Chapter Eleven - A New Understanding

Still tired, but too restless to sleep Courtney flipped endlessly through the channels on the television across from her hospital bed and tried not to think about her baby out there somewhere . . . alone, no . . . worse than alone, in Helena's clutches, an innocent child with no one to protect him from a psychopath.

"Is there any news?" The question came automatically no matter who entered her room, but died on her lips as Courtney recognized Lucky Spencer in the doorway. "Oh, it's you, here to take my statement, Officer Spencer?" she asked bitterly. Perhaps her anger was irrational, especially since she'd been told Lucky was the one who found her, but before Helena abducted her Lucky had been doing everything in his power to undermine her relationship with Nikolas and part of her blamed him for the fact that Nikolas had so easily accepted her disappearance.

"No," Lucky ignored her frosty tone and pulled a chair up to Courtney's bedside. "I'm not officially involved with this case. Given my relationship with Nikolas and my family history, the Commissioner was concerned about ability to remain professional in this case."

"Then why are you here?" Courtney asked not bothering to look up from her perusal of the lint pills on her blanket.

"I just . . ." Lucky hesitated, wishing this wasn't so awkward. "I wanted to know how you were doing," he admitted at last.

"Why?" Courtney repeated the question, the distrust clear in her eyes. "We're not friends; I'm a home-wrecking slut, remember? I just got what I deserved, isn't that what you think?"

"No," Lucky's denial was immediate and vehement, but Courtney barely heard it.

"Yes, it is," she hissed. "You wanted me out of the way so that Nikolas would get back together with your precious Emily; well I'm sorry that things didn't work out to your satisfaction."

"No!" Lucky's voice rose and he grabbed her hands to get her attention. "I never wanted this; no one deserves what happened to you."

"No," just like that Courtney's rage died away and was replaced by the weariness and depression that had plagued her ever since she regained consciousness. "No one deserves this." Pulling away from him and wrapping the blanket around her shoulder Courtney turned her back to Lucky so that he couldn't see her tears. "Would you just go away?" she asked at last. "Just leave me alone?"

"I can't do that," Lucky answered softly. "We don't really know each other, but we're kind of family now, so I want to do whatever I can to help you. And you probably don't want to hear this, but the truth is I understand what you went through probably better than anyone alive, well anyone alive and sane," he amended thinking of his mother.

"Don't you dare say you understand what I went through!" Courtney turned back to glare at him. "I was held prisoner for months by that psychotic bitch, until she finally stole my baby and left me for dead. You have no idea what I've been through."

Lucky's instinctive reaction to Courtney's outburst was to apologize and leave her alone to calm down, but after a moment of thought he checked the impulse and instead offered an explanation. "I'm sure you know about what Helena did to my mother, but there is something else that you probably don't know," he said.

"Helena kidnapped me as well. It was a long time ago; it was years ago, when I was little more than a kid. She made it look like I was dead so for a long time my parents didn't even look for me." Lucky took a deep breath looking down at his hands so he didn't have to see the expression of shock and sympathy on Courtney's face. He made it a point not to discuss this with anyone precisely because he hated seeing that expression, but he figured that if hearing about his experience with Helena could help Courtney deal with her own then he owed it to her to try.

"She spent nearly a year . . . conditioning me," he looked over at her, "brainwashing," he explained his mouth twisting bitterly around the words. "When she eventually let me go, let me be 'rescued,' it was actually a trap. I was supposed to kill my dad for her and I very nearly did." To this day the memory of how close he came still haunted Lucky and he broke off for a moment as he fought for control of his emotions. "It took a long time for my family – for me - to get past what Helena did to me, but we did get past it."

There was a long moment of silence as, with Lucky's story hanging in the air between them, Lucky and Courtney both tried to come to terms with their memories. "I know it's not the same," he said at last as he rose to his feet. "And I know hearing about my history can't make what you're facing any easier, but I guess I just thought it might help you to know that I do have an idea of where you're coming from and that you're not totally alone in this."

"Lucky?" Courtney's voice stopped him at the door and he turned around to face her. "It helps," she admitted softly. "Thank you."

Lucky nodded to acknowledge her thanks and the tentative peace that now existed between them. "If you ever need to talk I'm here," his simple offer could have been the end of it, but Lucky didn't immediately turn back to the door.

"I haven't heard anything officially, and I'm not even involved with the case anymore, but I can tell you this, between the two of them Nikolas and my dad know everything there is to know about Helena and they're highly motivated," he told her. "They'll find her and bring your baby back to you."

"How's Courtney?"

"Hello to you too, big brother," Lucky smirked into the phone as he heard the terse question in place of a greeting.

"Lucky!" The impatience was clear in Nikolas's tone.

"She's stable," Lucky assured him. "She woke up yesterday."

"She's awake? Is she . . . what did she say?"

"I don't know; I wasn't there. Carly was with her though, when she woke up. She told me, she said that when Courtney woke up and realized the baby was missing she went into hysterics. She's calmer today, I went to see her earlier, and she's . . . she's not in great shape, but she's stronger than I ever gave her credit for. Jesse took her statement this afternoon, she confirmed that it was Helena who took her and we've put out an APB, not that I think it'll do any good, no doubt we've seen the last of Helena."

"I'm sure I couldn't say where my grandmother might turn up," Nikolas answered mildly, his satisfied smirk clearly transmitted even over the telephone.

"Any word on your son?" Lucky prudently opted for a change in subject. He'd already gotten all the information that he intended to on the subject of Helena, what he didn't know couldn't hurt Nikolas or Luke so from this point on they would treat the baby search as an entirely separate issue. "I'm sure it would help Courtney if I could give her some good news."

"That's, that's actually why I called. Tell her . . . tell everyone we're on our way home."

"You found him?" Lucky knew there was no way Nikolas would be returning to Port Charles without the baby but he was surprised that they had managed to find him so quickly. "Is he okay?"

"He's perfect," Nikolas's voice was thick with emotion, and he had to laugh a little at himself as he continued, "Your dad's actually watching him right now; he's been muttering about another generation of Cassadines but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any immediate plans to smother him."

"That's . . ." Lucky took a moment to let it sink in, it was over; if they had the baby then Helena was dead, it was finally over. "Damn, Nik, that's great news," he murmured. "Everyone will be so relieved. Listen, where are you? No," he interrupted himself before Nikolas had the chance to say anything, "Don't answer that, I don't need to know that . . . but just let me know when you'll get back, and I'll pass the word along."

"No, it's okay," Nikolas appreciated Lucky's caution but didn't hesitate to answer. "We're in Russia - feel free to tell everyone that, by the way – currently we're at the St. Petersburg airport, and I have to get off the phone so that we can get in the air, but I'll see you in . . . oh, fourteen or fifteen hours."

"See you then," Lucky agreed, closing his phone he headed back the hospital with a smile.

"Back so soon?" Courtney asked when she Lucky Spencer standing in her doorway for the second time that day.

"Nikolas called," Lucky answered with a broad grin. "He's on his way home."

"He is?" Courtney's gaze snapped up to meet Lucky's. "Does he – the baby – what did he say? Did he say any thing about my son?"

"He did better than that," Lucky smiled and pulled out his cell phone handing it to her.

The picture Nikolas had sent was grainy, the low quality typical of cell phone cameras, but it was Courtney's first view of her son and it drew a wounded cry from her lips. "Oh God," Courtney whispered her thumb brushing across the screen as she held up the phone. "Oh God, is that - that's my baby?"

"That's your baby," Lucky confirmed. "He's safe, he's with Nikolas, and he's on his way home."

"He's on his way home," Courtney repeated Lucky's words but made no move to relinquish the camera. "When will he get here?" she asked this time the tears that spilled down her face were tears of relief and joy – her baby was alright.

"Not until tomorrow," Lucky answered handing her a tissue. "When Nikolas called they were in Russia. They'll come straight here, but it's a long flight."

Courtney nodded an absent acknowledgment, Russia, China, Timbuktu, it didn't matter where they were as long as they were on their way here. "I'm sorry," she murmured absently pressing the tissue against her eyes. "I've been crying a lot lately and I can't seem to stop myself, I just . . ." she trailed off with an embarrassed shrug. She hated the tears but she just couldn't help it.

"It's okay," Lucky assured her. "After what you've been through I think you've earned the right to a few crying jags."