Chapters 21 & 22

 

Chapter 21 Family Business

Late evening at Wyndemere. Laura sits on Lulu's bed listening indulgently to Lulu talk about how exciting it will be when the new baby comes and what kinds of things they'll do together. "I can't wait until the new baby's old enough to play in the park. I'll get to push the swing just like Lucky and Nikky do for me."

Laura smooths out her daughter's hair and smiles. "Yes, I suppose you will. But that won't be for a while yet. At first the only things that babies do are eat, sleep, mess their diapers and cry. The new baby won't be much fun at first."

"I know," Lulu says, unconcerned. "Can I help feed the baby?"

"Sure, if you really want to." Laura kisses her daughter's forehead. "I'm glad you're happy about the baby, but do you have any worries? Or questions? A lot has happened these last few months. Stefan and I got married, you and I moved, Lucky left, and now Nikolas and Gina are having a baby too. How are you feeling about all these changes?"

"Okay," Lulu replies. "I really miss Lucky... I wish he'd come home."

"I bet you miss him. It must have been nice for you to talk to him on the phone yesterday while I was in the hospital..." Laura's tone is sad at first, then she brightens. "But I'm still holding out that he'll come home in time to welcome his new brother or sister. And I know he must miss you. Do you miss our old life? When it was just you, me and Lucky?"

Lulu shakes her head. "I like living with Stefan, Nikky, and Gina. I don't want to go back to our old home, it was sad and lonely all the time after Daddy died."

Laura pauses, at first not knowing to how to respond. "Our old house reminds you of Daddy, doesn't it? And that makes you sad?"

Lulu shrugs. "I don't know, I just know I'm happy here and I don't wanna be sad again."

"Of course not, but sometimes no matter how hard we try, we can't help but be sad," Laura explains. "But we can never forget our past, or your father. He'll be a part of both of us, always. Even as we move move on with our lives and grow."

Lulu pulls the covers up to her chin and closes her eyes. "I'm tired, Mommy. Good night."

"Okay, I get the hint, Sweetie." Laura kisses her daughter's forehead before leaving. "I'll see you in the morning. Have dreams of gold... "

In their self-enclosed apartment within Wyndemere, Gina and Nikolas get ready for bed. Gina brushes out her hair while Nikolas turns back the bed. "How did your test go today in Anatomy?" he asks.

Gina shrugs. "Oh, okay I guess. I wish I'd had more time to study, though. It seems every time I sit down to study I fall asleep on my books. I thought after the first trimester I'd have more energy, but..."

"Maybe it's a good thing the term is almost over," Nikolas interjects as he climbs into bed. "I haven't wanted to say anything up until now, but I've noticed that you've been pale the last few weeks. I think you're pushing yourself too hard."

Gina puts her brush down and studies her face in the mirror. "I have to push myself. If I want to get into medical school, I have to be in the top of my class. My schoolwork has to take top priority."

Nikolas frowns. "Top priority? Even over our family?"

Gina turns off the light at her dressing table and joins Nikolas in bed. "No, of course not over our family." She pats her tummy affectionately. "Never over you or our baby. But becoming a doctor is very important to me. It's been my dream since I was in high school."

Nikolas pulls her into his arms so that they are laying facing each other with they're limbs intertwined. "I think you should consider taking the next quarter off, or at the very least cutting back to half time. I worry about you neglecting your health when you are so focused on school."

"I take perfectly good care of myself," Gina retorts. "Plenty of women carry full loads while they're pregnant and they seem to do fine." Any further comments are cut off when Nikolas crooks his finger under her chin guides her mouth to his. He kisses her slowly and deeply, taking his time tasting his wife's mouth, as if to reacquaint himself with her. After a moment, Gina melts against him, giving herself over fully. Then she sighs when he pulls away. "You are way too good at that, you know. I've even forgotten what we were arguing about."

Nikolas smiles devilishly. "Good, that was my intention." He massages her neck and shoulders in slow deep motions, at the same time edging her nightgown off. As she closes her eyes, he speaks softly into her ear. "You are not just any woman, Gina. You are my wife. And in the last few months I have watched as you cut back on your sleep to study. I have watched as you struggled to stay awake at dinner. As your husband and the man that loves you, I want you to cut back."
Gina gasps as he presses his lips into the sensitive spot at the base of her neck. "You really don't play fair, you know that?" So lost in the feel of her husband's lovemaking, her complaints have no heat. "Very well, I'll cut back to half time. But don't think you'll win so easily every time."

Nikolas pulls her on top of him so she's straddling his hips. He draws the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip and down the side of her neck, causing her to arch her neck back. "Of course not, I know next time I'll have to work a lot harder to get my way." All attempts at conversation end as the couple devotes all of their energy to making love.

Laura groans blissfully as she lays propped up on pillows in bed. At the other end of the bed is Stefan, slowly massaging her lower calves, ankles, and feet. "The only way I make it through the day on my feet is knowing that 'this' is waiting for me at the end of the day. Thank you."

Stefan smiles and brings the foot he's massaging to his lips for a gentle kiss. "Seeing you this happy is all the thanks I need. How did your conversation with LesleyLu go?"

Laura answers with her eyes closed. "About as well as expected. She doesn't seem to resent the pregnancy at all. In fact, she seems very secure with her place in the family. I think she's adjusted to living here. And of course she misses Lucky. There's only one thing..." She stops mid sentence. "It's nothing you need to worry about."

Stefan pauses in his massage to kiss her foot again. "It must be about Luke."

Laura opens her eyes to study her husband, and all she can tell from his carefully guarded face is that he's perturbed, so she makes a guess. "You're angry."

Stefan shakes his head. "No, Lasha. I am not angry. But it does disturb me that you find it necessary to censor yourself with me. Everything else aside, Luke is LesleyLu's father and I am well aware that his name will come up from time to time. I wish you could feel comfortable enough in our marriage that you could discuss him in front of me."

Laura reaches for his hand, and squeezes it when he gives it to her. "Be patient... the fact is I DO feel comfortable with you. But it's going to take time for me to adjust, it's my problem, not yours."

Stefan changes the subject while he continues the massage. "I spoke to Nikolas today about bringing Lucky home."

Laura struggles to sit up. "You didn't?! Stefan! How could you? I told you I wanted to wait."

"I have respected your wishes," Stefan replies with mild reproach. "Nikolas will stay here until you decide otherwise. But I thought it prudent to broach the issue with him, so he is prepared to leave when the time comes. I don't have to tell you that time is of the essence."

Laura leans back against the pillows and covers her face with her hands. "I know, I know. Each day I put this off I run the risk that he won't be here when I give birth. I ... I just can't give up the hope that he'll come home on his own."

After finishing the massage, Stefan lays down beside her and pulls her against his chest. "Let me end the torture of waiting, please. I see how this wears on you day after day, how tired and discouraged you have become. Let me do this for you, Lasha."

Laura sniffles unhappily. "Okay, okay... I admit it, I can't stand it anymore. You can send Nikolas to bring him home.."

Late evening in Phoenix, Arizona. Lucky rearranges the luggage in the back trunk of his pink Cadillac. As he rummages around in one of his duffle bags, his hand catches hold of a small object which he pulls out. It is the Native American doll that Elizabeth gave him for Lulu. "I thought I mailed you..." He smooths the doll's hair out and lays it gently back in the duffle before zipping it up.

Leo appears behind him with his own duffle slung over his shoulder. "Were you speaking to me, Lucky?"

Lucky shakes his head. "Nah, I was just realizing that I forgot to mail this doll to my little sister. Now, I won't have to."

Leo stashes his duffle in the trunk before Lucky slams it shut. "Oh? What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm heading back to Port Charles, at least for a month or so," Lucky replies in a grim tone. "There's some family business that needs my attention."

Leo's raises his eyebrows in surprise. "I see... Then I suppose you should drop me off along the way... or if you prefer to drive back alone, I could purchase a plane ticket back to Germany right here in Phoenix..."

Lucky waves Leo into the back seat of the car while Foster takes his usual place in the front passenger's seat. "I wouldn't mind the company back to Port Charles.. and the help with driving since I plan to drive straight through. That way you can see the old burg for yourself, you've heard me talk about it enough."

 

Chapter 22: Waiting Game

In his study, Stefan stares at his laptop and frowns. "I should have heard from you by now, Leo. How can I send Nikolas to speak to Lucky if I have no idea where you are?"

"Problem, Uncle?" Nikolas says from the doorway.

Stefan snaps his laptop shut in annoyance. "I have yet to hear from my operative on the current location of your brother, and of all the times for him to be out of contact! Your mother has finally agreed to let you speak to Lucky about returning home. I had hoped to send you out this morning, the jet is fueled and the pilot is standing by."

Nikolas takes a seat across the desk from him. "A few hours won't make much difference. If you like, I can stick by the house so I can leave the moment you hear of his location."

Stefan shakes his head slightly. "You may as well attend your morning classes. As long as you check with your chauffeur on an hourly basis, the delay will be negligible."

Nikolas checks his watch and gets up to leave. "Very well. I informed Gina this morning that I'd probably going on a family errand today. With any luck, I will be back with Lucky by the end of the day."

Rolling to a stop at a highway rest area, Leo glances in the review mirror to confirm that Lucky is still sound asleep. Foster lays on the floor of the back seat, also sound asleep. Leo grabs his briefcase from the passenger seat, exits the car, and heads towards the lounge area.

Leo finds a secluded spot in the lounge and opens his briefcase to reveal a state-of-the-art compact laptop computer and accompanying cellular modem. Always striving to conserve battery power in case of a real emergency, he locates a nearby outlet and plugs it in. He rapidly taps out a short message on the keyboard and sends the command to the modem to dial a long distance number. Leo sighs with relief, it hadn't taken more than five minutes for the whole transaction.

Leo spies a coffee vending machine, and after rifling through his pockets for change, he buys two hot cups of dark brown liquid that's supposed to pass for coffee. While waiting for the vending machine to complete his order, Leo's mind wanders briefly to the first time Lucky discovered his briefcase. At first, Lucky had been very curious about it, especially when he discovered it's sturdy lock. But rather than being secretive, Leo had proudly shown Lucky the whole set up and explained how he was sending messages about his travels to his home email account in Germany. Then he explained further that he had plans of writing a travel book on touring the US by car. Lucky had wondered about that. Why not just save his travel stories to disk instead? Leo had laughed lightly at that question and had asked Lucky how often he'd had his hard disk crash, surely Lucky always backed up his work? Lucky smirked and hadn't asked any other questions. Stefan had been smart not to outfit this particular computer with a floppy drive. Not only had it saved in weight, but it gave Leo's cover story plausibility.

Back at the car, Lucky wakes up to see Leo reentering the car carrying two cups of coffee. He rubs the sleep out of his eyes and grabs greedily for one of the cups. "Hey, you're a man after my own heart. How'd you know I'd want coffee?"

Leo fights a smile as he settles himself in the driver's seat and starts the engine. "I haven't traveled with you for months without picking up a few of your idiosyncrasies... for instance, your penchant for coffee."

"You mean my addiction..." Lucky grimaces as he takes a sip of coffee. "Man this stuff is BAD! I guess it'll have to do for the moment, but keep your eyes peeled for a decent coffee shop. I'd kill for some decent coffee and some breakfast."

Wyndemere study. Stefan's laptop computer sits unattended on the desk, beeping insistently. Laura, who happens to be nearby, hears the beeping and enters the study to investigate. She stands in front of the computer and reads the blinking screen: "URGENT MESSAGE". She notices a box on the screen with the options 'okay' and 'cancel', and for a moment her hand hesitates over the mouse, trying to decide whether to download the message. She bites her lip and pulls her hand away.

"Stefan!" Laura runs out of the study calling for him, and is almost knocked over when she runs into his solid chest. "Stefan! Your computer says there's an urgent message."

Stefan grabs her elbow to steady her, looking concerned. "Are you alright, Lasha? I had no inkling that you would be rushing out of the study."

Laura nods her head anxiously and points to his computer, which is still beeping. "I... I'm fine. But your computer is beeping and says there's an urgent message!" After being assured that Laura is indeed fine, Stefan leaves her to check on his computer. Laura wrings her hands. "Could it be about Lucky?! Is he coming home?"

Stefan downloads the message:

March 20, 2000. 10:00 AM Pacific Mountain Time Journal Entry # 43

Sadly my travels across the US appear to be coming to an end. My traveling companion has some urgent family business to attend to that requires his attention in his home town. While our trip back to the Northeast will be grueling (we plan to drive with no overnight stops), I am looking forward to finally laying eyes on the quaint little city of Port Charles, New York.

"Well?!" Laura prods, her nerves obviously frazzled. "Is it about Lucky?! Do you know where he is?"

Stefan rubs his chin thoughtfully as he considers how much to tell his wife. Has she guessed, like Nikolas, that he's been keeping tabs on Lucky all along? She has been careful not to question him closely up until this point, was that intentional or naivete?

"Please, Stefan!" Laura begs him. "I need to know. I HAVE to know."

Stefan takes a deep breath and answers with carefully measured words. "It appears that Lucky has decided to return on his own. My sources indicate that he is on his way back to Port Charles at this very moment, and I estimate he will be home within a few days. It seems that we will not have to send Nikolas to retrieve him after all."

Laura's eyes immediately fill with tears, tears that have been held back for months as she waited and worried. "He is? He is really coming back to Port Charles? There's no mistake?"

Stefan walks around the desk and embraces his wife. "Yes, Lasha. Lucky is coming home."

Laura hugs him back fiercely. "Thank you, Stefan. Thank you."

Tom Hardy is sitting at his desk in General Hospital doing paperwork when he hears a soft tap at he door. "Come in, I'm not in session."

Alexis peeks in. "Hi... I just wanted to drop some papers off for that court date you have in the morning."

Tom looks up and grins at her. "After yet another long afternoon of doing paperwork, you are a sight for sore eyes. Come in for a minute."

Alexis takes a few hesitant steps into his office. "I can't stay long... my driver will be here any moment..."

Tom rises from behind his desk and walks around his desk to stand in front of her. "Jan, isn't it?" He says softly, cocking his head slightly in an attempt to meet her eyes. "Too bad you have to leave so soon, you just got here."

Alexis blushes and fiddles with her hands to keep from looking at him. "Yes, Jan is my driver. And like I said, I just came by to drop off some papers... this isn't a social visit."

"You're embarrassed by what happened yesterday," Tom says with a sigh. "There's no reason to be, you know."

Alexis turns her back to him continues to fiddle with her hands. "I'd just as soon forget yesterday ever happened. I threw myself at you in the most humiliating fashion, I have no idea what came over me. I... I'm sorry."

Tom walks up right behind her so that his lips are next to her ear. "Don't be. My only regret is that I couldn't finish what you started..." He plants a soft kiss on her shoulder as his arms wrap around her waist.

Alexis stiffens and tries to pull away, but when Tom doesn't release her, she sags against his chest. "I made such a fool of myself," she whispers brokenly.

"No, you didn't," Tom replies as he continues to plant soft undemanding kisses on her neck and shoulders in an attempt to sooth her. "You have no idea how tempted I was to lay you out on my desk and consequences be damned...." His voice takes on a rough quality as he imagines it. "And I probably would have if I hadn't had an emergency appointment arriving at any moment."

Alexis' eyes widen in surprise. "Oh, I didn't know..."

Tom releases his hold on her waist and starts to massage her shoulders, his expert hands rubbing away the tension. "You ran out so fast, I didn't get a chance to explain. Then you wouldn't take my calls last night." He kisses the tip of her ear playfully. "I probably would have stormed your penthouse tonight if you hadn't stopped by."

Alexis chuckles at the thought. "That would have gone over well with Jason and the bodyguards. He doesn't trust you much, he thinks you're an amateur. That and he's very protective of me."

"He obviously remembers my botching the whole thing with Laura, Luke and Lesley. I'm... glad he's looking out for you." Tom turns her around to face him, taking her face in his hands and kissing her mouth, gently parting her lips to deepen the kiss. Breathing deeply, he presses his forehead against hers. "Damn, our timing's always wrong..."

Alexis grazes his bottom lip with her forefinger. "You obviously have a late appointment, and Jan really IS downstairs waiting for me."

"When can I see you... alone?" He says before pulling her forefinger into his mouth and sucking on it briefly before releasing it again.

Alexis groans. "I don't know, I need time to think. And I can't think when I'm around you."

Tom pushes her to an arm's length away and takes a steadying breath. "Damn... you aren't the only one." He rubs the back of his neck in agitation. "Go, before I do something stupid... and call me tonight."