Devolution TOC

Chapter Seventy

Next morning…

"Aunt Bobbie," whined Lucky. "I want to go home." He shifted uneasily in his bed, seeking a comfortable position.

"Lucky, I explained to you that the doctors need to monitor you closely to make sure that your head injury doesn't get worse. Sometimes the brain will continue to swell for quite some time after an injury," Bobbie said softly.

"I don't care," replied Lucky petulantly. "I want out of here. I feel terrible. Everything hurts."

"That's the reason you're in this hospital bed, silly," said Bobbie. "Let them take care of you. You have your button to push if you need any more pain medicine."

"I can't see anything," Lucky stated fearfully. "They've got me so drugged up, I don't know which end is up."

Lucky was a typical critical care patient, disoriented and irritable from all of the distracting monitors, medical personnel, drugs and pain. Bobbie moved closer to Lucky and stroked his arm while she held his hand, trying to soothe him. "That bump on your head gave you two black eyes. When the swelling goes down, they'll open up, and you'll be able to see again," she said. Concern washed over Bobbie's features as she looked at her nephew. He reminds me of some automobile accident cases after they hit the windshield, she thought worriedly. His features are so distorted from the swelling and bruising.

"I have two letters for you," she said happily, hoping to engage Lucky in positive conversation. "Do you want me to read them to you?"

"Who are they from?" Lucky asked.

"One is from Lulu, and the other is from your father," said Bobbie.

"Read me the one from Lulu," said Lucky. 'But you can rip up the one from my dad. I hate him! I don't ever want to hear from him again!" He breathed faster and angry tears fell from his swollen eyes. "You call him up and tell him to go to hell. I hope he rots in that prison. Him and my mother!"

Bobbie blinked several times in surprise. "I'll hold on to the letter," she replied with disappointment. "Maybe you'll change your mind."

~*~*~*~

11:00 AM

"Lucky, how are you feeling?" Kevin asked brightly as he entered Lucky's room.

"Why does everyone ask me that?" retorted Lucky with a stuffed-up sounding, slurred voice. "I feel like shit, and I'm sure I look like shit. Next question?"

Kevin rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. I ask them to express their feelings. And voila, they do.

"You seem angry, Lucky," stated Kevin.

"Duh!" Lucky interjected.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Lucky started to turn on his side to get away from Kevin. "Ow!" He yelped as he inadvertently chose the side that had the torn and repaired stitches. "What's there to talk about," he said bitterly. "I hate my parents. I want them to die and go to hell. You know why. End of story."

"You had quite a meltdown yesterday," observed Kevin. "What happened?"

"I've had it with this place," hissed Lucky. He stuck out his arms as if they were chained together, and said loudly, "I want my freedom!"

Kevin barely caught himself before laughing out loud and was glad that Lucky's eyes were shut so he didn't see his wide grin. "I thought you decided to stay here and work on your problems," he pointed out. "Why were you running away again yesterday?"

"Obviously, I changed my mind," Lucky said.

"Did something in our hypnosis session anger you?" probed Kevin.

"Nah, I like being molested," Lucky retorted sarcastically. "I really love it when my mother hits me, drugs me, and brings strange men home to sleep with both of us. How generous of her."

"And what about your father's role in this?" continued Kevin. "Do you have any feelings about that?"

"ROLE?" asked Lucky with a note of hysteria. "He's the good guy, the protector of the universe and mankind. He's untouchable."

"Is that how you viewed your dad growing up?" asked Kevin.

"It doesn't matter now. He's nothing to me, and I'm an idiot for believing in him."

"Are you saying that you think you're an idiot for trusting your father and looking to him for protection and guidance? That's what all children do. You're not an idiot. You were a child who admired his father," explained Kevin.

Lucky began to tremble with strong emotion. He opened his mouth and then closed it several times. Finally, he cried out, "He let me down, he was my dad! He was supposed to look out for me. He wasn't there. He didn't ask, he didn't see!"

"What would your father have done if he'd known?" asked Kevin.

"He'd go find the man and kill him or have him arrested or something. I know that. And then he'd divorce my mother," stated Lucky firmly.

"Aren't those the actions of a caring father?"

"Yes," replied Lucky in a small, choked voice. "But he didn't see. He didn't see ME! All he saw was her. She lied, and he believed her."

~*~*~*~

7:30 PM

"We've got to stop meeting like this." Marcus Taggert laughed as he joined Tony Jones in the small Dunkin' Donuts booth. "Thanks for meeting me here, Tony. I was in the neighborhood investigating a case." Taggert tiredly ran a hand over his bald head.

Tony nodded. "Good to see you, Marcus. The free-clinic is nearby, so it's no stretch to meet up here. You said you had some information pertaining to the assaults at GH."

"Oh, more than information," smirked Taggert. "We've got THE perp," he said with satisfaction.

"How so?" asked Tony with real interest. "Tell me more."

"Let me get a cup of java first," Taggert motioned with his thumb toward the counter. "I need some caffeine."

After a few minutes, Taggert returned with a large coffee and a chocolate filled donut. "You're a bad influence on me, Tony," complained Taggert as he took a monster bite out of the side of his donut. The chocolate filling oozed from the center of the pastry, and Taggert smoothed his index finger over the drip.

"You're an adult, be responsible for your own arteries," joked Tony with a bemused smile. "I gave up on mine years ago."

Taggert wiped his hands roughly on a white paper napkin. "Here's the scoop," he said with a low voice and a cautious glance around him. "We set up a sting in several GH men's restrooms, including the one you suspected was the site of Lucky's assault. Caught the bastard. He was on parole, and now he's been sent back to prison. They added ten years to his sentence after he plea bargained and promised to reveal all of his crimes. Otherwise, he'd have probably gotten life. A real con, he's been in and out of prison for years. Lucky's situation is one of the crimes he mentioned. The time, date, location and victim description match exactly." Taggert smacked his hand on the booth table. "The perp went down."

A look of delight crossed Tony's face. "That's excellent, Marcus," he said. "I'm impressed, good work."

Taggert smiled back. "It feels great to get one more creep off the streets."

~*~*~*~

9:30 PM

Emily sat sullenly on her hard folding chair. Her hair was a mass of manufactured curls, expertly woven into a pretty bun. She was wearing an off-shoulder blue satin dress that accentuated both her curves and lean figure. Her pretty, made up eyes were cast down, and she fiddled with her gold embossed napkin. She drew in a deep sigh and continued to ignore the bright, happy conversation around her.

"Hey, Emily, that's a great song, let's dance," said Greg. Greg was her friend Wendy's brother. Wendy wanted to double date for the Spring Dance and insisted that Emily come along with her. Emily tried, she really did. The two friends had spent several afternoons together shopping for the perfect dresses, and they set up hair appointments at the same time to give each other advice on the perfect hairdo. Emily enjoyed Wendy's company, but she really wasn't into it. Her mind kept drifting back to Lucky and the fact that she wanted him to be with her, to dance the night away in his strong arms, to kiss his soft lips and laugh at his silly jokes.

Emily hadn't danced even once with poor Greg, so she looked up with a small smile and said, "Yes, let's go." Greg held out his hand, and Emily took it. The two walked out into the middle of the dance floor and laughed at the silver ball that spun and sent soft streaming lights in all directions around the room. Greg respectfully held Emily at a short distance from his body, and the two twirled, stepped and dipped along the dance floor. The couple drew a bit closer as the next song segued into a slow dance tune. The lights dimmed, and Emily laid her head on Greg's shoulder. He was several inches taller than Lucky and heavier built. She could barely wrap her arms around his broad shoulders. He was wearing some type of musky cologne, and his black tux nipped in at all the right places.

Emily looked up and caught a glimpse of Greg's carefully gelled short brown hair. Greg was in ROTC, so he kept his hair very closely cropped. He was so excited about going into the military directly from high school in June. He was joining the Marines and spent a lot of time working out so he could make it through basic training with flying colors. Emily really liked Greg. He was around the house a lot when she visited Wendy, and he teased her mercilessly. He was Wendy's twin brother, but they didn't look anything alike. Wendy was small and petite with blond hair and blue eyes. Greg was tall and well built with dark hair and brown eyes. She relaxed in Greg's arms. She was having fun in spite of herself. After two more dances, the couple decided to take a break. They walked hand in hand back to the table.

"Want some more punch, Em?" asked Greg as he lightly placed his arm around her shoulder. Emily smiled and nodded. When Greg was gone, Wendy leaned over to Emily and whispered in her ear. "Do you like Greg? I think he might like you."

Pink color furiously flooded into Emily's cheeks. She stared hard into a flickering candle ensconced by a glass globe. "Greg's nice, but I'm Lucky's girlfriend," she reminded Wendy as she pulled on and stroked the silver chain with the half heart pendant that lay hidden under the bodice of her dress. "Yes, but Greg's here, and Lucky's not," stated Wendy as she looked at her best friend with love and concern. Emily opened her mouth to say something else when Greg returned and handed her a cup of punch. "Thanks, Greg," Emily said softly, shifting her eyes from Wendy to the drink.

"What are your plans after you graduate, Emily?" asked Greg with a smile.

"I'm going to stay in Port Charles and go to PCU. I've already been accepted," she added.

"That's cool," replied Greg smiling. "I would have pegged you for attending some Ivy League school, though. With your brains, that is."

Emily shook her head. "Nope, I want to stay in Port Charles. My parents aren't too happy, but my grandfather supports me. That's all I need."

Wendy looked over at Greg and raised her eyebrows as her blue eyes silently communicated the situation to her twin brother.

"Excuse me," Emily said in a strained voice as she abruptly backed up her chair and practically ran for the restroom. She almost didn't make it through the door before loud sobs burst out of her. She sat on a white wrought iron velvet padded bench in front of the long mirror and held a hand up to her mouth to stem the flowing river of emotion that threatened to overwhelm her.

~*~*~*~

11:30 PM

"Thanks for letting me stay the night," said Tony as he held Bobbie in his arms. "I've been feeling really down lately, but I always feel better when you're nearby."

Bobbie smiled and kissed Tony. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked. "I know it helps me if something's bothering me."

"It's a lot of things," said Tony. A wave of pain and regret washed over him, and his eyes filled with tears. "I've been thinking a lot about BJ lately," he whispered. "I've been thinking about how I've never gotten over losing her, and that part of the reason I've been so determined to save Lucky is to make up for not being able to save my own daughter." Tony's face sank, and he separated from Bobbie. "I know she died from an accident, but I still feel responsible," he said with a teary voice. Tony ran a hand over his frustrated face and groaned, "Aaargh. This last episode with Lucky scared me. I feel like the next time something happens to him, he's going to die. He could have had a severe brain injury or a damaged spinal cord with this accident. He could have died. I don't know if I can take losing another child that I care about. It's wearing me out worrying about it. It's like I shut down emotionally after BJ's death, and Lucky helped me to open up again. Only, now I'm afraid of losing him, too. It's only been seven months since he entered my life, but it feels like two years."

Bobbie wiped away several tears that flowed down her cheeks. "I miss BJ, too," she said softly. "I always will, I know that." Bobbie shifted in the bed and turned to face Tony as she took his hands and covered them with her own. "Raising Lulu reminds me so much of having my daughter at that age. But, it's a good thing. I can take all of the love and care that I want to give to my daughter and help a child who needs me here, now. Our daughter is gone, but the love will never go away. We can share that love with children who need it. It's not wasted over regrets."

Bobbie patted Tony's hands. "Honey, I think you're experiencing compassion fatigue," she said. "You've given everything that you have to Lucky, and now it's time to recharge your batteries. "You need a week to yourself. No job, no responsibilities, no pressures. Why don't you take a fishing trip or do something else that you enjoy? Lucky is busy with therapy, and he should be out of the CCU within a few days. Why don't you take off then? I can hold down the fort for awhile."

Tony chuckled. "I'm no outdoorsman, but I'd love to go to New York City for a few days and scout out the museums, do some sight seeing and silly tourist things. You're right. I'm burned out. I need a break." Tony hugged Bobbie tightly. "I love you so much. Thank you for taking me back into your life. You have such a big, forgiving heart. That's one quality that I really admire about you. Besides the fact that you're gorgeous," he teased.

Next...

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