AN: Based on show rumors that the 2nd paternity test shows Lucky as the father and Nikolas knows it, keeping it a secret until he confesses during a bad time. My other option was to have Nik feel guilty after Lucky dies and then tell Liz the truth. I chose to explore the medical drama soap staple.
"Nikolas," Elizabeth's frantic voice brings Nikolas fully out of sleep. "Nikolas, Stefan is terribly ill. He's burning up with fever. I'm taking him to General Hospital."
"I'll be on the plane home within the hour."
"Liz," Nikolas calls as her sees her hovering over their young son's hospital bed. His wife runs towards him, he enfolds her in his arms. "I'm here now, tell me what the doctors say. How is our son?"
"They don't know yet, but they've taken a lot of tests. Steve looks very worried."
Nikolas kisses his wife's forehead and looks down at his child. Stefan looks so tiny in the giant white hospital bed., attached to tubes and wires he's almost unrecognizable. "Daddy's here know, I'm right here son. Mommy and Daddy will stay by your side."
"So what's wrong with Stefan?" Nikolas demands of the room full of medical specialists, brought in from around the world.
"It's very rare." "It's hard to say." "What matters is that if the brain swelling doesn't come down he's not going to recover. If he survives there is a strong chance for permanent brain damage."
Robin pipes up, "There is an experimental treatment, it's not approved by the FDA."
"What is it?" Elizabeth asks.
"We take healthy cells from each of the parent and make a cocktail that helps fight the infection."
"We kept his umbilical cord, would those cells work?"
"Unfortunately, the results from those cells are less promising."
"We'll do it of course we will, do it know," Elizabeth says rolling up her sleeve.
"We have a room ready, it requires that each of you have a spinal tap."
"You go and get the spinal tap Liz. I'll be right back. Remember I love you."
"Nikolas where are you going? What are you doing?" Elizabeth calls after Nikolas as he runs from the hospital.
"Lucky listen to me. You need to come to the hospital immediately."
"Go away man. I'm done with you and Elizabeth. Maya and I have our own life."
"Stefan is dying. He needs your stem cells."
"Isn't that ironic, Lulu needed yours and now you need mine for your child."
"He needs his parents stem cells."
"His parents. Why you lying bastard. I should have known. Son of a bitch, does Elizabeth know?"
"Not yet. I wanted her to get through the spinal tap first. This whole situation is stressful enough. She's worried about our son."
"Your son....you mean my son and how noble of you."
Elizabeth is lying in her recovery bed, near Stefan when Nikolas arrives.
"Where did you go? The faster they get both our cells the faster Stefan gets treatment."
Nikolas pulls a chair up next to Elizabeth and sits but not before running his finger lightly down Stefan's face.
"God I love you, both of you. You don't know how many times I've wanted to tell you. To get this secret off my chest. It's never felt like a lie. I love Stefan as if he is my son."
"As if? Oh God, Nikolas you messed with the paternity tests."
"Helena did, I had a second test done to confirm the first results. The second test listed Lucky as the father. He said he didn't want this child and by the time the results came back you had come to terms with me being the father. I was afraid to tell you, afraid it would ruin your recovery, afraid you wouldn't want anything to do with me.
"Lucky is he getting the spinal tap?"
"Yes, he's there now. Stefan is going to recover."
"I can't deal with your lies right now. I want to send you from this room. I'm so mad at you but Stefan adores you, he needs his daddy."
"I understand. I do love you, I love our whole family."
Elizabeth leaves lucky alone with Stefan for a little while and goes in search of her husband. She finds him in the board room playing with the boys.
"Mommy," Jake cries running to get a hug.
"Hey baby! How are you? I've missed you."
"Is Stefan going to be okay?" Cameron asks.
"Come here Cameron and Spence, I need hugs from all my guys. They are going to start his treatment very soon babies. He's going to be just fine; I know it. His daddy is taking very good care of him."
Nikolas flinches at the implication. His heart breaks at everything, everyone, he could lose, deservedly so. He should have told her from the beginning. They could have still found their way together. Hell he even promised himself and her that they would move forward, there would be no more lies.
"Moira, would you mind taking the boys to Kelly's for lunch. If Stefan is well enough to have visitors later, I'll call and you can bring them back. Otherwise, I think they should go home where they can play outside."
"But Mommy we miss you."
"I'll come home to tuck you all into bed. I love you."
"Stefan, is he alone?" Nikolas asks.
"Lucky is with him. Nothing has changed. Robin said they'll start the treatment in thirty-minutes."
"Do you want me there?"
"No, yes of course I do. Stefan needs you...I need you." Elizabeth starts bawling and Nikolas goes to her. She slaps him across the face. "You liar. How could you do this to us? To Lucky? You know what it's like to be lied to about paternity. You almost lost Spencer that way."
Nikolas approaches her warily and she lets him, collapsing into his arms. "I hate you. I hate you."
"Ssh, I know. I deserve it. I'm an ass. Look at me, Stefan is going to be fine. This treatment will work. He's going to be fine. He's a fighter, a tough little guy."
"I need him, I need him to be okay."
"He will love."
"You need to come back in with me. Stefan would want you to be with him. Our son needs his daddy."
Elizabeth heads out of the room. Nikolas savors the word 'our', it gives him hope that maybe everything isn't lost. With a grateful half smile he heads into his son's hospital room.
It's hours after Stefan received his treatment. His latest tests show that the brain swelling has gone down. Elizabeth, Nikolas, Lucky, and Maya wait for him to wake.
Finally, Stefan awakes. He blinks his dark little eyes and looks at the people around him, finally he reaches up little arms towards Nikolas. "Daddy!"