A few days later, Carly came to Spinelli for an update on her case. Lulu was there, so Spinelli couldn't discuss Kate and Jax.

Lulu was very upset, still seeing Anthony, Logan and Michael and Spinelli was trying to calm her down. Carly's initial reaction only made things worse. She would eventually forgive Lulu, but that day she was furious and nothing Lulu could say would ease her anger.

"What's going on?" Carly asked Lulu. "I haven't seen you for days. What's wrong? Why are you so upset? Don't tell me you're upset about Johnny being in jail, Lulu! He shot my-"

"Carly, I knew about it!" she burst out. "I went to Jason as soon as I found out!"

"You knew?" Carly asked in a hurt, disbelieving tone.

"I heard Johnny and Claudia fighting about it on the peer the day he turned himself in. I told him I knew, then went to Jason, then convinced Johnny to confess."

Carly was silent, but Spinelli and Lulu could feel the thunderheads building.

"Carly, I swear, if I'd honestly believed that Johnny-"

"How many times were you warned!" Carly screamed, scaring Kendra awake. Spinelli ran to comfort her, but could still hear Carly from the living room. "We told you about Logan and we told you about Johnny, but you wouldn't listen! This whole thing could have been prevented if you hadn't gotten involved with Johnny! Sonny and Jason didn't do anything to the Zacchara's because you were involved and they didn't wanna hurt you!"

"I'm sorry!" Lulu sobbed.

Spinelli closed the door, not wanting his Empathic One to be scared any further by the raised voices and almost palpable emotions.

Carly, realizing on some level that she'd been the one to wake the baby, lowered her voice, but it was no less furious.

"You're sorry," she said in the same skeptical tone Lulu had used when Johnny had told her he loved her. "My little boy is in a coma forever because of your boyfriend and all you can say is you're sorry?"

"Carly, please, you know what it's like to be in love with someone like Johnny! Look at you and Sonny!"

"Don't you dare compare me and Sonny to you and Johnny! Sonny and I have been connected for years; you've known Johnny all of five minutes!"

"That's not true; I-"

"Don't tell me you're still seeing him! Are you visiting him in jail, trying to plan his escape? Do you think you and Johnny are gonna be the next Luke and Laura?"

"No, I made Johnny go to the police and I haven't seen him since! I can't be with him knowing what he did to Michael!"

"I thought Johnny didn't do it," Carly mocked.

Lulu looked away from her, crying harder.

"What do you mean, you made him go to the police?" Carly asked after a few seconds.

"He said he loved me and I said he had to prove it by turning himself in."

"Did you promise him you'd be together when he got out?"

"It was the only way I could get him to-"

"Stop lying! Stop lying to yourself and everyone who loves you! When Johnny gets out of jail you're gonna be waiting for him, ready to ride off into the sunset!"

"No, Carly, I love Michael! I love you! I would never b with someone who-"

"You've been with him for months!"

"But I didn't know!"

"You knew it was possible!"

Spinelli came out, having soothed Kendra back to sleep.

"You tried to tell her, didn't you?" Carly asked him. "You tried to warn her about Johnny just like you tried to warn her about Logan!"

"Yes, but-"

"Did she listen? Does she ever listen?"

"No, she didn't, but you understand the position she was in; she told me you've told her about your connection with-"

"Don't mention Sonny to me. He saved Kate instead of Michael; he's as responsible as Lulu is!"

"Lulu didn't know," Spinelli pleaded, hating the pain in Lulu's eyes.

"You're defending her?"

"To the death," Spinelli said seriously.

Carly gave them both a disgusted look.

"I'll be back to talk to you later," she said to Spinelli, then stalked out the door.

Lulu sobbed and clung to Spinelli.

"It's gonna be OK," he said softly, stroking her hair.

She'd been right the day Spinelli had come home from the hospital. She had lost everyone, except him. Carly hated her now. She couldn't confide in most of her family because they would grill her and give her warnings about Johnny that she'd already heard and that had become painfully clear to her a few days ago. Luke was gone again, Laura was catatonic and Nikolas was still grieving Emily. Spinelli was the only person in her life now who didn't judge her or make her feel like a monster or a stupid child, both of which she considered herself to be, especially after this latest conversation with Carly.

She had tried to give Lulu the benefit of her experience and Lulu had shrugged it off and acted as if it had meant nothing. Lulu knew best, or so she'd thought, and this was where it had gotten her.

She had treated Spinelli the same way; she had done even worse to him. She had shoved him away and punished him for trying to be the friend she herself had said he was. She considered herself blessed that he hadn't thrown her away, too, as she deserved. If anyone besides Carly had a right to do that, he did. But she knew he would never do that. He disapproved of her choices, but never made her feel bad for making them. He was a true friend, even when Lulu was as unworthy of his friendship as Logan had been of her love.

."I think I know how to help you," Spinelli said when Lulu had mostly stopped crying.

"Can you give me a new brain so I don't keep making the same stupid mistakes over and over again?"

"No," he said gently, "and I don't have a time machine either."

"Then how?"

"Basic yoga; meditation."

"Meditation?" she asked doubtfully. "Spinelli, I don't wanna think anymore," she pleaded.

"That's the point. Meditation clears the mind so you don't have to think about anything for a while. When you come out of it you're able to think more clearly, sometimes gaining a whole new perspective. Will you give it a try?"

She hesitated, then nodded.

He had her lie on her back on the living room carpet and taught her how to breathe, softly chanting the phrase that means, "the jewel in the lotus," which is the symbol for everything good; flowers, sunshine, peace, anything a person considers good, but especially love. He had her inhale for one chant, hold for another, exhale for one, then hold for one more. He did this until he could feel her relaxing and knew she was at peace, holding her hand and meditating with her.

She wasn't limber enough and didn't know enough of the basics to assume the lotus position, which was why he had her lie flat on her back, but he was in lotus as he held her hand. Later, he brought himself out of his meditative state and brought her back just enough to get her to the couch where she could sleep. He thought sleep without nightmares was what she needed most of all. When she woke, he hoped, her specters would be gone and she would be able to see things more clearly than she had since the beginning of this whole fiasco. If he was right, Michael, Anthony and Logan would never haunt her again.