Unsettling Realizations
By Didi
Disclaimer: General Hospital, property of the ABC, property of the Walt Disney Company. It is not, by any means or wishful thinking, owned by any myself or any other of my acquaintances. (Trust me, if it was, the show would be going in another direction all together.) No malicious intent is meant by this "borrowing" of characters from the show and no profits are being created, invented or made… though donations are welcome the form of awesome reviews.
Summary: Coop and Spinelli team up, Carly makes a move, Jason and Lucky come to an understanding, Kelly delivers some devastating news and Lulu gets unexpected help.
Timeline: Over the river and through the woods… the wolf gobbled down the correct one. We're now in the Twilight Zone.
Author's Note: First, I want to thank everyone that dropped a review whenever I update. You guys are the reason I keep writing. Secondly, AdamPascalFan – I wish I could say that was Johnny at the end of the last chapter but it isn't. (See first section below) I wanted a way to bring Johnny into the story to give him a connection to Lulu, the way the show had with the whole running away thing. But since I didn't have Lulu end up with Logan in the first place (I can't tell you how much I despise that whole setup), with its subsequent heartache, I need to work something else in there. So… here's my attempt at it. I hope I don't disappoint. (See further down below for Johnny's introduction.)
Oh… and I hate that they decided to kill Coop even though they literally gave him nothing to do for months now.
2nd Author's Note: Okay guys, I'm about to do something horrible and evil. A lot of you are going to hate it but I really need this for the purpose of this story. Plus I've had this in the back of my mind when I started this story. Please don't kill me.
Rating: T
Key: "Spoken," "Thoughts." ("Spanish") Any questions?
Chapter 14 - Connections
She opened her mouth and bit down as hard as she could on the hand partially over her mouth. The howl of pain came from above almost got a smile of satisfaction from her but she had other things to worry about. Jabbing her right elbow inside the man's hip, he released her arm and she made a run for it. But she hadn't taken more than three steps when another set of hands grabbed her from the left, pulling her to a standstill.
"You little bi…" the first guy shouted as he let go of his prisoner roughly and shook his injured hand vigorously to ease the sting. He raised a fist to strike back at the blond girl.
"Knock it off," the second man ordered as he shifted her out of the way of the coming blow. "The boss don't want her hurt."
"He also didn't mentioned the girl being crazy!" the first guy replied angrily.
"You should have grabbed her better," the second one answered with a smirk, holding onto the girl with some difficulty, she was wiggling like a eel. "Behave girl, orders will only protect you so far."
"You guys are going to be in big trouble," Lulu warned them as she squirmed furiously, yanking herself away with a skill born from necessity. "Okay, so hitchhiking on a deserted road when there are people out to hurt you wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had." She cursed herself silently for her own boneheaded move. "I am a close and personal friend of Sonny Corinthos and Jason Morgan. When they find out that I've been kidnapped…"
"They're not going to find out," the second goon said as he pulled her toward a tall gate. "No one saw us take you. They're not going to know anything until the boss wants them to."
"'The boss,'" she repeated with a roll of her eyes. "What is this? The Godfather?" She gave her arm a test shake and winced when her side burned from the twisting motion. Being tussled about wasn't helping her heal at all. "What are you guys trying to do? Start a mob war or something?"
"Something like that girl, now be quiet or…"
"Or what?" she shot back, "you're going to beat me? You think that's going to scare me somehow? Seriously?" she gave them a 'are you crazy?' look that teens do so well.
The man rolls his eyes and threw Lulu through a pair of frightful looking gates, pushing her up the steps to a house that should have been situated somewhere in the middle of Transylvanian with Dracula coming to the door to greet them. All the perfumed red roses around the front did nothing to detract from the oppressive feel of the exterior; in fact it only added to the dark mystique of the place. "Tell the boss that we've got the girl."
The first guy nodded his head, threw Lulu a dark glare – to which she merely made a smug face and stuck out her tongue – and left through a side door.
"Come on," the remaining guard said as he gave her a light push down the dim corridor. The walls were dark in color, wood paneled that had been stained cherry, difficult to make out with the limited light allowed in by the shrouded windows. Even darker furniture lined the walls with only a few electric illumination to ease the gloom and doom, barely penetrating the darkness every other foot or so. Every piece of decor was antique looking and smelled vaguely of distress. There wasn't anything remotely 'nice' about the place.
Lulu looked around in disgust and expressed it with a snuffled of distain, "And I thought my brother Nikolas' place gave me the creeps."
"Give your mouth a rest already, will you?" the guard grumbled disagreeably.
"When Jason finds out that you've mistreated me, he's going to make you sorry you decided to mess with me." Jerking her arm away from her guard, Lulu turned and regarded the man with a glare worthy of any mob princess, "And, by the way, I'm not the one that decided to kidnap me and drag me into a dirty, dank old…" she jerked her head to the side, around a corner and cried out in delight, "JASON!"
The guard turned in a snap and whipped out his gun, searching the dark corridors for the enemy.
Without hesitation, Lulu grabbed the ugly brown vase from the sideboard and brought it down hard on the base of the man's head. It shattered easily, making a very satisfying sound. Her would-be guard folded like a plank board left in the rain too long. She was already reaching for another weapon when she realized that the man was down for the count. Searching his pockets, Lulu found an extra clip for the a 9mm that was too big for her hands but she took nevertheless, slipping it into the back of her jeans, and nothing else of use. Stopping only long enough to catch her breath and to ease the pain radiating up her side, Lulu looked toward where she had been brought in and realized that there were too many twists and turns in the old house for her to remember which way she came in from. The place as like a horrible maze. And there was always the possibility that the other guard was on his way to find them. "Not much of a choice here." She took a breath and looked around again, concluding that her best bet would be to find another exit, "'Cause there's got to be more than one exit in these places. Contingency plans; isn't that what Carly called them? So, I'm going to guess that there's more than one contingency exit in this place. Now, to find it…"
Taking a breath and holding her hand against her wound, she plunged deeper into the mansion and prayed for a miracle.
-&-&-&-
Carly pulls her cell phone out the minute she exited the cab. Paying of the ride, she thanked the driver and flips open her phone. Without hesitation, she broke it in half and tossed the screen away. Walking toward the newspaper stand some fifty feet away, she opened the back of the phone and threw the battery into the nearby garbage can. While she purchased the newest best selling novel, she removed the sim chip inside the phone and snapped it across the middle with her thumb and curled forefinger. She walked sixty feet away and threw the two tiny electronic pieces into the waste bin then proceeded another thirty feet and tossed the rest of the phone into the rolling trash cart of a maintenance worker. Then she headed to the back of private airstrip.
The plane was there as promised and as Carly approached, the hatch opened.
"I'm glad you called," Lorenzo greeted as he stepped out.
"I needed a favor," Carly replied calmly, neutrally.
"What happened?" he asked quietly, seeing the dull gleam of acceptance in Carly's usually flashing eyes. It was an unnatural and frightening look; so unlike the Carly he had so very reluctantly fallen for. "And how did you escape Morgan's people?"
"This is Florida," Carly informed him as she stopped short of the stairs leading to him. She held herself tightly together. "This is my home turf. Besides, I've had years of practice evading Sonny's men."
Lorenzo smiled, the causal sensual smile that made Carly remember why she married him once upon a time, and got down to the business at hand. "This plane is at your disposal. The captain has chartered a flight to the Dominican Republic and after that, you may take off to any location in the world."
"And you won't know where?" she asked with a quick raised brow.
"No," he assured her with an inclination of his head as he approached her, leaving the plane to wait for it next passenger. "You are correct in your estimate that anyone in my organization, as unlikely as it seem, can be bought with the right price… just as any one of Corinthos men could. It's safer if none of us knew where you are. The pilot isn't part of this, I hired him through a third party out of Rhoda Island; he's clean."
Carly nodded, silently thanking him for allowing her to do this. She didn't need to take his word for it, she already had a plan in place just in case Lorenzo wasn't as upfront as he purported to be.
"Carly," he reached out and stopped her when she moved toward the plane and handed her a small silver key. "The box on the front seat; there's cash and the account number for a little something in the Cayman Islands. There's also a gun in it, a small one. Protect yourself." He slipped her a sheet of paper, "my private line. You can reach me at anytime, anywhere in the world. If you get into trouble call me; I'll come for you." He pointed to an address in South America. "One of my holdings in Brazil. No one knows of it, not even Skye; she's in Argentina right now. If you need somewhere to go…"
She nodded her head in acknowledgement of his generosity. "Thank you." She understood perfectly well that he needn't have done all this just because she asked. This Lorenzo was the one that she had married and subsequently burned. She touched his cheek ever so lightly, as if committing it to memory… like she wasn't ever coming back.
"What are you running from?" he asked just before she pulled away.
Looking up, Carly felt herself withdraw defensively seeing the soft kindness in Lorenzo eyes, the same eyes he had once looked upon her with. She didn't want to go back there again. "I'm not sure. I'll let you know when I do."
"Do you have a phone to reach me?"
"I've ditched mine. That kid Jason uses is good with computers, they'd find me if I use it."
"Take mine," reaching into his pocket.
Shaking her head, she stopped his hand. "No, I'm okay. I'll find another when I land somewhere safe." She suddenly felt so alone that she wanted to cry again. It would be so easy for her to turn to him and allow him to take care of her, the way she could see he wanted to. She hadn't felt so connected to him since… since he helped deliver Morgan into the world and almost died doing so. That seemed like a life time ago. "Thank you, Lorenzo."
He shook his head, touching her hand with his own. "I was the one that got you into this mess. The least I can do is…"
"No," she interrupted quietly, "thank you for being honest with me. And for helping me when I needed it."
"I'm always here, Carly," he replied honestly as he stepped back and heard the approach of a car, the one he had ordered to take him into the nearest international airport. "Take care of yourself. I'll be waiting when you get back."
She stared at him a moment. "Don't."
"Don't?" confused.
"Don't wait," she clarified. "I… I'm not sure if…" she didn't know what she was saying. Wasn't sure if she understood what she wanted to say. She needed time to collect herself, put herself first for just a little while… then get back to what is really important to her: her boys.
"Take your time, Carly," Lorenzo interrupted quietly, seeing the conflict in her eyes. Something bad happened down here, something that's broken her again. God, he couldn't stand to see her broken, not after everything she's done to rebuild her life, to stand clear on her own. "You're stronger than anyone I know."
She looked at him, curious now. "Really? I use to think that – that I'm strong. But I'm not sure anymore. Maybe it's just a delusion of mine. Maybe I really am as crazy as people seem to think I am." She gave a soft ironic laugh, not quite bitter but certainly lacking in any kind of amusement on her part. If she was crazy now, god only knows what she's been doing the last few months.
"You're not," he replied with the self assurance of a man that's use to getting his way… most of the time. Except when it came to Carly; she was as unpredictable as the rain in Los Angeles and as immovable as the Rocky Mountains. "You're probably saner than most of us would like to be. And you are strong, stronger than any woman I've ever known; Sophie included."
It was high praise indeed to be compared to the revered woman of Lorenzo's past. "I'm glad you're so sure," she smiled, soft and just a little amused, "thanks for the plane. I'll be in touch…" she was halfway up the stairs when she turned again, "maybe," she concluded and got into the plane. She offered him a crooked half smile and ducked her head.
Lorenzo stood there, thoughtfully silent as he watched the plane leave. It was the smile that gave him hope. Carly was… is strong. She was going to find her way back to herself again. It was just a matter of time and being away from Corinthos and Morgan.
-&-&-&-
"No, no, no…." Liz screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Liz," Kelly tried her best coaxing voice. "We need to be able to stabilize the…."
"No C-section," Liz cried out loudly as she doubled over in pain. "I'm having this baby naturally. You said I would have this baby naturally!"
"I know I did but we're now looking at…" Kelly ducked when Liz's leg sudden shot out in spasms.
"AHHHH…." Liz's hand searched for something to hold as her body rebelled violently against her. "LUCKY! I want Lucky!"
Cruz shoved his partner through the portal when Lucky Spencer looked like he was going to hesitate at the doorway. With a quick wave and 'do something' look, he pulled the door close nodding at the grateful look from Dr. Lee who also managed to simultaneously give Lucky a look of 'where have you been?' and still convey her thanks.
Lucky stood at the edge of the bed, not sure what he should be doing when Liz screamed again. Instinct kicked it and he reached for her hand, grasping her tiny gentle fingers with his rough callous ones… like when they were teens and she painted while he played the guitar to amuse her. She turned to him and reached for him as he shift onto the bed, pulling her into his arms, supporting her weight with his body, easing her pain by just simply being there.
"Lucky," Liz sobbed as her face fell against his sleeves. The familiar smell of leather and aftershave went a great deal to remind her to breath. "You came."
"Shh…" he turned his hips to angle himself to her, allowing her to fall against his body in an easy manner they had both long been accustom to, "it's all right, everything is going to be all right." With a hand in her hair and another gently cradling her, he slowly got her situated and calmed even as the labor continued to intensify. He glanced up and exchanged quick concern looks with Dr. Lee. "Kelly is going to take care of you and you baby. You're going to be fine."
"That's right," Kelly agreed with a quick nod as she finally got enough space to move. "I'm going to be taking very good care of you, Liz. Don't you worry." She nodded to a nurse who handed her the attachments to the fetal monitor. "I'm just going to check on the baby and make sure things are where they need to be." She looked up and addressed Lucky, "You need to hold her still enough for me to do this."
Lucky didn't answer her but simply tightened his hold on Liz.
"Lucky," Liz whimpered as she clung to him, grateful for his presence. "Oh god… don't leave me, Lucky." The frightened tears came freely as Lucky held her trembling body against his, bracing it for stillness as doctors and nurses rush around her. Intellectually she understood what was happening but emotionally… "Please save my baby, please save my baby…." Emotionally, she was a mother.
"Kelly," Lucky whispered, frightened by the way Liz's voice broke as she pleaded. "I think something is really wrong here."
"I'm moving as fast as I can," Kelly muttered as she shifted the monitor around. "I can't seem to find…" she concentrated on what she was doing instead of trying to explain. But there was definitely something wrong. "Can I get another monitor for Liz in here please?"
"Please don't let my baby pay the price," Liz begged as her body went slack with weakness. "Oh god…"
Her voice broke his heart. Her words strengthened his resolve. "No one is punishing you, Liz." Lucky whispered into her ear, pulling her up against him and holding onto her tightly. "Take a deep breath and let it out slow, everything is going to be okay. You've done everything right by this child…"
"Except have you as its father," Liz whispered as her body suddenly went slack. "Oh god Lucky, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Shhh…." He's arms crossed over her chest, "Don't be sorry. You have nothing to be sorry about. You're going to be okay," he promised her, "You're going to just fine."
"Lucky," Liz looked up, her face wet with tears and her eyes full of regrets, "I love you. If I can take it back, I could take everything back…"
"Don't talk," he advised, feeling his heart splinter under the weight of her pains, "save your strength to care of this child."
"I need a monitor in here now!" Kelly shouted over her shoulder as she continued to press the fetal monitor against Liz's protruding abdomen. "And someone get me an OR!"
Liz's eyes were bright with fear, her heart thumping loudly in her ears as she forced herself to stay alert even as the darkness clawed at her. "Stay with me, Lucky. Please don't leave me…."
"I'm here," he promised her, feeling his arms tremble with fear. "I'm not going anywhere, Liz. I'm right here with you."
The promise given, her mind a little more at ease, she whispered, "I love you," as she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Kelly!" Lucky called out.
"Shut up!" Kelly replied as she continued to stare at the monitors before her, eyes wide with anxiety. Cursing under her breath, "Lucky," she said without even turning to him, "get off the bed and lay her down flat. Someone page the OR nurses on duty, we're going in on an emergency c-section. I want an infant incubation unit setup and I need NICU on standby." She yanked the wires and tubes out as soon as she was done talking even as the nurses scrambled to do her bidding.
"Can I be in there?" Lucky asked as he set Liz's head down carefully on a pillow. She looked so deathly pale.
"Lucky, I don't think that it's a good idea…"
"I promised that I wouldn't leave her," he explained fearfully. "I'll stay out of your way."
Shaking her head, Kelly continued to move her patient as she needed. "There's going to be a lot of people running around and trying to…"
"I promised her, Kelly," Lucky interrupted a little more forcefully. "I promised."
Hesitating a second, Kelly nodded. "But stay out of the way!"
"Okay," Lucky followed the rolling bed out.
Kelly grabbed the closest orderly. "Get Detective Spencer an operating gown. And someone page Dr. Archer!"
-&-&-&-
"SPINELLI!!!" Coop came thundering down the stairs three steps at a time.
"There is no need to rise above the audio level of a…"
"Stop talking and activate all the remote cameras," Cooper ordered as he vaulted over the last ten steps.
Turning to look at him funny, "May I inquire as to why we would need to do so at this exact moment given that not all of the…"
"Lulu is gone!" he shouted at him as he went through the back door. "Get those cameras up NOW!" He crashed through the back without ever glancing at Spinelli.
Damien Spinelli is good at only two things: computers and panicking. Right now… he was choosing to exercise the latter. "What do mean she's gone?!?" he shouted after the once-upon-a-time Clean Cut Cadet. For a moment, he didn't understand any of what was being told to him. What did Cadet Barrett mean that the Fair Lulu was gone? Gone how? The Blonde One was to be in repose upstairs while they prepare the defenses for her haven away from the…
"Are those cameras up yet?" Coop asked as he came back into the room after having done a sweep outside. The conveniently placed tree outside the window of the master bedroom would explain how someone could have gotten in and taken Lulu without either he or Spinelli seeing anything. But they should have hear something. Lulu would have struggled and known if… "You're assuming that Lulu was conscious when they took her. For all your stupid distractions with Spinelli, she had have been bleeding to death upstairs and you wouldn't have known since you failed to check on her like you know you should. Damn it!"
"All the optical surveillance equipment are operational," Spinelli said as he pulled up everyone manually since none of the auto functions were hooked up yet. "Scanning the area now."
"Forget that a moment," Coop said as he fell against Spinelli in his rush. "I did a visual sweep already, she's already long gone and there's not enough light out back to track her. See if you can hack into the security system of the neighborhood for the last hour. I need to see what the hell happened. If they took her, they had to have a car. I need model, make, license number, anything to go on."
"You think the evil doers would have harmed Fair Lulu?" an ashen pallor spreading over Spinelli's already grey face.
"They're out to kill her, Spinelli," Coop explained carefully, his eyes dark with anger and frustration… and a good dose of self loathing. "Why do you think Morgan sent us out here?"
Not bothering to answer, Spinelli was already hacking into all the local security companies for their access codes. Wishing his fingers worked as quickly as his thoughts, he scanned through the foreign systems and pulled up the address of the nearby homes. "How far back?" he asked as he began to pull back on the timeframe.
"Go two hours," Cooper replied tersely. "If anything happens to Lulu…"
"There is nothing here to indicate any foul play," Spinelli rattled as he continued to review the multiple panels of security cameras. "Perhaps the Blonde One merely exited the house for some much needed fresh air."
"Through the window?" Cooper asked as he scanned the speeding picture frames. "How long were we working on those security measures."
"At least the last three hours."
"Then keep pulling back on the timeframe, back up to three hours if you have to."
"Some of the residence along these roads may have highly sophisticated close circuits security, much like the one employed by the former Mrs. Corinthos in this abode."
"Can you get into those?"
"Not without a land line," Spinelli explained.
"What do I have to do to get you one?" he asked.
"Nothing," he replied as he stopped the videos and pulled up a different screen. "I'm going to attempt to access the phone companies' database for a direct line access," he turned and looked Cooper for a moment. "My current activities are considered highly illegal and given your current chosen professional, however dubious you came by that decision, it would be wise for you to avert your eyes."
Coop gave him a look of pure evil. "If I can hold up a hotel and threaten to kill someone at point blank, I think I'm okay about watching you hack into the phone company."
Swallowing the sudden foul taste in his mouth, Spinelli nodded. "Point taken," and returned to what he was doing. "This may prove to be a bit more difficult than the Jackal had anticipated."
"Whatever it take Spinelli," Coop informed him. "You and I do not want to have to explain to Mr. Corinthos and Mr. Morgan how someone snatched Lulu right out from under our noses while we were downstairs twiddling our thumbs."
Making a face and giving a determined sigh, "It would a most painful and unfortunate interview that the Jackal would not wish to partake of."
"Then we better find Lulu before we have to have that conversation."
-&-&-&-
Jason's eyes didn't move at all as he watched the doctors in the OR rush about. From the observation deck, he could see everything that was happening down below without interfering. From what little he got from the nurses he was able to stop in the hall, Elizabeth and the baby aren't doing well and Dr. Kelly Lee is doing everything in her powers to stop a bleed that she couldn't find the source of.
The door behind him swung open.
"Jason," Lucky's voice was grave and calm. "I'm glad you could make it."
"What's happening?" Jason asked without preamble. This wasn't the time for polite tiptoeing conversations.
"They're not sure. They're going to do an emergency c-section and take the baby out. There's a bleed somewhere in Liz's uterus but they can't find the source and it's causing the baby's distress." Lucky looked down at the surgical gown he wore and hesitated.
"Thank you for calling me," Jason said quietly as they both turned and faced the OR.
"I…" he didn't know what to say. He couldn't really explain why he had. That he would have wanted Jason to call him if Lucky had been in his place? That it felt like something his mother would approval of? That he hadn't even considered not calling? "I thought you might want to be here for the birth of your child."
"I do," Jason admitted with a nod, his heart thumping a little too hard in his chest.
They stood there in silence, neither one knowing what to say to the other.
"Liz asked me to stay with her," Lucky finally said when the silence grew too big and the OR looked ready to began. "I promised her that I would stay with her but if you want to be in there and…"
"You should be with Elizabeth," Jason replied looking at Lucky carefully, "she needs you right now."
Understanding what Jason was giving up, Lucky felt a sudden empathy with his archrival, feeling almost sorry for the man. It was an impossibly painful position to be in. Not sure what to say, Lucky nodded and exit the deck to join the surgical team below wondering if he would have the strength to say "go" if he had been in Jason's place.
Leaning against the cool glass of the observation deck, Jason wondered if he would have had the strength to call Lucky had he been in Lucky's place, as bitter and angry as he was certain Lucky was. He wasn't sure if he would be able to sit there and watch the woman he loved give birth the a child not his… though he suppose his relationship with Sam had that tone about it. But… but that had been different, felt different. There was no marriage to break, no heart shattered by a paternity truth, no danger that wasn't already realized. Jason wondered if Lucky realize his own strength of character and what his actions say about his love for Elizabeth.
Dr. Andy Archer turned and gave Dr. Kelly Lee a quick nod, green lighting the procedure. He then turned and watched an anxious Lucky Spencer situate himself as close as he could to his estranged wife, who had called for him when she needed someone to hold her hand and be there for the hard fights. Andy wondered briefly it Lucky and Elizabeth Spencer understood just how fortunate they are to have found even a brief moment of happiness.
"Okay people, this is one of our own. No mistakes! We're moving in fast, so let's get to it. Ten blade," Kelly snapped and begin before the nurse could even react.
Lucky leaned in close so he couldn't see pass the raised curtain over Liz's middle and watched Liz's face under the breathing mask. "You hang in there. Cameron needs his mother and this new baby needs someone to feed and bathe him, love him and comfort him, show him the right path to the road of life. I can't think of a better role model for this new little one that you, Elizabeth Webber."
"Spencer," Andy corrected.
Glancing over his shoulder, Lucky blinked at the smiling blue eyes over a surgical mask. "What?"
"Spencer," Dr. Archer repeated as he leaned over and glanced at Elizabeth. He smiled at the pretty nurse as if she could see. "She always introduced herself as Elizabeth Spencer, even after the two of you split. She didn't ever go back to her maiden name. Elizabeth considered herself a Spencer."
Silent as he absorbed the thought, Lucky felt himself humbled by the idea.
"I need more blood in here," Kelly ordered as she sliced through the third layer of membrane. "Come on!" The rapid bleeping on Elizabeth's heart wasn't comforting her at all, nor was the fact that Kelly had yet to find the baby's heartbeat, no matter how hard she had tried earlier. Even now she has a nurse desperately looking for a sign that that child was all right even as they prepare to remove the baby from its mother. "I need more suction; I can't see a thing in here!" Hands appeared with tubes and more lines for Kelly. "I need more light over here," someone grabbed the overheads. "Andy…"
"I'm giving her more oxygen," he replied without even being asked.
"Watch her pulse, she's bleeding badly here," Kelly said as she ducked her head under an obscuring arm. "More suction!"
"I'm hanging another unit," Andy said as kept a close eye on her stats.
"I can't find a fetal pulse," the staff nurse called out as she gave up trying to get underneath the operating doctors.
"Abandon that line," Kelly said as she stepped closer to the table, "and get your arms up here. I need someone else on the other side here."
Lucky didn't turn his head, he didn't watch.
"The baby is out," Kelly called out as she lifted the child clear. "Dr. Archer, stats?"
Andy rattled off numbers and watched Lucky's impassive face. "I've got a dropping pulse."
Turning, Kelly passed the baby to the NICU doctors, who hurried the child away toward the warm birthing unit to the side. "I've got a bleeder. Damn it, I can't see. Someone in here with suction, I need to clamp her off!"
The OR went silent but for the machines as each set of unit worked frantically on their respective patients. There a momentary sigh of relief as Dr. Lee announced that she's found a source and clamped the problem with a quick efficient hand. Then…. "DR. LEE!"
Kelly finished off the tie and handed off to another to close. She hurried over, glancing only briefly at the immoveable form of Lucky Spencer whispering softly by Elizabeth's side. "Voice down," she hissed at the nurse, stripping her bloodied gloves and elbowed her way through. "What do we…." She didn't finish the question as Dr. Waller removed his hands from the tiny infant's chest. "Oh god," the words escaped her lips before she could think better.
The baby was blue.
Head to toe blue.
And completely unresponsive.
"Five minutes now," Dr. Waller whispered regretfully as he stepped back. "There's nothing more we can do." He looked at the ashen face over the surgical mask. "I'm calling it."
Unable to say anything, Kelly swallowed the rising pain in her throat and turned away as Dr. Waller called the time of death. Her eyes went to Andy's as the anesthesiologist start the routine of bring his patient out from under the cloak of a drug induced sleep. His eyes narrowed in question and widen when hers filled with tears and she shook her head in response. They both turned and saw that Lucky Spencer was no longer looking at Liz, he was watching the silent exchange and the stricken faces of the NICU unit in stunned disbelief.
"Lucky," Kelly started but couldn't get the words pass the lump in her throat.
It was just as well, Lucky didn't want to hear anything. He couldn't quite comprehend that had just happened. He didn't know how he was suppose to react. So… he looked up.
Jason stood framed by the observation deck window, a stone sentinel. If he understood what had happened, it didn't show on his face. If he didn't, he wasn't questioning it either. He just stood there, silent and still as he watched yet another child slipped away.
-&-&-&-
Lulu could hear the number of people in the corridors as she ducked behind another corner. The house was now on high alert, someone obviously found the fallen guard and was combing the mansion for her. Leaning against a wall, she glanced down at her burning side. The wound had bleed through the compression bandages and were seeping into her clothes. Her right side was covered in blood now.
And she was completely out of breath.
"I hope they don't send out the dogs or anything like that," she thought horribly as she took a breath and push off again. There was no hope for rescue at this point. She was certain that no one saw her leave Carly's compound and she had been careful to avoid the more well traveled roads. The guards had said no one saw them pluck her off the streets and they weren't planning on announcing themselves just yet. Which meant no one knew where she was. "Okay Lulu, you're always saying you are your father's daughter… now prove it."
Moving further down, hoping what was to be the back of the house, she came upon a pair of double doors. Something about it made her hesitate. An animalistic howling from within made her step back. It sounded like an angry wounded animal. She wondered if someone had locked their family pet within the…
"Did you check this way?"
Turning toward the voices, Lulu scrambled back to get her bearing and headed further ahead, away from the outraged cries of the beast within the walls and her pursuers. It wasn't long before she was completely turned around again. Desperately, she tried the nearest door and almost wept with relief when the first thing she saw was a roll of shiny black cars.
She had found the garage.
Unfortunately, she wasn't alone.
"What the hell…" the tall young man about to enter a classy two-door yellow muscle car, stopped and leaned his weight against the frame of the door, staring at the frightened Lulu. His eyes made a curious sweep of her, noting the mussed hair, the panting breath and… his eyes got no further than the wound at her side; the one with her hand pressed firmly against it, blood seeping between her pale fingers.
Someone calling to another sounded through the door behind her. She turned to look behind her expecting her kidnappers to come charging through, her fear and dread making her want to cry for the first time since this insanity had started. She turned to the stranger, unable to find any more strength to run or even beg for help.
Dark eyes like warm liquid chocolate took in the situation in less then a second. Something flashed in them for a moment as his gaze fixed on her wound again. There was only a momentary hesitation as he threw the car door wide open and yanked the driver seat forward. "Get in the car," waving her over.
Her lightheaded relief made her stumble as she almost pitched headfirst into the doorframe. The young man steadied her with one arm and helped her into the cramp tiny back seat, pushing her low to the ground. "Stay down," he urged, turning to grab something off the side of another vehicle. A rough blanket smelling of gasoline and motor oil was thrown over her and Lulu made an effort to cover herself as best as she could but every motion made her side burn with pain. "Be quiet," was the whispered instruction as he pushed his seat back into position and got into the car just as the door to the garage opened.
Cold and numb with pain, Lulu trembled as she held her breath.
The car door slammed and the roar of a diesel engine coming to life almost drown out the sound of a door slamming open and men shouting. The engine rived defiantly as the garage door creaked open.
"Hey wait!" was the shout, indignant and panic as the wheels of the car squealed beneath the car. Lulu bit her lip as the car jerked in reverse then stopped abruptly and swung around. A sudden riving of the engine gave her a moment to brace herself before the car shot off again like a rocket, peeling rubber on cobble stones that were never meant for such treatment. Nothing more could be heard above the angry roar of a dangerous car as it fled like a bat out of hell down the desert countryside streets.
"Stay down and stay quiet, we're not out of the woods yet."
She didn't respond. She merely held herself tightly, trying to ward off the seeping cold and pain.
The gears shifted and the car accelerated to a speed that probably bordered illegal limits. "You okay back there?"
Swallowing against the rising tide of unconsciousness, "Yeah, thanks."
A long silence followed before her unexpected savior called back to her again. "I'm Johnny."
"Lulu," she replied back over the roar of the speeding car and the chattering of her teeth as the numbing pain made it difficult for her concentrate on anything else other than wanting to black out.
"Nice to meet you, Lulu," he replied hitting the gas pedal harder, the hum of the car soothing him. "Care to tell me what the hell is going on?"
"Sure," Lulu breathed, not caring whether or not he could hear her. "Just as soon as I wake up from this…" her words trailed and she vaguely heard her name being called over and over again as she slipped into darkness.
To be continued…
Thoughts? Criticisms? Hopes? Dreams? Reviews?