Devolution TOC

Chapter Fifty

1:15PM

Lucas and Lucky were quietly putting together one of Lucas' life-size puzzles on the middle of the brownstone living room floor. Lucky was working on the Tarzan portion since the large expanse of flesh color made it difficult to distinguish and locate matching puzzle pieces. He'd gathered together all of the similarly colored pieces and was holding them up to the light to determine their exact shapes. Lucas worked on the background animals with their brightly colored variations. The two cousins were silent, each content in the companionship of the other. Bobbie had spoken to Lucas earlier about sensitivity and how it was important to notice how others were feeling. She pointed out that if Lucky were tired or quiet, it might not be good if Lucas jumped on him or tried to pull him into physical games. Lucas remembered his mother's words and chose the puzzle over the remote controlled cars with their high-pitched screams and racetracks.

Earlier in the day, when Tony and Lucky were at Pentonville, Lucas had asked his mother some hard questions.

*** "Mom, why are Lucky's eyes sad all the time, even when he's smiling?" Bobbie's eyes filled with tears, and she coughed and turned her head to try to prevent them from spilling.

"Lucas, sometimes people can be happy at a moment in time. Like, if I give you a bowl of ice cream, you're happy right then because you like it and it tastes good." Lucas nodded. "But you remember when your puppy Eddie got sick and died two years ago?" A dark cloud passed over Lucas' face and he nodded slightly. "It still makes you sad to remember that, doesn't it?" Lucas said, "Yes," in a small, sad voice. Bobbie continued, "Well, Lucky has had a lot of things happen to him like losing Eddie. He has a hard time not thinking about them all the time. That's why he looks so sad."

Lucas perked up. "What can I do to make him happy, Mom?" Bobbie smiled at her son's sensitivity and big heart. "Honey, you can't make Lucky happy. He has to do that for himself. You go to the doctor so he can help you with your diabetes, and Lucky goes to a doctor so he can learn how to feel better. What you can do is be his friend and give him some happy moments like being nice to him when you play together."

"When I do something to make him smile - is that an ice cream moment?" asked Lucas curiously.

Bobbie laughed and hugged her son. "Exactly! You're so smart, Lucas. Yes, that's what it is." ***

"Lucky, something looks wrong with this corner." Lucas said, pointing to a raised puzzle piece. Lucky frowned and lifted the piece. "You forced that one into the wrong slot," Lucky explained. "The pieces won't lie flat when you do that. If you can't tell what the shape is, hold it to the light like this," he instructed. "See, it fits here." Lucky snapped the piece smoothly into the puzzle. "Thanks, Lucky," Lucas said happily as he hugged his cousin and then released him to concentrate on the puzzle. Lucky looked over at Lucas and smiled.

~*~*~*~

1:25 PM

Tony and Bobbie were conferencing in her bedroom. The couple sat together on the edge of her queen bed. Rose pink walls and a bedspread and curtains dripping with large cabbage roses surrounded them. An antique dresser in the corner was loaded with jewelry boxes, multi-colored perfume bottles and makeup kits.

"Tony, I am so glad you gave me that "be quiet" warning look when you came back from Pentonville. I was ready to grill Lucky with a series of questions about Luke. But I need to know. How is Luke? How did he take the news?"

Tony shook his head. "When I told him about our upcoming nuptials, he threatened to hire a hit man if I stepped out of line with his baby sister."

Bobbie laughed delightedly. "Same old Luke sense of humor." Bobbie poked Tony in the ribs. "He was kidding, wasn't he?"

"No," Tony said. "But, I'll never hurt my beautiful Bobbie again." Tony kissed her lightly on the lips, and the two held each other tightly.

Tony separated from Bobbie and said, "Luke was understandably upset about Laura and Lulu. I think it kills him to be in prison and powerless to do anything to help his children. He was feeling insecure about my relationship with Lucky, but I set him straight. Luke and Laura will always be the children's parents. They're not replaceable."

"Yes, but we can help the children to heal and give them all the love that we have," added Bobbie. She hesitated, and said, "Tony, I'm sick with worry about Lucky. Are you sure he's all right?"

"Physically, he's fine," Tony replied. "He's recovered from his recent flashback and emotional shock. But, he seems so lost and shut down." Tony pensively glanced over at the window with its streaming light filtering through the lace blinds.

*** Tony and Lucky drove back to Port Charles in silence. "Lucky, why don't we stop by the outpatient mental health clinic on the way home?" Tony suggested casually. "They have special holiday hours and are open until 9PM."

"No," Lucky said resolutely. "I hate that place."

"It would take less than an hour," Tony said, trying to sound convincing. "Wouldn't you feel better to get a clean bill of health?" he asked.

Lucky set his jaw and replied, "I'm not going."

"Do you want to call Kevin and talk to him when we get home?" asked Tony.

"No," said Lucky. "I'll talk to him at my next appointment."

"Lucky, it's not good if you faint and go into shock. That's medically dangerous," stated Tony.

Lucky shrugged. "So?" he said. "I just won't go back to Pentonville. Who cares?"

Tony tried again. "Lucky, you want to be able to visit with your father, don't you?"

Lucky made no reply. His hands started shaking, and he angrily jammed them into his pockets. He sighed and leaned his face against the window, welcoming the distraction of the cool glass. ***

Tony broke from his pensive moment and whispered in Bobbie's ear. "I read an article today about the amazing powers of green vegetables. They give a person extra stamina."

Bobbie's eyes lit up, and she whispered back, "I'll make sure to serve us lots of salad then."

~*~*~*~

5:30 PM

"I don't have to play Santa Claus at General Hospital. We can stay home, Lucky," Tony offered.

"What's Christmas without Santa Claus?" Lucky replied seriously. "Won't the elves revolt?"

Tony smiled. At least he still has that Spencer sense of humor. "Be ready to go in an hour, then," Tony said.

~*~*~*~

6:00 PM

Lucky washed his face and dried it on a beige handtowel. His abdomen was throbbing fiercely, more so than earlier in the day. His face was flushed, and he felt like he was getting a fever. He tentatively unzipped his jeans and lowered them to take a look. He felt sick to his stomach when he peeled back the elastic of his briefs and lifted out the tissues he'd placed over his wound. They were partially saturated with a bloody fluid and sticking to several places on his skin. He replaced the soiled tissues with clean ones and hoped for the best.

For some reason, the thought of going back to General Hospital made him nervous. He hadn't been back since he'd met Nikolas for dinner in the cafeteria. Lucky tried to push those feelings to the back of his mind, but he continued to feel uneasy. Back in the guestroom, Lucky kneeled on one knee and lifted the lid of the little blue suitcase to search for a clean shirt. His hand brushed the small paring knife that had fallen to the bottom of the suitcase. Lucky lifted it out. It still had a bloody smear on it from the other night. Lucky set the knife on the nightstand and rose shakily. He sat back on the twin bed and placed the back of his hand against his forehead. He was hot.

Sighing, Lucky looked up to see the Scarlett O'Hara doll staring at him - again. He walked over to the doll and casually brushed it off the shelf. The doll tumbled with a thump to the floor. "Sorry," Lucky said aloud. Its eyes finally stopped blinking when he walked on its face. "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," he muttered under his breath. He pulled on his clean sweatshirt, and grabbed his jean jacket. He walked toward the door and stopped. He turned and went back to the nightstand, pausing to grab the paring knife and place it in his jacket pocket.

~*~*~*~

6:37 PM

Lucas happily chattered all the way to General Hospital, giving Lucky a welcome reprieve from the adults. Lucky settled back in his seat and let his mind wander. It's almost Christmas, he thought. I haven't talked to God in a long time. Lucky plucked at his lower lip as his thoughts sharpened. Jesus, I haven't prayed to you. I feel so tired and upset. I can't focus myself long enough to do it. I'm sorry. I know I should be happy and finding the good things in my life, but I can't do it. Will you do it for me? Will you pray for me? There isn't anything left inside me anymore. A single tear rolled down Lucky's cheek, and he swiftly wiped it away and coughed to hide his actions from Lucas. He was feeling so tired, irritable, and nervous. The big Santa suit placed in between himself and Lucas was pressing on him, and he just wanted to throw it out the window. And would Lucas ever stop chirping about everything? Lucky closed his eyes and tried to blank out his mind.

~*~*~*~

9:45 PM, GH fifth floor

Most of the General Hospital staff involved with the Christmas Party had gone home, but Tony and several other staff members lingered behind to chat and tidy up. Tony was still wearing his Santa costume, and it was obvious that he relished his role as Jolly Old Saint Nick. Bobbie had accepted a ride from Monica and had taken Lucas home to get ready for bed.

Lucky, who was usually the life of any party, was unusually quiet and reserved. He stuck close to Tony and never let him out of his sight. Emily was home with a cold that night, and he'd missed her upbeat conversation. Lucky paced in the hallway and kept looking for an opportunity to talk to Tony when he was alone. He couldn't stand it anymore, and finally went over to his uncle and tugged on his Santa sleeve. "Can I talk to you for a second?" he asked sheepishly, directing his eyes away from Tony and looking around to make sure no one heard them.

Tony excused himself and walked a few paces away with Lucky. "What's up?" he asked.

Lucky shifted his feet, and ran a hand over his long hair. "Um, Tony, I drank too much punch, and...you know…um…I have to go to the bathroom - bad." Lucky paused to take a deep breath. "I'm afraid to go to the men's room," he whispered, turning red with shame. T

ony frowned in confusion, but he quickly discerned the situation. Oh God, he thought. Lucky was attacked in a GH men's room. I need to report this to security so they can catch this creep. Tony wrapped his arm around Lucky's shoulder and walked with him down the hall. "Let's see if we can find one that's unoccupied," he suggested. Tony pushed open the fifth floor men's room door while Lucky lingered in the hallway. Tony walked around the men's room, looking under stall doors, and he soon reported back to Lucky. "Coast is clear," he said. "I'll wait for you outside the door. Take your time." Lucky was still red with embarrassment, but he looked gratefully at Tony and in a small voice said, "Thanks."

The men's room was close to the elevator, and as Tony was waiting, Lt. Taggert walked up to the elevator, pressed the down arrow.   He impatiently tapped the side of his leg while he waited for the doors to open.

"Marcus!" called Tony. Taggert looked in Tony's direction, and Tony waved him over. "Merry Christmas, doc," Taggert said as he shook Tony's hand. "Or should I say Santa Claus," he guffawed.

Tony replied, "Marcus has a sense of humor, whodathunk? What are you doing here at GH on a dark and snowy night, Lieutenant?"

"Business, unfortunately," replied Taggert with a sigh. "I had to interview someone. Crime doesn't stop for the holidays."

"Or illnesses, either," agreed Tony. "Not too much fun being the professional on duty during the holidays, is it Marcus?"

Taggert shook his head and ran a hand over his bald pate. "So what are you doing loitering around this hallway, Santa Claus - somebody steal your presents? Want to fill out a report?"

"Haha, Marcus," replied Tony. "No, I'm waiting for Lucky to finish in the restroom, and I think we'll go home. I did my Santa Claus bit for the year. Time to put the suit back into the mothballs."

"How's the kid doing?" asked Taggert with real interest. "We kind of lost communication after we found him in the park. Did he ever get back together with his old man?"

Tony sighed. "It's been up and down, Marcus. He's made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. He's living with me now, has a good job here at GH, and is starting school soon. But, something happened to him recently, and he's regressed quite a bit. He can't remember the details, but actually, I think he was assaulted here in a GH men's room last week. I was going to report it to security. But, like I said, he can't remember enough to fill out a full report."

"We've got perps working the GH men's room again?" asked Taggert gravely.

"What do you mean, again.".

"About a year ago, we had a perp that targeted adolescent males. He worked the men's rooms at GH. We arrested him, but I lost track of the case."

"Great," said Tony with disgust. "Well, you might want to check it out again."

"I'll do that," said Marcus. "Thanks for the tip."

Tony looked at his watch. "He's been in there a long time, I'd better check on him and see if he's okay."

~*~*~*~

Lucky finished in the stall and washed his hands. Something was irritating him, rubbing against his chest. He reached into the inner pocket of his jean jacket and rested his hand on some paper. Lucky pulled out the green envelope with the North Carolina address that he'd stuck in his pocket days ago and had promptly forgotten. He smiled as his fingers tore at the envelope's seal. Maybe it's a card from Lulu.

~*~*~*~

Tony opened up the door of the men's room and called out, "Hey, Lucky, is everything okay?" He stepped inside the room and stopped at the sight of Lucky with his back to him, hunched over with the appearance of working at something on the bathroom countertop. His right arm jerked, and Tony could hear the sounds of Lucky's heavy breathing.

"Can I help you with anything?" asked Tony. Lucky continued working on something, ignoring Tony's question. "Lucky?" Tony asked louder.

Tony's blood froze when Lucky whipped around and pointed a bloody paring knife at him. Lucky had a death grip on the knife, and his hand was shaking so hard that little drops of blood flew across the room, splattering the wall in a scattered pattern. His face was sweating, and his mouth grimaced so that most of his teeth could be seen. But his eyes. Tony looked into wild blue eyes that had no vestige of sanity left in them. A thick stream of blood ran steadily down his left hand to the floor.

Before Tony could react, Lucky made a sound halfway between a yell and a growl and pushed past Tony, running through the doorway, still gripping the knife in his right hand. Taggert was waiting at the elevator again when an armed, bleeding Lucky raced out into the hallway with a shocked Tony screaming, "Lucky!!" after him.

Lucky ran fast but haphazardly, bent forward and swaying from side to side. He picked up speed and crashed into a table with the remains of punch falling to the floor and the bowls loudly shattering into shards of glass. Lucky slipped and fell onto his knees, leaving a bloody handprint on the floor, but popped up and kept running. Two shocked staff members watched as Lucky sailed by with Tony and Taggert quickly following behind him.

Lucky caught the sight of the outdoors through one glass door and raced toward the door with full force, intent on escaping. He banged open the door and raced outside. He turned around in confusion with his arms waving out to his sides and his face tilted up toward the heavens. He was on a balcony break area used by smokers with one white metal table and two matching benches. It was storming, and light flakes of blowing snow as well as freezing ice fell and saturated Lucky's hair, leaving it falling lankly, and dampening his jacket.

Tony turned to Marcus as they ran toward Lucky and shouted, "He's heading for the balcony!" Tony threw his arm to the right, and said, "There's a side entrance over there, I'll take the front."

Tony slowly pushed open the balcony door and said, "Lucky," in a choked voice. Lucky frowned and turned toward the sound. His left hand was completely red with his own blood, and he gestured all around him. "I'm dead, she's dead, we're all DEAD!" he screamed. "She's coming," he whispered confidentially. "Guns kill," he stated. "I'm dead, I don't feel it." Lucky strongly waved his arms up and down. Something clicked in his brain, and he screamed long and hard and then darted to the edge of the balcony. He climbed the rounded rails that were stacked four high and swung his right leg over the top, straddling the barrier. Tony jumped forward in alarm, yelling, "Lucky, DON'T!"

Taggert cracked open the side entrance door and listened intently. Veteran of suicide situations, he knew that there was no way talking was going to work. He waited for a moment when Lucky was distracted, so he could jump the kid.

Tony's movement startled Lucky, and he jerked back,nearly losing his balance. His right hand opened instinctively, and the small paring knife flew up in the air, racing toward the hard concrete pavement below. Lucky's left hand gripped the bar, and he watched the knife hit the ground. The winter storm had left a thin coating of ice on the top of the rail, and Lucky's left hand was slippery with blood. Tony watched in slow motion horror as Lucky's left hand slipped off of the rail, forcing his torso into a twist that dragged his right leg far down off of the barrier. Lucky's left leg started to follow his right leg, and both of his arms stretched out to the ground below as the weight of his head tipped the scales in the favor of gravity.

As Lucky's left leg flew into the air, Taggert leaped into action and ran over to the barrier, grabbing Lucky roughly by his left calf. In a delay of only one second, Tony raced behind Taggert and reached down frantically for Lucky's right arm. Lucky was swaying in the wind, five floors up and face down, with Tony and Taggert grunting and trying to pull him back over the barrier. Combined with plenty of adrenaline, the muscular force and desperate will of the two men pulled Lucky up and over the barrier, crashing him onto his back on the floor of the balcony. Breathing heavily and expecting Lucky to put up another fight, the two men looked at each other. Lucky lay there motionless, with every bit of the appearance of a corpse, his wide eyes staring out, betraying the hollowness within.

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