Rayne
Chapter 15
"Lucy, I'm home," Kevin called as he entered the Lighthouse after being at the hospital all day. She didn't answer, so he called her name again. He still didn't hear anything, so he started walking around the Lighthouse. He finally found her in an upstairs bedroom, her back to the door and open boxes surrounding her.
"Lucy?" he said again.
She jumped up and turned around, putting what was in her lap back in the box and wiping away a tear. "Kevin, when did you get home?" she asked.
"Just a few minutes ago. What are you doing up here?"
"Um," she said, biting her lip. "Just looking at some stuff."
Kevin walked across the room to her. "The things we bought for the baby."
"Yeah, Doc. It feels like..."
"It feels like a lifetime ago."
"Rather than just last summer."
"Why don't you come downstairs?"
"In a little bit. I thought we could bring some of these things down to the room that will be Rayne's."
"We still have a few months till the nursery has to be done. You've obviously upset yourself by looking at these things, why don't you come down and relax for a bit?"
"I'm okay, Doc, I promise."
He looked at her skeptically.
"I was just looking through some clothes I'd bought for our baby last year. That kid was going to be the best dressed infant in Port Charles."
"I hear a 'but' in there," Kevin said.
Lucy smiled. "But that of course made think of everything we lost when we lost our baby."
"But what about what we're gaining now?"
"I guess so."
"We were here when Liz needed us and now we're going to have a family, just like we've always wanted," Kevin said, taking Lucy's hand.
"It's about time."
"It feels right, now. Everything was pretty crazy back then, it seems to have calmed down a bit now. This feels so right."
"It does, everything is really really perfect. Come the end of April, we'll be a mommy and a daddy, just liked we've dreamed of being."
"Which brings us to another subject: the adoption," Kevin said.
"What about it?"
"I talked to Scott earlier about it."
"What did he say?"
"He said we should have no trouble adopting Rayne. Under normal circumstances, we would have to have the consent of the father, but since Elizabeth was abused and raped, we should be able to adopt her without the consent of the father."
"That's good."
"It is, I don't think that Liz is ready to confront the man who did this to her."
"I think she could, but she thinks she can't, she's a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for."
"She's taking things one step at a time."
"Do you think there's a way that this guy can be punished for what he did to Liz without her having to go through the trial?"
"It might be possible. I could ask Mac if she could sign a statement of what he did."
"She'd probably really like some closure to the whole nightmare."
"I'm sure she would."
"I couldn't imagine..."
"What I can't imagine is what makes a person do that to an innocent child. My own mother...at least Liz hasn't turned out like Ryan."
"How do you think she's doing?"
"She's doing remarkably well, she seems very composed and calm, but that may all be a front she puts on in front of us."
"She's doing her best to be strong."
"Hey, okay, enough talking about all this, I happen to know that there's a Valentine's day surprise planned for the two of us."
"By you?"
"Of course. Now, let's go downstairs and find out what it is." "Okay," Lucy smiled, following him.
* * *
"Tonight's going to be awesome," Emily said as she held a curling iron over Liz's head that evening.
"Em! Pay attention to what you're doing! Please don't burn me!" Liz told her.
"Okay!" Emily laughed, making another ringlet.
"So, you did get a date for the dance?"
"Yep. I'm meeting him there."
"Who is it?"
"This guy from my sociology class, Chris."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, we're friends, just friends, he's cool."
"Well, I guess I'll meet him later, see if I approve," Liz grinned.
Emily swatted at her friend, who quickly ducked.
"Stay still, I'm almost done," Emily told her.
Elizabeth sat perfectly still while Emily finished curling her hair.
"There, finished," she said.
Liz turned to look in the mirror. "Wow, Em, it looks great! Thanks!"
"Now, go put on that gorgeous dress Lucky bought you and we'll be all ready. It's layed out on your bed."
Liz brought the dress into the bathroom and Emily waited in her room.
A few minutes later, Em heard Liz call, "Hey, Em! Zipper help needed!"
Emily laughed and jumped up off the bed to help Elizabeth. Afterwards, Liz came out into the room and turned around in a circle.
"I feel like a princess," she beamed.
"You look like one. Lucky seems to have that effect on you."
"Lucky's the greatest," she said, looking at the clock. "We still have a half hour till he's going to be here to pick us up."
"Such a gentleman."
"He really is."
"Always knows the right things to say and when to just butt out."
"Like when he took me to his house that day, I had no clue what I was getting into by going with him. I guess I was so used to the people in my life either being all in my face or totally disconnected, I didn't know what to expect from him. I knew he was different."
"There's no one like Lucky."
"He told me that he'd let me just be by myself, which is what I wanted at first, or he'd stay with me. I asked him to stay. I don't know, there's something about him..."
"He makes you feel..."
"He makes you feel important, like not worthless, like you feel, you know?"
Emily nodded.
"I didn't think I'd be able to ever trust a man ever after what I've been through, but I trust Lucky with every ounce of me."
"Lucky loves you, Elizabeth."
"Do you really think so?"
Emily looked at Liz like she was crazy. "Of course!"
"I don't know..." Liz looked at Emily skeptically.
"Believe me, he does."
"Oh my gosh! He's going to be here in five minutes."
"I'm going to go make sure my make-up's okay," Em said, rushing to the bathroom.
Elizabeth stood up in front of her full length mirror. She turned again and watched her dress billow out around her; it was so beautiful.
Liz stood sideways to the mirror and held her dress tight against her and then let go of the dress, seeing how the dress hid her growing belly. She did this again and smiled, thinking of how great the dance would be with Lucky. She sensed someone standing behind her and she whipped around.
"Sarah," she said, seeing her sister's wide eyes and open mouth.
"E-Elizabeth, you-you're pregnant," she said in disbelief. Sarah turned, about to go downstairs.
"Where are you going?" Liz asked.
"I'm going to call Gram, she has to know about this."
"It's not what you think, Sarah."
"It is what I think, you and Lucky have been sleeping together, no wonder you spend so much time together."
"Sarah, that is so far from the truth," Elizabeth said in tears as the doorbell rang. "That's Lucky, I've got to go answer that."
"No, first you have to explain, if you want to explain, go ahead, now's your chance."
Emily came out into Elizabeth's room to see the sisters standing at the top of the stairs, Elizabeth trying to go down as Sarah grabbed her wrist, trying to make her stay upstairs.
"Let go of me!" Elizabeth yelled, pushing Sarah away from her, but losing her own balance. Emily rushed forward, attempting to catch Liz before she could fall, but she was too late. Sarah and Emily watched in horror as Elizabeth tumbled down the stairs and landed in a still heap at the bottom.
Rayne
Chapter 16
The buzz of the florescent lights was deafening as Lucky held Elizabeth's hand as she slept.
He thought back to what had happened the night before and still had trouble taking it all in.
Lucky had arrived at Elizabeth's right on time and heard raised voices within. He rang the doorbell and was expecting Liz or Emily to answer when he heard Elizabeth scream.
He yelled out her name and threw open the door to see Liz lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs. Lucky immediately rushed to her and then looked up the stairs to see Emily and Sarah frozen there.
"Elizabeth, oh my God, Elizabeth," Emily said quietly. "Lucky, is she alright? Tell me she's okay."
"Em, I don't know, go call 911, now!" Lucky told her, checking Liz's pulse and breathing. "Sarah, what happened?"
Sarah looked like she was in a trance, but broke out of it when Lucky addressed her. "Why don't you tell me what happened? Look at the mess my slutty little sister has gotten herself into. Is the baby your's? Did you get her pregnant?"
"Of course I'm not the father, Sarah. Can't you show just a little compassion, your sister just fell down the stairs and could very well lose her baby, she's been through more than enough already and does not need that to happen." Sarah ran into her room and slammed the door.
"Lucky, how many weeks is she?" Emily called from the kitchen.
"Only 30," he told her.
Emily came to Lucky's side a few minutes later. "The ambulance should be here any second. How's she doing?"
"Pretty well, I think, her pulse and breathing are strong."
"What about Rayne?"
"I-I don't know," he said. Both of them placed a hand on Elizabeth to feel for Rayne moving. Everything was completely silent as they waited.
"Lucky, she's not moving! Rayne's not moving, Lucky! She can't lose this baby, she just can't..." Emily sobbed. They could here sirens outside.
"Pull yourself together, Em, and go open the door," Lucky said, wiping a tear of his own away.
Lucky stepped back and watched silently as the EMTs put Elizabeth on a stretcher. Emily stood beside him and held his arm. They were asked who wanted to ride with her, but Lucky said he had to drive separately so that he could bring Emily.
After Elizabeth had been taken away, Lucky yelled up the stairs for Sarah.
Slowly her door opened and she stepped out into the hall. She had changed out of her dress. Her eyes darted around as she ascended the stairs.
"Are you coming?" Lucky demanded of her.
Sarah just slowly nodded and took her coat off the hook.
"Are you okay, Sarah?" Emily asked her.
Sarah nodded again and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, let's just get to the hospital."
They all went to the car. All three were silent as Lucky drove. Once there, the slammed the doors and ran to the ER.
Lucky rushed up to one of the nurses and asked, "I'm looking for a patient, brought in maybe a few minutes ago, Elizabeth Webber, do you know where she is?"
"Try Trauma 1," she said, rushing off.
Lucky was trailed by Emily and Sarah as he went down the hall to find Elizabeth. He peered through the window trying to see what was going on.
"Lucky, what's happening?" Emily asked him.
Lucky led the two girls over to a group of chairs and they all sat down.
"It looks like they've got her hooked up to monitors to see how the baby's doing, but other than that, I couldn't tell much of anything."
Sarah stood up, running her hands through her hair. "How am I going to be able to explain this to Gram?" she asked herself quietly.
At this, Lucky stood up and threw a magazine from a nearby table at the wall in frustration. "Damn you, Sarah, can't you even pretend to be worried about your sister? What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you? You've kept Lizzie's secret for all these months, how long have you known? It's amazing how she manages to get herself into colossal messes like this! Someday she'll grow up and learn how to take responsibility for her actions instead of hiding like she is now."
"Elizabeth is the strongest person I know, Sarah," Emily said quietly.
"She never did anything to deserve this and she's dealing with it the best way she knows how," Lucky told Sarah.
"Like Hell she didn't do anything to deserve this! Getting pregnant at her age is a choice, she made the wrong choice, it's her fault."
"Do you honestly think if she could've chosen this she would've? Rape is not a choice, not on the part of the victim. If you would've taken two seconds to pay attention to your sister maybe you could've helped her, but no, you didn't, and she went through years, Sarah, years of torture."
Sarah stood there, staring at him in shock. "Who-who would do that to her?"
"It was the guy she was staying last summer before coming here," Emily answered.
"That's why she followed me here?" Sarah asked.
"She had to get away from him, but it wasn't soon enough."
"Lucky Spencer?" a doctor asked, coming up to the three teens.
"Yes? How is Elizabeth?" he asked.
"I'm Dr. Chris Ramsey, Elizabeth's doing just fine, she has a nasty bump on her head from the fall and she's drifting in and out of consciousness, but she'll be okay."
"What about the baby?" he asked.
"They baby's not doing so great, she's in distress. Right now we've got two options: we can keep monitoring her and hope that she's okay, or we can deliver now. You said she's at 30 weeks?"
"Yes, she's due at the end of April."
"It would be tough, but we think the baby would have a better chance if we deliver now."
"What's her chance of survival?"
"The odds are against us. But they're even worse if we don't get this baby born soon."
"Dr. Ramsey, the baby's heart rate is dropping," a nurse called from across the hall.
"Just do whatever you can to save Rayne," Lucky said.
"I'll do my best," Chris said, going back to Elizabeth.
Emily gave Lucky a hug and tried to assure him that Rayne would be all right.
He shrugged her off of him and said, "Sarah, go try to find your Gram, I know they're paging her all over the hospital, but it's obviously not working.
Lucky turned away from Emily and Sarah as he headed towards the exit. Emily yelled out at him, asking where he was going, but he didn't stop. He pushed open the doors and stood in the cold and looked up at the sky as the rain poured down, soaking his tuxedo. He dropped down on his knees and he prayed.
Rayne
Chapter 17
"Lucky?" Emily said quietly, joining him outside a while later.
Lucky ran a hand through his wet hair and trembled as he turned to face his friend. "How is she?"
Emily placed a soothing hand on Lucky's arm as she told him, "Elizabeth's been taken up to her own room, Dr. Ramsey said she should be awake within a few hours."
"Rayne?" he could barely choke out the baby's name.
"Lucky, she's fine."
"Really?"
"I saw her when they took her out of the ER. For right now she's on a ventilator, but Dr. Ramsey said they should be able to take her off of it tomorrow if everything goes okay."
"Did Sarah find Audrey?"
Emily nodded, "Audrey's with Elizabeth now."
"She must be so confused."
"She's a bit shocked, to say the least."
"What about Lucy? Did anyone call her?"
"Lucy and Kevin are on their way."
"I need to see Rayne before they get here."
"I understand, I'll go with you up to NICU."
Emily put her arm around Lucky as they walked back into the hospital.
* * *
"She's so tiny," Lucky said as he and Emily peered through the window of the room Rayne was in.
A nurse saw them standing there and asked if they'd like to come get a closer look. They of course said they would and she helped outfit them to come in.
"Do you have a name picked out for your daughter yet?" the nurse asked.
"Oh, I'm not her father, I'm a friend of her mother, but yes, she does have a name."
"What is it? I'll write it on the card."
"Rayne Elizabeth Collins."
Lucky and Emily watched Rayne sleep for a few minutes.
"We better go see if Lucy's here yet," Emily said.
Lucky nodded in agreement, and turned to Rayne before leaving and said, "Sleep well, angel."
Out in the hall, Lucky told Emily, "I've got to go see Elizabeth, if Lucy's here, could you take care of her?"
"Yeah, sure, Lucky," Emily said. She told him Liz's room number and headed down to the lobby.
* * *
"Mrs. Hardy?" Lucky said, coming into Elizabeth's room.
"Oh, Lucky," she said, turning around.
"How's she doing?"
"Resting peacefully," she told him. "I just wish she would have come to me about this."
"Could I have some time alone with her?" he asked.
"Of course, I'll be outside with Sarah if you need me," Audrey said, leaving the room.
Lucky sat in the chair beside the bed and took Liz's hand.
* * *
"Emily!" Lucy yelled as she caught sight of her. "Emily, where is she?"
"Who? Elizabeth or the baby?"
"Rayne. Elizabeth. Both, whatever! Are they okay?" Lucy said, near hysteria.
"Lucy, you have got to calm down," Emily said.
"That's what I've been trying to tell her the whole way over here," Kevin said, catching up to her.
"Lucy, they're both fine, okay?"
"Really?" Lucy asked. Emily nodded. "Doc, they're okay, everything's going to be alright."
"Do you want to go see Rayne?" Emily asked.
"What do you think? Of course we want to see our baby!"
Emily took them up to NICU and pointed out Rayne.
The same nurse from earlier came out into the hall. "Another group of visitors for Miss Rayne? She sure is the popular one around here."
"Lucy and Kevin are going to adopt Rayne," Emily explained.
"Then I guess that makes you the lucky little girl's parents, do you want to come in?" the nurse asked them.
Lucy nodded enthusiastically.
Once inside, Kevin and Lucy hovered over top of her. Lucy pointed as she counted fingers and toes.
"She's a miracle," Lucy said, her eyes brimming over.
* * *
Lucky woke up several hours later, still holding Elizabeth's hand. This is where he found himself now, in almost complete silence, watching as the sunlight began to peek in from behind the curtains.
Rayne
Chapter 18
Lucky stood up and walked to the window. He drew back the curtains and let the sun pour into the room. How different this morning was from the night before, the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.
"Lucky?" Elizabeth whispered.
He turned back towards her quickly and was by her side instantly. "Elizabeth, how do you feel?"
"Besides hurting just about all over, and this pounding head, not too bad," she forced a smile. "What happened?"
"When I got to your house last night, you and Sarah were arguing," Lucky started.
Liz nodded, "I remember...and then we were at the top of the steps and I stepped back to get away from her and I lost my balance...she reached for me to try and catch me, but she couldn't...and then I guess I hit my head, because I don't remember after that."
"It was a pretty bad fall, I heard you scream and I came in to see you lying at the foot of the stairs."
A look of terror froze in Elizabeth's eyes. "Lucky, where's my baby? Where's Rayne?"
"She was in distress, Dr. Ramsey had to deliver her."
"Lucky, what's wrong?" she asked, interrupting him. "What aren't you telling me? Is she okay? Oh, my God, Lucky, she didn't make it, did she?" By now Liz was sitting up and trying to get out of bed.
"Shhhh," Lucky said, taking hold of her hands and forcing her to lie down. "Elizabeth," he smiled, "she's perfectly fine. She's a fighter. She's three pounds, 2 ounces, and she's 15 inches long."
Elizabeth took a deep breath, calming herself. "Have you seen her?"
He nodded, "Yeah, a couple of hours ago, then I came up here with you."
"When can I see her?"
"I can go ask for you," Lucky said.
"Could you, please?"
"Of course," he said, bending over to give her a soft kiss on her forehead.
He closed the door quietly behind him. Audrey and Sarah were sitting in the hall and Audrey immediately asked how her granddaughter was. Lucky assured her that Liz was okay.
As Lucky was about to go down the hall, Sarah spoke to him, breaking her near catatonic looking trance. "Lucky, can I see my sister?" she whispered.
"Sarah, you know, I don't think that's really a good idea," Lucky told her.
She looked up at him as a single tear rolled down her cheek, "Please."
Lucky sighed and said, "Just don't upset her, okay? And I'll be back in just a few minutes, so make it quick."
She mouthed the words "thank you" to him and stood up to go to Liz's room. Lucky headed to the elevator to check on Rayne and find Dr. Ramsey.
"That was quick," Liz said as Sarah opened the door. Seeing that it was her sister, not Lucky, she quickly said, "Oh, sorry, hi Sarah."
"Hi, Lizzie," was all Sarah said as she came over and sat by the bed.
Sarah bowed her head, trying to hide her tears. They fell in puddles on her lap.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
Sarah waited a few moments before replying. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie," she choked, tears streaming down her face.
"It's okay, Sarah, I'm fine, and Lucky said Rayne's doing well, it's okay," she said, taking her sister's hand.
"No, no, it's not," Sarah insisted, standing up. "This shouldn't have happened."
"I know it shouldn't have, I should have told you and Gram months ago about Rayne and what happened to me. But, I didn't, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
"I should have known there was something wrong with you, I should have seen it."
"Sarah, I did my best to hide it, that's not your fault."
"But what happened shouldn't have happened to you."
"You can't possibly blame yourself for what some sick man did to me."
"Yes, I can, I should have realized it and I should have stopped it. I'm your sister, Lizzie, I should know you well enough to know that this had been happening."
"There was no way you could have known, Sarah, please don't blame yourself."
"I could have stopped it, but I was too afraid to stand up for myself, I could have put an end to it before he hurt you."
"What are you saying Sarah?"
"Don't you think there's a reason I didn't want to go there last summer? Don't you think I had reasons for begging Mom and Dad to let me come live with Gram?"
"What do you mean?"
Sitting back in the chair and trying to dry her face, Sarah looked straight into her sister's eyes as she told her, "He did it to me, too."
* * *
Lucky looked in through the window in NICU to see Kevin and Lucy standing over Rayne. As soon as they saw him, they came out into the hall.
"How is she?" Lucky asked them.
"She's doing great, Lucky, she's perfect," Lucy gushed.
"You two must be really happy to have your daughter."
"We are," Kevin said, putting his arm around Lucy.
"Well, um, I was just coming by to check on her, I have to go find Dr. Ramsey."
"Is something wrong with Elizabeth?" Lucy asked.
"No, no, she just wants to see Rayne."
"Oh, then I guess we'll see you and Liz a while later?"
"Yeah, hopefully Dr. Ramsey will let her come up here, if you'll excuse me," Lucky said, heading off down the hall.
* * *
"What?" Liz asked, in shock.
"You weren't the only one, he did it to me, too," Sarah said.
"How-how come you never told me?"
"How come you never told me?"
"Point taken."
"All the tortures you've been through, I know exactly what you mean, I've been through them."
"I'm so sorry, Sarah."
"No, I'm the one who's sorry, sorry that you had to suffer and sorry that I didn't stop it. All I'd of had to do was speak up, if I'd of had the courage to do that, he could've been stopped a long time ago and maybe you wouldn't have been hurt."
"Sarah, please don't blame yourself."
"I know, I know...It's just I know I could have stopped him and I didn't."
"And so could have I. Twelve years and I never stepped forward about it."
"I just wish he would pay for what he did."
"Come here, Sarah," Elizabeth told her sister.
Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed. Elizabeth motioned for her to come closer so that she could give her a hug. Lucky walked in to see this; he cleared his throat to make his presence known.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay, Sarah and I just came to an understanding," Elizabeth said.
"Well, I guess that's good," he said.
"Um, Lizzie, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and get some of your things for you," Sarah said.
"Thanks, that'd be great."
"Knock, knock," Chris said, opening the door. "Your chariot awaits." He rolled in a wheelchair.
"I can go see Rayne?" Liz asked, excited.
"That's right," he said, helping his patient into the chair. Bending down to her level Chris said, "Now, I want to tell you about what to expect. Because she was in distress, we had to put her on a ventilator, but we do hope to take her off that later today or tomorrow. She has IVs in her umbilical veins and she's pretty small. It might all look kind of scary at first, but I assure you, she's very strong and she's doing extremely well. Do you have any questions for me?"
Liz shook her head.
"Ok, then, next stop: NICU," Chris said.
* * *
Lucky and Liz were outside NICU, ready to go in. Dr. Ramsey had left them to go check on another patient.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Lucky asked her.
"I thought you gave up this 'am I sure' stuff months ago. You know once I say I'm doing something, I'm doing it, and I'm going to go in there and see my little girl," Elizabeth said.
"I really do love that about you," he said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Now, c'mon, push this chair in there so I can see that baby," she said with a smile.
They went in and saw that Kevin and Lucy were still standing over Rayne.
"Have you left her side yet?" Liz said.
"Elizabeth!" Lucy nearly yelled, running over to her and bending down to give Liz a hug. "Thank you, thank you so much."
Liz just smiled and looked up nervously at Lucky. He pushed her closer to where Rayne laid and stopped. She took his arm and used him for support as she stood up. Everyone was silent as Elizabeth watched Rayne for several minutes.
"I-I just realized how important that decision was that I made that night at your house last fall," Elizabeth said quietly. "I chose to give this little girl her life and I was able to make your dream, Kevin and Lucy, your dream come true. It's amazing that out of something so awful, something so wonderful can come. She's a miracle."
Rayne
Chapter 19
''Liz?'' Kevin asked, opening the door to her room the next day.
''Kevin! Hi,'' Liz said.
Seeing that Sarah was in there talking to Liz, he said, ''If this is a bad time, I can come back later.''
''No, this is fine,'' she told him.
''Well, I was just wondering if you needed to talk, have a session after all that's happened,'' he said.
''Oh, okay, I'd like that,'' she said.
''I guess I'll leave, then,'' Sarah offered.
''Actually, Sarah, if you could stay, I'd like you to,'' Liz told her.
''Um, okay,'' she said, sitting back down, looking slightly nervous.
''How is Rayne doing? I'm sure you've been with her since last night,'' Liz said to Kevin.
''She's doing great, Dr. Ramsey said he'd take her off the respirator today.''
''That's great.''
''Are things good between you and Sarah, now? I was kind of surprised that you asked her to stay,'' Kevin said.
''We've, um, reached an understanding, common ground,'' Elizabeth said, taking hold of her sister's hand.
''Lizzie never told me what had happened to her,'' Sarah told Kevin. ''I just wish I would've known sooner.''
''Yes, Liz and I had talked about that, she really did want to tell you and your grandmother.''
''But she didn't, and that can't be changed. None of this can be changed,'' Sarah said, breaking down in tears again.
Kevin handed Sarah a box of tissues off the table. ''Do you mean about what went on between you and Elizabeth when she fell?''
Sarah nodded, ''Yes, but that's not all. None of this should've happened. Lizzie shouldn't have been hurt like that at all. I should have stopped him. I should've recognized that something was wrong.''
''It isn't always that easy to see that someone has been abused, Sarah, you aren't to blame here,'' Kevin told her.
''I know it isn't my fault that he is the kind of monster who would do this to an innocent girl, but it is my fault for not stopping it. I could have kept him from hurting Lizzie. Kevin, don't you see, he hurt me, too.''
As Sarah collapsed onto Liz's shoulder in tears, Kevin eyed Elizabeth.
''She told me yesterday,'' she said to him, quietly.
''I-I just want him to pay for this, he shouldn't be out there walking around, completely free, he has to be punished,'' Sarah said, frantically wiping her face.
''What do you think of that, Liz?'' Kevin asked her.
''He really does, he needs to be punished.''
''Well, I talked to my friend Mac about this, he's the police commissioner here, you know,'' he said to the sisters, sitting on the side of the bed.
''Kevin, you promised, you and Lucy both, that you wouldn't-''
''Relax, I set it all up to him in a hypothetical situation, no names or anything. He said that he can take a signed statement from you, or both of you, and with the evidence of what he has done, he will be put away for a good long time.''
''What do you mean by evidence?'' Liz asked him.
''Well, the baby, of course. The most solid evidence of rape is a child. Even if there is no proof that he forcefully had sex with you, a simple paternity test can prove that he is indeed Rayne's father, and him having sex with a minor is against the law.''
''So we wouldn't have to testify at all?'' Sarah asked.
''Not so far as I can see, your testimonies would be in a written form, and that would be the end of it for you.''
''When can we do it?'' Liz asked.
''Today if you'd like, I can call Mac over now.''
''Thank you, Kevin,'' Liz said, hugging him. ''For everything.''
All three turned towards the door as they heard someone knocking.
''Come in,'' Liz said.
''Dr. Ramsey took Rayne off the ventilator a few minutes ago,'' Lucky said as he entered. ''I thought you'd like to know.''
''Is she doing alright?'' Liz asked him.
''Yeah, of course,'' he said. ''Lucy's still up there with her. Do you want to go visit her some more? Dr. Ramsey said that it's okay to hold her now, Lucy's getting pretty antsy up there, but she wants you to be the first one to hold her.''
''Of course, I'd love to get to hold her,'' Liz said, starting to get up.
''Ah-ah, you know the rules,'' Kevin said, making sure she sat down. Lucky went out in the hall to get her a wheelchair.
Once Liz was situated, all four went up to NICU to see Rayne.
When they got up there, they all saw Lucy still hovering over Rayne's incubator.
''She hasn't left her side, has she?'' Liz asked Kevin.
''Not for a moment,'' he said as they went in through the door.
''How's she doing?'' Liz asked Lucy and Dr. Ramsey.
''She's perfectly fine,'' Chris told her. ''We took her off the ventilator with no problems.''
''Dr. Ramsey asked if I'd like to hold her, but I said that you should be the first,'' Lucy said.
''Well, um, thank you, Lucy,'' she said, not really knowing what to say.
Chris carefully wrapped Rayne in a blanket and lifted her slowly out of the incubator. As he placed the tiny baby in Liz's arms, he told her, ''Just be careful of the IVs, and keep her wrapped in the blanket, she'll be fine. I'll be back in a little while.''
As Liz stared in amazement at the precious baby in her arms, Kevin and Lucy quietly slipped out, leaving Liz and Lucky alone with Rayne.
Lucky knelt down by Liz's chair. ''You know, I think she looks like you.''
''Really?''
''Yeah, sure, her eyes, they're definitely your's.''
''Hmm...I think you have a point.''
''What do you think she'll be when she grows up?''
''Hardly out of the womb and you're wondering about what she'll do in twenty years?''
''Never too soon to start planning.''
''Maybe she'll be a singer, or an actress.''
''Or an artist, or a teacher, this girl is going to have brains, I can see that now, and beauty, like you.''
Liz smiled and smoothed the blanket around Rayne's face. She knew letting Lucy have her baby would be hard, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
Rayne Chapter 20
''So?'' Lucy said, jittering with delight, as she showed Liz the nursery that she and Kevin had made for Rayne. ''Do you like it?''
''Oh, Lucy, I love it, it's perfect,'' Liz smiled.
''I know, it's a little pink and frilly, but she is a little girl, so that's allowed, right? I'm just so excited!''
''I know you are, I can't believe she can finally come home,'' Liz said.
''There's just a few things left to do, do you want to help, or do you have somewhere to go?''
''No, I'm not busy, I'd love to help.''
''I hadn't put anything in the crib yet because I didn't want it to collect dust before she came home to it, it's all in the box underneath of the crib.''
Liz bent down and pulled the box out and opened it.
She slowly took the blanket out and fingered the delicate lace edging on it. Elizabeth gently lay the blanket over the side of the crib and then helped Lucy tie the padding that goes around the inside of the bed.
''I've got one more thing to bring out,'' Lucy said. ''But I can do that later, it's okay. You probably need to rest.''
''No, I'm fine, I'll help,'' Liz said. ''What is it?''
''It's just a few boxes of clothes that need to go in the drawers, I can get them, they don't need to be done now, they're just in the closet right now.''
''Don't be silly, I want to help,'' Liz said, going to the closet and taking out the top box. She sat down in front of the dresser and started placing the things in the drawers. Lucy stood back for a moment and just watched her. She then held her breath as she saw Liz holding up a small dress and just staring at it. She could tell that she was trying her hardest to hold back tears.
Lucy knelt down at Liz's side and placed her hands on her shoulders.
''Oh, Lucy, I'm sorry,'' she said, quickly wiping the tears that had formed in her eyes.
''No, sweetie, it's perfectly fine,'' Lucy said. ''You go ahead and cry, I understand.''
''I'm sorry, I mean, it's not just about me and Rayne, I noticed, some of these clothes look pretty old, you've had these for a while, haven't you? I can tell they're not hand-me-downs, they're perfectly new.''
''You're right, I have had them for years, you know, there's been a few times, too many times, when I thought I was going to have a baby of my own, and I'd bought some things then, and I could never bear to get rid of anything.''
''I can understand that.''
''In fact, the night that Rayne was born, Kevin found me upstairs with some of these things out and I was just bawling, so, please, go ahead and cry all that you want.''
''Thank you, Lucy,'' Liz said, hugging her. ''Lately it seems I just can't thank everyone enough for everything they've done for me.''
''Lucy!'' they heard Kevin call from downstairs. ''Lucy, where are you?''
''I'm up in the nursery, with Liz, what is it?'' Lucy yelled back.
They heard Kevin running up the stairs and down the hall into the nursery.
''I just got a call from Mac,'' he said, out of breath.
''Oh my gosh, did the judge some back with his decision?'' Liz asked, gasping.
Kevin nodded. ''Yes, he did.''
''What, what is it?'' Liz asked, anxious.
''With your's and Sarah's statements, and the evidence with the two abortions and Rayne, and his own two children's accounts of his actions—''
''His own kids? This guy is even sicker than we thought!'' Lucy said.
''His younger daughter was one of my best friends,'' Liz said, hardly able to believe it.
Kevin continued, ''the judge came back with his ruling earlier today, it was possible that he'd be lenient because he did plead guilty to most of the charges, but the judge didn't go easy on him at all, he convicted him of all of the charges and gave him the maximum penalty on all, with no chance of parole, Liz, he won't be able to hurt you or anyone ever again, he'll be in prison for the rest of his life.''
''Oh!'' Liz said, her hands covering her face. ''Kevin, thank you so much! He would have never paid for what he did if it wasn't for you!'' She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.
''It was you and Sarah who made the decision to come forward about it all, I just helped get you in touch with the right people.''
''Hey, um, hate to break up this party,'' Lucy said. ''But we're supposed to be at the hospital soon to get Rayne.''
''Oh, gosh, I hadn't realized it was so late,'' Liz said.
''Do you want to come with us?'' Kevin asked her.
''Yeah, I'd appreciate a ride there, Lucky said he'd meet me there and he can drive me home when you bring Rayne back here.''
''Okay, that sounds great, let's go,'' Lucy said, seeming a little bit jittery.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucky and Elizabeth watched from outside the NICU as two nurses were giving Kevin and Lucy a final rundown on things for Rayne.
''I really am proud of you, Elizabeth,'' Lucky said to her.
Liz smiled, ''I like how you say it.''
''Say what?''
'''Elizabeth', it's like, well, I'm not 'Lizzie' the scared little girl anymore. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be that little girl.''
''No, I don't think so, remember, you were the one who told me to wait, to stay with you, and it was your decision to let me in.''
''But I probably never would have if you hadn't been so insistent on finding out what was going on.''
''If you hadn't been so insistent on making your presence known to me at the beginning of this year, I might have never known you existed.''
Liz laughed, ''You followed me into the girl's bathroom just to find out what was wrong with me, some girl you hardly even knew.''
''I sure am glad I took that chance,'' he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
''So am I,'' she said, kissing him.
They turned around as Kevin and Lucy came out of the NICU carrying Rayne. Liz held Rayne one more time before Kevin and Lucy took her home and then said good-bye, and thanked Kevin and Lucy again.
Lucky held Elizabeth in his arms as they watched Kevin and Lucy walk down the hall and out of their sight. Elizabeth didn't move for several minutes afterward.
''Hey, you think we should get going, now? Maybe get some dinner at Kelly's?'' Lucky suggested.
''Yeah, that'd be great,'' Liz said, wiping away a tear.
They walked hand in hand down the hall to the elevator and then out to the door.
Lucky and Elizabeth smiled at each other as they walked outside, into the rain.
*The End*
Chapter 15
"Lucy, I'm home," Kevin called as he entered the Lighthouse after being at the hospital all day. She didn't answer, so he called her name again. He still didn't hear anything, so he started walking around the Lighthouse. He finally found her in an upstairs bedroom, her back to the door and open boxes surrounding her.
"Lucy?" he said again.
She jumped up and turned around, putting what was in her lap back in the box and wiping away a tear. "Kevin, when did you get home?" she asked.
"Just a few minutes ago. What are you doing up here?"
"Um," she said, biting her lip. "Just looking at some stuff."
Kevin walked across the room to her. "The things we bought for the baby."
"Yeah, Doc. It feels like..."
"It feels like a lifetime ago."
"Rather than just last summer."
"Why don't you come downstairs?"
"In a little bit. I thought we could bring some of these things down to the room that will be Rayne's."
"We still have a few months till the nursery has to be done. You've obviously upset yourself by looking at these things, why don't you come down and relax for a bit?"
"I'm okay, Doc, I promise."
He looked at her skeptically.
"I was just looking through some clothes I'd bought for our baby last year. That kid was going to be the best dressed infant in Port Charles."
"I hear a 'but' in there," Kevin said.
Lucy smiled. "But that of course made think of everything we lost when we lost our baby."
"But what about what we're gaining now?"
"I guess so."
"We were here when Liz needed us and now we're going to have a family, just like we've always wanted," Kevin said, taking Lucy's hand.
"It's about time."
"It feels right, now. Everything was pretty crazy back then, it seems to have calmed down a bit now. This feels so right."
"It does, everything is really really perfect. Come the end of April, we'll be a mommy and a daddy, just liked we've dreamed of being."
"Which brings us to another subject: the adoption," Kevin said.
"What about it?"
"I talked to Scott earlier about it."
"What did he say?"
"He said we should have no trouble adopting Rayne. Under normal circumstances, we would have to have the consent of the father, but since Elizabeth was abused and raped, we should be able to adopt her without the consent of the father."
"That's good."
"It is, I don't think that Liz is ready to confront the man who did this to her."
"I think she could, but she thinks she can't, she's a lot stronger than she gives herself credit for."
"She's taking things one step at a time."
"Do you think there's a way that this guy can be punished for what he did to Liz without her having to go through the trial?"
"It might be possible. I could ask Mac if she could sign a statement of what he did."
"She'd probably really like some closure to the whole nightmare."
"I'm sure she would."
"I couldn't imagine..."
"What I can't imagine is what makes a person do that to an innocent child. My own mother...at least Liz hasn't turned out like Ryan."
"How do you think she's doing?"
"She's doing remarkably well, she seems very composed and calm, but that may all be a front she puts on in front of us."
"She's doing her best to be strong."
"Hey, okay, enough talking about all this, I happen to know that there's a Valentine's day surprise planned for the two of us."
"By you?"
"Of course. Now, let's go downstairs and find out what it is." "Okay," Lucy smiled, following him.
* * *
"Tonight's going to be awesome," Emily said as she held a curling iron over Liz's head that evening.
"Em! Pay attention to what you're doing! Please don't burn me!" Liz told her.
"Okay!" Emily laughed, making another ringlet.
"So, you did get a date for the dance?"
"Yep. I'm meeting him there."
"Who is it?"
"This guy from my sociology class, Chris."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, we're friends, just friends, he's cool."
"Well, I guess I'll meet him later, see if I approve," Liz grinned.
Emily swatted at her friend, who quickly ducked.
"Stay still, I'm almost done," Emily told her.
Elizabeth sat perfectly still while Emily finished curling her hair.
"There, finished," she said.
Liz turned to look in the mirror. "Wow, Em, it looks great! Thanks!"
"Now, go put on that gorgeous dress Lucky bought you and we'll be all ready. It's layed out on your bed."
Liz brought the dress into the bathroom and Emily waited in her room.
A few minutes later, Em heard Liz call, "Hey, Em! Zipper help needed!"
Emily laughed and jumped up off the bed to help Elizabeth. Afterwards, Liz came out into the room and turned around in a circle.
"I feel like a princess," she beamed.
"You look like one. Lucky seems to have that effect on you."
"Lucky's the greatest," she said, looking at the clock. "We still have a half hour till he's going to be here to pick us up."
"Such a gentleman."
"He really is."
"Always knows the right things to say and when to just butt out."
"Like when he took me to his house that day, I had no clue what I was getting into by going with him. I guess I was so used to the people in my life either being all in my face or totally disconnected, I didn't know what to expect from him. I knew he was different."
"There's no one like Lucky."
"He told me that he'd let me just be by myself, which is what I wanted at first, or he'd stay with me. I asked him to stay. I don't know, there's something about him..."
"He makes you feel..."
"He makes you feel important, like not worthless, like you feel, you know?"
Emily nodded.
"I didn't think I'd be able to ever trust a man ever after what I've been through, but I trust Lucky with every ounce of me."
"Lucky loves you, Elizabeth."
"Do you really think so?"
Emily looked at Liz like she was crazy. "Of course!"
"I don't know..." Liz looked at Emily skeptically.
"Believe me, he does."
"Oh my gosh! He's going to be here in five minutes."
"I'm going to go make sure my make-up's okay," Em said, rushing to the bathroom.
Elizabeth stood up in front of her full length mirror. She turned again and watched her dress billow out around her; it was so beautiful.
Liz stood sideways to the mirror and held her dress tight against her and then let go of the dress, seeing how the dress hid her growing belly. She did this again and smiled, thinking of how great the dance would be with Lucky. She sensed someone standing behind her and she whipped around.
"Sarah," she said, seeing her sister's wide eyes and open mouth.
"E-Elizabeth, you-you're pregnant," she said in disbelief. Sarah turned, about to go downstairs.
"Where are you going?" Liz asked.
"I'm going to call Gram, she has to know about this."
"It's not what you think, Sarah."
"It is what I think, you and Lucky have been sleeping together, no wonder you spend so much time together."
"Sarah, that is so far from the truth," Elizabeth said in tears as the doorbell rang. "That's Lucky, I've got to go answer that."
"No, first you have to explain, if you want to explain, go ahead, now's your chance."
Emily came out into Elizabeth's room to see the sisters standing at the top of the stairs, Elizabeth trying to go down as Sarah grabbed her wrist, trying to make her stay upstairs.
"Let go of me!" Elizabeth yelled, pushing Sarah away from her, but losing her own balance. Emily rushed forward, attempting to catch Liz before she could fall, but she was too late. Sarah and Emily watched in horror as Elizabeth tumbled down the stairs and landed in a still heap at the bottom.
Rayne
Chapter 16
The buzz of the florescent lights was deafening as Lucky held Elizabeth's hand as she slept.
He thought back to what had happened the night before and still had trouble taking it all in.
Lucky had arrived at Elizabeth's right on time and heard raised voices within. He rang the doorbell and was expecting Liz or Emily to answer when he heard Elizabeth scream.
He yelled out her name and threw open the door to see Liz lying motionless at the bottom of the stairs. Lucky immediately rushed to her and then looked up the stairs to see Emily and Sarah frozen there.
"Elizabeth, oh my God, Elizabeth," Emily said quietly. "Lucky, is she alright? Tell me she's okay."
"Em, I don't know, go call 911, now!" Lucky told her, checking Liz's pulse and breathing. "Sarah, what happened?"
Sarah looked like she was in a trance, but broke out of it when Lucky addressed her. "Why don't you tell me what happened? Look at the mess my slutty little sister has gotten herself into. Is the baby your's? Did you get her pregnant?"
"Of course I'm not the father, Sarah. Can't you show just a little compassion, your sister just fell down the stairs and could very well lose her baby, she's been through more than enough already and does not need that to happen." Sarah ran into her room and slammed the door.
"Lucky, how many weeks is she?" Emily called from the kitchen.
"Only 30," he told her.
Emily came to Lucky's side a few minutes later. "The ambulance should be here any second. How's she doing?"
"Pretty well, I think, her pulse and breathing are strong."
"What about Rayne?"
"I-I don't know," he said. Both of them placed a hand on Elizabeth to feel for Rayne moving. Everything was completely silent as they waited.
"Lucky, she's not moving! Rayne's not moving, Lucky! She can't lose this baby, she just can't..." Emily sobbed. They could here sirens outside.
"Pull yourself together, Em, and go open the door," Lucky said, wiping a tear of his own away.
Lucky stepped back and watched silently as the EMTs put Elizabeth on a stretcher. Emily stood beside him and held his arm. They were asked who wanted to ride with her, but Lucky said he had to drive separately so that he could bring Emily.
After Elizabeth had been taken away, Lucky yelled up the stairs for Sarah.
Slowly her door opened and she stepped out into the hall. She had changed out of her dress. Her eyes darted around as she ascended the stairs.
"Are you coming?" Lucky demanded of her.
Sarah just slowly nodded and took her coat off the hook.
"Are you okay, Sarah?" Emily asked her.
Sarah nodded again and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, let's just get to the hospital."
They all went to the car. All three were silent as Lucky drove. Once there, the slammed the doors and ran to the ER.
Lucky rushed up to one of the nurses and asked, "I'm looking for a patient, brought in maybe a few minutes ago, Elizabeth Webber, do you know where she is?"
"Try Trauma 1," she said, rushing off.
Lucky was trailed by Emily and Sarah as he went down the hall to find Elizabeth. He peered through the window trying to see what was going on.
"Lucky, what's happening?" Emily asked him.
Lucky led the two girls over to a group of chairs and they all sat down.
"It looks like they've got her hooked up to monitors to see how the baby's doing, but other than that, I couldn't tell much of anything."
Sarah stood up, running her hands through her hair. "How am I going to be able to explain this to Gram?" she asked herself quietly.
At this, Lucky stood up and threw a magazine from a nearby table at the wall in frustration. "Damn you, Sarah, can't you even pretend to be worried about your sister? What is wrong with you?"
"What is wrong with you? You've kept Lizzie's secret for all these months, how long have you known? It's amazing how she manages to get herself into colossal messes like this! Someday she'll grow up and learn how to take responsibility for her actions instead of hiding like she is now."
"Elizabeth is the strongest person I know, Sarah," Emily said quietly.
"She never did anything to deserve this and she's dealing with it the best way she knows how," Lucky told Sarah.
"Like Hell she didn't do anything to deserve this! Getting pregnant at her age is a choice, she made the wrong choice, it's her fault."
"Do you honestly think if she could've chosen this she would've? Rape is not a choice, not on the part of the victim. If you would've taken two seconds to pay attention to your sister maybe you could've helped her, but no, you didn't, and she went through years, Sarah, years of torture."
Sarah stood there, staring at him in shock. "Who-who would do that to her?"
"It was the guy she was staying last summer before coming here," Emily answered.
"That's why she followed me here?" Sarah asked.
"She had to get away from him, but it wasn't soon enough."
"Lucky Spencer?" a doctor asked, coming up to the three teens.
"Yes? How is Elizabeth?" he asked.
"I'm Dr. Chris Ramsey, Elizabeth's doing just fine, she has a nasty bump on her head from the fall and she's drifting in and out of consciousness, but she'll be okay."
"What about the baby?" he asked.
"They baby's not doing so great, she's in distress. Right now we've got two options: we can keep monitoring her and hope that she's okay, or we can deliver now. You said she's at 30 weeks?"
"Yes, she's due at the end of April."
"It would be tough, but we think the baby would have a better chance if we deliver now."
"What's her chance of survival?"
"The odds are against us. But they're even worse if we don't get this baby born soon."
"Dr. Ramsey, the baby's heart rate is dropping," a nurse called from across the hall.
"Just do whatever you can to save Rayne," Lucky said.
"I'll do my best," Chris said, going back to Elizabeth.
Emily gave Lucky a hug and tried to assure him that Rayne would be all right.
He shrugged her off of him and said, "Sarah, go try to find your Gram, I know they're paging her all over the hospital, but it's obviously not working.
Lucky turned away from Emily and Sarah as he headed towards the exit. Emily yelled out at him, asking where he was going, but he didn't stop. He pushed open the doors and stood in the cold and looked up at the sky as the rain poured down, soaking his tuxedo. He dropped down on his knees and he prayed.
Rayne
Chapter 17
"Lucky?" Emily said quietly, joining him outside a while later.
Lucky ran a hand through his wet hair and trembled as he turned to face his friend. "How is she?"
Emily placed a soothing hand on Lucky's arm as she told him, "Elizabeth's been taken up to her own room, Dr. Ramsey said she should be awake within a few hours."
"Rayne?" he could barely choke out the baby's name.
"Lucky, she's fine."
"Really?"
"I saw her when they took her out of the ER. For right now she's on a ventilator, but Dr. Ramsey said they should be able to take her off of it tomorrow if everything goes okay."
"Did Sarah find Audrey?"
Emily nodded, "Audrey's with Elizabeth now."
"She must be so confused."
"She's a bit shocked, to say the least."
"What about Lucy? Did anyone call her?"
"Lucy and Kevin are on their way."
"I need to see Rayne before they get here."
"I understand, I'll go with you up to NICU."
Emily put her arm around Lucky as they walked back into the hospital.
* * *
"She's so tiny," Lucky said as he and Emily peered through the window of the room Rayne was in.
A nurse saw them standing there and asked if they'd like to come get a closer look. They of course said they would and she helped outfit them to come in.
"Do you have a name picked out for your daughter yet?" the nurse asked.
"Oh, I'm not her father, I'm a friend of her mother, but yes, she does have a name."
"What is it? I'll write it on the card."
"Rayne Elizabeth Collins."
Lucky and Emily watched Rayne sleep for a few minutes.
"We better go see if Lucy's here yet," Emily said.
Lucky nodded in agreement, and turned to Rayne before leaving and said, "Sleep well, angel."
Out in the hall, Lucky told Emily, "I've got to go see Elizabeth, if Lucy's here, could you take care of her?"
"Yeah, sure, Lucky," Emily said. She told him Liz's room number and headed down to the lobby.
* * *
"Mrs. Hardy?" Lucky said, coming into Elizabeth's room.
"Oh, Lucky," she said, turning around.
"How's she doing?"
"Resting peacefully," she told him. "I just wish she would have come to me about this."
"Could I have some time alone with her?" he asked.
"Of course, I'll be outside with Sarah if you need me," Audrey said, leaving the room.
Lucky sat in the chair beside the bed and took Liz's hand.
* * *
"Emily!" Lucy yelled as she caught sight of her. "Emily, where is she?"
"Who? Elizabeth or the baby?"
"Rayne. Elizabeth. Both, whatever! Are they okay?" Lucy said, near hysteria.
"Lucy, you have got to calm down," Emily said.
"That's what I've been trying to tell her the whole way over here," Kevin said, catching up to her.
"Lucy, they're both fine, okay?"
"Really?" Lucy asked. Emily nodded. "Doc, they're okay, everything's going to be alright."
"Do you want to go see Rayne?" Emily asked.
"What do you think? Of course we want to see our baby!"
Emily took them up to NICU and pointed out Rayne.
The same nurse from earlier came out into the hall. "Another group of visitors for Miss Rayne? She sure is the popular one around here."
"Lucy and Kevin are going to adopt Rayne," Emily explained.
"Then I guess that makes you the lucky little girl's parents, do you want to come in?" the nurse asked them.
Lucy nodded enthusiastically.
Once inside, Kevin and Lucy hovered over top of her. Lucy pointed as she counted fingers and toes.
"She's a miracle," Lucy said, her eyes brimming over.
* * *
Lucky woke up several hours later, still holding Elizabeth's hand. This is where he found himself now, in almost complete silence, watching as the sunlight began to peek in from behind the curtains.
Rayne
Chapter 18
Lucky stood up and walked to the window. He drew back the curtains and let the sun pour into the room. How different this morning was from the night before, the sky was clear, not a cloud in sight.
"Lucky?" Elizabeth whispered.
He turned back towards her quickly and was by her side instantly. "Elizabeth, how do you feel?"
"Besides hurting just about all over, and this pounding head, not too bad," she forced a smile. "What happened?"
"When I got to your house last night, you and Sarah were arguing," Lucky started.
Liz nodded, "I remember...and then we were at the top of the steps and I stepped back to get away from her and I lost my balance...she reached for me to try and catch me, but she couldn't...and then I guess I hit my head, because I don't remember after that."
"It was a pretty bad fall, I heard you scream and I came in to see you lying at the foot of the stairs."
A look of terror froze in Elizabeth's eyes. "Lucky, where's my baby? Where's Rayne?"
"She was in distress, Dr. Ramsey had to deliver her."
"Lucky, what's wrong?" she asked, interrupting him. "What aren't you telling me? Is she okay? Oh, my God, Lucky, she didn't make it, did she?" By now Liz was sitting up and trying to get out of bed.
"Shhhh," Lucky said, taking hold of her hands and forcing her to lie down. "Elizabeth," he smiled, "she's perfectly fine. She's a fighter. She's three pounds, 2 ounces, and she's 15 inches long."
Elizabeth took a deep breath, calming herself. "Have you seen her?"
He nodded, "Yeah, a couple of hours ago, then I came up here with you."
"When can I see her?"
"I can go ask for you," Lucky said.
"Could you, please?"
"Of course," he said, bending over to give her a soft kiss on her forehead.
He closed the door quietly behind him. Audrey and Sarah were sitting in the hall and Audrey immediately asked how her granddaughter was. Lucky assured her that Liz was okay.
As Lucky was about to go down the hall, Sarah spoke to him, breaking her near catatonic looking trance. "Lucky, can I see my sister?" she whispered.
"Sarah, you know, I don't think that's really a good idea," Lucky told her.
She looked up at him as a single tear rolled down her cheek, "Please."
Lucky sighed and said, "Just don't upset her, okay? And I'll be back in just a few minutes, so make it quick."
She mouthed the words "thank you" to him and stood up to go to Liz's room. Lucky headed to the elevator to check on Rayne and find Dr. Ramsey.
"That was quick," Liz said as Sarah opened the door. Seeing that it was her sister, not Lucky, she quickly said, "Oh, sorry, hi Sarah."
"Hi, Lizzie," was all Sarah said as she came over and sat by the bed.
Sarah bowed her head, trying to hide her tears. They fell in puddles on her lap.
"Sarah, what's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
Sarah waited a few moments before replying. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie," she choked, tears streaming down her face.
"It's okay, Sarah, I'm fine, and Lucky said Rayne's doing well, it's okay," she said, taking her sister's hand.
"No, no, it's not," Sarah insisted, standing up. "This shouldn't have happened."
"I know it shouldn't have, I should have told you and Gram months ago about Rayne and what happened to me. But, I didn't, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
"I should have known there was something wrong with you, I should have seen it."
"Sarah, I did my best to hide it, that's not your fault."
"But what happened shouldn't have happened to you."
"You can't possibly blame yourself for what some sick man did to me."
"Yes, I can, I should have realized it and I should have stopped it. I'm your sister, Lizzie, I should know you well enough to know that this had been happening."
"There was no way you could have known, Sarah, please don't blame yourself."
"I could have stopped it, but I was too afraid to stand up for myself, I could have put an end to it before he hurt you."
"What are you saying Sarah?"
"Don't you think there's a reason I didn't want to go there last summer? Don't you think I had reasons for begging Mom and Dad to let me come live with Gram?"
"What do you mean?"
Sitting back in the chair and trying to dry her face, Sarah looked straight into her sister's eyes as she told her, "He did it to me, too."
* * *
Lucky looked in through the window in NICU to see Kevin and Lucy standing over Rayne. As soon as they saw him, they came out into the hall.
"How is she?" Lucky asked them.
"She's doing great, Lucky, she's perfect," Lucy gushed.
"You two must be really happy to have your daughter."
"We are," Kevin said, putting his arm around Lucy.
"Well, um, I was just coming by to check on her, I have to go find Dr. Ramsey."
"Is something wrong with Elizabeth?" Lucy asked.
"No, no, she just wants to see Rayne."
"Oh, then I guess we'll see you and Liz a while later?"
"Yeah, hopefully Dr. Ramsey will let her come up here, if you'll excuse me," Lucky said, heading off down the hall.
* * *
"What?" Liz asked, in shock.
"You weren't the only one, he did it to me, too," Sarah said.
"How-how come you never told me?"
"How come you never told me?"
"Point taken."
"All the tortures you've been through, I know exactly what you mean, I've been through them."
"I'm so sorry, Sarah."
"No, I'm the one who's sorry, sorry that you had to suffer and sorry that I didn't stop it. All I'd of had to do was speak up, if I'd of had the courage to do that, he could've been stopped a long time ago and maybe you wouldn't have been hurt."
"Sarah, please don't blame yourself."
"I know, I know...It's just I know I could have stopped him and I didn't."
"And so could have I. Twelve years and I never stepped forward about it."
"I just wish he would pay for what he did."
"Come here, Sarah," Elizabeth told her sister.
Sarah sat down on the edge of the bed. Elizabeth motioned for her to come closer so that she could give her a hug. Lucky walked in to see this; he cleared his throat to make his presence known.
"Sorry," he apologized.
"It's okay, Sarah and I just came to an understanding," Elizabeth said.
"Well, I guess that's good," he said.
"Um, Lizzie, if you don't mind, I'm going to go home and get some of your things for you," Sarah said.
"Thanks, that'd be great."
"Knock, knock," Chris said, opening the door. "Your chariot awaits." He rolled in a wheelchair.
"I can go see Rayne?" Liz asked, excited.
"That's right," he said, helping his patient into the chair. Bending down to her level Chris said, "Now, I want to tell you about what to expect. Because she was in distress, we had to put her on a ventilator, but we do hope to take her off that later today or tomorrow. She has IVs in her umbilical veins and she's pretty small. It might all look kind of scary at first, but I assure you, she's very strong and she's doing extremely well. Do you have any questions for me?"
Liz shook her head.
"Ok, then, next stop: NICU," Chris said.
* * *
Lucky and Liz were outside NICU, ready to go in. Dr. Ramsey had left them to go check on another patient.
"Are you sure you're up to this?" Lucky asked her.
"I thought you gave up this 'am I sure' stuff months ago. You know once I say I'm doing something, I'm doing it, and I'm going to go in there and see my little girl," Elizabeth said.
"I really do love that about you," he said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Now, c'mon, push this chair in there so I can see that baby," she said with a smile.
They went in and saw that Kevin and Lucy were still standing over Rayne.
"Have you left her side yet?" Liz said.
"Elizabeth!" Lucy nearly yelled, running over to her and bending down to give Liz a hug. "Thank you, thank you so much."
Liz just smiled and looked up nervously at Lucky. He pushed her closer to where Rayne laid and stopped. She took his arm and used him for support as she stood up. Everyone was silent as Elizabeth watched Rayne for several minutes.
"I-I just realized how important that decision was that I made that night at your house last fall," Elizabeth said quietly. "I chose to give this little girl her life and I was able to make your dream, Kevin and Lucy, your dream come true. It's amazing that out of something so awful, something so wonderful can come. She's a miracle."
Rayne
Chapter 19
''Liz?'' Kevin asked, opening the door to her room the next day.
''Kevin! Hi,'' Liz said.
Seeing that Sarah was in there talking to Liz, he said, ''If this is a bad time, I can come back later.''
''No, this is fine,'' she told him.
''Well, I was just wondering if you needed to talk, have a session after all that's happened,'' he said.
''Oh, okay, I'd like that,'' she said.
''I guess I'll leave, then,'' Sarah offered.
''Actually, Sarah, if you could stay, I'd like you to,'' Liz told her.
''Um, okay,'' she said, sitting back down, looking slightly nervous.
''How is Rayne doing? I'm sure you've been with her since last night,'' Liz said to Kevin.
''She's doing great, Dr. Ramsey said he'd take her off the respirator today.''
''That's great.''
''Are things good between you and Sarah, now? I was kind of surprised that you asked her to stay,'' Kevin said.
''We've, um, reached an understanding, common ground,'' Elizabeth said, taking hold of her sister's hand.
''Lizzie never told me what had happened to her,'' Sarah told Kevin. ''I just wish I would've known sooner.''
''Yes, Liz and I had talked about that, she really did want to tell you and your grandmother.''
''But she didn't, and that can't be changed. None of this can be changed,'' Sarah said, breaking down in tears again.
Kevin handed Sarah a box of tissues off the table. ''Do you mean about what went on between you and Elizabeth when she fell?''
Sarah nodded, ''Yes, but that's not all. None of this should've happened. Lizzie shouldn't have been hurt like that at all. I should have stopped him. I should've recognized that something was wrong.''
''It isn't always that easy to see that someone has been abused, Sarah, you aren't to blame here,'' Kevin told her.
''I know it isn't my fault that he is the kind of monster who would do this to an innocent girl, but it is my fault for not stopping it. I could have kept him from hurting Lizzie. Kevin, don't you see, he hurt me, too.''
As Sarah collapsed onto Liz's shoulder in tears, Kevin eyed Elizabeth.
''She told me yesterday,'' she said to him, quietly.
''I-I just want him to pay for this, he shouldn't be out there walking around, completely free, he has to be punished,'' Sarah said, frantically wiping her face.
''What do you think of that, Liz?'' Kevin asked her.
''He really does, he needs to be punished.''
''Well, I talked to my friend Mac about this, he's the police commissioner here, you know,'' he said to the sisters, sitting on the side of the bed.
''Kevin, you promised, you and Lucy both, that you wouldn't-''
''Relax, I set it all up to him in a hypothetical situation, no names or anything. He said that he can take a signed statement from you, or both of you, and with the evidence of what he has done, he will be put away for a good long time.''
''What do you mean by evidence?'' Liz asked him.
''Well, the baby, of course. The most solid evidence of rape is a child. Even if there is no proof that he forcefully had sex with you, a simple paternity test can prove that he is indeed Rayne's father, and him having sex with a minor is against the law.''
''So we wouldn't have to testify at all?'' Sarah asked.
''Not so far as I can see, your testimonies would be in a written form, and that would be the end of it for you.''
''When can we do it?'' Liz asked.
''Today if you'd like, I can call Mac over now.''
''Thank you, Kevin,'' Liz said, hugging him. ''For everything.''
All three turned towards the door as they heard someone knocking.
''Come in,'' Liz said.
''Dr. Ramsey took Rayne off the ventilator a few minutes ago,'' Lucky said as he entered. ''I thought you'd like to know.''
''Is she doing alright?'' Liz asked him.
''Yeah, of course,'' he said. ''Lucy's still up there with her. Do you want to go visit her some more? Dr. Ramsey said that it's okay to hold her now, Lucy's getting pretty antsy up there, but she wants you to be the first one to hold her.''
''Of course, I'd love to get to hold her,'' Liz said, starting to get up.
''Ah-ah, you know the rules,'' Kevin said, making sure she sat down. Lucky went out in the hall to get her a wheelchair.
Once Liz was situated, all four went up to NICU to see Rayne.
When they got up there, they all saw Lucy still hovering over Rayne's incubator.
''She hasn't left her side, has she?'' Liz asked Kevin.
''Not for a moment,'' he said as they went in through the door.
''How's she doing?'' Liz asked Lucy and Dr. Ramsey.
''She's perfectly fine,'' Chris told her. ''We took her off the ventilator with no problems.''
''Dr. Ramsey asked if I'd like to hold her, but I said that you should be the first,'' Lucy said.
''Well, um, thank you, Lucy,'' she said, not really knowing what to say.
Chris carefully wrapped Rayne in a blanket and lifted her slowly out of the incubator. As he placed the tiny baby in Liz's arms, he told her, ''Just be careful of the IVs, and keep her wrapped in the blanket, she'll be fine. I'll be back in a little while.''
As Liz stared in amazement at the precious baby in her arms, Kevin and Lucy quietly slipped out, leaving Liz and Lucky alone with Rayne.
Lucky knelt down by Liz's chair. ''You know, I think she looks like you.''
''Really?''
''Yeah, sure, her eyes, they're definitely your's.''
''Hmm...I think you have a point.''
''What do you think she'll be when she grows up?''
''Hardly out of the womb and you're wondering about what she'll do in twenty years?''
''Never too soon to start planning.''
''Maybe she'll be a singer, or an actress.''
''Or an artist, or a teacher, this girl is going to have brains, I can see that now, and beauty, like you.''
Liz smiled and smoothed the blanket around Rayne's face. She knew letting Lucy have her baby would be hard, but she knew it was the right thing to do.
Rayne Chapter 20
''So?'' Lucy said, jittering with delight, as she showed Liz the nursery that she and Kevin had made for Rayne. ''Do you like it?''
''Oh, Lucy, I love it, it's perfect,'' Liz smiled.
''I know, it's a little pink and frilly, but she is a little girl, so that's allowed, right? I'm just so excited!''
''I know you are, I can't believe she can finally come home,'' Liz said.
''There's just a few things left to do, do you want to help, or do you have somewhere to go?''
''No, I'm not busy, I'd love to help.''
''I hadn't put anything in the crib yet because I didn't want it to collect dust before she came home to it, it's all in the box underneath of the crib.''
Liz bent down and pulled the box out and opened it.
She slowly took the blanket out and fingered the delicate lace edging on it. Elizabeth gently lay the blanket over the side of the crib and then helped Lucy tie the padding that goes around the inside of the bed.
''I've got one more thing to bring out,'' Lucy said. ''But I can do that later, it's okay. You probably need to rest.''
''No, I'm fine, I'll help,'' Liz said. ''What is it?''
''It's just a few boxes of clothes that need to go in the drawers, I can get them, they don't need to be done now, they're just in the closet right now.''
''Don't be silly, I want to help,'' Liz said, going to the closet and taking out the top box. She sat down in front of the dresser and started placing the things in the drawers. Lucy stood back for a moment and just watched her. She then held her breath as she saw Liz holding up a small dress and just staring at it. She could tell that she was trying her hardest to hold back tears.
Lucy knelt down at Liz's side and placed her hands on her shoulders.
''Oh, Lucy, I'm sorry,'' she said, quickly wiping the tears that had formed in her eyes.
''No, sweetie, it's perfectly fine,'' Lucy said. ''You go ahead and cry, I understand.''
''I'm sorry, I mean, it's not just about me and Rayne, I noticed, some of these clothes look pretty old, you've had these for a while, haven't you? I can tell they're not hand-me-downs, they're perfectly new.''
''You're right, I have had them for years, you know, there's been a few times, too many times, when I thought I was going to have a baby of my own, and I'd bought some things then, and I could never bear to get rid of anything.''
''I can understand that.''
''In fact, the night that Rayne was born, Kevin found me upstairs with some of these things out and I was just bawling, so, please, go ahead and cry all that you want.''
''Thank you, Lucy,'' Liz said, hugging her. ''Lately it seems I just can't thank everyone enough for everything they've done for me.''
''Lucy!'' they heard Kevin call from downstairs. ''Lucy, where are you?''
''I'm up in the nursery, with Liz, what is it?'' Lucy yelled back.
They heard Kevin running up the stairs and down the hall into the nursery.
''I just got a call from Mac,'' he said, out of breath.
''Oh my gosh, did the judge some back with his decision?'' Liz asked, gasping.
Kevin nodded. ''Yes, he did.''
''What, what is it?'' Liz asked, anxious.
''With your's and Sarah's statements, and the evidence with the two abortions and Rayne, and his own two children's accounts of his actions—''
''His own kids? This guy is even sicker than we thought!'' Lucy said.
''His younger daughter was one of my best friends,'' Liz said, hardly able to believe it.
Kevin continued, ''the judge came back with his ruling earlier today, it was possible that he'd be lenient because he did plead guilty to most of the charges, but the judge didn't go easy on him at all, he convicted him of all of the charges and gave him the maximum penalty on all, with no chance of parole, Liz, he won't be able to hurt you or anyone ever again, he'll be in prison for the rest of his life.''
''Oh!'' Liz said, her hands covering her face. ''Kevin, thank you so much! He would have never paid for what he did if it wasn't for you!'' She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him.
''It was you and Sarah who made the decision to come forward about it all, I just helped get you in touch with the right people.''
''Hey, um, hate to break up this party,'' Lucy said. ''But we're supposed to be at the hospital soon to get Rayne.''
''Oh, gosh, I hadn't realized it was so late,'' Liz said.
''Do you want to come with us?'' Kevin asked her.
''Yeah, I'd appreciate a ride there, Lucky said he'd meet me there and he can drive me home when you bring Rayne back here.''
''Okay, that sounds great, let's go,'' Lucy said, seeming a little bit jittery.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Lucky and Elizabeth watched from outside the NICU as two nurses were giving Kevin and Lucy a final rundown on things for Rayne.
''I really am proud of you, Elizabeth,'' Lucky said to her.
Liz smiled, ''I like how you say it.''
''Say what?''
'''Elizabeth', it's like, well, I'm not 'Lizzie' the scared little girl anymore. If it wasn't for you, I'd still be that little girl.''
''No, I don't think so, remember, you were the one who told me to wait, to stay with you, and it was your decision to let me in.''
''But I probably never would have if you hadn't been so insistent on finding out what was going on.''
''If you hadn't been so insistent on making your presence known to me at the beginning of this year, I might have never known you existed.''
Liz laughed, ''You followed me into the girl's bathroom just to find out what was wrong with me, some girl you hardly even knew.''
''I sure am glad I took that chance,'' he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.
''So am I,'' she said, kissing him.
They turned around as Kevin and Lucy came out of the NICU carrying Rayne. Liz held Rayne one more time before Kevin and Lucy took her home and then said good-bye, and thanked Kevin and Lucy again.
Lucky held Elizabeth in his arms as they watched Kevin and Lucy walk down the hall and out of their sight. Elizabeth didn't move for several minutes afterward.
''Hey, you think we should get going, now? Maybe get some dinner at Kelly's?'' Lucky suggested.
''Yeah, that'd be great,'' Liz said, wiping away a tear.
They walked hand in hand down the hall to the elevator and then out to the door.
Lucky and Elizabeth smiled at each other as they walked outside, into the rain.
*The End*
