Chapter 56

5:15AM

Dawn came late in the springtime, and it was still very dark in his cell when Frankie woke up. He was very groggy from the sedative that Dr. Hill had given him the evening before, but his pain had returned as the medications had worn off hours ago. Frankie opened his eyes to what seemed to be a pitch black, concrete enclosed space. He was reclining on his side, and something heavy weighed down on him. His right hand shot out from under the warmth of the thick blanket that covered him, and it smacked solidly against the cold damp of the concrete block wall beside him. Frankie's fingers curled against the rough surface as his brain tried to unfog and determine where he was. The feel of the concrete sent shivers through both his body and soul, and he made a whimpering sound that echoed back at him accusingly. His breathing quickened as he sat up abruptly and desperately squinted his eyes to see into the darkness. When nothing appeared in his vision except inky darkness, fear rose in his gut, twisting it mercilessly. He laid a hand over his flat stomach and grimaced as it reminded him it had been empty for nearly two days. I was bad, he thought sleepily. I did something bad.

~ The walls around me caving in
Cracked and grey
Remind me of myself, I need some help
There's no one else *

Frankie brought his hand to his temple. His head was pounding mercilessly, and it seemed to radiate from that area near his hairline. He felt something rough there, a short two inch line spreading toward his eye. He worked his fingers repeatedly until he felt a wet coating on his fingertips. He waved his fingers near his nose and sniffed. What was it? He was assaulted by a strong yet familiar iron smell. Blood! Frankie let out a tremulous shriek and burrowed under the blanket for protection.

I'm empty
And still afraid
Of what you
Have left me
To live in
This mess you've made

The guard heard a noise in the far cell down the corridor and picked up his flashlight to investigate. All of the prisoners were sleeping, but some grumbled and waved a hand in the guard's general direction to ward off the searching beam that bounced from his powerful flashlight. The jail was filled with uttered curses and groans as prisoners kept waking up. When the guard reached Frankie's cell, the boy was silent and covered with the blanket all the way up to the top of his head. The blanket was shaking slightly, but it wasn’t apparent if the motion were merely due to the boy's breathing.

I feel...
Useless...
Jaded...
Nameless

The guard trained the beam toward Frankie's body, and he called out softly, "Hey. Junior."

Frankie didn't respond, but nothing in the cell looked amiss, and from the movement of the blanket, it was obvious he was alive. The guard shrugged and turned to walk back down the corridor.

~*~*~*~

6:30AM

"Rise and shine!" the guard called out as the automatically timed overhead fluorescent lights suddenly clicked on. The guard had just started his shift, and the evening guard had informed him about the new, unusual prisoner in the isolated cell. He was headed in that general direction, and he jauntily ran his nightstick along the metal bars of the cells with a harsh banging sound to further wake up the prisoners.

The guard was impatient as court opened at 9AM, and he wanted the prisoners ready to go since most were meeting with their attorneys before that time. When he saw the prisoner reclined on the bed with the blanket covering his head, he snorted. "Get up!" he ordered harshly. The blanket moved subtlely, but no one emerged. The guard banged his stick along bars and got a wheezing noise in response. Frustrated with the prisoner's reticence, he brandished the keys to the cell and entered with his hand on his service revolver.

The guard used his nightstick to whip the blanket off of the prisoner. Frankie's eyes were wide open with terror, and his chest moved up and down rapidly as he tried unsuccessfully to catch his breath. He sprang up in the bed and inched away until his back met the concrete wall. His hands frantically slapped and moved against the concrete.

The guard frowned at the sight of the prisoner. He knew that Frankie was a juvenile with mob connections, but what greeted his eyes looked and acted more like a feral cat with long stripes of blood along its face and hair standing on end.

The ride is over I've come down
Can't rely upon myself, for my own health
I'm so fucked up
All my deep rooted
Fears seem to get
The best of me

"I was bad," Frankie said in a scared, high pitched voice. He scuttled along the wall in his efforts to establish distance between himself and the guard and used his fingers to pull himself along the length of concrete block.

The guard laughed. "You're sitting in this here jail. Okay. I agree with you. You've been bad. Time to get ready for your court appearance. Let's go." When the guard reached for Frankie's arm and grasped it firmly to pull him up, Frankie struggled frantically and cried out repeatedly as he waved and jerked his arms.

"Good grief," the guard muttered as he reached for his handcuffs. "You're not the easiest prisoner to deal with." He grabbed Frankie's slight wrists and snapped on the cuffs, forcing his arms behind his back. "Come on," the guard coaxed. "Settle down and I'll remove the cuffs. You need to clean yourself off. You're going to meet the judge. Don't want to look like you've been in a bar fight." He turned Frankie around and seated him on the cot. The guard frowned when Frankie didn't meet his eyes and instead seemed intently focused on a spot on the floor. The boy's blanked out expression seemed odd, and he waved a hand in front of his face and snapped his fingers. The boy didn’t flinch or react, but he was still breathing too quickly and his eyes were vacant

I feel...
Useless...
Jaded...
Nameless

"Whatever," the guard sighed. "If you want to sit there handcuffed until we come to get you, fine. If you want to look like crap before the judge, not my problem. I don't have time for this."

~*~*~*~

8:15AM

A line of eight prisoners shackled together proceeded down the long hallway toward the main area of the police station. There were three rooms where prisoners could meet with their attorneys, and the men were systematically released from the line to enter the rooms, their handcuffs removed from the chains that bound the men to each other. The last prisoner was five inches shorter than the shortest man in the line, and his escort consisted of two guards on either side of him, effectively dragging him along by his limp arms as he didn't or couldn't walk in step with the other men. His head hung down and never rose to survey his surroundings. He seemed to be primarily interested in the floor as that's where his blank gaze perpetually directed.

The other prisoners had made small attempts to tidy themselves up by running a comb through their hair or fastening long, stringy hairstyles with a discrete ponytail, but Frankie's hair hadn't been touched, and it projected straight out of his head at alarming angles from his scalp, giving him a deranged appearance. The side of his face was still covered with congealed blood that ran down to his slack mouth. The area near his temple hadn't sealed up and looked torn and faintly moist with a long piece of stitching material, which was unraveled and sticking to the blood on his cheek.

When it was finally Frankie's turn to meet with his attorney, he was unceremoniously dragged into the room and seated firmly on a chair across from Alexis. "Good luck talking to this one," the guard intoned as he shook his head at the sight of Frankie sitting slumped over with his head all the way down, looking as if he were staring into his lap. Frankie's mouth was parted, and Alexis could hear him breathing.

When the guard closed the door, Alexis leaped up from her chair and ran over to Frankie's side. "Frankie?" she asked in a calm yet loud voice. After she called his name several times, Frankie shuddered and blearily raised his face toward his stepmother. "Alexis?" he asked in a soft voice. He blinked repeatedly as if trying to focus his eyes.

Alexis's eyes filled with sympathy and concern as she regarded Frankie. Luke is going to have a cow, she thought. And I'm not too happy with his appearance, either. She reached out a hand to smooth down the boy's hair, and he shot out away from her with a lightening speed that startled her as he'd been sluggish in his movements when ushered into the room. His body was shaking rhythmically as he stared at her without saying anything. Alexis' eyes were transfixed by the appearance of the torn stitches near his hairline and the way his face seemed drawn, nervous and lifeless. Okay, Alexis, he looks terrible, but this may work in our favor in front of the judge. Let's use anything we have to work with.

"Frankie, we need to talk about your case. You're going in front of the judge in a few minutes, and we're going to ask for bail. I have no doubt that you'll make bail and be out of here by this morning."

Frankie nervously sat down in a chair that was far away from Alexis and looked down at the table while refusing to meet her eyes. "I was bad," he informed her.

Alexis blinked in surprise as she had never heard Frankie respond in such a non-adult manner. He sounded like a child who had been scolded for writing on the walls with a crayon.

"You were no such thing," she said in her no-nonsense attorney's manner as she reached for a folder and rifled through some papers. "I don't want you to refer to yourself that way when we're in the courtroom. Let me do the talking. You might not even need to speak at all. Do you understand?"

Frankie shook his head slowly. "I was bad," he repeated sadly. His mouth was downturned when he directed his sad blue eyes toward Alexis. Frankie sighed audibly as he steeled the expression on his face. A subtle twitch escaped, and the muscles fluttered in his cheek. His legs jiggled nervously in the chair in keeping with the mechanical sound that his voice made. "I shoulda done it, I didn't wanna hurt nobody, and he said I had to 'cause I was a man, not a baby no more, but I couldn't and I shoulda and now it's too late and...and...uh...I put da gun dere on my head but nothin' happened dat fucking gun, I shoulda kept it though and pulled da trigger again maybe it woulda worked and den it'd be okay but its not okay and I can't figure it out how to make it right, I'm tryin' to but it's fuzzy and my head hurts so bad."

I force these painful visions from my head
You won't be happy till I break down

Frankie stopped speaking, but he continued to jerkily move in his seat and folded his shaking hands under his arms as if they were cold. His eyes filled with tears, but no teardrops escaped. Alexis watched him for a moment as her heart clenched. She moved beside him in the chair. He's so sad, she thought. He's breaking my heart. No judge is going to allow him to stay in a prison setting, not with the way he's presenting himself. Alexis carefully reached out to touch his hand, hug him and offer some comfort since he was so dejected, but her breath caught in her throat when he violently threw himself away from her embrace and yelled "No!" He flew up from his chair with a twirling motion that turned him around several times as if he were dancing by himself, and he fell against the sharp edge of the table with a cry of pain. Frankie doubled over and sank to his knees. He fell over onto his side and curled up protectively.

Alexis knelt beside him. "Honey, I'm worried about you," she said softly. "Come on. Let's get you up from the floor. Are you okay? That had to hurt the way you fell against the table." Frankie didn't react when her hands touched his arms and lifted him back to the chair. His vacant gaze was directed toward a distant point on the wall, and Alexis wasn't able to prompt him to speak again. Several minutes later, the guard arrived to escort him to court.

I feel...
Useless...
Jaded...
Nameless

~*~*~*~

9:05 AM

The gallery in the courtroom was filled with people anxious to see Frankie and to find out what would happen to him. Luke was sitting with Ruby on one side and Bobbie on the other. Johnny sat beside Bobbie and held her hand while Laura and Stefan took their places several seats away. Mrs. DeMarco positioned herself on Johnny's other side. Dr. Hill sat with the Cassadines, and Felicia sat with Mac in the back of the courtroom.

A uniformed guard dragged Frankie into the courtroom and deposited him firmly beside Alexis at a long table in front of the bench, pausing to unlock the handcuffs that held the boy's wrists out in front of him. Alexis leaned over to Frankie and whispered fiercely. "Keep quiet. Let me do the talking, okay?" Alexis's brown eyes reflected her concern as they searched Frankie's face. Frankie glanced at Alexis and then stared down at the table. He rubbed his wrists where they'd been tightly cuffed and scooted his chair closer to the table. He placed his arms on the table and cradled his head, but wasn't able to stay in one position longer than a few moments. He harshly pushed his chair back and pulled on his oversized shoe, slipping it off of his foot and then back on again. Alexis felt her stomach flip flop as she was extremely unnerved by his behavior, which was unpredictable enough to make her wonder what he'd do with the judge in the courtroom.

When the judge entered the courtroom, Frankie was slumped so far down in his chair that he was almost falling off, and his head was tilted back as he examined the ceiling. Alexis had to take him by the arm and pull him up when everyone in the courtroom rose. She felt like she was propping him up and then had to manually place him back down in his seat when the judge motioned for persons in the room to be seated.

Luke was very concerned as he watched his son from the gallery. Why didn't Frankie acknowledge his presence or even turn to see who was in the room? His son looked terrible - bedraggled in the oversized orange jumpsuit with zero grooming and streaks of blood on his face. What in the world was going on?

"I've reviewed this case," the judge began, "but frankly, there isn't much of a case here, is there, Commissioner?" The judge directed his annoyed gaze toward the back of the room where Mac was seated. "There are several pieces of circumstantial evidence to indicate involvement in a street killing, but not enough for charges. Is that correct, counselor?" The judge looked at Alexis with boredom written on his face.

"Yes, your honor," Alexis responded in the affirmative.

"But he was arrested anyway and thrown into the city-county lockup. Commissioner, would you please approach the bench? You, too, counselor."

Alexis felt some trepidation as she regarded Frankie. She sensed that someone needed to be with him, but she also glanced at the judge's bored, annoyed face. Sighing, she rose from the table and said to Frankie in a firm tone. "Stay there. Be quiet. Don't speak." As soon as Alexis left his side, Frankie turned around in his chair and caught the flash of his mother's blond hair several feet away. "Mama!" he called out loudly as he rested his chin on the back of his wooden chair to stare at her. "Mama," he said again. Laura frowned lightly as she held her index finger to her lips to caution Frankie to be quiet. She then smiled at him and waved.

Alexis' eyes rose to the ceiling as she heard Frankie call out while she approached the bench. When Mac stood by her side, the judge leaned forward. He looked back and forth from Alexis to Mac and folded one hand over the other. "Is there something I don't know here?" he questioned. "I feel like I’m in the dark. Commissioner, you placed a juvenile in the adult jail? What's wrong with juvenile hall?"

Mac's face turned red. "Judge, he's not an ordinary juvenile. He's suspected of being a mob leader..."

"Suspected?" Alexis interrupted with a harsh whisper. "Judge, he threw my client into a dangerous situation minutes after my client had tried to commit suicide. He has numerous physical injuries, and we're very concerned about his mental and emotional state. We pleaded with the commissioner to allow him to be admitted to a hospital. My client appears and behaves in a much worse condition than when we left him last night. Understandably, we are concerned."

The judge focused on Mac. "You are dropping the charges," he stated firmly.

"Yes," Mac replied regretfully. "For now there isn't sufficient evidence to charge him with a crime. However, he did resist arrest."

"He had just tried to kill himself, and your men were manhandling him! What did you expect?" Alexis stated with disbelief.

The judge held up his hand. "I have a solution," he intoned. The judge craned his neck to get a long look at Frankie, and he frowned at the boy's demeanor. "Here is what I suggest. No bail is necessary if he's not being charged. I expect you to release this prisoner until such time as you have a case - if you have a case. As far as resisting arrest, Commissioner, would you consider dropping that charge if Mr. Spencer is taken to a psychiatric facility and admitted for tests and observation? Any treatment plan suggested by the boy's physician would be considered an order from the court. This seems fair given the circumstances."

Alexis' eyebrows rose hopefully as she stared at Mac. Mac hesitated and then nodded his assent. "Fair enough," he stated.

"Where do you want him to receive treatment?" the judge questioned Alexis. "Ivy Hills has an excellent adolescent facility," he suggested.

"Okay," Alexis nodded. "Two days maximum at Ivy Hills for tests and observation. We'll offer a written copy of the suggested treatment plan to the court."

The judge nodded as he banged his gavel on the bench, and Alexis and Mac took their seats. "All charges against Lucas Lorenzo Spencer, Junior have been dropped. There will be no bail necessary. The parents are ordered to take their son to Ivy Hills immediately following court for a mandatory psychiatric observation period not to exceed two days. Any treatment plans suggested will be a court order. Court is adjourned."

"Feel better?" Felicia questioned when Mac joined her.

"Yeah," Mac replied in a morose tone. "I still say he's been committing crimes left and right."

"Maybe he'll settle down and turn straight with the help he'll be given," Felicia suggested hopefully.

Mac shrugged as he made his way out the door.

Laura and Luke both approached their son swiftly, but Laura reached him first and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Mama," Frankie mumbled sadly as he rested his head on her shoulder. Laura took both sides of Frankie's face in her hands and said firmly, "You're going to be all right, Frankie."

Frankie backed away from Laura and frowned as he stumbled to one side. "I don't feel good," he said in a puzzled voice.

Luke reached Frankie and pulled him into another, more careful hug. "We're here, son," he said softly. "Dad," Frankie replied slowly. Luke felt Frankie's weight lean against him as his son began sinking down. "Whoa, whoa there," Luke said loudly as he pulled Frankie toward a front row seat. Frankie blinked halfheartedly, closing his eyes as his head lolled over the back of the seat, and he sat with arms and legs splayed where Luke had dropped him.

~*~*~*~

Sly stuck his head out of the Wyndemere study and scoped out the hallway. No servants were in sight. He'd been left to do his homework assignments for the day, and Luke had informed Laura that Sly's phone privileges had been cut off for two weeks during his suspension from school. It had seemed as if a servant popped his or her head in the study to check on him at least twice an hour. To Sly, it was like being imprisoned in an elegant, tasteful old world library with no one but the manuscripts to talk to. He'd been feeling positively lonely for several hours, and it was impossible to concentrate on his homework.

Emily should be home by now, and Sly was desperate to talk to the girl that not only was his best friend but also his new flame. It had been days since he'd been able to speak to her, and he really had a lot on his mind after his adoption and witnessing the scene with Frankie.

A devious look crossed Sly's face as he tiptoed to the mahogany table that rested along the far wall of the room. His fingers curled around the receiver and carefully lifted as he cast one last glance over his shoulder to ensure his privacy. He dialed the number he knew by heart and leaned against the table as he twirled the phone cord around his index finger.

"Emily?" he whispered. "It's Sly. I might only be able to talk to you for a minute because I'm sneaking this phone call." He listed intently to Emily's exclamation. "Yeah. I'm at Wyndemre AKA, the prison. They have servants watching my every move."

"I can't believe they grounded you for a whole two weeks just because of some dumb tape," Emily pouted on the other end of the line. "Now I'm being punished, too. I miss you. I'm so used to eating lunch with you every day. Now Maxie and I are lonely together. I mean, we have fun by ourselves, but it's not the same without you guys."

"I know, but you have the blue alligator I bought you. Maybe you can give him a hug and pretend it's me," Sly replied. He was lapsing into a silly mood and felt happy to talk to his girl.

"Let's see," Emily laughed as she picked up the plush toy on her bed and gave him a fierce squeeze. "He's blue, not blond, and he has a lot sharper teeth than you do. It's not the same. She gave the alligator a kiss on the lips. "Guess what I just did to the alligator?"

Sly's eyebrow rose. "Tell me."

"I gave him a big, mushy kiss!"

"Just make sure you hold him real tight and close," Sly replied lasciviously. "That's where I like to be. Chest to chest."

"You're so bad!" Emily squealed. "Shame on you." Emily sighed. "Oh, it's only two weeks. I guess we'll survive."

"I don't know, Emily," Sly answered sadly.

"What do you mean, Sly? You sound sad. What's going on - besides being grounded and locked up at Wyndemere that is."

"Frankie was arrested. I was there. I saw it," Sly said in a slow, careful voice. His eyes filled with tears as he gripped the phone tighter.

"What?!" Emily shrieked. Sly held the phone away from his ear and stared at it. "Ohmigosh. That's terrible. What happened? Ohmigosh. I always assumed my brother Jason would be arrested one of these days, but Frankie?" Emily paused to catch her breath. "Oh. Why was he arrested?"

Sly nibbled on his lip while he thought. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk about the particulars of Frankie's businesses to anyone outside of the immediate family. "I’m not exactly sure," he answered truthfully yet evasively. "He was hurt and at the hospital when these cops came and put the cuffs on him. It was, it was...um." Sly choked up and held a fist to his mouth as he tried to control his emotions.

Emily's attention sharpened at hearing Sly's tone of voice, and she was filled with worry. "Sly? What's wrong? What happened?" she asked urgently.

Sly ran a hand over his forehead as he lost control over his tears. "Emily, he tried to kill himself rather than be arrested. He held a gun to his head, but it wouldn't fire, thank God." He took in a deep breath, but it released as a sob. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm really upset. I was there, Emily."

"Oh, Sly, I'm so sorry," Emily replied softly. "That's terrible. Is Frankie all right now?"

Sly shrugged as he picked at a loose thread on his jeans. "I dunno," he said in a small voice. "My parents are with him right now. They went to court this morning, but they dropped the charges, so he doesn't have to go back to jail." Sly breathed out slowly and looked out the window at the beautiful day. It was so odd how nature just went on its way without paying attention to what was going on in the world. It seemed like there should be rain and gloomy clouds in the sky, not sunshine and puffy clouds.

"So he's home at Wyndemere now?"

"No. He's in the hospital - because of the gun thing. You know."

"What about Maxie?" Emily wondered out loud. "Should someone tell her."

"No, I don't think so," Sly replied. "I mean, how do you spring that on his girlfriend? I'm going to ask my parents tonight. They should know how to handle it. I don't want you to have to keep secrets, but can we keep it to ourselves right now?"

"Okay," Emily breathed out. She held a hand to her chest as her eyes filled with tears, and she hugged the alligator tighter. "I feel scared," she said tearfully.

"Me, too," Sly said as he fought off a fresh round of tears. "That's why I wanted to call you. I couldn't keep it inside any longer, and there's no way I'm going to talk to these creepy servants. Half of them, I don't know if they speak English anyway, you know? But I'm sitting here all alone. It's hard."

"I'm sorry," Emily answered sympathetically. "I’m glad you called me - and that you trusted me to talk about it."

"You're my best friend, Emily. I really mean that. You're beautiful and everything, but..."

"I know," Emily said, cutting him off so he wouldn't have to fumble with his words. "You're my best friend, too."

Sly slapped his forehead with irritation. "There's something else. You're not going to believe this. Nikolas ran away from home - with a girl. His parents can't find him anywhere. They're going nuts. Hopefully I didn't get him in trouble because I told his parents about his girlfriend in Greece, Athena - you remember me talking about her? Anyway, things are strange. The parents are all over the place, mostly at the hospital with Frankie, though."

"Man," Emily said in an astonished tone of voice. "Is there something in the water? Port Charles is getting freaky."

"Tell me about it." Sly held his hand over the phone receiver and flinched at the sound of footsteps outside of the study. "Gotta go," he whispered. "Thanks, Emily."

~*~*~*~

Luke sat beside his son and watched him, memorizing the shape of his face and the feel of his hand as he held it in his own. Frankie's face screwed up as he seemed to be waking. He sighed and jerked his arms and legs. Luke noticed the change in his son's demeanor and said intensely, "Frankie. Wake up."

Frankie's blue eyes popped open suddenly to the sight of his father sitting near him. He didn't say anything at first; rather, he stared at the man. "Dad?" he asked puzzledly as his eyes swept around the small, spartan room and took in the cool, sterile whiteness of a hospital setting. He lifted his hand from the bed and turned it toward him as he inspected the entry site of his IV. His eyes were questioning as he looked directly at Luke.

"You took a dive in the courtroom," Luke explained. "Do you remember anything?"

Frankie continued to stare at Luke, and it was obvious that he was thinking, although at a very slow pace. He held a hand to his forehead as the words formed slowly. "I was... talking...to Alexis, and when I moved away from her...I hit da table. Oh. And I saw Mama sitting down. She has blond hair. It's easy to see." Frankie frowned and rubbed his forehead distractedly. "I don’t know. I feel funny - kinda foggy."

Luke regarded Frankie with concern as he seemed to be oblivious to having been in the courtroom. "You went to court this morning. When court was adjourned, you hugged your mother, and then when I hugged you, you passed out. You've been in and out of it for the last few hours, probably because you haven't had anything to eat or drink for two days. You're very dehydrated. That can make you feel woozy."

"I don't hurt," Frankie said suddenly as if the absence of pain were odd for him.

Luke pointed at the IV. "That's because you're on medication. Because of that and the dehydration, you're on an IV."

Frankie inspected the tubing as he ran it between his thumb and forefinger. "I'm in jail?" he guessed. His eyes roamed the room expecting to see uniforms. "Where's da cops?" he asked in a small voice as he seemed to shrink into the bed.

Luke rubbed his head as he carefully considered his next words. "You're not in jail, and you are not returning there. The judge asked that you be checked out at a hospital for a few days, and in return, the charges were dropped against you."

"Hospital?" Frankie asked tiredly. "Am I sick again?"

"Sort of," Luke replied simply. "You haven't fully recovered from your physical injuries yet." He stroked his chin and hesitated. "Also, they want to run some tests and talk to you a bunch so they can design a treatment program for you. They want to help you to find ways to cope with your new life and what has happened in the past."

"Tests?" Frankie asked as his face flooded with fear.

Luke held up his hand and smiled. "Nothing that will hurt," he said reassuringly. "It'll be more like taking a test at school - answering questions verbally or on paper, that kind of thing."

"Oh."

"All you have to do now is rest," Luke said. "The tests will wait until tomorrow. They want you to get some sleep and relax. It's afternoon, close to suppertime."

"I wanna go home," Frankie whined as tears filled his eyes, and he gripped the blanket that covered him. "Don't leave me here! Take me home."

"I will," Luke promised. "First, you need to stay in the hospital for a few days. It's not a bad exchange for getting out of jail, is it?"

"I dunno." Frankie sat up and peered around Luke. "Where's Mama?"

Luke smiled. Once he found out she wasn't a showgirl hooker, he became attached to Laura awfully quick. "Your mother is in the lounge," he explained. "Do you want me to send her back here when we're through talking?"

Frankie nodded solemnly. "Dey're not gonna turn out da lights are dey?" he asked with a shaky voice. Frankie shifted on the bed and seemed to grow paler at the prospect.

"They don't have to turn the lights out all the way," Luke explained. "The lights can be dimmed if you don't want it to be dark." Luke laid a hand on Frankie's arm. "There's something you should know. Your brother Nikolas is missing. We think he ran away with his girlfriend, that Athena girl."

Frankie initially looked confused, but then he turned wary. "Nikolas is gone? Da parental units know about dis?"

Luke chuckled. "Yes, Stefan and Laura know about it. Nikolas left them an email explaining. What they would like to know is if you have any information about his disappearance? They already know that you were blackmailing him for liquor, so don't sweat that one. Nikolas told them." Luke didn't find it pertinent to notify Frankie that Sly had told as well. "Not that I approve of you drinking, but that discussion can wait for another day."

"Maybe dey went to his island or Greece?" Frankie guessed. "I didn't know nothin' about dat only dat Nikolas was boffing his cousin like da Egyptians, ya know? All in da family. Weirdo."

Luke couldn't help but laugh at Frankie's assertion. "Athena is Nikolas' second cousin. That type of relationship is allowed since they're only distantly related. I think Nikolas was afraid his parents wouldn't approve of the relationship for social reasons. Stefan seems to have a lot of plans for him."

Frankie nodded knowingly. Frank had certainly had plans for him, and he didn't like it either.

"When you're sprung from here, perhaps you can help. They want to find him."

Frankie shrugged. "Okay. He isn't as big of a prick as I though he was."

Luke shook his head at Frankie's begrudging compliment. He patted his son on the leg. "How do you feel? You were pretty sad and upset the last time I saw you, back at the Emergency room."

Frankie lowered his eyes and remained tight-lipped. He turned away from Luke as if he were dismissing him.

"If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here to listen," Luke stated as he rose from his chair. "I'll be staying the night in the lounge. You ask for me if you need me. Promise?"

"Okay. I promise."

~*~*~*~

Felicia was waiting for Mac when he walked through the front door. He pulled her into a sound hug, and the two remained intertwined for a long time. Mac kissed her hair and released her.

"Do you feel better after what happened in court this morning?" Felicia asked. "You were feeling mighty guilty last night."

Mac's face tensed, and he nodded. "It's a fair arrangement. I admit that it was bad judgment to go through with my plans for the boy. Jail wasn't the answer, not after what happened at the hospital. He should have been hospitalized then, not subjected to further trauma. I take responsibility for it."

Felicia nodded. "I'm happy that he's going to get help. It can't be easy for him after everything that's happened. His father dies, and then he discovers the man really was a kidnapper, not his father at all. I can't imagine how confusing it would be to basically grow up in casinos and then be forced to make Port Charles your home. It's like night and day. Not to mention how horrible it must have been to grow up with someone like Frank Smith. I think Maxie was his port in the storm."

Mac nodded. "Seems like it. I still don't want them to be involved, though. He's dangerous. The boy carries guns for heaven's sakes."

"That is changing," Felicia reminded Mac. "Frankly, I think if we give them a small amount of freedom, this attraction will burn itself out naturally. Fifteen year olds don't form lasting relationships, not usually. The key will be how much freedom to give them and still keep our daughter safe."

"What should we tell Maxie about all of this?" Mac wondered aloud.

"The truth," Felicia answered. "She'll find out anyway. Why lie to her?"

~*~*~*~

Luke sat down with bone weariness and sighed as he took Alexis' hand. "He's awake. He's asking for you," Luke mentioned to Laura, who was sitting nearby. His eyes ran over Laura and took in her gray complexion and the dark circles that rimmed her eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked. "You look terrible."

Laura frowned and waved her hand at Luke with an annoyed motion. "Such a charmer. Thanks for noticing."

Luke shrugged. No one was at their best these days. Too much had happened in too small a space of time. Everyone's nerves were shot.

"How is he?" Alexis asked as she watched Laura walk off.

Luke shrugged. "About as I expected. He's confused and out of it. A little needy - for him that is."

"Does he understand what's going on?"

"I don't think so. Not fully. He was afraid he was in jail, but I explained the judge's compromise."

"He didn't remember being in court?" Alexis asked incredulously.

"Not much. He remembered talking to you before he arrived in court, and he remembered seeing Laura there because of her blond hair. That's what he said."

"He did act kind of vacant for want of a better word. Sort of spacey."

Luke nodded. "I suppose the doctors will sort that out."

"I wonder if he'll cooperate."

"I doubt it," Luke replied. "He wouldn't be Frankie otherwise." Luke slumped down further in his chair. "They've finished interviewing all of the family members, and that includes Johnny and Mrs. DeMarco. Those two have more answers than we do. Maybe they'll get to the bottom of some of this. Who knows? I'm supposed to stay here overnight. They have a special place for families to sleep if necessary. They want a family member present if he gets upset at being here."

"I should go to Wyndemere and collect Sly," Alexis mentioned as she looked at her watch. "I don't want him to be by himself this evening. It's bad enough we had to leave him with the servants this morning."

"I know," Luke agreed. "But it couldn’t helped. Take care of our boy, and I'll do the same."

Alexis placed her hand on Luke's chin, turning it so that she could place a soft kiss on his lips. She looked straight into his eyes. "I love you."

"Me, too, darlin'."

* lyrics from Nameless by Staind