Chapter Twenty-Four
Luke and Laura stand over their son in space suits designed to prevent biological contamination. After Stefan’s antidote was administered, the progress of the virus was stopped before it permanently damaged the young men’s organs, but Lucky and Todd’s blood volumes remain low. Both are receiving blood transfusions, and it was touch and go for awhile when Lucky’s heart stopped beating.
Although he can’t hear her through her protective suit, Laura tells Lucky how much she loves him and that she is there for him. Laura worries about her other son, too, and wonders how he is holding up during this latest crisis. She walks out of the quarantine area, removes her suit and heads toward the waiting room.
Liz is lying down in another quarantine room, heavily sedated. Seeing Lucky in a pool of blood and in such pain was more than she could handle emotionally. The nurses had called Dr. Collins when Liz fainted and woke up screaming and crying non-stop. Dr. Collins recommended that Liz remain sedated throughout the night, and he would evaluate her mental condition in the morning.
Nikolas and Emily are together in the waiting room. Although Lucky is out of critical danger now, they are still worried and want to remain in the hospital in case he takes a turn for the worse. Nikolas rises from his seat and yawns and stretches. He glances over at Emily who is spread out on a couch asleep. He carefully adjusts her sweater over her shoulders and places a gentle kiss on her hair.
Nikolas stretches his legs by walking down a hallway. At 2:00AM, it is deserted and barely lit. There is the sound of a coughing patient somewhere, and the beeping of a monitor in another room. Nikolas walks further and further, lost in thought. He doesn’t notice the man until it is too late. Andreas roughly grabs Nikolas’ arm, shoves him into a dead end near the service elevator and into Helena’s waiting clutches. Andreas then disappears as suddenly as he first appeared.
"That virus is only one of many that I have in my possession, Nikolas," Helena states coldly. "What makes you think that your precious Spencers will live much longer -- or the town of Port Charles for that matter," she scoffs. "Stefan cannot provide an antidote for every killer virus."
Nikolas’s thoughts go back to Helena’s sick performance in the chapel with the masses of screaming, bleeding and dying people.
Helena corners Nikolas and quickly moves her body to pin him against the wall. "Are you such an infant that you cannot see the wisdom in joining forces with me? We could make such a powerful team together -- you and me," she whispers seductively, pressing him closer to her body and separating his legs with her knee.
Something hidden deep inside awakens in Nikolas, and he grabs Helena’s throat with a swift hand. Turning her around and slamming her into the wall, he hisses, "Never!"
Nikolas’ fingers dig deeper into her throat as he squeezes tighter. His nails begin to tear her flesh, and the blood drips down the length of her throat and onto Nikolas’ choking hands. Helena weakly smiles as her wide eyes register an odd mixture of pain and pleasure. "Yes, my son," she mouths.
Nikolas’ hands begin to fiercely shake with the exertion of the pressure that they wield. He violently smashes Helena’s skull into the hard concrete wall with a rapid, uncontrollable force. "NO, NO, NO!" he shouts, and he accentuates each word with a crushing, bloody blow to Helena’s head. Finally, Nikolas realizes that his hands are holding up Helena’s dead weight, as there is no life force in Helena anymore. Looking up into his grandmother’s staring, glassy eyes, he detects a note of glee in her final moments. Stunned, he lets loose his hands, and her body falls to the floor with a resounding thud. He stands there, panting and flexing his hands, but avoids looking at the body beneath him. His guts heaving, Nikolas turns and bolts for the men’s restroom toward the middle of the hallway.
Nikolas throws open the door of the men’s room and quickly lowers himself to a toilet. Kneeling at the porcelain bowl, Nikolas vomits repeatedly until there is nothing left inside. He lays there on the cold tiled floor, feeling its coolness on his hot cheek, while someone quietly enters the restroom and stands over him. After a minute passes, the voice speaks angrily.
"Who do you think the man was behind the woman, little Prince? You’ve just killed your future. You’ll find her in the morgue, where she belongs."
Nikolas lifts his heavy head to look wearily into Andreas’ burning eyes. He glances down to Andreas’ hands and his eyes widen when he sees that they are smeared in blood.
Andreas calmly walks over to the sink, washes his hands and dries them on a paper towel that he disdainfully discards on top of Nikolas’ prone body.
Nikolas just lays on the floor, not able to mentally process or comprehend Andreas’ words at first. Minutes after Andreas leaves the restroom, Nikolas suddenly jumps to his feet and staggers to the sink, holding himself up by grasping the porcelain rim, and stares at his own horrified reflection in the mirror. He flings himself toward the door and races into the hallway.
Laura sees her son bolt from the restroom, and she decides to follow him. She notices that Nikolas is heading for the elevators.
Maybe you don’t want to know!