Devolution TOC

Chapter 105

Tony opened his car door and slid out of the driver's seat. "Come on, Lucky," he said as he leaned back into the car and poked his quiet nephew. Lucky lifted his face from the protection of his arm and flung open his door, stepping out and slamming it behind him.

"What did that car door ever do to you?" Tony asked with a shake of his head.

Lucky's face was solemn as he tried to bury his hurt emotions and maintain a stoic front, but his slumped posture and sniffing nose said otherwise. Lucky followed his uncle through the side entrance of the house and immediately headed for the half bath off of the kitchen. He ripped a generous piece of toilet paper off of the roll and blew his nose loudly. It was a self-defeating process because the tears welled up in his eyes again, and his nose began to clog once more.

Lucky looked around the bathroom as he ran the water and waited for it to heat up. Bobbie hadn't redecorated this room yet, and leftovers from the little old lady who'd previously owned the home reared their ugly little crocheted heads. There were lacy crocheted camouflages nestled here and there - discrete toilet paper roll and brush covers, futile attempts at disguising the room's true purpose. Wallpaper lined the room with scenes of proper Victorian men and ladies partaking of an afternoon tea. Lucky splashed his face with water and then rubbed it on a hand towel. He sighed deeply and scratched his head, reaching for more toilet paper to blow his nose. Damn, he hated how emotional he was and how easily he cried, one more characteristic to remind him of his mother and his uncertainty concerning his masculinity. He heard Tony bustling around in the kitchen and the sound of the microwave announcing that its countdown was complete. He walked into the foyer, on his way to the stairs and the privacy of his bedroom.

"Lucky."

Lucky turned to face Tony. "Why don't you sit with me in the kitchen," Tony suggested. "I have hot drinks for us, and I'd like to talk to you for a minute."

"I was heading for bed," Lucky explained a fraction too loudly. "I don't want to talk." His face looked pouty, and he crossed his arms.

"Come on," Tony gestured. "Just for a minute."

"I don't want to talk about it." Lucky insisted in a loud voice, his face growing red.

"Shhh, Lucky. The kids are in bed. You might wake them up."

"O-kaaay," Lucky replied in an exasperated tone with his eyes bugged for emphasis. He made a face at Tony's back as they headed for the kitchen.

"I made you a hot chocolate," Tony said, handing a mug to his nephew. "I remember how much you liked it when we lived together."

Lucky chuckled. "You couldn't keep any in the house longer than a week." He plopped ungracefully into a kitchen chair and grabbed a paper napkin from the dispenser in the middle of the table to wipe up the chocolate that he spilled. Tony picked up his mug of decaf tea and joined his nephew at the table. He was determined to get Lucky to spill at least a bare bones account of what had happened with Emily. He recalled Kevin's warning to not let Lucky stew on problems and shut people off or isolate himself.

"I was worried at how upset Emily sounded on the phone, and then I found you walking around looking like you'd lost your best friend," Tony said.

"I did," Lucky stated abruptly, clearing his throat and blinking back a fresh round of tears. "She said, 'Goodbye Lucky Spencer,' and walked out of my life forever." He took a large sip of his hot chocolate and set the mug down on the table. His face sank, and his lips tightened.

"Was this about the girl that you lived with when you left the hospital?" Tony asked gently. "You were going to tell her about that time."

"Oh yeah," Lucky replied bitterly. "She knows now, and she hates my guts forever - just like I hate myself."

Tony wrapped his fingers around his warm mug and looked down at the table. "Lucky, he said quietly. "Emily is young. You hurt her by your actions. It's understandable that she'd be upset. How did you think she'd react?"

"I don't know. I knew she'd be mad, but I guess I was hoping she'd understand and forgive me. I wanted to show her tonight how much I love her, and maybe then she'd see how I really feel."

"So you still want to be with Emily?"

"Yes," Lucky replied tearfully. "I really care about her, and I want to be with her." He took another deep swallow of his hot chocolate. "Tony, I don't know what to do now."

Tony frowned as his mind worked on the problem. "She probably needs a few days to cool down and take a breather," he recommended. "Then, maybe you can write her a note to explain how you feel and that you want to be forgiven, that you'll never hurt her that way again."

Lucky nodded. "Okay. That makes sense. But what if she still doesn't want to talk to me?" He looked closely at his uncle for reassurance.

"We'll be optimistic," Tony stated. "Emily was very concerned about you tonight. She must still care about you. Give her some room, and she might come around."

~*~*~*~

Emily parked the Cadillac in one of her grandfather's numerous garages. She cupped the keys in her hand and opened the door. She'd driven around the docks for twenty minutes, hoping to catch a glimpse of Lucky. Finally, she'd headed for home, figuring that Tony had found him. She felt guilty and immature running off like that, but his news had devastated her to the point where she wasn't thinking, just reacting with her hurt emotions and hot anger. Her special purse, the one that she'd bought especially for this date, banged forlornly against her leg as she walked. She held it with a limp hand, and it almost dragged onto the ground. She didn't care. She didn't care if she ever went on another date again. She'd be single the rest of her life. That was the way to go. No more men that promised her the sun and moon, but delivered her nothing but dirt. She'd stopped crying about ten minutes ago. There wasn't anything left in her.

Edward watched Emily from the hallway off the foyer. He'd waited up for her. From her body language and tear stained cheeks, he figured that something bad had happened - something emotional. He tightened the sash around his silk robe and stood silently. She needed some privacy to deal with this. He could talk to her tomorrow. For now, she was safely home. But his curiosity was peaked. What had Lorenzo done to his baby granddaughter?

Emily took the stairs slowly and entered her bedroom, closing the door quietly behind her. Thank goodness no one was around when I came in, she thought. I'm not up to any explanations of how my date went. She removed her stickpin, careful not to damage the silk of her red sheath dress, and placed it on her desk. She fingered the heart pendant of the necklace that Lucky had given her so many months ago, back in December. "You have my heart," she heard him whisper in her mind. Almost reluctantly, Emily fingered the clasp behind her neck and clicked it open, removing the necklace that she'd worn every day since it had been given to her. She placed it beside the stickpin and looked down at the two hearts lying side by side.

I thought that was Lucky and me. Two hearts together. Tears glistened in her sad eyes, and she stepped over to her walk-in closet, unzipping her dress. She'd spent a lot of money on this dress, wanting to look especially nice for Lucky. What's the use, she thought as the dress slipped to the floor. Obviously I didn't look nice enough for him to want me, to be faithful to me. Emily left the dress on the floor. She had no intention of ever wearing it again. She slipped on an oversized teeshirt and stepped into her adjoining bath to clean up for the night.

~*~*~*~

Lucky sat on the edge of his bed in the dark. A storm was fast approaching Port Charles, and the sky lit up with the occasional flash of lightning. He could see clearly into the back yard and wondered if anyone could hop a six-foot fence. He felt doped up, like he had all evening, and he wondered if that rubbed off onto the way that he'd told Emily about his indiscretion with Cindy. Would he have handled the situation differently if he weren't drugged up? Had he handled the topic in a clumsy and silly manner? Was he the insensitive prick that Emily believed he was?

A shiver of fear went up his spine when he reviewed their conversation and realized that he'd talked about being assaulted. Would Emily pick up on the true meaning of the phrase and how it related to him? This was something else he hadn't told her about - the sexual abuse he'd suffered as a young child and later as a teenager held prisoner in a compound. As far as Emily knew, he'd had a nervous breakdown because of his mother. Well, that was partially correct, but not the full disclosure. Was it necessary for him to go about baring all of his secrets to everyone he knew? But then, Lucky realized that Emily might not understand the situation with Cindy because he hadn't been fully honest with her. Maybe it was too late and she wouldn't want to hear about it.

~*~*~*~

Emily leaned back among the many pillows lining her bed. She ran through her conversation with Lucky over and over in her mind, trying to understand how this had all happened. Why did he make such a big deal out of their date, buying her a corsage and antique stickpin along with an expensive dinner? He'd been positively romantic, well mannered, gorgeous and a pleasure to be with for the majority of the evening. But then they'd walked along the docks, and she'd heard the confession that destroyed her evening. Had Lucky planned this all along? Was he trying to butter her up so she'd forgive him? But then, if he cared about her forgiving him, then maybe he did still love her. Regardless, Emily felt sick with twisting jealousy. She couldn't bear thinking about Lucky with another woman. They were going to wait for each other - that's what they'd promised on their dates, when they'd cuddled together on the sofa and talked about their future lives.

Emily frowned. Something needled at her in her mind, a few words that Lucky had spoken before he made his tearful confession. "I've been assaulted so many times. I didn't feel like a man, you know?" Emily recalled the stricken, shamed expression on Lucky's face, the way that he wouldn't look at her while he spoke. What was he talking about? Had something else hurt him beyond the kidnapping? Was he talking about being beat up? She knew that the guards had roughed him up plenty while he was imprisoned. A chill passed over Emily's skin, and her eyes widened. Surely he didn't mean that he'd been sexually assaulted. Emily placed a hand over her mouth as a light bulb turned on in her brain. He was sexually assaulted while he was imprisoned, she thought. No wonder he had his breakdown. I need to talk to him about this. But he never mentioned it. Maybe he doesn't want to bring up bad memories.

Emily sighed as she turned off her bedside lamp. We need to take a break from each other, she decided. I need some space so I can process all of this. And, I'm still mad as hell that he'd sleep with another girl while professing to love me. I'm not a bimbo that puts up with bad behavior from a guy just because he says he loves me.

~*~*~*~

Everyone was already seated at the table when Lucky finally made it downstairs the next morning.

"We were going to eat all of the pancakes, but Mom made us save some batter for you," Lucas announced. "I need more food so I can grow big and strong," he stated as he raised his small arm and flexed his muscles.

Lucky gave Lucas a brief smile but didn't say anything. Bobbie glanced at her nephew and noticed that he didn't look as put together as she'd expected. His hair was an uncombed mess, and his eyelids were puffy from crying. He'd thrown on the same outfit that he'd worn the night before, but the pants weren't ironed and creased like they were the other day.

Tony placed four pills in front of Lucky with a glass of water, and Lucky wordlessly placed them in his mouth and swallowed. He made a face and downed the entire glass of water. "I'm not hungry," he announced. He fiddled with the silverware beside his plate, making a rapping noise on the table with the butt of his knife.

"Sorry, but you're eating these pancakes," Bobbie stated firmly as she poured the remainder of the batter into three separate pancakes in the sizzling hot pan. "We saved these for you, so you have to eat them."

Lucky stuck his tongue out slightly at Bobbie, and Lulu noticed. She tittered and pointed a finger at her brother. "You're bad," she laughed. Lucky shrugged, "What's new?" he said flatly, ignoring her and refusing to join in his little sister's merry mood. Lucky remained quiet and sullen, and the other two kids ignored him, choosing to recite a series of kid's jokes that they'd recently watched on television.

"Here," Bobbie said as she dished the pancakes onto Lucky's waiting plate. He poured a generous amount of syrup on them and proceeded to eat them, although to him they had no taste. It was like eating soft, sweet cardboard. "I don't like pancakes," he said loudly.

"Lucky, don't be rude," Bobbie admonished him as she turned around and gave him 'the look.' "Be grateful for what you have in front of you. If you want to get up before the rest of the house, you can fix us something to eat that suits you."

Lucky's face set, and he ignored his aunt as he ate without pleasure. "I'll clean the dishes up," he muttered. "Happy?"

"Yes, I would appreciate some help cleaning up," Bobbie agreed. She sat down at the table with a fresh cup of tea and reached for the Sunday comics.

Tony placed his newspaper down on the table and rose to pour himself another cup of coffee. "Do you want a cup, Lucky?" he asked his nephew. When Lucky nodded, he said, "Cream no sugar, right?"

Lucky smiled and nodded, pleased that his uncle remembered his preferences. "Yeah," he said. "Thanks."

Tony handed Lucky a White Castle mug that somehow had found a home in Bobbie's kitchen, and he said, "Designer mugs. Just like the old days, huh kiddo." Lucky accepted his coffee, but his face colored when he saw the White Castle logo and its reminder of Cindy. He took a sip and banged it down on the table.

Tony looked closely at Lucky, alarmed at his disintegrating mood. He'd expected Lucky to be quiet in the morning because of what had happened the night before, but he couldn't figure out the kid's current mood. "Do you want a section of the paper, Lucky?" Tony asked. "We have twenty minutes before we need to leave for church."

"No," Lucky answered abruptly. Lucas and Lulu began escalating their silly word game, making nonsense noises at a louder pitch. They began laughing with silly voices and hopping in their seats. "Shut up, dammit! SHIT!" Lucky yelled loudly as he placed his head in his hands. "Shut up, shut up," he muttered to himself with his head hung and his hands over his ears.

The children looked upset and grew silent. Bobbie motioned to Tony with her eyes to take care of the situation.

Tony rose from the table and walked behind Lucky. "Let's go," he said, placing his hand on Lucky's arm and lifting him from his chair. "We need to talk in private," he stated. Lucas' eyes grew big at Tony's tone of voice, and he looked to his mother for explanation.

Tony kept his hand on Lucky's arm and firmly walked him out of the kitchen as the two children watched. "I don't want to talk," they heard him protest as uncle and nephew walked through the foyer to the living room.

"Mom," Lucas asked curiously. "Is Lucky in trouble?"

"Your father is talking to him," Bobbie stated. "Anything else is none of our business," she added for emphasis as she met her son's eyes.

"But if Lucky's an adult why doesn't he act like Nikolas?" Lulu asked.

"He swore," Lucas added.

"Kids, we've discussed why Lucky might act differently than you expect. And you both agreed to understand that he might be upset from time to time. Lulu, Lucky is younger than your older brother. That's why they don't act the same. And, Lucas, swearing is not allowed in this house. Your father is talking to Lucky now, just like he talks to you when you are out of line. And that happens more often than it should, doesn't it?"

Lucas face fell. "Yeah," he agreed, remembering the last father son talk that he'd had only two days earlier when he'd refused to come inside from playing.

"Don't be so interested in someone else's problems," Bobbie said. "Be more concerned with your own behavior." The table grew silent, and all eyes turned toward the doorway when they heard the voices.

"I'll fucking swear if I want to!" Lucky yelled.

"Not in this house you won't," Tony answered sternly. "You know the rules."

"How am I supposed to memorize some damned list that's so long? I can't keep track of everything. Do this, don't do that. Take a pill, go to bed, eat, clean up, and talk, talk, TALK!" Lucky shouted.

Lucas and Lulu tensed when they heard Lucky crying. Bobbie rose from the table and shut the solid oak door that divided the kitchen from the rest of the house.

~*~*~*~

Lucky rode in the back seat of the Jeep Cherokee with Lucas and Lulu. Lulu was buckled in beside him, and Lucky leaned his head against the window, keeping his eyes closed and trying to ignore everyone else. The only sound in the vehicle was Lucky's occasional sigh. Back at the house, Tony had finally calmed him down over his upset with the rules, and they'd come to terms over his swearing. Tony parked the Jeep in the church parking lot, and everyone filed out and walked to the main entrance.

The Spencer-Jones family took up most of the pew with Lucky seated between Bobbie and Tony. Lucky was very quiet, but Tony thought that was appropriate given their location. Lucky seemed preoccupied, and several times during the service, Bobbie had to turn the pages in the hymnal so he could access the correct song to sing. He fiddled with the church bulletin and folded it into a paper airplane. When Lucky reached over to show Lucas, Tony confiscated the airplane to ensure that it wouldn't go flying down the center aisle and hit some old lady wearing a pillbox hat.

~*~*~*~

Tony walked into the kitchen where Lucky was busy washing the breakfast and lunch dishes. The shirtsleeves to Lucky's dress shirt were rolled up, and he had the sink full of suds after using almost a fourth of the dishwashing liquid in the plastic bottle. He turned a plate back and forth to inspect it, as he was puzzled why the dishes took so long to rinse off.

Tony picked up a towel and began drying the pots and pans that Lucky had stacked in the drainer. After drying several of them, Tony discovered one that wasn't clean, and he handed it back to Lucky. "Still has some gunk on it," he pointed out. Lucky made a disgusted sound and submerged the pan into the sink, making a pile of suds puff up into the air.

"You can't put the pancake plates into the dishwasher because of the syrup," Lucky explained. "It'll get hard and crusty and won't clean off. That's another reason why pancakes are bad for breakfast."

Tony smiled and shook his head. Lucky was tenacious when it came to his opinions and offering evidence to back them up. Kid ought to go to law school, he thought. "I have a proposal for you," Tony stated. "Are you interested?"

"Yeah," Lucky replied, as he scrubbed hard at the difficult pan. "What's up?" He reached for the scratchy gold rag lying on top of the sink ledge and rubbed it repeatedly over the top of the pan in a frenzied motion.

"Ever since we've moved into this house, the kids have been pestering us for a dog," Tony explained. "Lulu keeps talking about Foster, the dog that she grew up with. Lucas has joined in the clamoring as well."

Lucky paused, letting the spray of the faucet run over the pan that he just finished. "Foster was great," he said carefully. A heavy feeling sat at the bottom of his stomach as the death of Foster coincided with his return from Faison's compound. Poor Foster had run out into the road, getting hit and killed by a car only a few months before Lucky had come back. He'd never had the chance to see Foster one last time or tell him goodbye.

Tony picked up the newly cleaned pan and dried it, placing it on the counter when he finished. "My proposal to you is this. The kids are too young to be solely responsible for a dog's care, and Bobbie and I are fairly busy with our careers. Do you want to pick out a dog for yourself? It would be a family dog, but your special dog as well. You could supervise the kids in taking care of the animal, with you being primarily responsible for its welfare. Bobbie said that she'd prefer it to be an outside dog, only coming into the house occasionally, but that she'd allow it to sleep with you at night if you kept your room tidy and cleaned up after any accidents. What do you think?"

A broad grin creased Lucky's face, and his eyes lit up brighter than they had in a long while. "I'd like that," he agreed. "I'd like it a lot. I miss having a dog. When I was walking home last night, a lot of dogs barked at me, and I kept thinking of Foster, how he was a great watchdog, a good friend, actually. He was my buddy."

"The Humane Society has Sunday hours. Why don't we pop over there after we finish up and go see the dogs?"

"Foster was a stray," Lucky said. "They make good pets. I want to go."

Tony grabbed a broom and dustpan from the broom closet and proceeded to sweep the floor.

"We're being domesticated," Lucky said wryly. "It's a plot."

"We do seem to be trainable," Tony said. "Were we ever this tidy when living at my place?"

"He... Heck, no," Lucky snorted. "But I suppose there are advantages to living with women."

"Uh-huh," Tony said as he stooped to sweep the dirt pile into his dustpan.

"Lasagna!" Lucky said triumphantly. "Aunt Bobbie's lasagna. All you ever cooked was Hamburger Helper lasagna. Hers is the best."

"And how was yours, Master Chef?" Tony teased. "Seems to me you managed to burn everything, including spaghetti."

"It's not my fault that I had a boring home economics teacher in school," Lucky sniffed. "I wasn't awake for most of the class."

~*~*~*~

"When I said put on some old clothes, you took me seriously." Tony laughed and pointed at Lucky's outfit, which consisted of a pair of worn jeans with a ripped hole in the knee, and a sweatshirt with the sleeves cut off and drips of paint splattered here and there.

Lucky placed his hands on his hips, which accented the musculature in his arms and chest. "I wanted to look scruffy so I could play with the dogs and not worry about my clothes."

"Let's go," Tony said. "Hop in the car." Lucky standing there reminded him that his nephew was indeed nineteen years old, a young man. He looked like he could be headed for work on one of the construction sites in Port Charles. However, this morning, his nephew had seemed like a rebellious teen barely in high school. He knew that it was normal for Lucky to act this way, but it was strange at times nonetheless. Tony wasn't sure whether he should treat Lucky like a younger brother or a son. He supposed he'd take it as it came, giving Lucky what he needed depending on the situation and his ability to handle it.

"Are you looking forward to going to the day center tomorrow?" Tony asked. Lucky hadn't mentioned that event once over the entire weekend, so he was concerned about Lucky's reaction.

"No," Lucky said as he rubbed a hand over his head. "I don't want to go. I'd rather work."

"Why don't you want to go?" Tony asked.

"I want out of the system. It's bad enough that I have to see Kevin once a week. Why do I have to start up something new? It's too stressful." Lucky glanced out the window, grateful that he was riding in a car, able to enjoy the passing landscape, instead of locked up in the psych ward. But even if he wasn't locked up, he was still bound to General Hospital as a psychiatric patient. "It bugs me," he added.

"Look at it as your ticket out of the locked ward," Tony stated. "It's better than that, isn't it? And, you know it'll only last for six weeks."

"Maybe," Lucky shot back. "What if I screw up or don't act like they say I should? What then? What are they going to do with me? Find me a box to go live in?"

"I don't think it's as cut and dry as that," explained Tony as he turned into the Humane Society parking lot. "They want to teach you some coping skills. That's not so bad. You're not being tested. There are no grades. You're not going to flunk."

Lucky shrugged. "It doesn't feel like it. Everybody is always watching me to make sure I don't flip out or cause them embarrassment."

~*~*~*~

Lucky practically hopped into the dog containment area. He followed Tony to the room that held the larger dogs, bypassing the section with the smaller, yappy toys and mixed breeds. "Wow!" he exclaimed with happiness as they rounded the corner and were greeted by the excited barks of fifteen waiting dogs.

"Hi boy," Lucky said to a shepherd husky mix that wagged its tail furiously and sniffed Lucky's offered hand. He laughed at an Afghan hound that reared up on its hind legs and dwarfed him in height. It's long, silky hair cascaded down its forehead as it pawed at Lucky. "You're a beautiful lady," Lucky commented. "I'd need a convertible car to show you off for the babe that you are."

Lucky took in a deep breath of appreciation as he knelt in front of a puppy that had a short, brown and black coat, a docked tail and well-muscled body. "Oooooh," he exclaimed in a hushed voice. Tony took off the card that was on the cage and read it. "Male. Drop-off date, June. Owners lived in an apartment." Tony made a disgusted face. "Why do people buy dogs that they have no room for?" he questioned. He continued reading the card. "Eight months old. Rottweiler mix. Good with children. No name."

"What does Rottweiler mix mean?" Lucky asked as he let the dog lick at his hand.

"It means the vet could tell from the dog's appearance that it is primarily a Rottweiler but that it has other dogs mixed in. In this case, the dog appears to be a bit smaller. Maybe it has terrier or hound in it? Its paws are fairly big, but I bet it won't grow a lot more. Do you want me to ask the girl if we can walk the dog in the visiting area?"

"Sure," Lucky agreed happily as he rose to his feet.

A teenaged girl approached with a lead. "Help me hold him when I open the cage," she instructed Lucky. Lucky held the dog gently around the shoulders as the girl placed the lead around the dog's strong neck.

"Hey!" Lucky shouted in surprise when the dog took off for the door. It had been taken out to the visitor's area several times and knew the score. It anxiously pulled Lucky down the hallway. "Obedience lessons," Lucky called out over his shoulder to Tony.

Lucky opened the glass door and walked the boisterous puppy outside to a fenced in green area that had several tree stumps for people to sit on. Two other people were outside, walking around a white, West Highland terrier and a beagle mix. Lucky's dog was rambunctiously sniffing everything in sight and hiking its leg when it smelled something particularly interesting. Lucky sat down on a stump and tried to make the dog sit. "Sit, sit," he said several times but settled on gently pushing down the dog's hind end. "Sit," he said firmly as his eyes met the dog's. The dog licked him on the nose, and Lucky giggled and wiped off his face with the back of his hand. "You're friendly," he said happily. "You can't keep it to yourself. You need to share it."

When Tony approached his nephew, the boy was softly stroking the dog on the head and down its back. Tony noticed that Lucky didn't seem self-conscious of the exposed, healed wounds on his left wrist. He'd walked around other people in the Humane Society with his sleeveless sweatshirt and head held high. Maybe being around animals had that effect on him and made him more confident.

Lucky's eyes were shining when he looked over at Tony. "Why don't you pet him?" he suggested to his uncle. "He seems real nice, and smart, too."

Tony held the back of his hand near the dog's nose before attempting to pet him, but the dog seemed friendly enough. "He doesn't seem like he's been abused," Tony observed. "He's trusts people." He ran his hand over the dog's broad head, tickling him under his chin until the dog yawned in response. The dog's eyes softened, and he seemed to melt under the attention. "He's a little short on manners," Tony observed, "but he's still a puppy. He's trainable."

"I can do that," Lucky stated confidently. "I can teach him to walk on a leash, to sit and come when he's called."

"So have you found your dog or do you want to go home and think about it?" Tony questioned. "You seem pretty taken with him."

"Yeah," Lucky agreed as he bent over to hug the dog and pat its side. "I want him. He's special, and I can tell he needs me."

~*~*~*~

Emily was sunning herself beside the Quartermaine pool with a pair of dark sunglasses gracing her face, and a huge glass full of Crystal Light Pink Grapefruit drink sitting beside her lounge chair. She had been reading the latest thriller but became tired after sleeping poorly the night before. She napped on and off, hovering in that gray area between sleep and wakefulness.

"Emily," the older male voice intoned.

Emily felt someone jostle her leg, and she jumped in her lounge chair, her heart racing. She frowned and peered over her dark sunglasses. "Grandfather," she said with relief. "You scared me. I've been reading a murder mystery. I thought someone was after me."

"I thought you didn't want to spend too much time by the pool in order to protect your complexion," Edward commented.

Emily looked at her pasty white grandfather with his attempt at summer wear including baggie old man shorts with garters on his knee socks and laced up wingtip shoes. She laughed and waved him away. "Oh, Grandfather, I'm in such a bad mood, I don't care if I sizzle up and burn away. I was trying to absorb the sun and let my mind go blank."

"Is this about Lorenzo?" Edward asked seriously. "I saw you return last night, but I didn't ask because you seemed upset. What's going on between the two of you? You can tell your grandfather. I've been around the block a few times," he nodded.

Emily sighed. "Okay, Grandfather, tell me this. How can a man say that he loves you but then sleep with someone else? Hmm?"

Edward gave Emily an apologetic smile that quickly died on his face. "You've got me there, my dear. Why don't you tell me more and maybe I can help."

Emily looked pensive. She didn't want to give away any of Lucky's secrets, but yet she didn't understand how he could do that to her. "Grandfather, you know how loyal I was to Lucky. I didn't date other guys even when Mom and Dad harassed me about it and tried to set me up on dates. Lucky missed all of the activities during my senior year, including my graduation, but still I never looked at another boy. But then I found out that he was out of the hospital for a week and slept with some girl. As soon as he had the opportunity, he was with someone else. He never even called me. He took me on a wonderful date last night - the best. It was so special and romantic. I thought that we had a chance to rebuild our relationship after he'd been in the hospital for so long. But then he spilled it - big time. I drove away in your Cadillac and left him behind on the docks. I told him goodbye, that I never wanted to see him again."

Tears threatened Emily, and she steeled herself so she wouldn't start crying again. Instead, her lower lip stuck out in a pout. "How could he be such a jerk? I feel like he used me. I was such a fool."

"What did he have to say for himself, Emily? What were his motivations?"

"He was ashamed of all his problems; he wanted to feel like a man. He was turning nineteen, some big masculine angst, who knows?" Emily folded her arms crossly.

"Did he apologize?"

"Oh, yes. Profusely. He said he wasn't thinking clearly, that he never wanted to hurt me. He even produced quite a few tears."

"What else can he do, Emily?" Edward asked. "He told you the truth, gave you an explanation and asked for your forgiveness. Are you willing to forgive him? Sounds like the ball is in your court, young lady."

"I don't know Grandfather. I still feel numb, angry, and jealous, you name it. I need some time away from him."

"Maybe you do," Edward agreed. "However isn't all that time away part of the original problem? Don't wait too long for your decision."

Emily shrugged, and her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know."

"Do you have a problem if I give Lorenzo the golf lessons that we have planned?" Edward asked.

"No," replied Emily. "You've been looking forward to that, and I don't want to stand in Lucky's way of picking up those valuable business skills," she indicated with a slightly sarcastic tone of voice. "Thanks for listening to me, Grandfather. I have a lot of thinking to do."

~*~*~*~

Tony looked in his rearview mirror. "What are you going to call this brute?"

Lucky was sitting in the back of the Jeep holding onto the puppy that they'd adopted. "I was thinking of Harley 'cause he's a real cool dude - just like the motorcycle."

"Lucky, I'm going to let you off at the house and go buy our new pup a doghouse. You can introduce Harley to his new family."

"Okay," Lucky agreed happily. He hugged the dog and accepted its licks on his hand and arm. "No showers, please, Harley," he scolded.

~*~*~*~

"Lulu! Lucas! Aunt Bobbie!" Lucky called out as he entered the side door of the house and stepped into the kitchen. "Come here and see who I brought home!"

Bobbie walked into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Harley standing there looking at her with his inquisitive brown eyes. "Lucas Lorenzo! You found a dog. He's a beauty. Look at that pretty face." Bobbie petted the dog on the head and warmed up to him when he seemed to relish the affection. "He seems very nice, Lucky. You did a good job of picking him out. How old is he?"

"He's still a puppy," Lucky explained. "He's eight months old. I'm going to need to train him, but he's smart. He'll learn quick."

"Where's your uncle?" she asked, glancing around the kitchen.

"He said he was going to buy Harley a doghouse and that I should introduce him to the family," Lucky explained.

Bobbie nodded. She and Tony had discussed the adoption of a dog for several weeks, concluding that it was a good idea for the kids, the protection of the home and for a companion for Lucky. They both remembered how important Foster had been to the boy, especially when he was recovering from a serious physical wound, and they thought that a new dog might serve the same purpose for his emotional injuries.

"Oh my gosh!" Lulu squealed when she walked into the kitchen. "Lucas, Lucas. Come here! Hurry!" She knelt in front of the dog and inspected his face. "You're pretty," she said. "He reminds me of Foster, Lucky."

"His name is Harley," Lucky replied. "Do you like his name, Lulu-belle?"

"Oh, yes, it's perfect," she agreed.

"It's a dog!" Lucas said excitedly as he entered the kitchen. "Lucky, you found a dog. Dad said you were going to pick one out. Can I pet him?"

"Sure," said Lucky. "He lives to be petted." The dog sat down, secure in his petting rights as the two younger children cooed over him and ran their hands over his short, soft fur.

~*~*~*~

Lucky opened his laptop computer and began typing a letter. Harley was nestled on the rug beside Lucky's bed, content to sleep near his new master.

~*~

Dear Dad,

Guess what? I've only been home for a few days, and I already have a new dog! His name is Harley (cause he's so cool), and we adopted him today from the Humane Society. He is a Rottweiler mix - big but not mean or anything. He is a cupcake and is sleeping beside me right now.

I have my laptop computer again and a phone line, so that's great. Tony and Bobbie have been wonderful to me. It's been hard living with a family again, though. Aunt Bobbie has so many RULES. You remember that from when we first moved to Port Charles. I've already been a jerk a couple of times, but I'm trying my best.

It's good to be with Lulu again. She says she has bad memories of the last time we were together, and that makes me feel sad, but I told her we can make some new memories - good ones. I'm looking forward to seeing you in two weeks. I hope that your new place is treating you well. I know how you feel - being locked in that is. It's hard.

I start the day center tomorrow for eight hours a day. That's my parole I guess. I'm not looking forward to it. I'm so tired of all this.

Emily and I had a date last night. It was great - so nice to see her and be near her. It went great, we had a good time, but I told her about the girl I had sex with, and she got so angry that she left me, drove away in her car, and I had to walk home until Tony found me and drove me back to the house. She said goodbye I don't want to see you again. Everyone says I should wait and give her some time, but I guess I'm selfish because I want her to forgive me now.

I'll let you know how it goes. Any ideas to help me?

I love you.

Your son,

Lucky

~*~

"I wish Dad were here," Lucky said wistfully to Harley. "He always has the best ideas. Maybe he'll write me back with a way to win Emily over."

Lucky knelt beside Harley, hugging the dog and patting him, trying to make himself feel better with the unconditional love of his puppy.

Next...

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