Chapters 45 & 46

 

Chapter 45: Desperate Measures

"The only cure for grief is action." George Henry Lewes


Early the following morning at the Quartermaine estate.

Lucky exits Emily's bathroom while tucking his rumpled shirt in. His hair is wet and slicked back from taking a quick shower. Emily, clad in old pair of sweats, looks up from where she is sitting on her bed. "Feeling better?"

Lucky smiles weakly. "Not really. But at least I feel like a human being again."

Scooting off the bed, Emily silently approaches Lucky and wraps her arms around his neck. Lucky automatically pulls her against him tightly, trying to fuse their bodies together, to lose himself. He buries his face in Emily's silky brown hair and breathes her scent in, filling his lungs with it, hoping the sweet smell of her will dissolve the hard knot in his stomach. For a second the knot loosens and tears spring to his eyes, unbidden. "Have I told you how important you are to my sanity?"

Hearing a crack in his voice Emily tightens her hold on him and says fiercely. "You'll get through this, Lucky. No matter what happens." She pulls away far enough to look in his eyes, and sees they are clouded with pain. "You sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"Yeah. Now that the news of Richard's disappearance has hit the press, the hospital will be swamped with reporters. I need to know I can at least keep you from this insanity. There's not much you can do there anyway." Lucky runs his fingers through her hair, wishing he didn't have to leave, wishing that his biggest problem was being angry at his mother and winning Emily back. If only things were back to the way they were before...

"Okay, if that's what you want," Emily says, knowing better than to press it any further. If he would feel better about her staying out of it, then that's what she'll do. Emily presses her forehead against his and forces the worry out of her voice. "I wish there was something more I could do. Anything.... Will you come see me after you're done?"

"I think I'll need that. You don't mind?" Lucky asks hesitantly.

"No, of course not. You don't even have to ask." Taking his hand, Emily walks him downstairs and to the front door, thankful that they haven't run into any of the family along the way. "I'll be here all day, studying. Call or come by, any time."

Lucky hesitates at the door, not wanting to leave his refuge quite yet. He hugs her again. "Thanks for last night, I don't know what I would have done without you." Forcing himself to let go of her, he slips out quickly.

Laura stares out her hospital room window at the street below. People are milling about, in and out of cars and buildings, conferring briefly in small groups, then dispersing, seemingly content in their ignorance. How Laura wishes she could be like them. Again.

Across the room, Laura's husband is quietly conferring with Tom Hardy about some last minute discharge instructions: What medications she should take, when and how often, possible side effects, and what to do if she "flips" out again. A conversation she opted out of immediately because she could really care less about any of it. They don't understand, no one understands. And Tom wouldn't listen to her anyway, and his look of concern mixed with pity only makes her want to scream.

"Do you have any questions before I go?" Asks Tom as he hands a clipboard to Stefan for a signature. He directs his question to both Laura and Stefan.

Glancing briefly over at his pale wife, Stefan quickly signs and passes the clipboard back to Tom. "No, I believe we have covered all the necessary information. Thank you, Dr Hardy."

Tom tears off the pink copy of the NCR form Stefan just signed and hands it back to Stefan. "Call me if you have any questions. You can page me day or night. Dr Goldstein will be in a little while with discharge papers to sign."

Stefan merely nods while he slips the pink form into his breast pocket, his focus is already on his very withdrawn wife and how best to approach her. As Tom leaves, Stefan walks up behind Laura and places a hand on her shoulder.

Laura doesn't acknowledge him at first, but after a moment she says, "I wish I was an ant."

"Laura?" Stefan asks, trying to keep the alarm he feels out of his voice. He desperately wants to get her home, he's certain if he can get her out of the hospital, she will recover more quickly, be herself again. Her behavior is unnerving to say the least. Ever since the scene in the hospital nursery and her subsequent sedation, she has practically been nonverbal, only answering yes and no questions, and even then unreliably. As it is, he's going against doctor's orders in getting her released today. Both Dr Goldstein and Tom Hardy had urged him to keep his wife in the hospital for another day at least to ensure that she's stabilized emotionally. But he'd been adamant. No one knew better than him what Laura needed. Her family around her, to be surrounded by people and things that are familiar and comforting.

Without looking up at him, Laura points out the window to the people below. "Look at them. They are so oblivious, so content. Going about their business as if nothing's wrong. Just worker ants scurrying back and forth."

Relieved to find that there's sanity in her odd references, he squeezes her shoulder. "We will be leaving soon, Lasha. You won't be in this hospital a moment longer than necessary. I promise you that."

Lucky runs into Nikolas at the nurses station. "Hey, how's Mom doing?"

Nikolas silently beckons Lucky towards the waiting area as they update each other. "Not great. There's been a slight improvement in her condition since yesterday. I wish we had news about Richard, some kind of lead. Last time I spoke with the police there was nothing solid on his whereabouts. Has Jason contacted you?"

"I called him before I left Emily's. Nothing. Not a peep on the streets." Lucky shakes his head unhappily. "It's spooky, Man. It's like Richard disappeared into thin air. What's the status on the press? Those vultures haven't been allowed near Mom, have they?"

"No. Security has been keeping them outside the hospital. The last thing Mother needs is the press hounding her. Uncle's arranging for her release now." Nikolas' brow furrows with worry. "I just hope it's wise letting her go home so soon, she was so unstable yesterday."

"Wouldn't you look a tad unstable if some psycho took your kid?" Lucky retorts. "Especially after Lulu's kidnapping a while back? I agree with Stefan on this one. Mom needs to be around people she cares about and who care about her. Not be poked and stared at by a bunch of busybody nurses and doctors like she's some lab specimen."

Nikolas relents. "Okay, then do you have any suggestions for distracting the press?"

"Actually, I do. Come on, I've got some phone calls to make. I'll fill you in on the way. What I was thinking is if we can mislead the press about when Mom's going to be released and which exit ...."

Lulu bounces into the Wyndemere dining room fully dressed and prepared for the day. A haggard, red-eyed, and very pregnant Gina sits at the table in a bathrobe with a untouched plate of food in front of her .

"I'm ready to go to the hospital now, Gina. I can't wait to see Richard!"

Gina bites back a sob. How is she supposed to act normal? She recites the mantra Nikolas gave her earlier. It's only for a few hours, it's only for a few hours. "I'm sorry, Honey. There's been a change of plans. and we aren't going to the hospital today. We'll wait here for your mom and Stefan instead."

"Oh." Lulu can't hide her disappointment. "Why can't I go see them at the hospital?" Then she sees for the first time how distraught Gina is. "Gina, why are you so sad? Aren't you happy about Richard?"

At the main entrance of the hospital, a large contingent of security keep the press at bay while they wait to catch a glimpse of Laura and Stefan Cassadine as they make their way to the limousine parked outside waiting for them. Camera crews are standing by waiting to broadcast live footage of the grief stricken couple. Conspicuously absent from the press mob is local press celebrity, Veronica Bowles, and her camera crew.

Meanwhile at the other end of the hospital, Laura and Stefan slip into a dirty little service elevator that takes them to a basement exit which is used for laundry pickup. They are accompanied by just one guard. Normally such a place would disgust Stefan, but given the extreme situation, he is thankful for any opportunity to protect Laura from the media circus.

When the service elevator doors open, Stefan spies a nondescript sedan waiting close by. With gentle prodding, he guides Laura towards the waiting car. When they are about halfway there, they are startled by a flash of light off to the side. Within moments, Stefan, Laura, and the Cassadine security guard are accosted by Veronica Bowles and her camera crew.

One crew member with a camera is flashing still pictures while another holds a video camera documenting the whole event. The Cassadine bodyguard frantically attempts to shield Laura and Stefan with his body, but he isn't quick enough to neutralize both cameras and Veronica Bowles.

Veronica rushes forward and shoves a microphone in Stefan and Laura's faces. "Mr and Mrs Cassadine, on the behalf of the whole community of Port Charles, I just want to say how outraged and saddened we are by your loss. Is there anything you would like to say to the city of Port Charles?"

His worst fears realized, Stefan wraps his arms protectively around Laura and buries her face in his chest, using his body to shelter her from prying eyes. He can feel her trembling in his arms. Shaking with fury himself, he glowers murderously at Veronica. "Get your cameras away from my wife! Have you no shame?!"

Meanwhile, the occupants of the waiting sedan, Lucky and Nikolas, burst from the car and rush forward to assist them. Lucky calls out, "Stefan, get Mom to the car!"

Launching himself at the closest cameraman, Lucky wrenches the camcorder out of the his hands and smashes it violently on the pavement, rendering it useless. The cameraman, fearing for his own safety, tries to take off but Lucky grabs him by the scruff of his neck.

The Cassadine security guard rips the 35 mm camera out of the other crew member's hands, opens up the back of it and pulls the undeveloped film out. Then he drops the camera on the hard cement pavement, deliberately breaking the lens. He lifts the man off the ground by the front of his shirt and shakes him threateningly.

Nikolas takes on Veronica Bowles who is relentlessly pursuing Stefan and Laura. He deftly snatches the microphone from her hands from behind and stomps on it. "The show's over, Lady."

Deprived of her quarry who are now safely in the car, Veronica turns towards Nikolas, sputtering with outrage. "How dare you destroy equipment and attack my staff?! I'll have you up on charges of assault and destruction of property!"

Nikolas puts his face in Veronica's and glares at her menacingly. "Consider yourselves fortunate that all we did is disable a few pieces of equipment. My brother over there would like nothing better than to snap all your necks and dump you off the docks. And I'm half inclined to let him have his way."

Veronica rubs her neck nervously. "Now you're threatening our lives? I'm sure PCPD would love to hear about this."

"C'mon Nikolas," Lucky pipes up. "The city would be better off without this bunch of bottom feeders. The whole town would thank us, including the cops. With my connections, the Cassadine money, and no living witnesses to the crime, they'd never know who did it." Lucky grins malevolently. "Lurch over there is practically drooling at the chance. Aren't ya?"

"It would be a pleasure to be rid of these parasites." The Cassadine guard shakes the trembling cameraman in his grip again. "No one messes with the Cassadine."

The man Lucky's holding, after struggling feebly to get away and not succeeding, starts to beg. "Listen, Man. We just did what Veronica told us to do! If we didn't, we'd lose our jobs. We won't press charges, will we Gus? Just let us go and we won't bother your family again."

"Yeah," The frightened man named Gus readily agrees. "Yeah, as far as we're concerned, you never even laid a hand on us. The station has insurance to cover the lost equipment. Heck it happens all the time, they won't even ask questions. Just let us go."

"You two are such spineless worms!" Veronica shrieks.

"Hey, we have families, Ronnie!" Gus retorts. "We're not going to risk getting ourselves killed just to get some story! It's your fault we're in this mess to begin with."

"You're finished here, Ronnie," Nikolas says with a sneer. He takes a step back from her. "Okay, let them go. I think we've made our position crystal clear. They know if they make any more trouble for us, the consequences will be swift and merciless."

 

Chapter 46: Deep Thoughts

From The Encrypted Journal of Stefan Cassadine

It has been a week since Richard's abduction. Given the momentous effect this has on my life and the lives of those I love, I have decided to keep a chronicle, in an effort to maintain a semblance of sanity and to log the details for future reference.

With each day there is less hope. The police force, in all their incompetence, haven't been able to find one solid lead on Richard's whereabouts. All the evidence at the hospital, the video tape, the taxi the kidnapper took, fingerprints, all have proved useless in finding the kidnappers. Even pooling my resources with the WSB and Jason Morgan has turned up precious little. And to make matters worse, there has been no demand for ransom and no contact from the kidnappers. Even the offer of a substantial reward for any clues leading to the return of Richard, has turned up nothing of use.

Alexis and Lucky have combined their talents and wits to head the search to find Richard. Both Laura and LesleyLu have been so distraught they have required my undivided attention, so I have had to rely on Alexis and Lucky to carry out the details of the search. I have confidence that if anyone can find Richard, they will.

Lucky came to me the first night home from the hospital and brought up the possibility of Helena being behind the kidnapping. Although it seems unlikely given that she's bedridden and heavily guarded, I have learned from bitter experience never to underestimate her. If anyone could accomplish this diabolical act from their bed while effectively paralyzed, it would be she.

I immediately contacted my staff at the Cassadine compound to explore the possibility, but the staff assured me Helena has had no visitors or phone calls besides her doctor. As a precaution, I have activated electronic surveillance on the phone lines and installed listening devices in her rooms and throughout the compound. So far no information has surfaced which ties her to Richard's disappearance.

My esteem for Lucky has grown considerably in the last week. He has put aside his feud with me to devote all his energies to supporting his mother, his sister and to finding Richard. On several occasions I have been forced to rely on him to calm Lasha when neither Nikolas nor I have been able. It is not an exaggeration to say his mother and I could not have survived this ordeal thus far without him.

The same is true for Nikolas. Between soothing Gina's fears, running Cassadine Inc, and taking his turn caring for LesleyLu and his mother, he has his hands full. I can see the concern in his eyes when we have a spare moment to speak. He is worried about me, and despite my assurances that I am indeed coping, he doesn't seem convinced. And although he doesn't say it out loud, I know he is terrified the same will happen when his child is born.

We informed LesleyLu of Richard's abduction on the day we returned from the hospital. I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to tell her, or how hard she would take it. She cried for hours in her room, inconsolably, even with everyone striving to help her. I don't believe I have ever felt so helpless in my life. Ironically, holding LesleyLu while she cried has been most cathartic. In fact, while comforting LesleyLu I haven't been able to keep the tears at bay, as hard as I have tried. At first I was concerned my grief might scare her, but instead it seems to give her some comfort, knowing that she's not alone in her grief.

Since the kidnapping, LesleyLu seeks me out continually through the day. Even when she is with Gina or her brothers, she is unable to tolerate being separated from Laura or me for more than an hour without becoming fretful. She is content to sit quietly in my lap for hours, unusual behavior for a child usually so active and gregarious. Her quiet presence is the one bright light of my days.

As expected, LesleyLu's nightmares have returned, now much worse than before. The nightmares are about the family disappearing or of Victor kidnapping her again. Laura and I reassure her we will protect her, that nothing will harm her, but our assurances do little to ease her fears. How can she believe she is safe when we failed to protect Richard?

Laura, the love of my life, is not the woman she was a week ago. Her reaction to the abduction causes me the most concern. At one moment in time, she is withdrawn and nonresponsive, looking as fragile as spun glass. At another moment she is furious. Not just at me, which is expected, but at her sons and most frighteningly at herself. Then there are the episodes when she is completely detached from reality.

The first night home was the most distressing. In the middle of the night, Laura woke in the throes of a nightmare. She was convinced she heard Richard's cries in the house and insisted the whole household search for him. No one could dissuade her from it, and when I attempted to convince her otherwise, she called me Stavros and accused me of hiding Richard from her, of being in a conspiracy with Helena to keep her from her son. It was then that Lucky intervened and persuaded her to take one of the sedatives Dr Hardy prescribed. When Laura awoke the next morning and realized what had transpired, she was mortified. She said countless times she doesn't believe any of what she said, that she wasn't in her right mind. But I know there is a hint of truth.

The irony of her accusation does not escape me. Had I not kept her from Nikolas most of his childhood? How was I ever able to convince myself that keeping Laura from Nikolas was for anyone's benefit but my own? Given what's happened, how can she stand to be in the same room with me without trying to kill me, much less love me? For it is a certainty that I would dispatch Richard's abductors with my bare hands if I ever had the opportunity.

As I think of Richard's abduction, I always return to the same conclusion. I, alone, am the one at fault. Had I been more vigilant with security, had I kept my distance from Laura, had I never come to Port Charles and insinuated myself into her life, Laura would be happy. Her children would be happy. Though I am loathe to admit it, Nikolas could have, and would have, made peace with his mother without my interference. And Lucky and LesleyLu would have their father.

Each time I come back to the one basic truth of my life. That any happiness is short term and elusive, and it inevitably ends in tragedy for me and those unfortunate enough to be around me. How else could it be explained that every time I come close to true happiness it is snatched from me? How many times have I warned myself not to hope for too much, not to strive for too much, because it will be taken away from me only to be replaced by an existence more hellish than before? I am accustomed to misery, it is my fate, but Laura deserves, no, needs to be happy and at peace. How can she ever have that as my wife? How can I in good conscience burden her and her loved ones with my curse?

A rage burns inside me at the injustice of this loss, an anger so powerful it is too much for me to bear. My mother's curse, that I will never know happiness, echoes in my brain until it is all I hear. I want to scream, I want to tear Wyndemere down to it's foundation myself. Sometimes, when I am all alone in the middle of the night and the rest of the house is asleep, the rage burns so intensely, I can feel it consuming my soul.

These are my darkest thoughts. I am well aware they do not assist me in helping Laura or in finding Richard. Since they are my top priorities, I banish theses thoughts to the deepest recesses of my mind and focus on helping my wife and LesleyLu, and aiding in the search for Richard. I try to hold on to the slim hope that Richard will be returned to us, that he isn't already dead, which is my worst fear. I pray constantly that he is well cared for and loved while my arms ache to hold him again. Over and over, I recall every single minute I had with him before he disappeared. How he felt in my arms, his wonderfully indignant cry when he was first born, how soft and warm his skin was to the touch, how clear his eyes were when he studied at me. The way Laura smiled with love for all of us as she held our son in her arms. I commit it all to memory, because I don't want to ever forget. And I fear he has already forgotten me, and that very thought causes me to weep.