Luke cleared his throat in an attempt to stall for time. He hoped that in that extra moment, he would find the words that he needed to tell these two women what could potentially be the most devastating pieces of information they had ever received.

"I'm really glad that I found you together. Will you two follow me please?"

Bobbie and Elizabeth exchanged worried glances while they rose to their feet. It wasn't like Luke to make statements such as this, and with a brief look, they exchanged the shared notion that whatever news he had, it was big.

Leading the women down the sterile hallway, Luke stopped in front of Lucky's hospital room. The door was closed, and they could see through the window that a nurse was scurrying around inside, making Lucky comfortable. Three pairs of eyes inadvertently darted towards the clear pane that reassured them the man inside was still alive and breathing, due to the various machines that were attached to him.

"Look at him." Luke spoke flatly, keeping his emotions in check. "You see how his chest rises and falls? It looks like he's breathing. If you can ignore the machinery sticking into him, it's easy to believe that he's a normal, healthy man. I could delude myself into thinking that he just got out of minor surgery and is sleeping until the anesthesia wears off. But I know better. And as nurses, so do the two of you."

Luke looked over to his companions. Elizabeth had flattened her palm against the glass, resting her head on her hand. Bobbie just stared at him, a void expression on her face.

"Lucky will probably never wake up. And even if he does, the chances of a full recovery are slim to none." Luke took one more deep breath before he gave them the startling blow. "I'm taking him off life support. It's time to let him go."

Bobbie snapped to attention at Luke's words. "Like hell you will."

Bobbie flared up in anger. "Amazing things happen every day. And you are going to stand here and deny Lucky the opportunity to see that? He has been in a coma for three weeks Luke. Do you know what three weeks is in the medical world? It's a blip on the radar. It's nothing. It takes a body more than two months to completely heal from a gunshot would like Lucky has suffered. How dare you stop fighting for him before his body has an adequate chance to heal? Is that all he means to you Luke? Three weeks and you're done with him? Three weeks and you write him off because you no longer want to take responsibility for him? Why don't you try sitting with him, telling him stories, reliving all of the good times? For God's sake Luke, give him a chance before you write him off completely. You will not kill my nephew. Laura would never have allowed it, and neither will I."

Luke turned to enter the door to the hospital room, and was surprised to see Elizabeth standing there to block his entrance. "I lost him once, Luke. I can't do it again. If you're going to kill him, you'll have to kill me first. Because there is no way I'm going to stand aside and let you rip him out of my life again."

Luke sighed and flashed a piece of paper that he had obtained that afternoon. "This is a court appointed piece of paper. I did things legally this time so that nothing would stop me from helping my son. This entitles me to pull the plug on Lucky whenever I see fit. I wish that the two of you would see that I'm not trying to murder Lucky. I just want him to be able to make his own decision. I want him to live, but not with machines sustaining him for the rest of his life. Look, I understand the two of your are grieving, and I respect that. But so am I. Lucky was my son. It's up to me to do right by him. Since his mother isn't here, I'm the one who has to make the decision. I think that this is what Laura would want. And more importantly, I think this is what Lucky would want. I'll leave you alone for a while to say good-bye. But I'll be back soon, and at that point I'm going to let Lucky make a decision for himself."

Luke turned and walked down the hallway. He hoped that by the time he returned Bobbie and Elizabeth would be able to accept his decision. They were going to have to live with it one way or the other. But the least that he could do was give them the opportunity to say their goodbyes in case things didn't work out the way that they all hoped.

Entering the stairwell, Luke started taking the stairs in an upward direction. He hoped that the cold air the roof could offer him would provide him with some clarity. He needed all the strength that he could muster for what he would have to do tonight.

Elizabeth turned the moment she saw Luke's back disappear, entering Lucky's room.

"I'll stay here for as long as it takes." Elizabeth looked to Bobbie. "I will not leave his side. I can't allow Luke to kill him."

Wheeling a stool next to his bed, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. Taking Lucky's hand in hers, Elizabeth pressed his cool skin against her cheek.

"Lucky." She whispered his name, looking at the peaceful look on his face. "Remember all of those crazy adventures that we used to have with one another? We've gone through a lot together. Those were the best times of my entire life." Elizabeth smiled as the memories flooded her head.

"You were the best thing that ever happened to me. You know, before you came into my life, I wasn't really living. I was just existing, waiting for the next party or chance to spite my parents or my sister. But then Lucky, you came and changed everything. You made me realize that life was something to be treasured. Nobody else could have gotten to me the way that you did. You gave me hope for a future. You helped me deal with my past. And most of all, you loved me. Your love got me through more than I ever thought I could handle. You fought for me, for us, when I couldn't. Well Lucky, that's what I'm trying to do here. I'm fighting for you. I'm fighting to keep you alive."

Elizabeth paused as her eyes memorized his face. "You look so peaceful. You're not in pain. You're not being held against your will. You're just fighting. Fight harder, Lucky. I can't do this all alone. I'm doing everything I can to fight off your father and keep you here with me. But that's all I can do Lucky. The rest is up to you. You have to come back. Wherever you are, you have to find a way to come back. Come back to me Lucky. Please just come back. I can't lose you again." Overcome with emotion, Elizabeth laid her head down on his chest, feeling the gentle rise and fall of his chest beneath her.

"As long as you're still breathing, I'll be here fighting for you." Elizabeth whispered before she wrapped her arms around Lucky's abdomen.

Watching the emotional speech from the doorway, Bobbie turned and picked up the phone at the end of the hallway. She was going to fight for her nephew…even if it meant going against her brother. Feeling a twinge of guilt for what she was about to do, Bobbie quickly dialed the number. She was going to do whatever she had to in order to keep Lucky alive. Somehow, she would find a way.