A/N: I know I don't thank you all personally, but I do appreciate everyone who comments on the story. It makes me very happy and helps the ideas flow knowing that people enjoy it. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, I had some major writer's block in trying to figure out how I wanted it to play out. Now, just a little pimpage: I'm a mod at another Brandon Barash/Johnny Z board. I'd love if ya'll would come over and hang there to. Post your stories, videos, just chat, etc. The more the merrier!

http://brandonbarash (dot) proboards62 (dot) com/index (dot) cgi

(hope ya'll can figure that out!)

Now for a scene that Bbananular said would be very interesting to read: Johnny and Luke. :) I'm not a big fan of this chapter because of the writer's block, but I hope it's okay.

Chapter 8: Daddy Dearest

Johnny was not appreciating his situation. He had never been injured in such a way that he needed to use crutches before and he was having a hell of a time trying to maneuver with them. He had come to the conclusion that using crutches was equivalent to torture.

"Okay, Mr. Zacchara," Nadine said, as she finished showing him how to use said crutches, "now you're all set. Dr. Scorpio will be back in a few minutes to give you a once over and then you should be free to go."

The door to his room creeped open and a doctor with his nose in a file entered. "John Zacchara?"

"I'm sorry, doctor, but this is Dr. Scorpio's patient," Nadine said. "He's already been taken care of."

"It's okay, nurse. Dr. Scorpio had an emergency and she asked me to look in on him for her."

"Alright," she replied, giving the doctor a curious look as his nose was still in the chart. "Ah, are you new here, doctor?"

"No, no. Been here for ages," he said, not looking up. "Just trying to get all the information I need on the patient is all."

"Fine. If you need anything," she said, turning to Johnny, "just press the call button."

"Thank you, Nadine. I will," he replied. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

"Thank god, I thought she'd never leave," Luke said, slumping down in the chair next to Johnny's bed.

Johnny rolled his eyes. He really wasn't all that surprised that Luke had escaped his room again after the last escapade. "Spencer, what the hell are you doing out of bed?"

"What? I can't come speak to the guy who saved my daughter's life from a knuckle scraping ape of a man?" Luke rubbed his chin as he checked out Johnny. "My daughter is fond of you for some reason."

"The feeling is not mutual," Johnny snapped. He didn't want to talk about Lulu, especially around her father.

"Really? Then why do you come galloping in on your white horse every time she gets in trouble?"

"So you would rather me leave her and her friend alone next time they're getting beat up by a maniac? Fine, I'll do it."

"Tsk, tsk, junior. You need to work on your poker face. You're never gonna get far in your business looking the way you do."

"What are you talking about? And don't call me 'junior'."

"You wear your heart on your sleeve. Your lips say one thing, but your eyes say another."

"Oh yeah? So what do my eyes say, then?"

"That you care about my daughter in a – how do I put this delicately – a hot and sweaty kind of way."

Johnny flushed at Luke's blunt description. "Are you sure you didn't have a stroke? Cause you're way out in left field on that one."

"Yeah," Luke replied, leaning forward. "Sure. Remember: lips and eyes."

"You know what? I don't want anything to do with your daughter. I was just in the right place at the right time today. That's all."

"Oh." Luke's eyes opened wide in realization. "Oooohh. I get it."

"Now what?"

"I know what you're doing with Lulu. Dangerous business, want to keep her safe, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Heard the story a billion times. Heck, I probably created that story."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Johnny replied through clenched teeth.

"You're eyes are giving you away again, kid."

He snorted. "At least now I know where Lulu gets the annoying gene from."

"Yep, and she learned from the best," he replied proudly.

Johnny sighed in defeat. "Okay, so what do you want to hear? That I care about Lulu? That I like her? All I know is that it doesn't matter what I feel. I have to keep her alive. And the only way to do that is to keep away from her."

"Let me tell you something, son. You remind me of me. Stubborn, passionate, and just a tad bit crazy. Not as crazy as your old man, but crazy enough. I was in the mob for years. When my wife Laura was around, the safest she could be was with me."

"I'm sorry, I don't share that opinion. Things are different now."

"Let me give you a piece of advice –"

Luke never got to finish his sentence. Johnny's door came crashing open, and a furious Scott Baldwin came storming in.

"You son of a bitch! I'm going to have you arrested for assault and battery, attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon!"

"What for," Johnny asked, nonchalantly.

"For assaulting my son! He has a broken nose, 3 broken ribs, 15 stitches in his head and 2 black eyes. Not to mention you tried to shoot him!"

Luke looked over at Johnny. "You did all that?" Johnny just shrugged as if to say, Yeah. No big deal. "Niiiice," he replied with a smile.

"Shut up, Spencer. What the hell are you doing out of bed anyway?"

"Congratulating this young man for doing to your son what should have been done long ago."

"My son –"

"Enough," Johnny yelled, ending Scott and Luke's argument. "Now you listen here, Baldwin. There will be no lawsuit unless you want you and your son's name dragged through the mud."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

"Well, it's his word versus mine. And Lulu's. And Georgie's. And Mike's. You do know Georgie is the Police Commissioner's daughter right? Oh, and let's not forget Maxie. She's not a big fan of Logan's either, correct? So I'm sure she'd be happy to explain that little bet they had over Lulu. As a matter of fact, I bet we could get Lulu and Georgie to sue Logan for assault and battery, since he's the one who started this whole thing by grabbing Lulu and shoving Georgie."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try to arrest me and you'll see what happens. Now get out of my room before I call hospital security." Scott turned and exited without another word, slamming the door behind him.

"That was interesting," Luke said.

"He won't try anything," Johnny replied. "He can't afford the bad publicity."

"Well, I'm a little tuckered out. I think it's time to head back to my room. Thanks for the talk," he said, slowly getting up from the chair.

"Do you want me to call a nurse?"

"Nah, they said to walk a bit each day. Supposed to help with the healing or some crap like that."

As Luke opened to door to exit, Johnny stopped him. "Wait, you said you had a piece of advice for me."

"I did," he asked with a grin. "I don't remember. See you around, junior." He closed the door behind him.

"Don't call me 'junior'," Johnny sighed.

Luke was smiling as he slowly made his way back to his room. He figured that Johnny would figure everything out in the end himself. He was a smart boy. And Luke actually liked him. He couldn't wait to see how the situation between Lulu and Johnny was going to work out. He's going to need more than advice, he thought with a grin. Lulu's gonna chew him up and spit him out. I give him two weeks, tops, before she breaks him.