Chapter Twenty-Six
Luke rushed by his son’s bedside and watched helplessly as Frankie continued to struggle to breathe. "What’s wrong?" he asked worriedly as he looked back and forth from the respiratory therapist to Frankie’s desperate, frowning face.
"Your son is fine," the therapist assured him as she handled the machinery. "He experienced some emotional distress with the raised voices in the room and needed more oxygen than he was able to provide for himself. I’m giving him oxygen now. He should settle in a few moments."
Luke took Frankie’s hand and held it as if to provide him with support. Frankie began to relax slowly, the tense lines smoothing from his forehead, and his legs remaining still. His chest rose and fell evenly again as the machine breathed for him once more. But the tears on his cheeks still glistened, and Luke felt hot anger bubbling up inside of him. How dare she upset him like that, he thought. She hardly even looked at him before she started wailing up a storm. Alexis walked up behind Luke and wrapped her arm around his shoulder as she leaned into him. "He looks peaceful again. He’s going to be okay," she said reassuringly.
Luke shook his head crossly. "How long will he remain on the respirator?" he asked.
"I’ll try to wean him one more time later in the afternoon," said the respiratory therapist. She moved away from Frankie and the respirator. "But, it would be better if no family were in the room. He needs to be calm while we’re weaning him off the machine."
~*~*~*~
"Laura, why did you make such a scene in the boy’s room?" asked Stefan. "You upset him greatly."
Laura lay her head on Stefan’s shoulder and sighed deeply. "I don’t know," she said. "I didn’t mean to upset him. It’s just that seeing my son lying so helpless in that bed unnerves me. He’s been dead to us for fourteen years, and then he shows up out of nowhere, critically injured. It was more than I could take. And, Luke, he makes me so mad sometimes. I never wanted to see him again, let alone share a son with him now."
"Tough luck, Laura, because that’s the way it is – welcome to reality." Luke stood outside of the ICU room and glared at his ex-wife. "Your hysterics in there cost our son his chance at getting off the respirator. I don’t want you to go near him again unless you can control yourself. His life is at stake. He doesn’t need this. We need to be calm for him and give him our support, not distress him."
"I know how to handle myself around children," Laura replied scornfully. "You seem rather calm for someone who supposedly cares about his son. But then you never did show any emotion when he died," she said scathingly as her angry eyes bore into Luke’s face.
"Laura…" Stefan warned.
"Forget it, Stefan," Alexis replied as she took Luke’s elbow. "We’re going to get some air." Alexis glanced at Laura with an emotionless expression on her face. "The boy does need some peace and quiet," she said calmly. "He seems very fragile right now. I’m sorry you’re so upset, but it’s better to leave the room when you need to express it. I hope you feel better soon."
Laura’s eyes followed Luke and Alexis down the hall until they disappeared around the corner. "Let’s go see my son," she said firmly to her husband.
~*~*~*~
Laura approached Frankie’s bedside and remained silent while she noted her son’s appearance. She seemed much calmer without an audience in the room. She bit hard on her lower lip when she saw the bruises covering his chest and torso and the drainage tubes leading from his injuries. "What happened to you, baby?" she whispered when she stroked his arm. "You look so sad lying here. Are you trying to get better? I wish you’d wake up, so that we could see one another. Look at you. You’re a young man now." Several tears escaped from Laura’s eyes as she contemplated all of the moments that she’d lost with her son, the memories that were never captured to be savored later. She had no idea of what his life had been like to this point, no idea of what his voice sounded like or what his favorite color was. "Who did this to you? Will you remember?" Laura interlaced her fingers with her son’s fingers until their palms met. She squeezed his hand gently and exclaimed softly when he squeezed back a tiny bit, so gently that it was not much more than a quiver. Her eyes lit up. "Stefan," she said softly. "He squeezed my hand."
Stefan walked up behind his wife and placed his hand on her shoulder. He looked down at Frankie and smiled. "Maybe he will come back to join the living," he commented softly. Stefan kept it to himself, but he was still worried that this boy might not survive. He wondered if Laura could endure a tragedy like that. And, what had this young man been involved in to receive such violence so many times? Those gunshot wounds, past and present signified something, but Stefan couldn’t quite put his finger on it. "Who is this Frank Smith person?" he asked. "Luke mentioned that your son had been kidnapped by him."
Laura’s face colored, and she shook her head at the memories. "He was a very evil man," she said in a low voice. "He took offense at some business dealings with Luke, and we had to run for our lives. Lucky was born while we were on the run, and we were living in Florida when it happened. You remember me telling you about the circumstances of the baby’s death. Frank was the leader of a very powerful mob organization."
Stefan’s eyes traveled again to Frankie’s face and scrutinized it. "And this young man is his son," he said firmly. "We need to tread carefully here, Laura. There is much that we do not know."
~*~*~*~
"Sit down, Luke," Alexis instructed. "There are some very important legalities that we must discuss."
Luke plopped down angrily in a visitor’s area chair. He leaned his head against his palm and sighed. He was still very angry at Laura’s outburst and the negative effects on his son’s health. "What now?" he asked morosely.
Alexis studied Luke’s face before speaking again. His emotions seemed frayed, and he was nervous and irritable around the edges, an entirely different person than she was used to seeing. Luke was usually full of boisterous humor and insistent optimism, and his confidence bordered on arrogance. Her heart sank when she regarded her fiancé’s sad face. "I know that you’re worried about Frankie. I am, too, which is why I’m bringing up the legalities. Luke, with his father being killed, we need to establish that he’s your biological son and petition the court for custody."
Luke raised his weary head to look into Alexis’ brown eyes. "I’m one step ahead of you," he said. "They conducted a DNA test on him at my request soon after he was brought in. We should have the results in a few days."
Alexis blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. "I’ll try to expedite the tests results. As soon as they are available, I say we petition the court. This is a very sensitive and irregular situation. I think you need to contact the FBI today, though. It won’t look good if we drag our feet. I already have a private investigator in Atlantic City to nose around and see what he can find out. I’d like to have the most information possible before we talk to the FBI. We need to level the playing field so that the meeting is to our advantage. I should hear from him this afternoon."
Luke looked at Alexis appreciatively. "I knew there was a reason why I liked the brainy babes," he grinned. "What about Laura?" he asked bitterly. "How am I going to deal with her? And what does that mean in terms of custody?"
Alexis looked down at her folded hands. "I’d be the last one to advise you on how to handle that woman, but I would recommend that you stay within the boundaries of the law," she quipped as her eyes twinkled at Luke.
"Oh, great," he said loudly. "That takes away all of my favorite options."
"In terms of custody," Alexis continued, "I’d recommend that you pursue either sole custody with liberal visitation for the mother or joint custody. This situation is too delicate and will be too hard on the child if his parents fight over him in a court of law. It needs to be resolved peaceably and for the ultimate benefit of your son."
"I don’t want to keep the kid from his mother," Luke explained, "But I want my son to live with you, me and Sly. I want us to be a family."
"Okay, then," Alexis smiled as she kissed Luke and pulled on his beard.
~*~*~*~
Ruby scowled when she returned to Frankie’s room and saw that the boy was still on the respirator with two people standing over him. "What’s going on? Why is he still on the respirator?" she asked tensely.
Laura turned around, and her face sank a bit when she saw that it was Ruby. Ruby had taken the place of Luke’s mother both in the mother and the mother-in-law categories. There was no love lost between the two women. Laura regarded Ruby as a busybody who always defended her nephew whether he deserved it or not. Ruby had been angry with Laura when she’d filed for divorce from Luke. Ruby had thought that Laura should stay by his side and try to work things out, that two were stronger than one in a tragedy.
"Ruby," Laura said tightly. "He struggled, and they weren’t able to take him off the machine. We’ve been visiting with him for about twenty minutes."
"Where are Luke and Alexis?" Ruby asked shortly.
"They took a break and walked to a visitor’s area down the hall," Stefan directed.
Ruby nodded and looked curiously at Stefan. She had never met the man personally but had heard a lot about him. He was always in the newspaper for General Hospital news or some international business deal. With his blond good looks, he wasn’t so different than Luke, but he had an aristocratic presence that was strangely formal and out of place in Port Charles. Ruby wondered what Stefan saw in Laura, who she still regarded as an unsophisticated, young girl that had been spoiled and coddled by her parents. Stefan’s gaze softened as he placed a protective arm around his wife. Ah, Ruby thought to herself. So she found someone else to spoil her. She’s no threat to this sophisticated man. He can control her and have his way without her having a clue. He lets her think that she has the upper hand, but he knows otherwise.
Ruby approached Frankie’s bed. "So how’s he doing?" she asked as she noted that Laura was holding Frankie’s hand.
"He’s not as restless now," Laura answered. "He squeezed my hand earlier in response to me taking his hand."
"That’s good," Ruby said. "He’s a very special young man. He deserves the best."
Laura looked curiously at Ruby from the sides of her narrowed eyes. "What do you know about him?" she asked casually.
Ruby stared at Laura and saw right through her manipulative posture. "He lived in
a room above my diner for a time," she said warily. "I grew to know him as a
tenant. He was a pleasant young man," she said simply, leaving out the details until
she conferred with Luke.
"Oh," said Laura lightly. "Did you talk to him much?"
"Not too much," conceded Ruby. "Just about school, the typical things."
"I wonder if he knows Nikolas?" Stefan asked curiously. "Although there is a several year age difference."
"I never heard him mention the name," said Ruby. She walked over to Frankie and ignored Laura and Stefan until they grew uncomfortable and left.
~*~*~*~
"Nikolas! Nikolas!" Sly ran as fast as he could through the hallway to meet up with Nikolas at his locker before the bell rang for the first class of the day. Nikolas laughed at the sight of an out of breath Sly standing in front of him. "What’s up, Sly?" he asked bemusedly while selecting two or three books and removing them from a pile.
"Wow," said Sly. "What do you think of this resurrected baby Lucky stuff?" His wide, green eyes searched Nikolas’ confused brown eyes.
"What are you talking about?" asked Nikolas.
Sly picked up on Nikolas’ confusion. "Uh-oh," he said quietly. "You don’t know?"
"Know what?" Nikolas asked irritably. "Why don’t you just spit it out?"
Sly gulped. "Okay," he said slowly. "Baby Lucky is back. He never died."
"What?" Nikolas interrupted with a high-pitched tone of voice. He shook his head. "Nah No way. Not possible."
"Nikolas, he showed up at our door all beaten up and half dead. He’d been kidnapped and came back home. He’s in the hospital now. He’s real sick. He might not make it." Sly looked stunned as he related the tale.
"My mother never said anything about this. I just saw her this morning before I left for school."
"Maybe my Uncle Luke didn’t tell her yet," Sly answered reasonably. "Everything happened so quickly." A worried look crossed Sly’s face. He shifted his feet and stuck his hands in his pockets as he looked at the floor. Nikolas was watching him and exclaimed, "What now?"
Sly avoided Nikolas’ gaze and looked at the row of lockers instead. "He’s Frankie," he choked out. "Baby Lucky is Frankie."
Nikolas’ eyes bugged out. "The hood? The little punk?" he asked incredulously. "You’re pulling my leg, Sly," he said as he made a nervous, fleeting smile. "Not possible."
Sly nodded and scuffed his shoes on the floor. "Yes, he’s Frankie." Sly felt his eyes water with tears, and he blinked rapidly as he cleared his throat. "I don’t like it either," he said softly.
Nikolas noticed how sad Sly seemed, and his anger softened. "I’m sorry I yelled at you," he said. "I tend to yell if I’m shocked or feel upset. I’m sorry"
Sly shook his head as the tears overtook him. He sniffed, and his face turned red with embarrassment. "This is going to change everything," he protested tearfully. "I don’t know if I want things to change. What are we going to do?"
Nikolas shook his head as determination invaded his handsome, even features. "I have a phone call to make," he said. "I’ll get to the bottom of this," he reassured as he patted Sly on the back.
~*~*~*~
Nikolas was standing at the public pay phone beside the high school cafeteria. "Mrs. Lansbury," he said evenly. "It’s Nikolas Cassadine. Are either of my parents there?" He paused to hear her negative answer, and then he asked, "Do you know where they went? Oh. General Hospital. Nothing else was said, then? Okay. Thank you." Nikolas hung up the phone and gritted out, "Dammit!" in a dangerous tone of voice.
~*~*~*~
Luke sat in a chair beside Frankie’ bed. His face was worried and very tired looking. The stress of his son’s sudden reappearance and illnesses was wearing him out. The respiratory therapist had been back and had successfully weaned Frankie from the respirator. "No stress for this boy," she had warned. "I don’t want to have to come back and hook him up again."
Luke watched his son sleeping. His chest rose and fell less evenly than when he was on the respirator, and Luke was concerned if Frankie were receiving enough oxygen. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t waking up. The doctor had made his rounds earlier and told Luke that his son was still dangerously low on platelets, and that he was still bleeding from his kidney. All they could do was monitor him closely, treat any symptoms, and continue to transfuse him. It was touch and go. Luke didn’t like the sound of that. He knew he was impatient, but he wanted his son to recover quickly. He wanted to get to know him and reestablish a relationship. He still was in shock over the miracle of Lucky’s return. It was much more than he’d ever allow himself to dream. But now they had to concentrate on getting him better. One nurse had been in earlier and washed his hair. It looked more reasonable now than the deranged every which way hairdo that he’d been sporting before. Luke had almost requested that someone come in and cut off that dark brown stuff that marred his natural color. Luke wanted his son back in his entirety.
Luke sighed. He was so grateful that Alexis was taking care of the legalities. He sensed that things might become ugly now that Laura was in the picture again. Would she take her animosity towards her ex-husband out on their child? He hoped not. Ruby had told him to be careful, that Laura was asking questions that he might not want to answer right now. Luke had been encouraged, though, to hear that his son had responded and squeezed his mother’s hand. Surely that was a good sign, wasn’t it? The doctor making the rounds had said that Frankie was very weak with blood loss, a low platelet count and his body’s attempt at healing serious wounds. It wasn’t surprising that he wasn’t fully conscious yet. And, when he woke up, he might slip in and out of consciousness for a period of time. Luke just wanted him to open his eyes, however briefly. He felt jealous that Dr. Ramsey had been able to speak to him in the ER when Luke might never experience that chance.
Luke leaned in and tapped Frankie’s cheek. "Wake up, kid," he said jovially as he tried to coax his son to open his eyes. He ran his finger over Frankie’s eyebrows. Frankie’s brow knit together, and he made a "mmmph," noise as he turned his head slightly. "I knew you didn’t like that," Luke laughed. "That’s one way to get your attention."
~*~*~*~
"Emily," said Sly gratefully as he laid his lunch tray down on the table. "I am so glad to see you."
Emily’s eyes lit up when she saw Sly. "How was spring break?" she asked excitedly. "Did you like Greece?"
Sly smiled and leaned over to peck Emily’s lips with a light kiss as he took her hand into his. "It was fantastic. We all had a lot of fun. My uncle got engaged, too. It was a surprise, but a nice one. Alexis is great. We’ll be moving to a new house now – a real house, not an apartment," he said as he took a bite of his sandwich. "How was your break?"
Emily nodded. "It was nice. We spent some time at home and also visited some relatives. It was sedate, but okay. Nothing like your international trip, though." Emily studied Sly’s face and noticed how stressed he seemed. "What’s wrong?" she asked as her eyes searched his. "You seem upset. Did something bad happen?"
Sly shook his head and laid his sandwich back down on his plate. "I don’t know if it’s bad, good, or whatever," he said morosely. "My uncle’s kid is back. Baby Lucky isn’t dead after all. You remember me telling you about that baby who’d died fourteen years ago, and my uncle never got over it? Well, that’s him."
Emily’s mouth hung open. "That’s so…unusual," she stated. "What happened?"
Sly shook his head again with a mouth full of sandwich. He chewed and swallowed before replying, then took a sip of water. "He showed up at my uncle’s bar half dead from being beat up and shot. He collapsed, we took him to the hospital, and he’s still there. I’m staying with my Aunt Bobbie again." A negative look crossed Sly’s face. "Oh, and one more little detail. The kid? Baby Lucky? His name is Frankie DeMarco."
Emily blinked rapidly as she tried to process the information. "What?" she finally asked loudly. "What in the world?"
Sly’s mouth tightened. "My sentiments exactly. What in the world. The guy’s my friend and now I find out that he’s really my cousin. Go figure."
"Then what was he doing in Port Charles with that name?" Emily asked with confusion. I don’t understand."
"Me neither," Sly conferred. "There’s definitely a mystery here, and the only person who can clear it up can’t talk."
~*~*~*~
Sly carefully entered the school bus with a loaded backpack. He hadn’t been able to concentrate in any of his classes, and he’d blown off study hall by goofing off, so now he was paying by having to haul nearly all of his books home. He was glad that he’d remembered to take the correct bus home since he was headed to Bobbie’s house. He stumbled with his backpack, and looked into Bertha’s face. The bus driver seemed to be in a bad mood today, which was usually the case, so he walked by without greeting her. As usual, Sly slipped into a seat by himself since he hadn’t made friends on this bus. He leaned his face against the glass window, glad for the distraction of its coolness on his cheek. He watched the other kids bustling to board their buses and wondered if anyone else had problems as big as his. They seemed monumental to him right now. A feeling of guilt rose in his gut. He’d sure badmouthed Frankie today, and his friend was still in the hospital. Who knows? Maybe he even died last night. He hoped someone would have an update for him when he returned from school.
Sly was lost in thought and looked up in surprise when Maxie sat in the seat beside him. "Hi Maxie," he said before he remembered to be embarrassed so that he could botch any attempt at human communication. He looked into Maxie’s pretty blue eyes and saw that they were sad. "You’ve heard about Frankie, haven’t you?" she asked Sly. "I know you’re friends with him."
Sly chuckled wryly. "Yeah, we’re friends - and cousins. Or so I’ve learned."
Maxie looked confused. "I don’t understand," she said.
"Frankie is my cousin, my Uncle Luke’s son. He’s a Spencer, only no one knew it – not even him I don’t think. He was kidnapped by some goon fourteen years ago, only now he’s back."
"That’s amazing," Maxie said. "So he didn’t even know?"
Sly shook his head. "I don’t think so." Sly became uneasy as a stray thought entered his mind. "Um, Maxie? Maybe we should keep this between ourselves. With your stepfather being the police commissioner and all?"
Maxie nodded. "Don’t worry. I can keep it to myself. Mac doesn’t know everything that goes on with me." Her face softened and she asked, "How is he doing? Your Aunt Ruby called me and told me he’d had an accident and that she’d call back later with an update. Do you know anything else? I’m worried about him."
Sly shook his head. "They sent me to stay with my Aunt Bobbie. I guess I’ll find out later, too." Sly’s face fell as he thought again about Frankie possibly dying. Maxie noticed his reaction and instinctively drew him into a hug. Sly automatically placed his arms around her waist, and they stayed that way for several seconds. They separated, but not before Sly noticed the feel of her soft bosom on his chest. He blushed and smiled shyly at her as he relaxed back into his seat. Wow was the only thought that entered his stunned brain.
~*~*~*~
Luke was still seated near Frankie when Laura entered the ICU room. Luke was talking softly to his son, still trying to coax him to consciousness. "Come on, slugger," he said encouragingly. "Talk to me. Wake up and smell the coffee, roses, or whatever your sniffer likes." Luke held one of Frankie’s motionless arms in his hand, and stroked it lightly. "Do you feel that?" he asked. Luke lay the arm back down on the bed as sadness welled up inside of his chest. He’s not waking up, he thought. I don’t know what else to do.
"Do you remember when we used to sing Lucky to sleep?" Laura asked softly as she walked up behind Luke. "He was always so cranky right before bedtime. We used to sing the old tunes, and he’d sigh contentedly and then shut his eyes. Let’s sing him a song. Who knows? Maybe it’ll wake him up this time instead."
Luke turned to Laura in surprise. She was smiling slightly instead of frowning or looking at him with hate and anger in her eyes. He smiled and nodded. "Okay, how about The Best Is Yet to Come? That old Frank Sinatra tune. Do you remember it? I would sing one verse, and then you would take another?"
Laura laughed and waved her hand in embarrassment. "Oh, I barely remember that one. You start, and I’ll follow. Help me out if I get stuck."
Luke nodded. "Great. Let’s try it. Here goes." Luke’s rich tenor began to sing the old tune that he hadn’t sung in years.
~~ Out of the tree of life, I just picked me a plum
You came along and everything started to hum
Still it's a real good bet, the best is yet to come
The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
You think you've seen the sun, but you ain't seen it shine
Wait till the warm-up is underway
Wait till our lips have met
Wait till you see that sunshine day
You ain't seen nothin' yet
Laura laughed delightedly and said, "I remember! I remember this one. It’s a neat old song." She opened her lips as her pretty soprano voice tumbled out.
~~ The best is yet to come, and won't that be fine
The best is yet to come, come the day that your mine
Come the day that your mine
I'm gonna teach you to fly
We've only tasted the wine
We're gonna drain that cup dry
Wait till your charms are right, for the arms to surround
You think you've flown before, but you ain't left the ground
Luke and Laura harmonized the last verse of the song and sang loudly.
~~ Wait till you're locked in my embrace
Wait till I hold you near
Wait till you see that sunshine place
There ain't nothin' like it here
They laughed merrily, and Luke reached out to hold Laura’s hand appreciatively. "Thanks, Laura," he said. "I needed that."
Both of them jumped when Frankie began to stir. First, he moved his feet up and then down again. He sighed and then moaned lightly as his head twisted to the side of his pillow. He coughed hard, and his face twisted with pain. Laura moved in closely to watch as his eyelashes fluttered against his cheek. The boy moaned again and flexed his hands on the bed. "Come on, son," Luke encouraged. "Open your eyes."
Laura picked up Frankie’s hand. "I’d love to see you again. I’d love to see your eyes," she said happily.
Frankie screwed up his face again as he grunted and fluttered his eyelids. "Ohhhhhh," he said thickly. Luke’s eyes lit up. His boy was starting to speak.
Frankie’s eyes opened and then shut again. His forehead was creased with confusion and discomfort. His eyes opened slightly and stayed open. "What?" he said softly, his voice cracking. Laura’s face was directly in his field of vision, and he stared at her without speaking. Laura took his hand and placed it on her cheek. "Baby," she said happily. "Who?" Frankie replied in confusion as his eyes blinked and tried to focus better. "You’re my baby," Laura answered with a bright smile.
Frankie coughed and twisted on the bed. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and opened them again. He looked confused. "Are you my mama?" he asked softly, his voice so low that it could barely be heard. "You look like my mama in da picture dat Frank showed me." He closed his eyes again in exhaustion, but opened them again, when Laura replied brightly, "Yes! Yes, I’m your mother."
"Pretty," Frankie said as his lips barely turned up. "Frank likes dem showgirl hookers. You musta been da favorite."
Laura’s face fell with disappointment, and she moved back in shock to stare at this person who called her a hooker. Luke barely stifled the laughter that crept into him, and he smiled instead. Oh, boy, he thought. Here comes trouble. Laura shook her head and frowned at Luke. "What is he talking about?" she asked. Luke shrugged. "He thinks you’re a hooker, babe," he replied. Oh, I can’t help myself.
"Frankie," said Luke. "It’s Luke Spencer."
Frankie turned his head in the direction of the voice and squinted. "Ohh," he said in recognition.
"Frankie, you’re in General Hospital," Luke explained. "You were shot and your kidney was ruptured. You said you took a fall?"
Frankie’s hands stroked the sheets as he looked around the room. "No." he said in a scared voice. "No."
"What’s the matter?" Luke asked with growing concern at the terrified expression on his son’s face.
"Frank said I didn’t have to go back!" he protested tearfully. "No! Get me outta here." Frankie tried to lift himself up on the bed and screamed when his chest and abdomen ripped with pain. He fell back down onto the pillow with terrified eyes. "NO!" he shouted as loudly as he could manage. Luke jumped up to restrain Frankie’s shoulder. "Go get a nurse, Laura," he directed to his ex-wife. Laura nodded and left the room in a hurry.
"Frankie, you need to lie still," Luke said gently to the frightened boy. "You had surgery, and you don’t want to disrupt your wounds, okay?" Frankie met Luke’s eyes. "Where’s my guns?" he croaked. "Gimme my guns!"