Devolution TOC

Chapter Seventy-One

Five days later...

"It's always a pleasure to see my baby sister," said Luke as he eased himself onto his hard prison chair. "Tell me you have some good news." He smiled and raised his eyebrows in a questioning gaze.

"Luke, even prison can't take away your charm," laughed Bobbie. She tapped her index finger at Luke on the thick glass wall that divided brother and sister.

"Never," said Luke. "It's genetic. Can't fight evolution. Spencers always come out one top."

"At least that's what we're constantly reminding ourselves," said Bobbie with a trace of bitterness. She shifted in her chair and played with the thick hem of her short, wool coat.

Luke picked up the subtle change in Bobbie's voice and demeanor and demanded, "Barbara Jean, what's wrong?"

Bobbie tried to present a brave face and smiled, but it never reached her eyes, which filled with tears and sadness. She made a quick, annoyed motion with the back of her right hand, trying to erase the emotions.

Luke tensed and his heart raced. "It's not Lucky, is it? Tell me my boy's okay. He hasn't written me any letters in the last two weeks. I knew something was up. Tell me!" he insisted as fear edged his voice and features. "I'm his dad, I've got a right to know!".

Bobbie had been dreading this conversation. She knew how helpless Luke felt when he was so far away from his children and unable to contribute in any real, physical way. She wanted to be truthful with her brother but spare him any unnecessary pain. It was so hard to find the line between truth and compassion. She sighed and looked down at the wooden counter that showed the marks of years of similar angst-driven conversations between inmates and family members. How many divorces, deaths and heartaches were communicated on that very spot over the years? Bobbie's fingers traced the deep imprint of one line that ran parallel to the thick glass window. She steeled herself and looked into Luke's eyes. "Lucky had another accident."

Luke's eyes betrayed his fear. "He didn't try to hurt himself again? I thought they watched them closely in the hospital." Luke was quick to try to fix blame on anyone but Lucky. "What's going on?" he asked loudly. His right knee started bouncing up and down with his tension.

"No," said Bobbie. "He hurt himself but not on purpose. He went through a difficult therapy session with Kevin and couldn't handle his anger. He ran through the ward and accidentally slammed face first into a door that someone was opening. He was badly hurt. He just got out of the critical care unit and is back in the psychiatric ward now. I waited to tell you until he was out of danger. And, I wanted to tell you in person, not in a letter or over the phone. I'm sorry, Luke. I know it's hard to hear this. It's plenty hard for those of us who see it."

"You said you were going to bring some photos of Lucky and Lulu next time you visited," Luke said flatly. "Did you bring them?"

Bobbie nodded slowly. "I brought some because I knew you'd remember and ask. But, Luke, I don't think you want to see these. They're upsetting."

"And I'm not upset now?" Luke answered sarcastically. "What's a photo going to do that I don't already feel?" His face tightened and looked drawn and tense.

Bobbie pulled some photos from her coat pocket and glanced at them. Her throat closed tightly when she looked at them. She knew what they reminded her of. Bobbie walked up to the guard and gave him the photos. The guard's eyes widened and looked at her questioningly, but she nodded.

Luke looked up expectantly when the guard handed him the photos. Luke never made it to the photos of Lulu smiling and holding her dolls to the camera. He dropped the black phone on the counter and sat back in his chair totally stunned and devastated. His right hand shook as he held the photo of his son, the photo that showed a young man covered with bruises and swelling, a young man's face that looked remarkably similar to his own face thirty years ago.

Luke's eyes were still glued to the photo as his hand picked up the phone and placed it next to his ear. "Barbara," he said in a haunted voice.

"I know Luke, I know," said Bobbie as she choked on her tears. "It's hard for me to look at him. It brings back so many memories."

"I tried so hard for my kids…I wanted to protect them from all the ugliness, the…brutality," he cried. Luke didn't even try to hold back his tears. "And here it is, staring me right in the face."

"Luke, there's more," Bobbie interrupted. "I might as well spill the whole mess. Kevin hypnotized Lucky, and some things were revealed. Lucky couldn't handle his reactions to them. That shows in the photos," she said, pointing at Luke's hand, which still gripped them tightly. "Luke, apparently when you were out of town on several trips years ago when you ran the Triple L diner, Laura did some things you didn't know about."

Luke's eyes grew hard and cold. "I don't know if I can bear hearing about even more lies and deceptions concerning my ex-wife.".

Bobbie took in a deep breath and continued. "She took in lovers while you were gone…"

"Oh, yeah, I figured that out after the incident with Stefan," interrupted Luke harshly. "He waved his hand. "I'm sorry, go ahead. Finish what you were going to say."

"Apparently, Lucky was physically and sexually abused by at least one of her lovers," said Bobbie. "Lucky blocked it out of his memory, but the hypnosis brought it back. That's why the kidnapping had such a strong effect on him. It was reinforcement of his previous abuse and the ways that he coped with it. That's why he's so ill today. He's been repeatedly victimized, first with Faison and then when he was assaulted at GH. And, Laura has contributed to his problems from the beginning."

Luke was at the point where he didn't even register the new information emotionally. He felt numb and sick. "I wasn't there for him. He suffered because of me," Luke said guiltily. "How can I live with this, Barbara? What can I do?" Luke looked down at his hands and brushed them impatiently on his blue-jeaned legs. "He's my son. I only wanted the best for him. I still want the best for him," Luke insisted. "How can this have gone so wrong? How could I have misread Laura so badly? I thought she was someone else. I didn't protect my children from her. Oh God…"

"Luke, Lucky's having a hard time dealing with this," said Bobbie. "He's in the blaming mode right now. That's why he's so angry and not communicating with you. Kevin is working with him, but it'll take time. I'm sorry. It's understandable, but you don't deserve this on top of everything else."

"I can't take it if my son runs me out of his life," stated Luke. His features filled with pain and anguish. "He's my heart, he's my life," he said in a tear-filled voice. Luke rested his forehead on his hand.

"Luke, your son loves you," replied Bobbie. "That's why he's so upset. He'll come around. Kevin, Tony, me, we're all trying to help him sort this out."

"Well, that's a blessing I suppose. Don't give up on us, Barbara, please," he said.

Bobbie held her palm flat up against the thick divider window. "I won't. I love you, Luke. That will never change."

~*~*~*~

Luke lay on his mattress with his back up against the concrete block wall. One wall of the cell directly across from him was carefully papered with photos of Lucky and Lulu, mostly Lucky since Lulu had been with Laura for two years with no contact with relatives, including her father. There were photos of Lucky when he was younger, a toddler, a young boy, a budding adolescent. Bobbie had dug up lots of the older photos and made copies for Luke.

Luke glanced down at the photos in his hand. Two of them were the recent photos of Lucky that Bobbie had brought on her visit. Luke stared for several minutes at the snapshot of his son. Lucky appeared to be asleep, but Luke couldn't tell because the kid's eyes were so black and red and swollen. His nose didn't look anything like Luke could recognize. The right side of his face was nearly normal with its smooth, pale skin, unmarred cheekbone and chin. But the left side of his face was another story. It was swollen to nearly twice its normal size, puffy and angry looking. Luke fancied that he could see some pain and distress in those misshapen features, and it stabbed him in the heart. What was Cowboy thinking or feeling, he wondered.

Luke's mind reluctantly went back to his past, to a time nearly forty years ago, when hope was not part of his daily life. His father was beating him regularly, and Luke never thought he'd find the love and happiness that he wanted so desperately. He wasn't attending school anymore, and no one noticed or cared that he had a black eye, a split lip or walked like an old man. All they cared about on the docks is that he lifted and carried boxes back and forth from the ship to the truck. Luke remembered wishing that one of the men he worked with would take him home, feed him and let him sleep the night on the couch or on the porch if it were summertime. Maybe the man's wife would give him a hug and tousle his hair or pinch him on the cheek when he said something witty. But, it never happened. Luke was too young and gawky to invite to the bars, and the men had children of their own to support on their low wages. The loneliness and despair that Luke had felt then he'd wish on no one else. Luke looked down again at Lucky's photo. His eyes moistened, and he sniffed a couple of times. Cowboy feels the same way, he thought. Like neither of his parents ever loved or cared about him.

Luke placed one of the photos in the bible that rested by his bed. "A good place for that," he said out loud. Luke stood up. He hunted for some tape and stuck one of the photos next to another that showed a laughing, smiling, teasing Lucky. This will motivate me to work hard with Ken to win the appeal, he thought. Luke sat back down and smiled as he looked at a photo of Lesley Lu. Countless dolls lining her bedroom surrounded Lulu in bright color. She happily held out what appeared to be her favorite doll from an animated movie. Her ear to ear grin betrayed the fact that she was missing two teeth. Luke smiled broadly and kissed the photo. At least one of my children is healthy and happy.

Luke pulled out a clean piece of stationary. He tapped his pen nervously on his lower lip as he pondered strategy. I have to reach my son and make him understand how much I love him - now and always, he thought. God, help me find a way.

~*~*~*~

Lucky stood uneasily by the counter and cleared his throat. If he'd had pockets in his sweats, he would have thrust his hands deep into their recesses to hide his nervousness. "Barb," he said softly. Barb looked up from the paperwork that she was concentrating on and smiled. "Lucky," she said brightly. "I heard you were coming back today. I'm glad you're feeling better."

Lucky shifted his feet and looked down at the floor before he glanced up to look Barb in the eye. "I'm sorry," he said. "From what they tell me, I was a real jerk. I don't remember what happened since I hit my head so hard." Lucky paused and rubbed the large red bump on his forehead. "But, anyway, I'm sorry about the…um…incident, and I won't do it again, promise." Lucky looked down again and scuffed his tennis shoe at an imaginary mark on the floor.

Barb walked around the counter and stood in front of Lucky. "I'm just happy that you're okay," she said gently. "You had me scared there for awhile." She reached out and drew Lucky into a hug. Lucky relaxed in relief and gratitude and let her hug him for a moment. Barb separated from Lucky and rubbed the sides of his arms. "Welcome back," she said. "You're going to work extra hard now so you can leave us soon, aren't you?" Lucky nodded wordlessly. "Good," she replied as she took Lucky by the shoulder and walked with him back to his room. "I'll miss you when you're ready to leave, but I miss all of my favorite patients," she said with a smile. "It's a hazard of the job."

~*~*~*~

Lucky and Nikolas stepped off of the elevator and headed for the outside picnic area. "I'm glad Dr. Collins let us take this picnic today," said Nikolas. "I was getting stir crazy in all of those meetings," he commented as he held the door open for Lucky.

Lucky stepped outside and took in a very deep breath with his face raised to the sunny sky. "Spring is coming," he said decisively.

"It's the first warm weather of the new year," agreed Nikolas. "It's supposed to hit sixty today. I can't wait until winter is over. I've never gotten used to all this snow and ice," he complained, shaking his head. "How's this table?" he asked Lucky. The two brothers stopped in front of a gray, wooden picnic bench that was situated under a large oak tree.

"It's fine," replied Lucky as he brushed away from the table top a pile of dead oak leaves left over from autumn. Lucky sat down on the attached bench and asked, "What do you have in there?" He pointed to the large, white bag containing their lunch.

Nikolas took his seat opposite of Lucky and grinned as he rattled the white bag. "I don't know," he said. "Why don't you tell me?" Nikolas handed Lucky a large container and a plastic spoon. Lucky opened the top and broke out into a huge smile. "OW!" he yelled loudly.

Nikolas looked puzzled. "What's the matter?"

Lucky shook his head and grasped his nose. "It hurts when I smile," he explained as he pointed to his face. "The nose, that is. It's broken in a weird place." Lucky dipped his spoon into the container. "My face may not be able to smile, but dang, my mouth is watering."

Nikolas looked pleased. "How long has it been since you've had chili from Kelly's?" he asked.

"Hmmm…" replied Lucky. "Maybe a year, or has it been longer? I don't know. It's been too long, that I do know. This is so cool. Thanks, Nikolas."

"Anything for my brother the prizefighter," teased Nikolas. "Are you signing up for the next Rocky movie? You're a dead ringer for Sylvester Stallone," he added.

"I wish," said Lucky. "Then I'd leap over this table and kick your butt," he warned as he pulled his mouth into his best Stallone imitation and mimicked the actor's voice. "I'm a real tough guy. Me against a door. The door won." Lucky shook his head and snorted. "What else do you have in there?" Lucky asked, pointing to the white bag.

"All kinds of goodies," said Nikolas. He pulled out potato chips, apples and Cokes.

"You've been busy."

"I was playing hooky," said Nikolas as he loosened his tie with a grimace.

"And I bet it was the first time in your life."

Nikolas pulled the tie out from under his collar and unbuttoned the first button on his shirt. "Something like that," he said. He let out a great sigh and ran his hand through his hair, slightly disturbing his careful GQ look. "Running a hospital is a lot more boring and aggravating than I thought it would be. Sometimes I think I'll die if I sit through another long meeting. How did Stefan do it?"

Lucky took a big bite of chili and opened up the huge potato chip bag. "He didn't," he stated with his mouth full. "He hired people to do the work. He was the front man. Only showed up for personal appearances. It's the way to go."

Nikolas cocked his eyebrow and laughed at his brother. "How did you get so wise?" he asked. "That's exactly what I was thinking of doing. I'm going to start interviewing people next week."

Lucky shrugged. "It's business. My dad ran all kinds of businesses," he said proudly. "I learned from the master." Lucky frowned as he stopped chewing a generous mouthful of food. He sat there with a sad look on his face until he blinked and then resumed eating. An uneasy silence descended upon the brothers.

"I know that Luke's in prison, but you're fortunate," said Nikolas. "Be happy that you have him in some way. I'll never talk to Stefan again, not in this life." Nikolas became teary and looked away from his brother as he studied the landscape around him.

Lucky said nothing while he chewed and reached for more potato chips to crumble in his chili. He looked pensive as he dipped his spoon into the hot mixture. "What was it like growing up with Stefan?" he asked. "Was he perfect or did he ever let you down?"

Nikolas snapped out of his reverie and turned back toward his brother. "Stefan was a complex man," he explained. "On one hand, I really knew that he loved me. I knew here." Nikolas placed his right hand over his heart. A dark look crossed his features, and he continued, "There were a lot of times that he hid secrets from me, kept me in the dark. It infuriated me. I felt like he was manipulating me, playing me for a fool. At times, I wondered if he cared more about the Cassadine Empire, keeping it intact and preserved for eternity, or did he care about me? And where did I fit into the scheme of things?" Nikolas studied his apple and took several large bites out of it. He chewed for a minute and swallowed. "I grew up and discovered that no person is perfect, even when we want them to be. Stefan wasn't perfect, he did things that hurt me, but ultimately, he loved me and did the best that he could. And, I love him for that. I just regret the years that we spent fighting with each other." Nikolas dumped his unfinished apple core into the white bag as Lucky stared at him intensely.

"Hey, Lucky, look at that," Nikolas said excitedly. "It's a bird." Lucky craned his neck in the direction that Nikolas pointed. "A robin, to be specific.".

Lucky broke several potato chips and threw them in the direction of the bird, hoping to entice it to come closer. The bird hopped curiously in their direction and cocked its head. It came nearer and hammered its beak rapidly toward the ground, picking up the chip and protectively hopping away a short distance to guard it.

Lucky and Nikolas laughed. "I think we made its day," said Lucky.

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