Chapter Eighteen
Sunday, 10:08 AM
Tony sat in the ER waiting area just outside of Lucky's exam room. His face was set in stone. Bobbie sat next to him in a coffee-stained orange chair with a bit of stuffing seeping from its armrest. She fiddled with the stuffing, trying to push it back into the chair. Neither Bobbie nor Tony spoke. Tony cleared his throat and shifted his position in his chair. He brought his hand up to his face and pressed his fingertips onto his forehead between the eyes as he cracked his neck.
"Monica has been in there a long time," Bobbie noted quietly, looking over at exam room one. "Thirty-five minutes," Tony stated flatly, looking at his watch and shaking his head.
"Tony…." Bobbie started to say. "Don't say it, Bobbie," Tony replied tersely. "I'm on the edge, and you're just going to push me off."
A nurse approached the two and said, "Excuse me. I need some information. Who is the responsible party for Lucky Spencer?"
Tony looked up with dead eyes. "That would be me," he said before Bobbie could speak.
"I'll need some insurance information," the nurse stated.
Tony snorted and gave her a wicked look. "I just bet you do," he said loudly. "He has no medical insurance."
The nurse blanched and looked confused. "Well, the uninsured program is at Mercy Hospital. If you'd like me to call and make arrangements for a transfer…."
"Cut the crap!" Tony replied. "I'm a General Hospital physician. You don't think I'm good for the money?" He looked at the nurse with one eyebrow raised, daring her to say one more word.
Daunted by Tony's intimidating demeanor, the nurse backed off and scurried away. Bobbie looked over at Tony and said, "Was that really necessary?"
"Yes, I believe it was," Tony stated, pushing himself from his chair, walking over to a large potted fern and fingering its leaves.
~*~*~*~
Marcus Taggert entered the ER waiting area, still in his purple sweats and Nikes. He walked over to Tony and tapped him on the shoulder. Taggert glanced over at Bobbie, still in the orange chair, and whispered to Tony, "Can I talk to you a minute - privately?" Tony looked up and followed Taggert down the hall.
Taggert looked a little uncomfortable and set his jaw. "How's the kid?" he asked with a worried look in his eyes.
"Holding his own pretty well, considering he was all but one foot in the grave," Tony cracked in a futile attempt at humor.
Taggert changed the subject. "I ran a check on that gun he was gripping. It's legally registered in his name." Tony looked up sharply.
"Yeah, I was surprised, too," Taggert said. And, there is something else. I looked through two black trash bags that he had in that park. He has the usual stuff in them, clothes, comb, aspirin, Pepto Bismol, RAID, but no drugs thank God. He does have something rather unusual, though."
"What's that?" Tony asked.
"A bag full of small bills - over $1500 worth."
Tony's surprise was evident. "You think he stole it."
Taggert shrugged. "There were no assaults or robberies reported last night or the night before. It's been pretty quiet in Port Charles, actually, for about a week or two. I'm guessing he interrupted some illegal activity. We'll never hear about it."
Taggert cleared his throat and rubbed his index finger along the length of his nose. "There is something else you should know, Tony. I'm pretty sure that he was trying to kill himself with that gun." Tony looked at Taggert with fear and shock. "The gun had been fired multiple times. He had two bullets left. Another squeeze of the trigger, and we would be holding this conversation in the morgue. He's just lucky that he passed out or whatever before he could do it."
"I don't know what to say," Tony replied hopelessly. "He's fallen pretty hard and fast. I guess he just couldn't handle what's happened in his life. And, it's not like he's had any type of support." Tony looked over Taggert's shoulder to Bobbie.
"Is it okay if I wait with you to find out how the kid is doing?" asked Taggert.
Tony nodded. "I'd welcome the company, Marcus."
The two men walked back to the ER waiting area in silence, each man lost in his own
thoughts.
~*~*~*~
Sunday, 10:35AM
Three people jumped up when Monica Quartermaine exited exam room one. She sighed and adjusted the stethoscope around her neck. Looking at Tony, Bobbie, and Taggert, she smiled weakly and said, "Okay. Here it is. In cases like this where the patient has untreated, acute pneumonia, we're concerned that the heart may become involved, either through irregular heartbeat or bacteremia, that is the bacteria migrates to the bloodstream and may involve another organ such as the heart or brain. We've examined Lucky's heart with an ECG, and I'm happy to say that his heart is fine, for now. I don't know why, in cases as critical as his, the heart is often damaged to some extent. When the results of his blood culture are back, we'll know about the status of his blood. Actually, he's a very fortunate young man."
Ian Thornhart walked over to the group. "How is he, Ian?" Bobbie asked.
"We've stabilized Lucky, and he'll be moved to an ICU room in a few minutes. He's on a ventilator and has been sedated so he won't struggle against it. We'll keep him on the ventilator for approximately 12 hours and then wean him off if he continues to improve. He is receiving antibiotics by IV, and we should see improvement soon." Ian furrowed his brow and stated, "Frankly, he was very close to death when he arrived. I'm concerned about his weight loss and substance abuse. We found cocaine in his blood, and he has several needle marks on his arms. This may make his recovery slower and more difficult."
Tony spoke up with a pained voice. "We have reason to believe that he was attempting suicide when he fell unconscious." Bobbie's eyes filled with tears, and Taggert shook his head, rubbing it with his hand.
Ian hesitated, then said, "We'll have a psychiatrist on hand after he wakes. Thanks for that information. You should be able to visit with him in about an hour after he's settled. A nurse will come and notify you. I'm sorry for your pain, but he has a good prognosis."
Bobbie ran over to Tony and hugged him in her arms, sobbing. Tony looked tense and shocked, standing there with his arms raised stiffly and Bobbie clinging to him. After a minute, he relaxed, placed his arms around her and held her.
~*~*~*~
Tony and Bobbie sat back down in the waiting room. Bobbie sighed and rubbed her hands together. "Tony, I'm so sorry. You tried to tell me about Lucky, but I refused to listen."
"Yeah, you did," Tony agreed with a sad smile.
"I don't know if you know what it's like, having an alcoholic father and near-alcoholic brother. I never shared that with you when we were married. I just promised myself that I'd always stay away from alcohol and anyone involved with it. It's hurt me so much to see people destroyed and consumed by booze. It ruins lives, Tony." Bobbie placed her face into her hands and shook her head. "I saw in Lucky my brother and my dad, and I just froze him out. I was afraid that Lucky's behavior would rub off on Lucas. But, I forgot that Lucky's an eighteen-year-old boy with his life in chaos. I should have known how Luke's imprisonment and Laura's abandonment would affect him. I turned my back on him. I'm so grateful that you were there for him, Tony."
Tony's eyes misted and took on a faraway look. "He's a good kid, Bobbie, a good kid with a lot of tough breaks. He deserves someone to care about him."
~*~*~*~
Monica walked tiredly into her office and was surprised to see Emily sitting there, waiting for her. "Mom!" she cried, running over to Monica and taking her into her arms. "Emily!" Monica said. "What are you doing here? What's the matter, honey?"
Emily's eyes were red and swollen, and it was obvious that she'd been crying for several hours. Her lip trembled and fresh tears spilled from her eyes. "I found him, Mom. I was the one who found Lucky." Emily broke down. She sat down in a chair with her face in her hands. "I didn't even recognize him at first," she whispered. "He looked like a dead body lying so still and twisted under the trees. He had a gun in his hand, and I was scared. I recognized something about him, though, and went to take a closer look. I thought he had died." Emily's face took on a haunted look.
Monica sat down and pulled Emily into her arms. "Oh, baby, I'm so sorry you had to see Lucky in such a terrible condition. But, I'm glad you found him. You saved his life, honey."
Emily's eyes met Monica's. "How is he, Mom, honestly?"
Monica looked serious. "He's very ill with pneumonia, Emily. He almost didn't make it." Emily gasped, but Monica patted her on the knee. "He has a good prognosis. He'll need to be in the ICU on a ventilator for awhile, but if the antibiotics take effect, and he improves, he should be moved to a regular room soon. Why don't I take you home, and we'll come back and see him tomorrow." Monica didn't mention that Lucky had tried to commit suicide.
~*~*~*~
Tony sat alone in the hospital chapel, praying. Dear Lord. Thank you for saving Lucky. Thank you for the value that you place on each of our lives. I know that your hand is in this. Please help him to recover and give him a reason to live.