Devolution TOC

Chapter 117

I have cried to the Lord with my voice: and he hath heard me from his holy hill.

Next morning...

Tony nodded with satisfaction. "This is good," he commented to Bobbie as he hugged her. Lucky had just been removed from the ventilator and central line IV as his blood oxygenation levels had returned to normal, and his other vitals were strong.

"It is a good sign," Bobbie agreed. "I wonder if he'll start coming around soon."

"Probably," Tony guessed. "His latest EEG was near normal. We need to alert the nurses if he shows signs of waking, though. He's supposed to be moved out to the psychiatric ward."

Bobbie smoothed the back of her hand over Lucky's cheek. "Is that absolutely necessary?" she questioned. "He was doing fine at the wedding, and you said Nikolas had no trouble with him."

Tony smiled wryly. "I never said Nikolas had no trouble. He was handling the situations as they arose. Lucky was going to meet with Kevin today to discuss his medications and a brief rehospitalization. That was the direction he was headed. You remember what happened last week."

Bobbie's eyes looked sadly at her nephew's still form. "How could I forget?" she said as her mind returned to the morning when Lucky had held a butcher knife to his throat. "I want him out of the hospital and home with us."

Tony rubbed Bobbie's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "We all do, but our first priority is keeping him safe."

Bobbie looked into Tony's eyes. "When is Frisco's surgery?"

"In an hour."

"Why don't you go to your brother?" Bobbie suggested. "I'll stay with Lucky. Frisco needs you this morning."

Tony sighed and nodded. "I wish he did need me. I'm not so sure." His eyes met Bobbie's, and she saw a glimpse of the pain that he felt over Frisco's past behavior.

"He does; he just doesn't know how to show it," Bobbie pointed out.

Tony reached out and pinched Lucky's forearm. "There's more coming if you don't wake up, you brat. I want to see you up and at 'em when I return." He patted Lucky's hand and said, "I'm going to see Frisco. I'll be back soon to check on you. Don't give your aunt any trouble."

~*~*~*~

"Hi Nikolas." Renée the ICU nurse poked her head in the doorway to Nikolas' private hospital room. She waved a white bag, and her eyes twinkled. "I brought you some cinnamon rolls for breakfast if you're interested. I occasionally stop by the coffee shop on my way home from work. I have good news for you."

Nikolas ran a hand over his hair and wished fervently that he were dressed in something other than a flimsy hospital gown. He smiled at Renée. "Come on in. It's nice of you to think of me. Cinnamon rolls sound wonderful. I've been told by my brother that GH food kills."

Renée laughed as she pulled up a chair and rested the bag on her lap. "He's a man in the know." She pulled out several rolls and laid them on a paper napkin. "Here you go. Fresh and hot from the oven."

Nikolas accepted the pastries. "What's the good news?"

"Your brother Lucky is starting to regain consciousness. They'll move him out of ICU soon."

"Really?" Nikolas exclaimed. "Oh. I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I slept terribly last night worrying about him. So they'll release him soon?"

Renée colored and looked away. "His psychiatrist felt it would be wise to evaluate him in the psychiatric area of the hospital first, just a precaution."

Nikolas face set with his disappointment, and he remained silent as he chewed.

"How is your arm?" Renée asked, changing the subject.

Nikolas shrugged. "It hurts." He pointed toward his connected IV. "They're still giving me pain medication. I have to stay here at least one more day. What a drag."

"I'm glad they're taking good care of you," Renée noted. "You don't want to leave until you're ready."

"I guess," Nikolas said quietly, his mind distracted by Lucky's plight. He wiped his fingers on the napkin.

Renée cleared her throat. "I know how it is," she said. "My sister has bipolar disorder. She's in and out of the hospital regularly. It's like any other illness. She has good and bad days. I give her a lot of credit for trying and not giving up. Everything is harder for her."

Nikolas' eyes flooded with understanding. "Like breathing," he said. "Some basic things we take for granted, but others struggle with them. Meeting someone new, like you, should be simple and fun, but it's almost impossible for my brother. He's become very suspicious and distant. It takes time to get to know him."

"I can tell you care about your brother," Renée said. "He's lucky to have someone like you in his corner."

Nikolas' eyes misted. "I'm lucky to have him," he pointed out. "He's brought together an entire family in less than a year. We have a little sister. Her name's Lulu."

Renée laughed. "Lulu. I like that. It makes her sound spunky."

Nikolas smiled. "Oh, she's spunky all right. She's a junior con artist. She has me bringing her a doll every time I see her. She has three hnndred now. Her name should be Imelda with her love of acquisition. She has long hair, sort of your color, only it's straight like mine." Nikolas eyes ran over Renée's shiny brown curls. "I like your hair," he observed. He closed his mouth and felt startled at making that comment out loud.

"Well, that's nice to know," Renée said. Her light tone calmed Nikolas' nerves.

"I'm not going to be CEO much longer," he confided. "I start school in a few weeks."

"What will you study?"

"Law. International law."

"That's so interesting. I'm studying for my master's in nursing. I want to earn a Ph.D. so I can teach," Renée said. "Maybe we'll see one another on campus. I'll be taking two classes this semester."

"Different buildings I imagine. Nursing and law classes I mean."

"Possibly," Renée agreed.

"But where there's a will," Nikolas began.

"There's a way!" Renée laughed.

"Would you like to go on a date with me when I leave this infernal hospital? Maybe dinner this weekend?" Nikolas looked at Renée hopefully with a lump in his throat. When had he ever worried about a woman turning him down?

Renée smiled. "I'd like that." She stood and squeezed his hand. "I'll leave you with my phone number. Call me and we can make arrangements for this weekend, okay?"

~*~*~*~

Bobbie had notified an ICU nurse when Lucky began to visibly stir. The first movement she'd noticed was a twitch in his hand. Her heart had raced as she was sure her nephew was going to make a complete recovery - there was no other alternative she'd accept. His face now took on a tight, tense look, not the calm, blank expression he'd worn while in a coma. It was the difference between the Greek drama masks - one relaxed and happy and the other one sad and tragic.

A gurney was brought in while the ICU nurse carefully removed the cardiac monitor leads from Lucky's chest. "He won't need this now," she commented. "His vitals are stable. All he needs is an IV for a few more hours. With poisoned patients, if they wake up, then it's usually to a good recovery. They either get over the hump or they don't."

Bobbie nodded, never taking her eyes from Lucky. "Is he in pain?" she questioned as her eyes registered the woeful expression marring Lucky's features.

"Not likely," the ICU nurse said. "If he sustained any damage, it wouldn't be noticeable to him, and it would be located in the brain. He has an order for an MRI this afternoon to check for neurological damage."

"Heaven forbid," Bobbie retorted quickly. "Lucky, it's Aunt Bobbie. You're okay," she reassured him as he was transferred from the bed to the gurney. "I'm going with him," she said.

Lucky heard distant murmurs of people talking around him, but his hearing was muffled like he was under water. He felt himself move with someone positioning his body. He had no inclination to assist in the process and no means to intellectualize or understand what was happening to him. He felt uneasy, unprotected and out in the cold. He felt his head rest on something soft and a motion that indicated he was rolling or floating through the air. "Mmmuuh," he moaned softly in response.

"That's right, Lucky. You're waking up, come on and open your eyes," Bobbie encouraged as she walked alongside the moving gurney and rubbed his arm. Lucky heard her words as sounds with no meaning, and his face reflected confusion and fear.

~*~*~*~

"Ms. Spencer," Barb said as she saw Bobbie enter the locked ward with a still unconscious Lucky. "I'd be the first to say it's great to see you, but under the circumstances..."

Bobbie laughed and waved her left hand, which held her engagement and wedding rings. "Mrs. Spencer-Jones as of Saturday."

Barb's eyes lit up as she reached out to take Bobbie's hand and inspect the rings. "Congratulations. That's so wonderful. You make a great couple." Barb walked up to Lucky's gurney. "I'm completing his paperwork now," she stated. She reached out and smoothed the bunched up blanket over Lucky's body, tucking it in when she finished. "I can't believe he was poisoned."

"And by his original kidnapper no less," Bobbie replied. "The man is finally in custody."

"Dr. Collins is concerned about his state of mind," Barb mentioned. "It seems that Lucky was going to be returning for awhile anyway?" she asked.

Bobbie tried to compose herself. "He's had some problems. Mostly because of the madman who tried to kill him. I'm not sure how anyone else would have handled the situation. It was too stressful for him. I understand that."

"We'll take good care of him," Barb promised. She moved Lucky's bangs from his eyes. "But this guy is full of surprises, aren't you? We'll keep a close eye on you."

"I need to see how my brother in law is doing with his surgery," Bobbie commented. "Will you notify us if he wakes up or needs us? I'll be back shortly."

~*~*~*~

Half hour later...

Lucky's eyes suddenly popped open, and he stared up at the white tiled ceiling for several minutes without moving. A sharp feeling of dread fell over him like an entrapping net as he sensed that he was in danger, that something bad and unrelenting was happening which he was powerless to stop.

The attending psych tech noticed that Lucky was fully awake and walked over to him with a smile. "Welcome back," he said warmly. Lucky recoiled in fear at the sound of those words. It was the first time in twelve hours since he'd moved his muscles, and he patted his hands frantically on his bed, trying to find something terribly important although he was unable to remember what it was. He sat up creakily and moved away from the man.

Lucky grew terrified as he fancied himself captured and back in Faison's compound. Faison! The madman's perpetual sneer and long, shaggy hair flashed in Lucky's mind. His fingers clawed desperately at the blankets on his bed in a useless, random fashion, yet he never met the eyes of the unfamiliar man in front of him or engaged in any communication.

The psych tech carefully sat in a chair so he wouldn't startle the boy any further. "Do you need anything? A glass of water?"

Lucky's bottom lip quivered, and his eyes filled with tears as he focused only on his moving hands. "Nikolas!" he suddenly screamed loudly as he twisted his head to search the room. He continued to nervously pat and claw at the blanket on the bed. "Nikolas!?"

The psych tech poured a glass of water and offered it to Lucky. "Try this. You might feel better. I'm going to let the nurse know that you're up."

Lucky's hand brushed his metal IV pole, and his fingers slowly worked a firm death grip around the cylindrical surface. He swiftly turned his head away from the offered water and flinched as a few tears fell onto his cheeks. The psych tech shrugged and walked toward the door. Lucky gripped the pole so hard it began to shake precariously. "Boat, moat, float, antidote," he repeated softly four or five times. He started breathing heavier, but he couldn't compose himself - the urge to repeat the singsong rhymes was too great, and he hung onto the pole for dear life.

When the psych tech left the room, Lucky began to calm down, but he never let go of the pole. He closed his eyes with wet eyelashes brushing softly against his cheeks and his lips moving as he continued to repeat the string of loosely rhyming words that he'd previously spoken. He parted his eyelids several times, and his eyes squinted with irritation at the intrusive, bright lights of the room. He curled into a ball trying to avoid the scary sounds that regularly drifted in from the hallway and the voices in his mind. I've killed you and Nikolas is next.

Rick entered the room. "Barb sent me to check on you, Lucky. She'll be by in a minute. It's nice to see you." Privately, Rick had been saddened to hear that Lucky was back in the hospital so soon after his hopeful departure. He recalled the lucid, enjoyable conversations he'd had with Lucky about stress and ways to relieve tension through sports and exercise. Lucky didn't seem oriented to him, so he asked a few simple questions. "Do you know where you are?" he asked slowly as he met Lucky's startled gaze.

Lucky showed no emotion and turned his face away. He'd failed again. He was as worthless as everyone thought he was, and his brother was in danger because of him. "Nikolas," he dejectedly mumbled into a pillow.

Rick frowned. "Who?"

Mike will like Nikolas better than you. "NO!!" Lucky screamed as he sat up and turned red in the face. "No, no, no!!" His panicked eyes raced around the room, and he knew that he had to protect his brother before it was too late. Himself? Well, he was already dead, so no one could bother him anymore. But they were going to hurt Nikolas, and Lucky felt powerless to stop it as the rage and fear washed over him. He quickly bounced back and forth between emotions and felt like his world was bursting into flames. Rotten, dead. You're in the ground, covered with dirt.

"Can you tell me your name?" Rick tried again. Lucky just looked at him in a horrified manner, without awareness of the tech's identity, and choked back sobs with the intensity of his thoughts and emotions.

"Okay," Rick stated calmly after searching Lucky's face and waiting for a response that never came. "I'm Rick. We know each other - we're friends from when you were in General Hospital before. Nothing bad will happen to you, do you understand? I'm here to help you."

Lucky shakily drew himself to an uncertain standing position on his bed, using the pole for leverage.

"You need to sit back down," Rick cautioned. He didn't like the way that Lucky seemed to become more agitated as his eyes turned dull and lifeless. Lucky wasn't looking directly at him but his eyes roamed around the room as if he were listening to someone, and Rick eyed the pole nervously, which Lucky seemed to be handling as a weapon.

Lucky took Rick by surprise when he suddenly captured the tech's hand and placed it on his crotch, rubbing Rick's hand back and forth. "Me, take me, let him go," he said leadenly as he made a motion with his hips and pushed his body against the tech. "Me, me, me, me," he said hopelessly. "It's okay. I'm dead. I'm not here anymore."

Rick jerked back his hand and said firmly. "No, that's not an appropriate touch."

Lucky stumbled back on the bed, tripping himself and sitting down abruptly. "Let him go, let him go," he pleaded with an outstretched hand. Lucky's last words trailed away in a plaintive whine. "Take me. Do whatever you want. Please let him go."

"No one is going to hurt you in any way," Rick stated firmly. "We're here to help you."

"No," Lucky said hoarsely as his grip loosened on the pole and his hand fell away, banging softly onto the side of the bed.

~*~*~*~

Kevin watched Nikolas for a minute as the young CEO left instructions for the MBA to take over operations and attend meetings in his place for several days. "I know it's a lot to deal with, but I have confidence in you," Nikolas stated with assurance. "We need to make a few transitions before I leave my duties this fall. It's good practice." Nikolas hung up the phone and sighed.

Kevin spoke as he entered the room. "Hi Nikolas. Do you have a minute to talk to me?"

Nikolas looked at Kevin for the first time since he'd run out of his office after hearing Lucky's revelations about Stefan. Kevin wasn't his favorite person after that interlude, but he realized that he was a competent professional and good for Lucky.

"Okay," he said emotionlessly. He didn't meet Kevin's gaze and instead stroked his cast with his fingertips.

"How is your arm?" Kevin asked politely. "That's quite a cast."

Nikolas nodded. "It was badly broken, splintered in the forearm. Hopefully it'll heal completely."

Kevin finally met Nikolas' gaze. "I wanted to talk with you before going to see Lucky," he explained. "It would help me to know exactly what happened on the island."

Nikolas sighed and held his hand to his forehead. "I don't know exactly what happened to Lucky. I came in at the end. Do you only want to know what I saw happen to Lucky or also what happened to me?"

Kevin's brow creased with concern and the vibes that he was picking up from Nikolas. He sensed that there was more to the situation than anyone realized. "I'm interested in whatever you can tell me. I'd like to help you if I can."

"Sure," Nikolas replied tersely. "I was in the house rounding up a suit to wear to work, well, for today." He laughed bitterly and pulled at his gown. "Look what I'm wearing instead. Anyway, I was carrying a suit down the hall when this man appeared in the hallway. I never heard him on the stairs. He just showed up out of nowhere. It scared me, kind of freaked me out, actually. I asked him who he was, and he said it wasn't important for me to know, that he was there for the Ice Princess."

Kevin's ears perked up at the mention of the Ice Princess since Lucky's hypnosis had revealed this as a primary reason for Lucky's kidnapping.

"I have no idea where that horrible thing is," Nikolas continued. "I had no business dealings with my uncle," he said hotly. A hurt look swept over Nikolas' face, and he turned from Kevin.

"I take it this man didn't believe you," Kevin prompted. "He broke your arm?"

Nikolas nodded wordlessly as tears filled his eyes. His jaw worked in his efforts to compose himself. He's very similar to his brother in many ways, Kevin observed. Emotional but wanting to control his display of it.

"We fought," Nikolas said simply. He smoothed a hand over the blanket covering his legs. A slow grin worked on his face. "I surprised him. I know martial arts. We fought for what seemed like a long time, but it must have only been twenty minutes. We ended up in the dining room downstairs where I knocked over some furniture. I blocked myself in by doing that, and he grabbed my by the arm to this result." Nikolas pointed at the cast. "After he broke my arm and had control over me, he still kept asking about the Ice Princess, but I had nothing to tell him. I guess it was apparent after a time that I wasn't lying. He then dragged me outside to the putting green where Lucky was."

"What was Lucky doing?"

"There was another man out there - an older man with long gray and brown hair. He...he was so evil looking. I take it he was Faison? Anyway, he was kneeling on the ground, trying to get up, and Lucky was, well, I think he was getting ready to kill Faison."

"What?" Kevin asked with a trace of shock. He hadn't heard this.

"I know," Nikolas agreed. "I'd never seen him like that. Totally enraged. He had a golf club held high in the air, and I think he was ready to crush that Faison's head. But Faison said my name and pointed toward me, stopping Lucky in his tracks. Lucky had this, this utter look of horror on his face. I was in pain from the break in my arm, but he looked like he was in greater pain. He kept pleading for them to let me go, to take him instead. Faison laughed at him and said they didn't want him; they wanted me for the Ice Princess and a large ransom."

Nikolas was losing his composure, and he asked Kevin for a glass of water. After sipping it for several seconds, Nikolas continued. "Lucky fell on the ground. He wasn't moving, but I could hear his harsh breathing from several yards away. I asked what they did to him, and Faison said he was dying. He asked Lucky how it felt to die and kicked him hard in the back. Uh, Lucky, um, he said wasn't dead yet." Nikolas took in a deep breath and let it out as a soft sob. He gave up and let the tears flow down his cheeks. He held his hand over his face. "Faison told me he'd poisoned Lucky's soft drink with cyanide and that I'd wish for the same after Mike was done with me."

Kevin's face blanched at hearing Nikolas' words. He realized who this Mike person was through the months of trauma work that he'd done with Lucky.

"Lucky made a last ditch effort to save us," Nikolas pointed out. "He made eye contact with me to warn me, and then he made a rush for the guy who held me. Lucky went at him full force with his golf club. The man lost his grip on me when he tried to protect himself. That gave me the opportunity to give him a kung fu blow to the face. The WSB swarmed the place a few seconds later. By then the man was dead. I'm not sorry I did it."

Kevin nodded slowly. "You were lucky to escape," he said, not elaborating on his knowledge.

"I thought Lucky was dead," Nikolas wept. "He wasn't moving anymore after he was shoved to the ground. Frisco showed up and called 911. He lifted Lucky onto his shoulder and ran for the boat. The other WSB agent helped me. On the boat, Lucky was doing worse. He wasn't breathing well. When we arrived at the docks, the ambulances were there. That's the last time I've seen my brother. I've been so worried about him. They told me this morning that he should recover. Why is he in the psychiatric ward?"

Kevin crossed his leg and looked intently at Nikolas. "As you know, Lucky was experiencing some problems after Faison initially contacted him. We're not sure how he'll react after the stress of this situation. Anyone would have trouble dealing with what you've described. In fact, I'm very proud of you for how well you've maintained your composure during this time."

"Thanks," Nikolas said in a small voice.

"We're going to keep him in the psychiatric ward for a period of time until we can determine how Lucky is handling this. Do any incidents stick out during your time with him this weekend? Any problems?"

Nikolas shrugged. "Whatever happened, we handled it. He was very moody, maybe more than normal. He'd get mad at the drop of a hat, but at the same time, he was very nice to me, asking me questions about my deceased father and listening to me. Yesterday afternoon, we had to leave the movies early because he was upset at some scenes of violence. It was a World War II movie, and the prisoner of war scenes spooked him. I don't blame him, though. Oh, and on Saturday night after the wedding, he had a bad dream while we were driving in the car. He thrashed around so bad he almost made me crash the car. I cursed him out in Greek." Nikolas gave Kevin a shaky smile, and Kevin laughed in return as he stated, "Some words need no translation."

Nikolas sighed as he continued. "We went to the mall; Lucky had his ear pierced again. He said he was regaining his Spencerness, that Faison had taken it away, but he was taking it back."

Kevin looked interested in this latest development. "He was pleased to have the ear pierced?"

"Happy as a clam," Nikolas retorted. "I think it's a weird thing to do, but I didn't say anything. He made me purchase some blue jeans, but that wasn't so bad. He grew quiet and said the people in the mall were scaring him, so we left. I don't know, most of the time we just hung out like brothers, you know? It was nice."

"Do you feel closer to Lucky after this weekend?" Kevin asked.

"Yes," Nikolas said simply. "It was nice."

"I can't thank you enough for talking to me, Nikolas. This helps me to put things into perspective." Kevin glanced down at his pager, which was vibrating against his hip. "Time to see Lucky."

"Please let me know how he is," Nikolas stated. "I'd like to visit him."

Kevin nodded as he rose from his chair. "I'll make sure you have a progress report soon."

~*~*~*~

Barb was waiting for Kevin near the entrance door when Kevin pushed in his access card and opened the secure metal door.

"Hello Barb," he said with surprise.

"At your service," she smiled. "We need to talk."

"Obviously," Kevin said as he followed her to the nurse's station.

"Our favorite Spencer is not doing well," she said tightly. "Every time he comes back to life, he's not very happy about it. It's a pattern I've noticed. Life is composed of patterns, don't you think?"

Kevin nodded. "So it seems. What's up? First, let me say I'm relieved that Lucky is alive to cause trouble."

"Ditto," Barb agreed as she opened a chart. "When he was brought here, he was still unconscious but showing signs of waking. Within half an hour, he was fully awake and completely disoriented. I sent Rick in to check on him since he'd developed a good rapport with the boy while he was here last time. He didn't recognize Rick and behaved sexually with him."

"How so?" Kevin questioned as a frown creased his forehead.

"He forced Rick to touch him on the genitals and offered his body in exchange for someone else."

"Did Rick catch the name?"

Barb looked down at the chart. "It was Nikolas."

Kevin rubbed his forehead. "Okay. I know what's happening with that. It's related to the poisoning. He's still experiencing the events of yesterday. Please, go on."

"He's growing increasingly more agitated, near manic. He won't allow anyone near him, and he refuses all food and drink. He doesn't respond to basic questions, including where he is or what his name is. He seems very preoccupied and has repeated strings of nonsense words, ones that rhyme. Rick thought he was experiencing auditory hallucinations."

"What's your expert opinion, Barb?" Kevin questioned seriously. "You're the boss on this ward."

"Why thank you," Barb said. "His behavior reminds me of when he was brought in with the drug overdose. Not quite to that level of violence, but more violent than I've seen him in the past. He's escalating. That's why I paged you. We don't have sedative or restraint orders, and the techs are growing nervous since they can't communicate with him. We need management advice."

"I'll meet with him and then have you call a meeting of selected staff. Will you pull together a treatment team?" Kevin picked up a pen and wrote down some medication orders.

"Sure thing, Dr. Collins."

Barb and Kevin were interrupted by loud noises that came from an area further down the hall. There were shouts of several male voices and loud crashing bangs. Barb immediately called a code, and Kevin watched the drama unfold.

"Not the door!" Barb exclaimed nervously when Lucky emerged in the hallway, clad only in his flimsy blue hospital gown, dragging something behind him. He was rounding the corner and had a hard time getting his bearings but soon was able to gallop down the hall wielding the metal IV pole in front of him. He paused only to bring the pole crashing down onto a piece of furniture, breaking off its arm with his hacking motion. He was sweating, breathing hard with his exertion and looking around him in confusion. He entered the lobby area, still gripping the pole in a sweaty hand. Two techs ran up behind him and then walked slower to assess the situation. Two more persons rapidly entered the locked ward and shut the door behind them. Lucky twirled around in panic as he sensed he was being surrounded. He swung the pole forcefully into a nearby wall, causing the metal to embed deeply into the drywall.

Lucky pulled back frantically on the pole, digging in the heels of his bare feet for leverage as he pulled and heaved. When the techs moved nearer to him, he shouted and pulled with a frenzied motion, then gave up the pole in favor of escape. He darted to the side where there was no coverage and leaped up on a table to get away from the men. Lucky's eyes swept around the area, and he retreated, running his back and hands into the vinyl miniblinds that covered a window. He turned toward the window, searching for a way out, and his fingers gripped the blinds with enough force that they bent and rattled frantically against the glass. Two men rushed Lucky, and he was pushed face first into the blinds. He never let go, and when two more men joined the team and dragged him down from the table, one tech taking control of each limb, Lucky tore the blinds from the wall with his refusal to let go. He was lying on the floor on top of the blinds, and the techs weren't successful in prying his hands from them. Lucky began screaming in rage at the top of his lungs, attempting to kick and jerk away from his captors. When he banged his head onto the floor in his desperation, a nurse ran up to hold his head still. It took five people to subdue him, and he never gave up or ceased his outburst for one second. Another nurse hurriedly noted the specifics of Kevin's sedative order and rushed in with a syringe, injecting the drug with some difficulty as Lucky kept trying to twist from the grip of his restraint.

Lucky started sounding hoarse, almost to the point of losing his voice, and his cries grew less intense, but he still kept up his protest.

"He's tenacious," Barb said softly in an attempt to break up the solemn mood that had descended on the nurse's station. Kevin merely nodded, not taking his eyes off of the scene before him. "Call the meeting when he's settled. We'll meet now."

~*~*~*~

Kevin stood in front of five people with his hands on his hips. "Imagine being kidnapped, tortured for a year, developing a mental illness partly as a result, and then having that kidnapper return to taunt you and ultimately try to kill you. Imagine that the kidnapper almost succeeded, poisoning you into a coma and leaving you uncertain as to whether or not your only brother has been captured by the same madman." He glanced at the faces around him. "These are the circumstances of the patient Lucky Spencer. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective and post-traumatic stress disorders, successfully treated and in recovery, integrating back into the community, when a madman threatened his life again. His medications needed adjustment as they weren't working properly for him. He fought this battle and lost, but the war is not over. He's still in the game. Now he's back with us again where he'll hopefully receive the medications that will work for him. He's experiencing a psychotic episode, but what I want you to remember when you interact with him is to deal with him compassionately and professionally at all times."

~*~*~*~

"Lucky," Kevin said softly as he entered the darkened room and pulled up a chair. Lucky was very heavily sedated and barely conscious as he turned his head toward the voice. His hair was still sweaty and hung down limply across his cheekbones and forehead, and there were very dark circles under his cloudy blue eyes. He was connected back to an IV, and his wrists were in restraints to prevent him from pulling it out. There was no choice as he needed the hydration because he refused to drink and had proven unreliable at leaving the medical apparatus alone.

Lucky looked at Kevin sadly, but said nothing.

"Lucky, it's Kevin. I know you're confused and upset right now. I'm not asking you to talk, only listen. I want to explain what's happening to you. You're in General Hospital, in a psychiatric ward. You were brought to the Emergency Room last night with cyanide poisoning. Your family and I have been worried about you because you were in a coma for awhile. You woke up this morning and seem fine physically."

Lucky's eyes didn't focus on Kevin, and they roamed the room as he muttered under his breath. "Lucky, look at me," Kevin said decisively in a louder voice. "This is important." Kevin repeated his words several times, and when Lucky's eyes finally met his, Kevin continued. "Your brother Nikolas is alive and well. He has a broken arm, but he's fine. He said he wants to visit you. Would that make you feel better?"

"Nikolas," Lucky said in an extremely hoarse, slurred voice.

"Yes. Nikolas is not in danger. Do you understand?"

"Nikolas," Lucky repeated again in a puzzled voice. "I'm dead. He can't see me," Lucky tried to explain.

"You didn't die," Kevin emphasized. "You're alive and you're confused, but you made it. Faison tried to kill you, but he didn't succeed. He's in jail where he can't hurt you."

Lucky seemed to ignore Kevin. "Boat, moat, float, antidote," he said softly.

"Do you feel calmer when you say those words?" Kevin asked.

Lucky merely repeated the same string of words louder and faster and stared at the wall behind Kevin with his lips parted as if in a trance. He coughed and continued in a softer tone.

Kevin rose from his seat. He poured a glass of water from a pitcher and took a long drink. Lucky memorized his every movement. "I'm thirsty," Kevin stated logically. "This water is good. If you're thirsty, I can pour a glass for you."

Lucky turned his head away. "I can leave here now," he said, coughing when his throat closed on him. "I'm dead, so I don't have to stay." He choked again on his words as his throat desperately hurt.

"Your throat must bother you. You had a tube in it while you were unconscious. A drink of water would make it feel better. The IV helps, but you need to drink. I understand if you're concerned about its safety. Maybe someone can test it for you each time you want a drink to show you it's safe."

Lucky looked terrified. "I'm dead, and I've got worms crawling on me, but I can't brush them off because my hands are tied. Can't you see?"

"I know it's hard to have your hands restrained," Kevin sympathized. "You'll be able to move them around when you're feeling calmer and we can remove the restraints."

Lucky's eyes darkened, and he flexed his hands, trying to jerk off whatever held them down. "Don't look at me because you can't see me. I'm gonna leave anyway, so it doesn't matter. I don't have to stay in the ground." He looked distressed and coughed hard from his brief attempt to talk.

Kevin remained silent and watched Lucky for a long moment before leaving.

~*~*~*~

Tony and Bobbie sat in Kevin's office looking miserable - Tony with his hair sticking up on end, and Bobbie with her curls flattened and tangled. Both wore drawn, tired expressions on their faces after having caught only a few hours of sleep through cat naps.

"When I tried to visit Lucky, Barb told me he couldn't have any visitors," Bobbie said tensely. "What's going on, Kevin?"

Kevin looked serious and tired as well. "Lucky is awake." Kevin paused and folded his hands as he carefully selected his next words. "He's had a psychotic break, and he's not doing well. He's very upset and quite aggressive. It was necessary to sedate and restrain him, and I'd rather he rest for the time being. He invariably grows agitated in the presence of any person. There was an incident earlier where he attacked several techs with his IV pole. He inflicted major damage to the lobby area wall."

"Oh my God," Bobbie exclaimed. "I saw that. I assumed some remodeling was being done. Lucky did that? I can't believe it."

"He needs an MRI," Tony interrupted. "How can we differentiate any organic damage from the poison and psychiatric problems?"

"He's scheduled for an MRI this afternoon," Kevin explained. "He'll be heavily sedated and sleep through it. You can probably visit him when he's brought back to his room."

"Why is this happening?" Tony asked. He shifted uneasily in his chair. "And what can we do to help him?"

"Considering his background, I consider his reaction to recent events to be understandable."

"What do you mean?"

"I spoke to his brother Nikolas at length to hear the whole story of what happened on that island. Lucky was aware that he'd been poisoned and was dying. He did everything he could to save himself and his brother - and that included violence. He was hitting this Faison person with a golf club..."

"Good!" Tony interjected with an angry look on his face.

"...and, his primary abuser at the compound had his brother subdued with a broken arm. Nikolas said that he'd never seen anyone as horrified as Lucky was. This would be a major shock to anyone. In Lucky's case, he was fighting a relapse of his illness, and this pushed him over the edge. He acted very heroically in this situation, and frankly, I'm glad he's alive to be having some problems."

Bobbie looked confused and concerned. "Will Lucky be in the hospital for months like last time?"

Kevin shook his head. "That's unlikely. He'll be discharged whenever he's no longer a danger to himself or other people. It may take several weeks for his psychosis to completely resolve, but he should recover from it and resume his life and activities. The length of his previous hospitalization was due to the number and complexity of his illnesses. He's stabilized in terms of his substance abuse and post traumatic stress disorder. His current psychosis is the focus here."

"What's the low-down in terms of treatment?" Tony asked. He ran his hand over his hair distractedly.

"I want to start him on a new atypical antipsychotic," Kevin explained. "It might take the drug several days to bring him to the point where he can respond appropriately to his environment. For now, he refuses to eat or drink. He has a delusion where he keeps insisting that he's dead. He also believes he's being poisoned, especially by persons who attempt to feed or medicate him. It's obvious that he's reacting to recent events and trying to make sense of them, but his thoughts and emotions are too disordered to put the pieces together in a logical fashion. Tony, do you still have power of attorney?"

Tony nodded. "I discussed it with Lucky a few weeks ago, and he agreed that he needed help still. He wanted me to be his backup. We refiled the papers."

"Since he's refusing to eat and drink, we'll have to take measures to ensure he receives his medications. They're in pill form only. I'd rather not use injectable antipsychotics for Lucky as they are more likely to cause serious side effects at high dosages and aren't appropriate for his long-term treatment."

"And you want my permission to medicate him in any way possible?"

Kevin nodded. "He's going to resist all the way, but without an antipsychotic, we have no reasonable means of reaching him and pulling him out of the psychosis. We'll keep him on scheduled sedation until he's able to control himself."

Tony looked at Bobbie, who nodded with a sad expression on her face. "Okay," he agreed. "If you have any papers for me to sign, let me have them."

Next...

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