Chapter Fifty Four

Jason had just rounded the corner in the hospital corridor when he spotted Micheal standing outside of Sonny's room. The young man was staring at Sonny, who lay asleep in the bed. The room was dark, the only sound that could be heard was a beeping of the monitors.

Jason placed his hand on Micheal's shoulder. "Hey, buddy, what are you doing down here?"

Micheal jerked away from him. When their eyes met, Jason sucked in a short breath, because for the first time ever there was true anger staring back at him from the child he considered his own. "No one told me anything! Both my parents are sick and you kept it from me. My Dad is in a coma!"

"No, no he's not. He's just been given a sedative...something to help him sleep. Lets go sit down and I'll explain what is going on to you."

"Don't bother. You won't tell me the whole truth. You tell me what you think I need to know and that's not fair. I'm not a baby like Morgan. I might never be able to talk to my Dad again..." His hurt struck Jason like a bat.

"Micheal, I never meant to shut you out. But this isn't the place to talk about this...we could use Monica's office. Will you go there with me?"

Micheal glared at him. Jason thought he had felt as much fear as possible over this last month, from seeing a gun pointed at Carly's head when her hotel was taken hostage to knowing she has poisoned in her veins right now and that she might lose her life and their daughter might never be born, but to see Micheal angry at him threatened to break this man. The only saving grace was beneath the furious look at the young man's face was still all the love and respect he always had for Jason.

Micheal didn't answer him but started to walk towards to elevators so they could go to his grandmother's office.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Sitting in the freezing cold on a bench by the lake, Milo felt his chest tighten. The whole balance of his life hung in the words Lulu said next. A part of him wanted her to smile, kiss him, and promise forever whether she was sure or not. But in the little bit of reason he still had left, when faced with the thought of losing her, was a voice that whispered he needed the truth from her more than he needed empty reassurances.

He only hoped that truth kept her by his side.

(I like the way you wanted me
every night for so long baby.


I like the way you needed me
every time things got rocky.

I was believing in you.


Was I mistaken?
Do you say...do you say what you mean?


I want our love to last forever.

But I'd rather you be mean

than love and lie


I'd rather hear the truth and have to say goodbye


I'd rather take a blow

at least then I would know


But baby don't you break my heart slow
) ( Vonda Shepard)

He told her, "I don't want to lose you, Lulu. I should have known you would come home to me. But...you got to understand...when I'm with you, that is the only time I feel like more than just someone's brother or son or employee...you made me feel like someone's other half. So when you walked out the door to see the man I know you used to be in love with, well, I stopped breathing. I stopped being able to think. I stopped having faith in anything or anyone...all I knew was that my girl could be leaving me forever and that if you did...I'd lose the best thing I ever got a chance to be a part of...us."Milo took both her hands in his. "Don't tell me this is good-bye, Lulu."

XXXXXXXX

Lulu searched his eyes, looking for the answers she so desperately needed. Had she rushed into everything with Milo? It had felt so right, so perfect, so much what she needed after years of being the girl who felt like a leftover...to him she was ideal. Or so she thought before last night.

That is what was hard to take. Though it might make her immature she liked that Milo has placed her on a pedestal. It made her feel safe, protected, chosen. But when he started to doubt her, thinking she wanted Dillon instead, she tumbled off that pedestal, crashing into a million broken little pieces that she now could barely hold together.

Was it wrong to put so much on what he felt for her? She didn't know. What if he found out more about her and then deemed her unworthy? If he could lose his faith once, surely it could happen again. Was she strong enough to risk ending up with all alone with her broken heart?

Milo leaned his forehead against hers. "I don't want us to be over...we just started...don't give up on us."

(I like the way you'd hold me
every night for so long baby


And I like the way you'd say my name
in the middle of the night
while you were sleeping

I was believing in you.


Was I mistaken?
Do you mean... do you mean what you say
when you say our love could last forever?
)

Have faith, have faith, trust yourself, trust him...the words flew though Lulu's mind, sounding more like her mother's voice than her own speaking.

Lulu gently brought her lips to Milo's.

Ring. Ring.

She pulled back, startled. "That's my phone." She reached into her purse and pulled it out, all the while keeping her eyes on Milo. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Lucas. I'm at General Hospital..."

Those words struck fear into Lulu's very soul. Someone she loved had to be hurt, the thought of losing anyone in her family was almost too much to bear.

Lucas went on, "Carly has been admitted. Do you think you can come down and see her? She keeps saying she doesn't want anyone to make a fuss but you know how my sister is...she loves when people make a fuss about her."

"What happened to cause her to be admitted?"

Lucas sighed. "It's a long story that starts with when you all were held hostage..."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Micheal stomped into Monica's office. With a disgusted sigh, he flopped into a seat. "So what? You were going to let my Dad die without me getting to say good bye to him? That's not fair and you know it! You probably want my Dad gone now that you are in love with my mom."

The last sentence hit Jason like a slap, just the way Micheal intended.

Jason was finally getting his first taste of dealing with a bratty teenage son. Carly had been telling him after Micheal getting more mouthy the older he got but Jason had been the direct target of it until now. It hurt but only because the boy meant the world to him, and nothing Micheal ever said or did could change that.

"You know that's not true." Jason moved close to him, crouching in front of him. When there eyes met, for Jason, it was like looking into the eyes of Micheal when he was a newborn baby, when Jason had made so many promises to him that he couldn't keep. Words Micheal remembered even if he didn't know it. "Your dad and mom both decided not to tell you and Morgan anything because they didn't want you to worry. Yes, they are both sick. But your Aunt Emily, along with all the other doctors here at the hospital, are working overtime to get your parents healthy again. I am trying to save them...both of them...you know that I love you and your brother and I don't want you to be hurt in anyway, not ever.

Micheal's lips quivered as he fought with himself not to lose his bravado. Finally he whispered, "I know. I'm sorry...about getting mad...but when I saw my dad in that hospital room. He's in a coma, isn't he?! I heard the guards talking. Mom and Dad were poisoned!"

This child was just as emotional as Carly, whereas Morgan was more laid back. Micheal had seen too much, knew too much for his age, had lost too much of his innocence already. He feared the next blow and there was no one in his family who would lie to him and tell him it wasn't coming. Because of Jason and Sonny being in the mob, the next tragedy was always lurking around the corner, waiting to destroy them all in a blink.

Touching Micheal's shoulder, Jason said "He's not in coma. He was sedated, given medicine to make him sleep, so that he doesn't use up too much of his strength while the doctors work on an antidote."

Tears threatened to spill out of Micheal's eyes. "Is...is..he dying?"

Jason broke eye contact. Micheal started to sob, falling into Jason's arms.

"I hope not, buddy. We're doing all we can to make sure he doesn't, okay? I don't want you to worry about it. I'll take you to visit your mom and then I want you to go home with your gaurds and stay there. Agreed?"

"Yes. But...please call me if..." He sucked in a shaky breath and said, "I just don't want to be sitting at home playing video games with Morgan if Mom or Dad need me."

"They need you home safe so they can concentrate on getting better. That's the best way you can help them right now. Okay?"

Micheal stared into his eyes, doing something Carly did often, taking Jason's strength and courage and faith as his own, believing in Jason's words more than he did anything else on earth. "Okay," he agreed.

XXXXXXXXX

It was late afternoon, Sam and Lucky were cuddled up on Alexis couch. Molly was in her room napping. Voila had taken Kristina to her dance class.

Lucky's arms were wrapped around her waist, her head leaned back and rested on his chest. She sighed. "You know I really don't have much use for Sonny, not anymore. For about five minutes I thought me and him could have something, years ago, but I wised up real quick. He had more baggage than me...and though I couldn't have known it...even back then he was probably more than a little bit in love with Alexis. She might be good at hiding her feelings but lately, since she got back with him, even with all the stress that is going on, she seems...more complete. If he dies..."

"Then we will help Alexis get through it," Lucky promised. "We'll be here for your mom and sisters for as long as they need us."

"I just couldn't imagine it...when I was with Jason and he had a brain tumor, there were moments when I couldn't even breath, thinking he was inching closer and closer to death and I would be left all alone. I loved him because he represented my second chance. We were supposed to have this perfect little dream-me, him and Lila. But it was just that...just a dream...I was scared of losing my dream." Sam looked up into Lucky's eyes. "Now I know what it is like to have a love based on reality...a bond that can survive the worst moments...a relationship that makes me stronger and braver and better than I was before...if I was to lose you...if Sonny means to Alexis what you mean to me...there is no way for her to get over that, Lucky. There's just not."

"Whatever happens, I got you, McCall. And I am not letting go."

"Me either," she said. He bent down and kissed her.

Knock. Knock.

Twisting her head around, Sam let out a frustrated breath as she saw Ric standing on the deck of the Lake House.

Coming up: LuSam encounter trouble, Maxie asks for a favor, Blackie visits Alexis