"I need a gurney over here!" Robin Scorpio screamed, holding the door open for two paramedics carrying a badly burned body. "Let's get this one to the emergency triage set up in the nurse's lounge."
"I have a man with first degree burns," Patrick Drake called out, rolling a hospital bed down the hall toward the first surgery ward.
Noah Drake and Alan Quartermaine rushed past, each carrying a stack of clipboards to pass out to the assorted staff in the emergency room. Epiphany and Bobbie directed the nurses expertly, giving direction as only two veterans could. Monica Quartermaine was leading a team of surgeons toward another surgery room to perform an emergency open heart surgery on someone whose lung had collapsed.
Sam watched numbly as people swarmed around her, buzzing with tense conversation and worried looks. She tried to block everything out as she watched Mike talk to an admitting nurse. His brow was burrowed, concern obvious in his bright blue eyes. The longer it took him, the more worried she became. She wanted to know what was going on with everyone – Sonny, Jason and most of all, Lucky. As he slowly padded toward her, she knew that the news wasn't good.
"She couldn't tell me anything for sure," Mike grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in defeat. Leaning against the wall next to her, he cursed under his breath. "Why can't they tell me something about my son?"
"Where's Jason Morgan?" Elizabeth chirped over the noise, cutting straight to Sam's ears. She looked across the lobby to where the pregnant woman stood, her face clearly stressed. "I need to know where he is now, Epiphany. He's the father of my child."
"I can't tell you anything, Nurse Spencer," she replied professionally before softening. Patting the young woman on the back, she led her to a chair. "Wait here, and I'll see what I can find out."
"I'll be right back," Sam murmured to Mike before heading toward Elizabeth .Sitting cautiously in the chair next to her, she tried to manage a smile. However, all she could find was tears. "How are you holding up?"
Elizabeth looked down at her feet. "I don't know what to do," she said. "I want to go in there and scream until I find out what's wrong with him."
"I know the feeling well," Sam told her with a slight nod. "You want to help but know that you can't. You can hear Jason's voice in your head, telling you to stay calm. It's what he would want you to do."
"So, I guess they called you too when they brought Jason in," Elizabeth remarked, looking at the brunette next to her for the first time.
Sam shook her head. "Actually, I was at Kelly's talking to Mike when he got the call about Sonny," she explained, tears welling in her eyes. "I knew that Jason was in there, but that's not why I'm here. Lucky was there."
"Lucky was there?!" Liz exclaimed in shock. "What was he doing there?"
"Someone sent an anonymous tip. He was there with Cruz on a stakeout. They haven't given me any news," she stated sadly, a fat tear rolling down her cheek. She covered her face, willing herself not to breakdown. She needed to stay strong until she found out the news. Lucky would want her to assume the best, to be optimistic, and that was what she was going to do.
Once she felt she was composed again, she lifted her head to look around the hospital. Lulu stepped off the elevator, bounding toward her with Dillon close behind. "How's Lucky?" she cried, her eyes swollen and red. It was clear that she had been crying as well. "How's my brother?"
"I don't know," Sam answered honestly. "I wish that I had more news than that. I only know that he was in the warehouse when the explosion happened."
"This can't be happening," she sobbed, sinking to the ground next to Sam. Dillon kneeled next to her, gathering the young blonde lovingly in his arm. Sam watched as he whispered reassuring words to her. Lulu nodded and leaned heavily on him as he pulled them both into a chair. She buried her face in her boyfriend's navy hoodie. "I can't lose my brother. He's all I have left. I can't lose him, too."
"You're not going to lose him," Dillon tried to reassure her, but Sam could tell that his voice lacked confidence. He knew that he couldn't promise her anything, but he wanted to. He was in love with Lulu, just like Lucky was in love with Sam.
Nikolas and Emily were the next to arrive, both in states similar to Lulu. "How's he doing?" Emily asked Dillon. He simply shook his head silently. "What about Jason?" Elizabeth shrugged and wiped a stray tear with the back of her hand.
"We don't know anything," Sam answered for the group, wringing her hands in her lap nervously. She suddenly felt out of place, despite being a very important part of three of the victim's lives.
"Excuse me, we need to speak to the family of Jason Quartermaine," Epiphany announced over the loudspeaker. Elizabeth and Emily exchanged anxious glances.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Nikolas asked quietly.
Emily shook her head. "Stay here with Lulu. They might need to talk to you about Lucky."
"I'll be back," she said, taking Elizabeth's hand.
As they were about to walk away, Liz turned and looked at Sam. "I'll let you know what we find out," she vowed before disappearing down the long corridor with her best friend.
"Thank you," Sam whispered to no one in particular. She stared vacantly ahead at the white wall, imploring the gods to send someone out to talk to them about Lucky. She needed to know that he was okay. He had to be okay.
"Why was he even there?" Nikolas asked. "What business could he have at Sonny's?"
Lulu peeled herself away from Dillon and looked darkly at her brother. "He was working," she retorted. The short answer set off another wave of sobs. Nikolas reached out and pulled his sister into a close embrace, stroking her hair paternally. "Nikolas, what would we do without Lucky?"
"We're not going to have to answer that," he comforted her. "Our brother is strong and resilient. Hell, he's a Spencer!"
Lulu laughed despite herself. "Someone needs to call my dad," she realized, dabbing the corner of her eyes with a tissue from Dillon. "He would want to be here for this."
"Bobbie already called him," Sam answered.
"Hey, how are you hanging in there?" Nikolas asked, suddenly aware of her presence. She looked tired and worn, tiny and weak. He wished that there was something he could do to make it better, but he knew that there wasn't. Just like Lulu, perhaps even more, Sam just needed Lucky.
"I'm doing what Lucky would want me to do," she said. "Breathe in, breathe out, repeat. That's what he always tells me when I get worked up. He just looks at me and says, 'McCall, breathe.' It seems small but it works. I'm just listening to his voice in my mind. It's about the only thing keeping me sane right now."
"Where is she?" Alexis demanded as she stepped off the elevator. Her heels clicked on the linoleum loudly as she searched frantically for her oldest daughter. Mike had called moments before to tell her about Sonny and mentioned Lucky's presence. She had headed immediately to the hospital to support Sam. She had missed many important moments in her life, but she wasn't about to miss this one. "Oh, Sam," she murmured as she sat down next to her daughter. Immediately hugging her, Sam finally allowed herself to openly cry.
"He might be hurt," Sam sobbed. "Or he could be dead. They're not telling me anything. They just called the Quartermaines in to talk about Jason. I…I just don't know what to do."
Nikolas looked over at his aunt. She reached up with her free hand and wiped a single tear away from his dark eyes. "You three listen to me. Lucky Spencer comes from some of the strongest fabric ever made. He has been through so much worse than this. He's finally in a really good place, and you know that he isn't about to give that up."
"Excuse me," Emily said, placing her hand on Nikolas' shoulder. "I have some news about Jason."
Sam and Nikolas both stood up and looked at her expectantly. "Well?" Nikolas asked his wife cautiously, unsure of what was to come. She looked empty, as if the news had drained her of her usually cheer and candor.
"Jason's alive," she said with a small smile. "His injuries are among some of the least worst, thankfully. He has a few bruise ribs and a small burn on his leg. He only has to stay in over night."
"Thank God," Sam breathed with relieved. "Do you know anything about Lucky?"
Emily shook her head. "Mom is going to try to find something out. She told me that she would come speak with us as soon as she found something out."
"Oh, God," Lulu muttered, pushing herself away from her brother. Dillon jogged after her, yanking on her hand to keep her from running away. Sam watched on as he pulled her into yet another tight embrace. It was clear that he loved – truly loved – Lulu.
Mike was the next to be summoned. Carly was waiting with him now, clinging hopelessly to Sonny's father as they disappeared out of sight. "There goes Sonny's family," Sam pointed out, nodding toward Mike and Carly.
Alexis looked after them and shook her head sadly. She might have her disagreements with Sonny, but he was still Kristina's father. He had once even been one of her best friends, right up there with Jax. Since she had divorced Ric, she had found herself counting more and more on him again. He had even been supportive of her reignited relationship with Ned. "They'll tell us what they find out," she said. "For now, we just need to focus on Lucky."
"At least Jason is okay," Sam offered weakly. Elizabeth had reappeared, her face only slightly less tense than before. Sam ventured that she was probably waiting for news on her ex-husband as well. She needed to be able to tell Cameron that his father was going to be okay.
"We can't see him for at least an hour," Elizabeth declared as she sat down in the only empty chair left.
"I wish they would come out here," Nikolas grumbled angrily. Even his usually cool demeanor was being tested. "Don't they know that he has a family out here?"
"Nikolas, honey, I'm sure that they are doing what they can," Emily soothed. "There are other people in there that have families, too. They're doing what they can."
Nikolas looked at her sharply. "You wouldn't be saying that if it were Jason. I don't need your optimism, Emily, I need answers."
Emily gaped at him with an open mouth. Sam stepped between them, placing her hand gently on her cousin's shoulder. "Let's go for a walk," she implored. "I need to clear my head, will you come with me?"
The stoic prince nodded and followed her down the hallway. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get like that," he said. "It's just that she was trying to reassure me, and that's not what I need. What I need is answers, I need to know that my brother is going to be okay."
"We all need answers."
"How are you staying so calm? I feel like screaming."
"Appearances can be deceiving," she revealed. "I'm a mess inside."
"We can't lose Lucky, can we?" he asked. "I never really thought about how many people's lives he affects. He's a father, a son, a brother, a grandson, a nephew, a cousin. He's a cop. He's your boyfriend. And he's not just my brother, he's my best friend."
"Mine too," Sam confessed. "In fact, he was the first real friend I ever had in Port Charles. I am so much better having known and loved Lucky Spencer."
"We used to hate each other, did you know that?" Sam shook her head at Nikolas' question. She had always assumed they'd known and loved each other. "He was raised to hate my family, and I grew up thinking that the Spencers were trash. Then, our mother managed to bring us together. I think it's definitely one of the best things she ever did."
"Samantha McCall and Nikolas Cassadine, please report to the waiting room," an anonymous voice announced over the loudspeaker. "Samantha McCall and Nikolas Cassadine to the waiting room."
"That's us," Sam said. Nikolas nodded and led her back in the direction from which they came. Alan was standing alone, waiting for them to reappear. Lulu stood between Dillon and Bobbie, looking lost. Emily reached out for Nikolas' hand as he came near, both of them trading quick apologies. Sam took her place next to Alexis.
"Well, I have news for you," Alan said.
"Wait!" Sam called out. "Give us a second." She looked at everyone and noted that Elizabeth was missing. "Elizabeth, can you join us?" she asked. Sam couldn't believe that she was doing this. While it officially wasn't her place, she felt like it was right. As the pregnant woman joined the group, Sam pulled them into a close-knit huddle.
"Alan is about to tell us, and I know you're probably angry at me for prolonging this," she said. "But I just want us to all agree, no matter what he says, we are going to be there for each other. We are the people that Lucky loves most in this world. And above all else, he would want to know that his son and his baby sister were taken care of."
Lulu choked on her sob. "She's right," Nikolas agreed aloud. "We're in this together, no matter what the news brings. Cameron and Lulu are the priority."
"I'm not a baby," Lulu protested.
"No, you're not," Nikolas agreed, "but you're our baby sister. You are his first priority after Cameron."
Lulu smiled perhaps the first smile since arriving at General Hospital. He was right, and she knew it. She had long been one of the most important people in her big brother's life. "Alright, we're in this together," she announced. "All of us, right?"
Emily and Elizabeth nodded in unison. Bobbie looked at Sam and then her niece. "Lucky would be very proud of you both," she professed before turning back to Alan. "I think we're ready now."
Sam reached down and took her mother's fingers in her left hand and Lulu's hand in her right. Nikolas wrapped his arm around his wife and then Elizabeth, holding both of them near.
"Lucky is alive," Alan announced. "But his injuries are among the worst. Right now, he is in a coma, and the next 48 hours are going to be very touch and go. He is in the Intensive Care Unit and won't be able to have too many visitors for quite some time."
Lulu was the first one to make any noise. "But he is alive. My brother is alive?"
Alan nodded. "Lucky has a very strong heart."
Lulu looked at Sam and smiled widely. "We know," the two said in unison.
"Well, only two people can go into see him, and they have to go in one at a time. I'll leave it up to you two to choose," the doctor explained.
"I'm going in," Lulu insisted, earning a supportive nod from her brother and aunt. "I think Sam should be the first one to go in, though."
"Me? Are you sure?"
"If anyone can get through to Lucky, it's you," Elizabeth assured her. "When you go in there, please tell him that his son loves him very much."
"Tell him that we all love him very much," Emily nodded.
Sam looked at them with tears in her eyes before speaking to Alan. "Well, here goes nothing," she offered with a shrug. Alan guided her toward his curtained cubicle. After giving her strict instructions, he left her alone with Lucky, promising to be back in ten minutes. Sitting down on the round stool next to his bed, Sam took Lucky's hand in hers. "What are you doing to me, Spencer? You tell me that you love me, and then you go and get yourself hurt. Well, that's just not acceptable. You have an entire family out there who loves you, especially your little sister. And your son…Cam's at home waiting for his daddy to come play with him."
"And you have me," she continued, starting to cry. "I'm very intent on spending the rest of my life with you, Lucky. I had so much I wanted to tell you tonight, I really wanted it be special. You have to come back, you have to come back to us."