Chapter Twenty
Liz rushes up to Luke and Laura in the hospital waiting room. Luke places his finger in front of his lips and motions to Laura. "Don’t wake her," he whispers. Luke carefully rises from his seat and walks with Liz to the hallway.
Liz turns to Luke. "Luke, what’s going on with Lucky? I turned on the news tonight, and there was this weird newscast about Helena, coffins, and kidnapping?" Liz asks incredulously.
"Cowboy met with a heap of trouble, Liz," states Luke as he runs his hand over his neck and stretches. "Yes, he was kidnapped by Helena. That grand old bat-b**ch is really off her rocker. She took Lucky and a man from Llanview, Pennsylvania. She didn’t kill them, but locked them in some coffins and dumped them in the GH chapel after putting on some kind of elaborate electronic playacting. None of it makes any sense at all. She just quoted some chess nonsense and gloated about her ‘Timoria’ over the whole town of Port Charles."
Liz looks at Luke questioningly. "WHAT? she asks. "That is too weird even for Helena.
"Tell me about it," Luke agrees. "After we get Cowboy out of danger, I might have to sit down and rethink this whole thing through again – if that will even make a difference. If that Greco-Russian battleax wants to kill somebody, I wish she’d just DO it once and for all instead of making us suffer through all her drama."
"What happened to Lucky? Can I see him?" Liz asks softly.
"Well, he’s just out of surgery. He had a nasty broken leg that needed to be cleaned and set. He won’t be awake, but I bet he’d appreciate you being nearby," Luke says.
~*~*~*~
Todd lies still in his hospital bed, IV’s dripping, shoulder trussed, head bandaged and monitors clicking and beeping. He’s dreaming as he lies there. His muscles twitch occasionally as his dream progresses.
***Todd is back in Ireland. He has just argued with Patrick Thornhart and decked him. After Patrick hits the floor knocked out cold, Todd puts on Patrick’s coat, swaggers to the door and walks out into the night. Some men shout, "STOP!," but Todd ignores them as he continues to walk. Suddenly, Todd staggers and flies face-first onto the hard, rocky ground as his back absorbs the brutal force of five bullets.***
Todd ‘s body jerks violently as his dreams recall his near-fatal, real-life injuries. His dreams continue.
***Irish terrorist, Michael Mahoney has his gun aimed at Todd. Michael Mahoney tells Todd how he will kill his entire family, starting with Todd’s daughter Starr. Todd glances up the stairs, terrified at the knowledge that his daughter is only several steps away from the madman’s gun.
Patrick Thornhart sneaks in the door of Todd’s penthouse while Michael Mahoney’s back is turned. Todd looks on in horror as Patrick rushes the terrorist, and the two wrestle over the gun. The gun goes off and a very dead Mahoney falls to the floor. Patrick is also shot and dies right before Todd’s eyes as Patrick’s new bride wails over his body in pain and grief. ***
"I’m not sure, Dr. Thornhart. The on-duty nurse throws a nervous glance in the direction of Todd. "He just started jerking violently, and his vitals elevated sharply. His BP is sky-high."
Ian Thornhart looks over at his patient and frowns. His patient has obviously been through a lot in his young life thinks Ian as he recalls the numerous scars, burns, bullet and knife wounds on Todd’s body. He orders a sedative for his patient. "I’ll call Dr. Tony Jones for a neurological consult. Just as a precaution," he says.
Todd’s eyes open suddenly and dart toward the voices as he hears Ian Thornhart talking with the nurse. His mind is foggy as he thinks, Patrick?? Oh G*d, I’m dead and we’re both in hell. Todd grimaces, and his eyes close as he loses consciousness.
Dr. Thornhart abruptly looks at the monitors again as the readings escalate. He orders another, stronger sedative and leaves the room to go check on his other patient.
~*~*~*~
Dr. Tony Jones looks at the CAT scan and backlighted x-rays of Todd Manning’s skull. "Somebody has done a number on this guy more than once," he comments. "Look at the scars on the anterior of his brain." Ian Thornhart leans closer to see. "Almost looks like someone used his head for target practice and brained him with a shovel," says Tony. The comedian in Tony adds, "If he keeps it up, he’s gonna get a split personality."
"What about his current injuries?" Ian inquires.
"He’ll live," says Tony. This concussion is fairly mild compared to his previous injuries. He is probably still sleeping off the drugs he’s been given. He should be awake soon."
~*~*~*~
Lucky is sleeping peacefully as Luke and Liz enter his room. He had been given a large morphine injection after his recovery from surgery, and he is hooked up to a machine that will allow him to self-administer pain medication when he awakens. The lower half of his leg is encased in a thick, plaster cast, and his hands are wrapped in gauze bandages.
Liz takes a seat in a chair beside his bed, and strokes his arm softly as she speaks. "Lucky, it’s Elizabeth. What have you gotten yourself into this time? I was so worried when I saw the newscast on TV. I rushed right over to see you."
Luke smiles at Liz and says, "I’ll leave you two alone for a minute. I’m going to go check on Laura."
"Thanks, Luke," Liz smiles.
After Luke leaves, Liz leans over the bed and softly kisses Lucky’s mouth. "Wake up, Prince Charming," she says in a lilting voice.
Lucky opens an eye and replies with a quiet, gravely voice, "My brother’s the Prince. I’m just a Spencer."
Liz laughs and sits back down on her chair. "I am so glad to see you," she says. "The last time we were together, things didn’t go so well."
"That’s an understatement," Lucky agrees. He puts a hand to his head. "I feel so spaced out," he complains.
Liz explains, "Luke told me that the doctors operated on and set your leg. It was broken, Lucky. They gave you some morphine for the pain."
"So that’s why I’m trippin’," Lucky grins.
"Yeah, you’re always a trip," Liz teases. She’s so happy to see Lucky. Even though he is in a hospital bed, he seems like his old self.
Lucky looks at his bandaged hand and remembers how it got that way. He remembers being trapped in a coffin, clawing and screaming to find a way out. A tear forms in Lucky’s eye and escapes across the length of his cheek.
"I thought I was going to die, Elizabeth," he says with a teary voice. "I never used to understand Sonny’s claustrophobia, but I do now. It was so awful being trapped in that box." Lucky turns his head away from Elizabeth and continues crying.
Liz strokes Lucky’s hair and murmurs, "I know. It’s gonna be alright. You’re gonna be okay, Lucky."
~*~*~*~
"When I ordered captain to sail the yacht back to Greece to avoid arrest by the incomparably stupid PCPD, I thought you’d arranged suitable accommodations, Andreas." Helena sniffs and draws her shoulders in as if she might be contaminated by her surroundings. She picks up a Motel 6 towel, examines it, and promptly drops it as if it bit her.
"The authorities would never think to look for madam in this establishment. They will look first in the Port Charles Hotel," explains Andreas.
"But this just feels so…..American lower middle-class," whines Helena. She picks up a remote control attached to a cord. "What on earth is the purpose of this device? And what is that infernal noise outside of the room?"
"Truckers, madam. There is an Elvis convention in town. We were fortunate to be able to secure the last room, but it is located above the bar."
"What is an Elvis?" Helena asks curiously with eyebrows raised.
A boy, a girl, and a foot
Killer handbags
Close encounters of the Thornhart kind