of himself. Michael may beangry, but I think a part of Anna understands."      His voice choked with emotion, Mac looks bleak. "I just wish Iunderstood this myself."      *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*      Kelly's. Emily sits at a table with her hands wrapped around a coffeemug. Shaking her head at the woman across the table, Emily continues hersummary of the past few days' events.      "Then he told me that Gabe's mother is HERE in Port Charles. And thathe's going to introduce our daughter to his son." Emily's voice wavers."I didn't know what to say. I still don't."      "Emily." A slender hand touches Emily's. "This must be so difficult foryou."      "Oh Keesha, I feel like the rug's been pulled out from under me. Oneminute Lucky and I have this almost perfect life. A happy home and agorgeous daughter and it's us against the rest of the world. We've gonethrough so much to be together. And the next second I find out that myhusband has a son that I've never met.  That during the time I was heremissing him like crazy, wishing like anything that I could be with him,he was out having a one night stand that would change everyone's lives."Emily finishes her coffee with one scalding gulp.  "I don't know what tosay." With a sigh of despair, she sets down her coffee cup and takes adeep shuddering breath.      "You and Lucky are going through some tough times, Em." Keeshaacknowledges wisely. "But you guys are so strong. And I think that partof what makes you both so in love with one another was all the time youspent apart. You both had space and time to grow, and to explore newthings."      Emily's smile is wan. "Yeah, but I didn't think one of the new things hewas exploring was some other woman." Catching herself she rubs the sideof her throbbing head. "Sounds pretty childish, huh? I wouldn't marryhim, he meets someone else, and comes back to me and loves me for thenext 26 years and I'm bitter and angry. . . Hell I have no right to beangry at all. When I was pregnant with Lucky's baby I married TommyHardy and lied for years about it. What right do I have to blame Luckyfor this, even if it's his fault?" Pausing for a moment, Emily standsup, moves to the counter and grabs a fresh pot of coffee. "And you knowwhat? My mind keeps telling me that it's not Lucky's fault. That hedidn't know, and that it's not even his son's fault. Because you know inthe end the one that has lost the most is Gabe. Because he may neverknow what a great father Lucky is."      "That's what your head is saying, Honey. . ." Keesha prompts. "Whatabout your heart?"      Slumping gracelessly into her chair, Emily looks defeated. "It'sbreaking into a million pieces, Keesha. And I don't know what to do toget past it."~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

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