On to Chapter 3. I thank all those who reviewed the last chapter or added my story or me to their alerts/favorites. Please remember to review this chapter. I hope you like it!
From the moment she'd left Port Charles, Lulu never imagined that she would be back. This was her first thought as she stepped out of Nickolas' plane with her daughter in tow.
Lulu hugged her coat closer to her body against the cold. Hefting a suitcase and a small carryon, she gripped Amelia's hand. "Come on, Mel. We need to find Uncle Lucky."
Amelia, clad in a brand new coat and shiny black boots, was wide-eyed as she walked down the stairs from the plane. When she reached the ground, she leaned over and picked up a bit of snow that was dusted over the ground. It was like a winter wonderland, Lulu thought, as she watched her daughter throw the snow in the air and laugh in delight.
She briefly wondered why she ever denied her child this simple joy.
"Lulu!"
She looked up, smiling when she saw her brother running toward them, waving his arms.
"Lucky!" She dropped her cases, picked up her daughter and ran toward her brother.
He caught the two of them in his arms, hugging them tightly. When he let go, Lulu stepped back and smiled. "I'm back." She glanced down at her daughter and corrected herself, "We're back."
Lucky matched his sister's careful smile. "And not a moment too soon. Dad just got out of surgery."
Lulu closed her eyes. To give both of them a moment, she turned, walked back to where she'd dropped their suitcases. Picking up the bags, she refused help when Lucky tried to take them. She took a deep breath. "I-Is he okay?"
Lucky shrugged. "I don't know. The doctor says he's got a chance, a slim one, but a chance. It's touch and go. I know that he will be happy to see you and Amelia though. Come on, the car's over this way."
Silently, the three of them walked to where Lucky had parked his car. After they'd loaded the luggage and were seated inside, Lucky started the car and drove toward the hospital.
"Mommy? Where are we going now?"
Lulu glanced at her brother, and then looked back at Amelia. "We're going to see Grandpa…at the hospital."
Amelia nodded slowly. "Does the hospital have food? I'm so hungry."
Lulu smiled. "Yes, I think that the hospital will have food. I'm sure that we can find you something."
"So Amelia, how's school?" Lucky asked his niece. The little girl brightened.
"I love school! I like to read, but my teacher always makes me read little kid books. They're boring," Amelia added with the disdain of someone much older.
Lucky rolled his eyes. "Now where did she get her love of school from? Because it certainly wasn't you," he said to his sister as he pulled into the hospital parking lot.
She smiled, opening her door and waiting while her daughter climbed out of the car. Together, the three of them traipsed through the snow, inside the hospital and into the elevator.
When the door opened, Lulu was thrown back in time. Everything looked the way it did when she'd left. Lucky nudged her forward, taking Amelia's hand in his.
He bent down to her level. "Amelia, why don't I take you to get some food? We'll let your mom have some time alone."
Amelia glanced at her mother quickly before turning to her uncle. "Okay," she said slowly.
Lulu knelt down to her daughter. "Go with Uncle Lucky, sweet pea. I'll be fine. Go find your American hamburger. You know how Cook can't seem to make it right. This is your chance."
Grinning, Amelia threw her arms around her mother. "I love you Mommy."
Fighting tears, Lulu hugged her little girl tighter. "I love you too Baby. Now go. I'll see you soon." She placed a kiss on Amelia's head as she rose, giving her brother a grateful glance.
She leaned against the wall, waiting until Lucky and Amelia had rounded the corner toward the cafeteria and giving herself a calming moment. Knowing that she would have to do it inevitably, she picked up her purse and walked to the nurses' station.
"Can you tell me which room Luke Spencer is in?"
The nurse looked up, smiling. "Of course. Room 1260. Just down the hall that way," she replied, pointing to the hallway to Lulu's right.
Lulu smiled her thanks and began walking, as if she were running the gauntlet. She stopped short when she reached her father's hospital room. The blinds were open, so she could see that Tracy was sitting with him.
But she couldn't make herself go inside. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor. She simply couldn't move.
Then she shook her head. This was ridiculous, she thought. She had to see him. Taking a breath, she knocked on the open door.
Tracy turned from where she'd been focused on Luke's breathing. As long as he was breathing, it meant that he was still alive. She jumped up quickly when she saw Lulu standing in the doorway. "Lulu."
"Hello Tracy," Lulu said slowly. She walked in the room even slower. "How is he?"
"Stable. But not quite out of the woods yet," Tracy said and did something completely out of character: she threw her arms around Lulu and hugged her. "I'm so glad that you are here. He needed to see you…and Amelia. Is she here?"
Lulu could only nod. Then she managed to recover. "Yes, she's with Lucky in the cafeteria."
Tracy smiled. "Good. Maybe I'll join them. I'll leave you to spend time with your father. He should actually be waking up soon."
"All right," Lulu said, moving robotically toward the bed. She set her purse and coat on the table at the end of the bed and took Tracy's vacated seat. Tracy slipped out of the room quietly.
Lulu took a breath. She always saw her father as full of life. So whenever he was like this, it scared her more than the thought of his dying. She couldn't quite make herself touch him.
"Dad? It's me, Lulu. Yes, I'm back. I know that I said I'd never come home, but you managed to scare us all enough. So here I am. I brought Amelia. She's so excited to see her grandpa. She's with Lucky right now. But I'll bring her by later. You just need to wake up and be okay. Please—" her words were cut off by a sob.
Lulu closed her eyed, laid her head on the bed, allowed herself to cry. Her hand gripped her father's, praying that she would feel it move. When it didn't, she cried harder.
Even though her father had never been attentive, he had still been her hero, that man who could do no wrong. But now, as he lay so still, she was beginning to doubt that he'd ever be the same.
And right now, she'd settle for him alive, even if he was a little different.
"Please Dad, you have to be okay," she whispered again.
"He wouldn't want you crying on his account."
Lulu whirled around at the sound of the smooth Australian accent. She smiled through her tears when she saw Ethan leaning in the doorway. "Hey."
"Hello there, Little Sister," Ethan said, coming into the room.
Lulu rose, even as he pulled her into his arms. "He's going to be okay," she said stubbornly.
Ethan chuckled, pulled her back so he could see her face. "Well, of course he is. Luke's too hard to die from something like a little heart arrest."
She smiled again. "Thanks for that little reminder." She twisted in his arms, staring hard at her father. "Did you hear that Dad? You're going to be fine. Dying from a heart attack would ruin your reputation."
She turned back to her brother, hugged him again before sitting down. Ethan sat across from her on a little stool. "I saw my darling niece stuffing her face in the cafeteria," he commented.
Lulu grinned, thinking of her daughter doing just that. "I'm sure she is. She has this love for American hamburgers and no matter how hard she tries, our cook just can't get it right."
"I missed you."
Lulu sighed, glanced back at her father. "I know. I missed everyone too. But you know my reasons."
Ethan nodded. "I know, but aren't you risking it just by being here at the hospital now?"
"Yes, but I had to see Dad. He trumps everything else," Lulu replied.
Ethan nodded again. "What are you going to do? You can't hide in the hospital forever and even here Johnny might see you."
She shrugged, knowing that she'd battled with the very same worries since the moment the plane had touched ground. "I don't know. All I can do is let things happen the way they are supposed to. What else is there? Right now I'm just worried about Dad."
"You know, it's almost Christmas," Ethan commented wryly.
Lulu rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. Amelia hasn't let me forget it. I think that she wants to say here for Christmas."
"Then why don't you?"
"Because the longer we are here in Port Charles, the greater the chance of me running into Johnny. And that is that last thing I could handle right now. I don't want to have to explain my reasons."
Ethan nodded, rose. "You don't have to tell me twice. I understand completely. But Port Charles is a small town and you know small towns…" he let the sentence hang. Picking up his own jacket, he touched her hand. "I'll see you later. Where are you staying?"
Lulu took a breath, raked her hands through her hair. "Um, I don't really know. Maybe at the Metrocourt. I hadn't thought that far. Or maybe Wyndemere. I'll let you know."
He nodded, waved as he walked out of the room. Lulu turned back to her father. "I hope that you were listening Dad, because I can't have you dying on me. You are going to be fine. Believe that."
With a gentle kiss to her father's head, she pulled up the sheet, picked up her coat and bag and headed toward the cafeteria. Right now, she needed a reminder of how important love was.
And she knew that the person to give her that.
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