Chapters 41 & 42

 

Chapter 43: I'm so Sorry

Laura sits up in her hospital bed, waiting expectantly for Richard to be brought to her. The smile she gives Stefan when he opens the door disappears at the sight of his pale and drawn face; her heart drops into her stomach. "Where.. where's Richard?"

Tears fill Stefan's eyes. He would do anything to spare her this, anything. He carefully sits on her bed and takes both of her hands and squeezes them tightly. Looking her in the eyes, he forces the words out. "Richard... is... missing."

Laura covers her mouth with her hands, the shock sucking the air out of her lungs. "Mi.. Missing?!" Her eyes wide with disbelief, she searches his face for confirmation. It is impossible, she had just held Richard a few short hours before. Cradled him and fell in love with him just as she had at the birth of each of her children. But Laura sees nothing but truth in Stefan's anguished expression. Within moments, her eyes fill tears and she holds his hands in a death grip for support. "H.. How?" She asks in a choked whisper.

As Stefan goes on to explain the details of the kidnapping and what the police are doing to find Richard, the news begins to sink in a little more. Tears stream down her face and she shakes her head violently, her whole body resisting the idea. Suddenly she interrupts his explanation. "No," She protests through her tears. "This can't be happening, not again! There has to be some mistake."

"Lasha, I would give my life for this not to be true..."

But Laura isn't listening anymore. In a panic, she yanks her hands out of Stefan's grasp, throws back her bed covers and gets out of bed. "I have to go to the nursery. I have to." Pulling her robe around her and tying it at her waist, she moves with surprising speed despite having just given birth.

Caught off guard, she reaches the door before Stefan can stop her. "Laura, no!" He exclaims in alarm, jumping to his feet to follow her.

"I have to get to Richard, I have to!" Laura flings the door open and dashes down the hall past Nikolas, only to be stopped when Lucky steps into her path.

Lucky grabs her by the shoulders. "Mom! Where are you going?"

Laura frantically struggles to get past Lucky, tears streaming down her face. "Let me go, Lucky! I have to see, I have to see it for myself!" She cries hysterically.

"Lasha, please," Given the extreme circumstances, Stefan has no choice but to plead with her. "Going to the nursery will only torment you further. Please, let us return to your room. We will handle this together."

Laura continues to struggle against Lucky, undeterred by Stefan's plea. "Please Lucky! Let me go!"

"What do you need to see, Mother?" Nikolas asks gently.

"I have to see the nursery, please." She looks around at the three men, begging them. Her face crumples and she sags against Lucky as the reality of Richard's kidnapping and her helplessness overwhelms her again. "Please!"

Lucky wraps his arms around his mother and holds her tightly, the lump in his throat practically choking him. "It'll be okay, Mom. I promise. We'll find Richard."

In the hospital lounge down the hall from Laura's hospital room, Alexis is on her cell phone. "Jason, it's Alexis. I need your help..."

"I'm already on it," Jason answers in a clipped tone. "Lucky called me earlier."

"Lucky already called you..." She shakes her head a bit. "Wow, that was fast."

Using an economy of movements, Jason straightens a pile of papers on his desk and sticks them in a folder. "I have men all over the city looking for Richard and the woman, but there's nothing so far. I've already put a couple extra men on the Penthouse, plus two downstairs watching everyone who walks in and out of the building for anything or anyone looking suspicious. Stone needs to be protected in case the kidnappers are targeting all Cassadines. Everyone here has been alerted to the danger."

Some of the strain in Alexis' face leaves. "Well, that's a relief, it makes it easier for me to focus on what's going on here. Thank you, Jason. I know if anyone can find Richard in Port Charles, it would be you."

"I just wish I had something concrete to tell you," Jason replies. "Has there been a ransom demand yet? Last Lucky told me there wasn't."

"No, and that's odd. I would think whoever took Richard would have already made their demands known." Alexis paces the lounge in an attempt to work off some of her worry. "So far we've been able to keep this out of the press, but the more time passes,the harder it is. A Cassadine baby is missing, that's worldwide news." She hears a commotion coming from the vicinity of Laura's room."I better go, Stefan might need me."

"I'll call you as soon as I know something, Alexis."

Laura buries her face in Lucky's shoulder, quaking with anguished sobs. "You don't understand, I have to go to the nursery. Please take me there, Lucky, please!"

Lucky makes eye contact with Stefan over Laura's head. "I'm taking her to the nursery. You coming?"

Alexis arrives from the lobby, but keeps herself at a discreet distance so as not to upset the delicate situation. Seeing the agony on Stefan's face coupled with hearing Laura's keening cries is almost more than she can take.

Stefan nods in defeat. He had hoped to spare her the agony he felt at seeing the empty bassinet, but given how adamant her pleas, how near hysteria she is, he doesn't dare fight it. It would be fruitless. And while a part of him will die looking at the bassinet again, he has to be there for Laura.

Nikolas puts a comforting hand on Stefan's shoulder as the group slowly makes it's way to the nursery. Emotionally removed from the scene, Stefan's head is bowed in grief.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the nursery is closed off when they arrive. Yellow tape blocks off the area and several cops are on the scene dusting for fingerprints. The newborns who were being cared for at the nursery have been moved into their mother's rooms for security.

Lucky, who still has his arms around his mother, turns to Nikolas. "Will you arrange for us to get into the nursery?"

Stefan snaps back into the present, looking at both of them sharply. "NO. I will do it." Without waiting for a response, he disengages from the group and approaches the young officer at the entrance of the nursery.

The officer recognizes him. "Mr Cassadine, as you can see, we're doing everything we can..."

"I am not here to get a report on the progress of this investigation," Stefan interrupts abruptly. "My wife wishes to see the nursery.." His voice cracks as he is hit with a new wave of despair. He pauses a moment to compose himself again. "To see the place where Richard was taken."

The officer glances over at Laura sympathetically, noting that she's still crying softly on Lucky's shoulder. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Mr Cassadine. If you don't mind my saying so, she doesn't look so good. I think it would only make things worse for both of you."

Finally finding an outlet for all his helplessness, Stefan's anger bubbles up and he steps closer, talking in a low growl as he glares menacingly at the officer. "I do mind! Do NOT presume to know what is best for me OR my wife, Officer. If you want to keep your job at the precinct, you will arrange for my wife and me to have some privacy in the nursery, posthaste."

The officer pales. "I'll see what I can do, Sir."

"You do that." Stefan continues to glare menacingly at the officer while he watches him quickly retreat into the nursery.

Within a few minutes, the officer returns, followed by the team that has been sweeping the nursery for prints. "You have the nursery to yourselves now, Sir, for as long as you need. I would ask that you not touch anything. We've completed our sweep for evidence around your baby's bassinet, but we aren't done with the rest of the nursery."

Almost by reflex, Stefan nods. "Thank you, that will be all." Looking over at Laura, he sees that her tears have subsided briefly, but that she seems removed from the whole situation, almost preoccupied. He breathes deeply as he approaches her, dreading what comes next. "Lasha?" Stefan whispers as he touches her shoulder.

Laura stiffens, not so much because his touch or voice upsets her, but because she can't hide from the reality of the situation anymore. Not daring to look in Stefan's eyes because she can't cope with seeing the pain she knows will be there, she nods mechanically and squares her shoulders. "I'm ready," She answers with grim determination. Reaching for Stefan's hand and holding it tightly, she allows him to lead her to the nursery.

She looks at entrance to the nursery for the first time since they escorted her over. When they first arrived, she was too distraught to notice her surroundings. Now that she has seen it, she's surprised at how unremarkable it looks, like any other entrance to any other part of the hospital. Deceptively innocent. Except for the yellow crime tape designed to keep intruders out, you wouldn't be able to tell anything happened there.

Stefan and Laura slip under the tape and enter the nursery. As they cross the threshold, a feeling a numbness and unreality descends on Laura, only troubling because she's unable to feel her feet. At one point, she almost stumbles and Stefan has to steady her. She can vaguely hear Stefan saying that they mustn't touch anything because the police aren't done with their investigation, but he sounds miles away from her. The only reason she knows he isn't is because she can feel his hand holding hers. In fact, it's the only thing that seems real.

Then Stefan points out the bassinet that once held Richard. Empty. Barren of all signs of him, as if he never existed.This isn't what she expected to see. At the very least, she hoped to see some remnant of him, a blanket, a tiny newborn undershirt or the cap that covered his head. Anything that proved he had existed. "It doesn't look like it ever held him, like he was ever here," Laura says in a choked whisper.

Ignoring the tears that dampen his face, Stefan reaches over to the table next to the bassinet and picks up an evidence bag containing a hospital issue receiving blanket. He places it in her free hand. "This was in his bassinet when he was taken. The blue blanket ..." Stefan makes a strangled sound. "we wrapped him in is gone."

Laura lets go Stefan's hand and strokes the plastic bag reverently for a moment, mesmerized by it. Tears begin to fall from her face, landing like small raindrops on the bag. "Then my baby did exist!" With shaking hands she opens the bag, pulls out the blanket, and buries her face in it. Breathing in deeply, she can detect the faint scent of baby, her baby. Reeling, her knees buckle and she crumples to the floor in a heap. Over and over again she wails out his name in despair and grief.

Weeping himself, Stefan kneels beside her, envelopes her in his arms, and rocks her as he would rock a small child. "I'm so sorry, Lasha. I'm so sorry."

 

Chapter 44 The Ripple Effect

Alexis paces the living room of her penthouse suite as she fires orders in rapid succession. "Yes, Reese, you heard me correctly. The infrared and motion sensor security grids around Wyndemere and along the perimeter of Spoon Island that were installed a few years ago need to be reactivated and fully operational immediately. I don't care how you do it, get it done," Alexis says tightly. "Passage to and from Spoon island is limited to immediate family unless approved through me, Nikolas, or Stefan. Since Nikolas and Stefan are indisposed tonight, I am your contact." Alexis stops to reconfirm her cell phone number. "Security staff covering Wyndemere and the island needs to be tripled. Obviously, the staff will have to move to Spoon Island for the short term. Have the staff pull double shifts and assure them they will be amply compensated for the inconvenience." Alexis pauses to hear Reese's response. "Yes, I am aware that even if the staff pulls double shifts, you won't have enough. That's why I've arranged for additional staff known to be loyal to Stefan and Nikolas to be flown in from Greece in the morning. A contingent of guards are en route to Switzerland to provide protection to Cassidy Corbin and her unborn child. You should also know that Stone, my bodyguard and I will be arriving on Spoon Island in a few hours. I'll be available to troubleshoot any problems you might encounter along the way."

"Now, Reese, this is most important. Gina, Lulu and Stone must NOT leave the island unless you get express permission from Stefan, Nikolas or me. In addition, their visitors must be approved through us for the immediate future. Chances are neither Lulu nor Gina will want to go anywhere given what's happened. But if they do leave the island, they must have a contingent of armed bodyguards accompany them for their protection. I don't have to tell you what Nikolas' or Stefan's reaction will be if anything happens to either of them." There's a lull in Alexis' end of the conversation as she listens to Reese. "Then we are agreed that the measures, while extreme, are appropriate given the circumstances. Now, let me give you a list of supplies that Wyndemere will need for the next month...." Picking up a legal pad on her desk she starts reading it off.

 

"Oh My God!" Gina exclaims, her hand covering her mouth in dismay. "He.. he's gone, just like that?! No one knows who took him or where he might have been taken?"

Nikolas's voice is soft and defeated. "All we have is a description of the woman who took Richard. That's it. No ransom note, not one sighting of her or Richard since they walked out of the hospital and into a cab. And nothing from any our contacts, or Jason Morgan's contacts for that matter. Apparently they just evaporated into thin air."

Gina gulps several times. "This is unbelievable... I just saw him this morning, he can't just have disappeared. You and Stefan must have some idea who might have done this."

A bleary Nikolas just sighs and rubs his eyes. Staying up all night waiting for Laura to give birth coupled with the stress handling the kidnapping all day has really worn him down. He's amazed he's still standing.

"Nikolas, are you there?"

Nikolas opens his eyes and gives himself a hard shake. "Yes, I'm still here. Just exhausted. As to your question... There are any number of people who could have taken Richard as a way to get at us. Richard was a target just by being a Cassadine. Uncle has his people looking into the possibilities. Fortunately, we've been able to keep a lid on the press."

Gina rubs her stomach in distress. "This is just so awful, Nikolas. How are Laura and Stefan holding up?"

"Not great. My mother fell apart in the nursery after it happened. It took an injection of a sedative to get her back to her room. A little while ago, the doctor gave her something else so she would sleep. As for Uncle... he's so quiet, it's a little unnerving. Except for a brief period when he was with my mother in the nursery, he really hasn't reacted to the news. But, it's like a part of him has died, or gone into hiding." Nikolas blinks back some tears. "The saddest part of this whole thing is how happy he was before this happened. You've seen him the last few months since he married my mother. He's been excited, almost buoyant. And now...."

"It's not fair, Nikolas," Gina sniffles. "This shouldn't have happened."

Nikolas sighs. "Listen, I don't think I'll be coming home tonight. Uncle is staying in the hospital with my mother. I think he could use the extra support. Will you be alright without me?"

"Yes, of course." The tears are coming so fast, Gina has to shut her eyes tight and bite her lip to keep herself from sobbing out loud.

"Thanks," Nikolas says in a voice full of sadness. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with you right now, but I just can't leave Uncle like this. With Alexis busy taking care of Cassadine security and moving herself and Stone over to Wyndemere, I'm the only one my Uncle has to depend on right now."

"I understand," Gina briefly gets a control over her tears. "Will you be home in the morning?"

"I'll probably come home when my mother is released," Nikolas replies. "Unless she has a relapse in the morning, they plan to release her by midday. It is important that nothing is said to Lulu now about what has happened. We will wait until we can tell her as a family."


"Of course, that's probably the best." Gina feels the tears start to come again and clutches the phone tightly. "Will you call me later?"

"Yes, I will. It helps me too, just hearing your voice."

Operating on automatic pilot, Lucky makes his way to the Quartermaine mansion. Instead of throwing pebbles at Emily's window as is his habit, he lets himself into mansion and slips up to Emily's room, taking the steps two at a time.

Meanwhile Emily sits at her desk reading from one of her textbooks and is surprised to hear a soft knock at her bedroom door. Rising from her chair and walking across the room, she opens her door to find Lucky standing there looking like he's been through World War III. His hair is tousled, his clothes rumpled from being worn for two days and his eyes are bloodshot. Emily's heart stops. "Lucky?!"

Lucky pulls her into his arms, buries his face in her hair, and holds onto her for dear life. For the first time since he heard the news of Richard's disappearance, Lucky begins to cry.

Her shock at seeing Lucky at her bedroom door at this late hour evaporates only to be replaced by alarm at his emotional break down. "Oh my God, Lucky. What's wrong?!"

Lucky starts to shake, the horror of his baby brother being kidnapped and watching his mother disintegrate before his eyes finally catching up with him. The helplessness at not being able to do anything to help find Richard or prevent his mother's heart from being broken hits him like a tidal wave. "Just hold me, Okay?" His voice cracks, full of despair. "Don't let go."

"Never." She vows, kicking the door shut and squeezing him even tighter. "I'll never let you go. I'll hold you for as long as you need me to."

WVPC newsroom

Veronica Bowles shoos her hair stylist away as she straightens her notes on the news desk. "I don't have time for this! Barry, cue me when the camera is ready. I'm not waiting another minute to put this news on the air."

"You sure you want to go with this, Ronnie?" Asks the burly man named Barry. "I'd hate to be you if this blows up in your face."

"Don't call me Ronnie," Veronica snaps. "And it's not going to blow up in my face. Trust me, this news is so huge, it has to be true."

Barry shrugs his shoulders and cues the man in the booth to put them on the air live. "Okay, you're on."

Veronica looks directly into the camera. "Veronica Bowles, live from the anchor desk at WVPC. This news just in. An unconfirmed source at Port Charles' General Hospital reports that newborn baby boy, Richard Stefanovich Cassadine, has been kidnapped from their nursery. Apparently, his disappearance was the cause for the sudden shut down of General Hospital earlier today that lasted for several hours. General Hospital has since reopened, but all maternity related cases are being rerouted to Mercy Hospital for the time being.

"As was reported in an earlier broadcast, Richard Cassadine was born this morning to world renown financier Stefan Cassadine, custodian to the Cassadine fortune, and his wife, long time Port Charles resident Laura Spencer Cassadine. Stefan Cassadine married Laura Webber Spencer a few short months ago in a small private ceremony at the Cassadine private estate on Spoon Island, less than a year after the mysterious murder of Mrs Spencer's then husband, town icon and former mayor, Luke Spencer. As many of you will remember, Luke Spencer was gunned down in January of 1999 along with reputed crime boss Sonny Corinthos in a drive by shooting outside a local theater. Those murders have remain unsolved to this day. Mr Corinthos was survived by his wife, Alexis Davis.

"Nothing is known at this time whether the murders of Luke Spencer and Sonny Corinthos are linked in some way to this latest kidnapping... "

Alexis' penthouse is in chaos in the middle of the night. Piles and piles of manila files are stacked on the desk and there are several file boxes on the floor, half filled. The phone is ringing off the hook. As soon as Alexis' assistant, Jan, handles one phone call, it rings again within seconds of her putting the receiver down. One suitcase is open on the sofa and half filled with clothing. Several other suitcases are stacked at the doorway. Alexis is in her bedroom, wearing a hole in the carpet with her pacing.

"Damn it, Alan," Alexis bellows into the phone. "This is unacceptable! How did that Bowles woman get a hold of this information?! The police were adamant about this being kept out of the press and now it's only a matter of time before it's broadcast all over the country!" She rolls her eyes at Alan's response. "No, no. Denying the report now is impossible. The best thing the hospital can do is issue an official statement. But I'm telling you, Alan. If Stefan discovers that the leak to the press was somehow a result of you mishandling the situation, you'll be lucky if all you lose is your job!"

Alexis stops pacing briefly. "Honestly, I don't know what to think. This recent screw up seriously puts into question your ability to handle this institution during a crisis. The staff you hired can't be trusted to keep confidences even when lives are at stake. I don't have to tell you how this news leak could compromise Richard's safety." She looks at her watch. "Alan, I have to go. I suggest you draft up an official statement and run it by me before you go to the press. Call me on my cell phone as soon as it's drafted, I'm in transit." She hangs up her phone abruptly. "Could this situation be any worse?" Alexis asks the ceiling as she walks out to the living room. Seeing that Jan is about to say something, she shoots Jan a warning look. "Don't answer that, I don't want to know."

On her bed, Emily lays on her back with a slumbering Lucky draped over her, his head resting in the crook of her shoulder so she can stroke his hair at will. She brushes a lock of his hair off his forehead and gives a weary sigh.

After Lucky choked out the bare essential information of Richard's kidnapping while Emily consoled him, he had reluctantly consented to laying down, but only if she promised to stay with him and to answer his newly acquired cell phone if it rang. The vulnerable needy look he gave her when he asked her to stay with him frightened her more than any amount of ranting and raving could. And the look of relief on his face when she agreed almost brought tears to her eyes. Lucky Spencer should never look so depleted or fragile.

As she guessed, as soon he assumed a horizontal position, his exhaustion took over and he'd fallen into a fitful sleep. It was a true testament to how physically and emotionally drained he was that he could sleep at all. But whenever she shifted position, his hold on her tightened reflexively. Even in his sleep, he needed her.

With Lucky taken care of, Emily lets her own grief slip out from under her eyelids. She sheds tears for Stefan and Laura's loss, tears for the lost little baby Richard that she'd only peeked at through the nursery window once, tears for Nikolas and Gina who are sure to be terrified for their own child-to-be. But most of all, Emily cries for Lucky, who had just come to terms with his new little brother and was just beginning to feel a renewed sense of family, only to have it ripped out from under him again. It just wasn't fair.

In a room at General Hospital, Laura Cassadine lies sleeping, her blond hair draped neatly on her pillow. Her slumber is so deep, she doesn't stir. In the corner of her darkened room stands her husband, Stefan, staring out her window into the night in silent vigil. The full moon shining through the window is the only illumination, showing his face wet with tears.