Chapter Ninety-Four
Two days later…
"How are you feeling today?" Kevin asked Lucky.
Lucky was standing by the windows in Kevin's office, separating the blinds with his thumb and forefinger, and looking out at the view with a dreamy, distant expression on his face. He let the blinds loose suddenly, and they clattered together as he walked away from the window. He ran his fingers through his mussed hair and cracked a half-hearted smile.
"I feel better - some," he replied. "I don't like having the ECT and the way it makes me feel afterwards, but since there's only one more treatment to go, it's okay. I can think more clearly now. I mean, everything is not so bad constantly, like I felt before…um…" Lucky sat down in a chair as far away from Kevin as possible in the limited space of the office. As always, he was reluctant to talk about his feelings or what he was thinking. His eyes darted away from Kevin when he said, "Um…the suicide thing." He sighed and scratched the side of his cheek absentmindedly. "Before, I couldn't stop thinking about how bad things were, like I was stuck on a never-ending treadmill. I couldn't let it go. It was overwhelming me - Faison, my parents and everything I did. Now, I can think about those situations and not feel so upset or hopeless. But I still feel tired, and I don't know, kind of anxious or worried." Lucky coughed and slumped down in the chair, adjusting his position to try and feel comfortable.
Kevin nodded and made a few notations. "Your aunt mentioned that you were worried about your mother and Stefan Cassadine. Have you been dreaming about them lately?"
Lucky colored and looked down at this lap, his hands folded and gripping each other tightly. "Yes, I'm still having nightmares about them. They're often in my dreams. It's weird. I don't know why. The dreams make me feel creepy and upset. I'm always yelling in them, but I don't remember what I've said afterwards - just the strange feelings remain." Lucky crossed his leg and started jerking his foot up and down. He grabbed it roughly to make it stop.
He's repressing memories, observed Kevin. His body language is giving him away. "What do you remember of Stefan's death? Do you recall where you were when you heard about it?" asked Kevin. Lucky tried to look nonchalant but didn't succeed. His right cheek twitched several times.
"Not much," answered Lucky. He furrowed his brow, trying to access his memories. "I must have heard about it from Jake? I wasn't living at home then. I'd already moved out a few weeks before. I don't remember how I felt about it or anything."
Kevin noted Lucky's jumbled memory and confusion. "What kind of a relationship did you have with Stefan?" he asked.
Lucky laughed with bitter amusement. "He was Nikolas' uncle/dad/protector/whatever. Who knows what he was. My dad called him the Bat." Lucky chuckled and brightened at the memories of his father. "He called him that because Stefan lived in that creepy Wyndemere house. We used to laugh about that a lot. Nikolas hated it, but we didn't care at the time. I hated Nikolas, too, so it was a good way to get back at him."
Lucky brought his legs up on the chair, his feet dangling off the end of the wooden seat. He wrapped his arms protectively around his legs. "He tried to kill me once," Lucky said with a haunted voice. "He started playing a computer game with me, and I didn't know it was him. He lured me to an unsafe place." Lucky shook his head and lay his cheek on his knees. "He didn't like me. I think I got in his way. He thought my mother should be there more for Nikolas."
"How do you feel now about Stefan's death?" probed Kevin.
Lucky let go of his legs and jumped from his seat. He stepped behind the chair and leaned on it, his fingers white from their tense grip on the hard wood. "I don't feel anything," he lied as he felt his chest tighten up and his breaths come faster. "Nikolas - we don't talk about it. I mean, sometimes I talk about my dad, and he talks about his uncle, but we don't talk about what happened, the murder," he choked out. "It's better that way."
"Why?" questioned Kevin.
"It's better," Lucky insisted loudly. "Nikolas and I don't choose to be part of the war, the Spencer-Cassadine war. That's it. They're over. No need to dredge up the past. Keep it buried, out of the way."
Interesting choice of words, thought Kevin. "What about your mother's relationship with Stefan?" probed Kevin. "What are your feelings concerning that issue?"
Lucky turned his head toward Kevin with alarm. "What issue? There's nothing to tell," he said with a slight note of hysteria edging his voice. "Nothing happened." Lucky shook his head repeatedly and stared down at the floor. His vision blurred as he lost focus staring at the swirls and patterns on the carpet. His orientation to the room began to slip, and he could hear a voice in the background, but not make out the words. He jumped when he felt a hand on his arm.
"Come here and sit down," Kevin said. He led Lucky back over to the chair. "We lost you for a second," said Kevin as his concerned eyes met Lucky's apprehensive ones.
~*~*~*~
Lucky was in the recreation room by himself except for an orderly who stood at a respectful distance watching him as he occasionally leafed through a magazine. Lucky swiftly laid out and arranged multiple cards on the generous wooden table surface in the start of a new solitaire game. He shook his head and pursed his lips in distaste at the rotten cards that he was drawing. "Dang," he muttered under his breath as he gathered the cards together with a sweep of his hand.
"Hi handsome."
Lucky looked up in surprise and grinned widely when he saw Emily standing before him. "Come here and sit down," he said excitedly, patting his hand rapidly on the chair next to him. His eyes drank in her lovely face and carefully selected outfit that accented her best features. He took Emily's hand in his and declared, "This is so cool. I'm glad that you can visit me now."
"Try keeping me away," insisted Emily as she also looked at Lucky, memorizing his eyes, nose, lips and body. "I finally put my foot down and decided to ignore my parents since I am an adult now. You're what's important." Emily paused and ran her hand softly over Lucky's cheek, letting her index finger linger over Lucky's slightly parted lips.
She smiled and took his hand again. "How are you feeling?" she asked softly as her eyes searched his. Emily took his hand and rubbed the top of it lightly with her soft fingertips.
Lucky broke her gaze and glanced down at his lap. "Okay," he said. "Not perfect, but getting by. I hope I can leave here soon."
"That would be wonderful," Emily agreed. "Uh, Lucky, I graduate tomorrow. I wanted you to know that."
Lucky's mood shifted, and his eyes filled with tears that he desperately tried to hold back. He cleared his throat. "I wanted to be there for you, Em," he said sadly. "I'm sorry about all of this." His arm swept around the room to illustrate his form of prison. "I know I'm never there for you. It's not what I want."
Emily pulled her chair closer and wrapped her arms around Lucky who reciprocated. They hugged silently for several minutes, each enjoying the warm feel of the other's body. "You feel so good to me," commented Lucky as he rubbed her sides before releasing her.
Emily smiled faintly. "It's been a long time," she said sadly. "Yeah," Lucky agreed. "Are you still ticklish?" Lucky laughed triumphantly as he tickled her mercilessly. The orderly glanced up briefly from his magazine when he heard Emily's shrieks, shook his head and resumed his article.
"You stop that!" shouted Emily, jumping up from her chair and away from Lucky's marauding hands. She ran over to the window, and Lucky walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. Emily sighed and leaned her head back onto Lucky's shoulder.
Suddenly, she turned and messed up Lucky's hair with a few motions of her swift hands. "Haha," she announced. "Got you back. Now you have to let me brush your hair."
Lucky shook his head. "Not that again," he complained.
"Well, you cut most of it off," Emily protested. "But I still think you're really cute."
Lucky's eyes brightened at hearing her opinion of him, and he sat back down at the table.
Emily produced the ever-present brush from her purse and brushed Lucky's hair over and over, from front to back. Lucky closed his eyes and drank in her attention, almost falling asleep under her expert administration. He started slightly when she said, "There you go. All done."
Lucky turned around and placed his hand behind her head, drawing Emily into a deep, passionate kiss that seemed to last forever. Over and over, his tongue sought hers in a fiercely passionate dance of desire and emotion.
Although Emily enjoyed the kiss, she felt overwhelmed at this newly sexual side of Lucky. He'd always been so hesitant and overly respectful before. When they finally broke from their kiss, Emily noted the hazy look of desire in Lucky's eyes, and she wondered if her looks reflected the same. She smoothed her hair and laughed.
"Where's your bear, Lucky? Did you give him a name?"
"He's in my room," Lucky said. "No, he doesn't have a name. He likes it that way. Thanks for the birthday present, Em. You were real sweet to think of me." Lucky took Emily's hands into his own and looked at her with a mischievous smile. His eyes took in the soft shimmer of her eyes, the pink of her full lips, the way that the darts in her sleeveless blouse skimmed in at her slender waist and accented her bosom. He drew her into another kiss and rubbed her back and hips with his eager hands. The two remained together until the dry cough of the attending orderly brought them back to their surroundings.
"We have an audience," whispered Emily. "I think we'd better behave."
Lucky's face colored and set with frustration. "Yeah, behave."
~*~*~*~
"Luke's resentencing is in a week, and I want to take Lucky to the courthouse with me so he can see his father in person," commented Tony as he filled his cup with coffee.
"I don't know if he's ready for that," said Kevin. "Seeing his father sentenced might be upsetting for him."
"Ready or not, it's going to happen," insisted Tony as he sat down on a chair across from Kevin at his conference table. "Lucky may not have this opportunity again for a long time. My friend Marcus Taggert is going to talk to the judge and see if father and son can have some private time together in a room at the courthouse before Luke is escorted back to prison. It may work given Lucky's circumstances. Hell, I'm a doctor, give me a syringe full of sedative, and I'm good to go. If anything happens, I'm the doc on the spot."
Kevin rubbed his lower lip thoughtfully. "I have wanted the two of them to establish more contact than merely a few phone calls," he conceded. "Maybe this is the time and place. Lucky is already on medications to control his mood. I suppose you can have some supplies with you in case the worst happens. It's worth it. Okay. I need to call Luke to explain to him how Lucky might react to certain subjects or emotions. With that and some preparation on this end, it can work."
~*~*~*~
"Judge Callahan, thank you for seeing me. I know you have a busy schedule." Marcus Taggert sat down carefully in a leather chair across from the judge's massive cherry desk. He crossed his legs and adjusted the crease in his immaculate trousers. Taggert shifted in his seat, a little uncomfortable in his suit and tie.
Judge Callahan was a fiftyish male, gray haired and bespectacled with a serious yet kind face. He shuffled a few papers onto a large stack of files and sat back in his chair, looking at Taggert with a combination of curiosity and amusement. "I have fifteen minutes before my next meeting," he said evenly. "State your case." The judge paused for a moment when he saw Taggert's alarmed face, and then laughed. "I'm sorry, Lt. Taggert - habit, you know."
Taggert nodded and leaned toward the judge's desk. "The Spencer sentencing is scheduled in six days," he stated. "I have a special request for that sentencing. After the case was closed, and Luke Spencer was sent to prison, I grew to know the family a lot better. I've interacted with Spencer's kid and the kid's uncle frequently. There are some special circumstances here. Spencer's kid was kidnapped and brutally tortured for a year before the kidnapper let him go. Soon after that, this crime occurred. The kid's mother is now in prison as well for unrelated charges. He's had a very hard time getting his life together. The kidnapping messed with his head pretty bad, and he's struggled to make it. He tried to visit his father in prison several times, but the last time they had to carry him out unconscious because the prison setting reminded him too much of his own imprisonment. So the kid has been without his father, who he's very close to, for a long time. Would it be possible for Spencer to meet with his kid in a private room for say half an hour before he's sent back to prison? Spencer's son is at a crossroads in terms of his emotional health and social welfare, and it would mean the world to him to be able to talk to his father face to face. It's been six months since he's even seen his father."
Taggert took in a deep breath and held it. He was done talking, and now it was the judge's turn. Judge Callahan stroked his chin thoughtfully and leaned to the side of his chair as he regarded Lt. Taggert with intelligent, searching eyes. "Do you plan to be at the sentencing?" he asked Taggert.
Taggert nodded. "Yes," he replied.
Judge Callahan searched through the pile of folders on top of his desk, and finally selected one that he opened and began leafing through. He read silently for several minutes while Taggert waited impatiently. Finally, the judge closed the file and stared at Taggert. "It interests me that you've come to see me concerning the welfare of this family." He paused. "Especially since you were the arresting officer in the case." Judge Callahan tapped the top of the folder. "It's commendable that you'd take an interest in the son's welfare, especially since you and I know how criminal activity tends to run in families. So, do you think that an intervention on behalf of this son may prevent future problems?"
Taggert brightened up and stated vigorously, "I have no doubt that it would make a difference. I want to see this kid make it. He deserves it."
"Okay then," agreed Judge Callahan. "You've made your case." His eyes twinkled, and he continued, "Spencer may meet with his son for half an hour in the jury room - with you standing guard outside and accepting full responsibility for the safety of all parties. Agreed?"
"Yes," said Taggert with relief as he stood and gratefully shook the judge's hand.
~*~*~*~
Next day…
"Thanks for taking me to get my hair cut," said Lucky happily as he sat up straight in the passenger's seat of Tony's Jeep Cherokee. "It feels great to get out of the hospital for awhile. And I want to look my best when I see my dad." Lucky stroked the armrest repeatedly and looked out of the window at all of the trees full of leaves and spring flowers.
Tony smiled when he noticed Lucky's good humor. "We can't let Luke see his son looking shaggy," he commented lightly.
Lucky had been chattering nonstop since Tony picked him up at the hospital, and he continued to chat on. "Emily stopped by to see me yesterday," he said. "Man, it was nice to see her - and kiss her." Lucky smiled broadly at the memory, and Tony chuckled.
"Still got the flames burning for your one and only?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Lucky distractedly. His thoughts went to Cindy and their brief liaison. He tried to push those troubling thoughts aside. "I guess I need to tell Emily about everything sometime," he added shyly as his eyes darted over toward Tony.
"Yes, that would be fair," agreed Tony. "But you have time for that. Choose your moment."
Lucky nodded and changed the subject. "What do you think will happen at the sentencing?" he asked worriedly.
Tony hesitated as he pulled into the mall and navigated through the heavy traffic. "He's pleaded guilty to manslaughter, so his previous conviction of second degree murder has been overturned. At the sentencing we'll find out how many years he has to serve and where he'll serve them. Undoubtedly, he'll serve fewer than the twenty-five years of his previous sentence, and he likely won't be in Pentonville anymore. He'll probably be in a minimum security facility. Luke's attorney emphasized the need for a facility where his children can visit him comfortably. So, Lucky, any news that comes from the sentencing is sure to be an improvement over Luke's current circumstances."
~*~*~*~
Later that evening…
Lucky raced around his room with one shoe off and held in his hand like a weapon. His face bore a look of steely determination as his eyes darted left and right. He banged the shoe repeatedly and yelled out each time he made a thump with it. The orderly assigned to him tried to intervene. "Hey, Lucky, settle down," he said. "Come over here a minute."
Lucky ignored him and continued pounding with his shoe, cursing every few seconds. The orderly looked around, wondering if he should call a code and get help subduing the kid since Lucky wouldn't listen to him. When Lucky raced to the other side of his room with a wild look in his eye, the orderly grabbed his arm.
"Let me go!" Lucky shouted. "I'm busy." Lucky yanked his arm free and bashed the shoe especially hard in a corner. He laughed triumphantly and did a victory dance much to the surprise and confusion of the orderly.
"What are you up to?" the orderly asked with exasperation.
"I GOT HIM!" Lucky said loudly with a large grin. He held up the sole of his shoe to show the orderly. "Grandson of monster cockroach. I HATE 'EM!" Lucky's face sneered as he walked to the bathroom to deposit the flattened cockroach into the toilet and flush.
"They're not going to get away with it," he announced. "Not in my room."
The orderly stared at Lucky as a small smile escaped and twitched at the corners of his mouth. This kid is a trip, he thought.
.