Lulu decided that the only way to push Johnny completely out of her mind was to stay busy. So she divided her time between her father's bedside, her daughter and spending time with her brothers.

And before she knew it, a week had passed since she'd first arrived back in Port Charles.

Unfortunately, there was no change in Luke. He was still stable, the doctors said, but it was coming to the point where no change was nearly as bad as a turn for the worse. Lulu was getting worried. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost him.

For her entire life, she'd thought of her father as invincible. No matter the pickle Luke got himself into, he always managed to get out and when he did, it always seemed to be while winning.

But then he'd had his first heart attack and she'd realize that even heroes could get hurt.

Even then, she'd tried to convince him to take care of himself, to prevent another heart attack. But Luke was anything if not stubborn and refused to change his ways.

This was why he ended up in the same place after yet another heart attack.

"No change?"

Lulu stepped inside her father's hospital room. Ethan was sitting beside the bed, staring at Luke. He looked back and shook his head.

Sighing, Lulu slipped out of her coat, set it on the end table. "This is getting annoying," she muttered. She walked to the bed. "You know Dad, you're losing your status as invincible the longer you stay in this bed."

Ethan chuckled. "Yeah, also we're getting pretty tired of having to worry about you. So you might as well do us all some good by just waking up."

"I know what would wake him up," Lulu muttered, "a good Cuban cigar and some of Edward Quartermaine's fancy Bourbon."

"At this point, I'd be the first to offer him both," Ethan replied. He glanced up at Lulu, could see the fear in her eyes. He knew that she was facing the constant fear of their father not waking up. Of Luke Spencer dead.

It scared the hell out of him too, because he couldn't imagine that the father he'd only learned about a few years ago would be gone forever.

He put a hand on Lulu's. "He'll be fine. We have to think that."

She snorted. "Since when are you the optimist? He could die, we both know that. It's not as though he takes a care with his lifestyle." She pulled her hand away, paced the small space.

Ethan could see that she was fast approaching the breaking point. Of all Luke's children, with the exception of Ethan who'd only learned of his parentage as an adult, Lulu was the one who needed him most.

Luke Spencer hadn't exactly been the father of the year, but he had made a few efforts. Including telling Lulu to do what she had to when she'd been pregnant with Amelia.

Ethan knew that this meant more to her than any ice-fishing trip he'd taken her on as a child. Because sometimes, Luke was the only one who was comfortable to let Lulu be an adult. He understood that her choices were hers alone and didn't try to persuade her to do something different.

"Yes, we both know that Luke's lifestyle isn't exactly conducive to heart health, but I chose to believe that by some force of nature, he will pull through," Ethan replied carefully. He angled his head, studied his sister. "You've been here nearly every day for a week. You need some time off, go play with Amelia. Do something to get your mind off of the hospital."

Lulu stopped pacing, stared at her brother. She also knew how close she was to breaking, which scared her more than anything. She sighed, picked up her coat. "Fine. I'll go spend time with Amelia. Call me if anything changes."

He nodded and waited for her to leave the room before turning back to his father. "You better come back, old man. We need you here. Lulu, me, Lucky. We all need you."

As he'd expected, there was no response.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

Lulu drove mindlessly in the little car she'd rented for the duration of her trip. She hadn't thought it necessary or fair to rely on her family to take her places. She turned away from the hospital, down the highway toward her cousin's house.

Carly had been a godsend. Or rather, her nanny had. But for the entire vacation, Amelia's well-being hadn't been something Lulu had had to worry about. Her daughter was in seventh heaven spending time with Carly's little girl Josslyn.

She stopped the car in front of Carly's enormous house. Lulu wasn't sure why it always surprised her, considering she herself lived in one twice the size. But it was just the point of the matter.

Especially because she wouldn't be living in such a grand house on a private compound if it weren't for her situation with Amelia.

Shaking her head, Lulu forced herself to live in the moment. Today was her free day. She was going to focus entirely on her daughter. She pasted a smile in her face and stepped up to ring the doorbell.

Carly's younger son Morgan answered the door with a happy grin and a medieval-looking costume. "Hi!"

She laughed, hearing the shrieks of laughter from beyond the door. "Did the girls rope you into playing Knights and Ladies?"

He nodded sheepishly. "Josslyn wanted to go to Wyndemere to play, but Mom said no. So we have to settle for the conservatory. Come on in." He shut the door behind her, leading her into the living room.

The moment Lulu walked into the living room, she saw that it had been transformed to resemble the inside of a castle. Blankets and sheets were draped over furniture and one of Carly's dining room chairs served as what appeared to be a throne.

"Careful Mama! You're standing in the mote. There are alligators all around you!" Amelia shrieked from underneath one of the 'tents'.

Lulu feigned terror as she jumped aside. "Oh my, that's pretty scary." She slanted a look at her younger cousin. "Think Morgan will rescue me?"

Josslyn and Amelia giggled and crawled out into the open. "He's already slayed the dragon and squished the giant spider," Josslyn replied.

"And it was a really, really big spider," Amelia added solemnly, her eyes wide. She pointed to the fireplace. "It was for real, Mama. On that fireplace."

Lulu made a disgusted face. She hated spiders and her daughter had inherited the fear as well. "Oh, well, ick. I'm glad that Morgan was here to help."

"Mama, you want to play?"

Lulu knew that there were a million other things she could be doing, but in that moment, there was no place she wanted to be than with her little girl. She eyed Morgan. "You game?"

He shrugged. "Sure, Josslyn always gets me to play with her."

She turned back to the little girls. Grinning, she nodded. "I'd love to play. Can I be queen?"

Josslyn jumped up and grabbed a grown off a chair. "You are Queen Lulu now," she said solemnly.

Amelia smiled and hugged her mother. "Yay! It's always more fun when you play, Mama."

"I feel exactly the same way," Lulu murmured as the girls explained the game to her. She was having the time of her life.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

Carly slipped into the foyer, carrying a bag of groceries with one hand and balancing a pizza with her other hand. She could hear the giggles of her daughter and Amelia from the other room. Satisfied that all was well, she went the long way to the kitchen instead of through the living room which would have disturbed the play.

Ten minutes later, all her groceries were put away and the kettle was heating up for a cup of tea. She stowed her purse and coat in the hall closet and stepped into the living room.

"Wow, this is some castle!"

Morgan's head popped up out of one of the 'tents' and he grinned sheepishly. "We'll clean it up, I promise."

Carly smiled, knowing how responsible he was. "Oh I don't doubt it. But first, are there any members of the court who would like some pepperoni pizza?"

Josslyn and Amelia tumbled out of another blanket-covered structure "Me!" they both shouted simultaneously. Carly grinned wider when she saw Lulu unfold her long legs and remove herself from the tent as well.

"Before any servants serve pizza, the castle must be tidied. The first, who can do it completely, gets first dibs on the ice cream sundaes for desert!" Carly called, watching as the little girls and Morgan scrambled to fold blankets and right the furniture.

Lulu stood, brushing lint off her jeans. She grinned at her cousin. "I got a little carried away. I was the queen."

Carly nodded slowly. "I can see that. Um, Queen Lulu, your crown's a little lopsided."

Lulu smirked and fixed the paper crown. "Figures. I'm not exactly queen material."

Laughing, Carly patted Lulu's shoulder. "I'm sure that you were fine. Don't be so hard on yourself. Can you stay for dinner?"

Frowning, Lulu glanced at the watch on her wrist. "Um, we probably should go. I mean, I've imposed on you so much already."

"No, no, you've done nothing. I've enjoyed having Amelia over."

Lulu sighed and smiled as her daughter skidded over toward her. "Please Mama, can I stay?" Amelia asked quickly.

Glancing down at the girl's pleading face, Lulu nodded. "All right, you can stay."

"She can spend the night too. I brought movies. We'll have a fine time. You're welcome too, if you want," Carly added.

Lulu frowned again. She wasn't sure if she was up to company. Right now, a glass of wine or a cold beer from Jakes sounded better than any offer she'd received. "You know what? If it's okay with you, I'll just leave Amelia here. I think that I need to be alone for a little while."

Carly nodded, hiding her concern. She wished that Lulu would just face her problems. "Okay, we'll be fine here. Come back later if you want. We'll have us some girl time."

Smiling, Lulu bent down to kiss her daughter's cheek. "I'll think about it. You, my little girl, better be good for Aunt Carly."

Amelia grinned mischievously, hugging her mother. "I'm always good, Mama."

Rolling her eyes, Lulu dropped one last kiss on her daughter's forehead. "Sure you are. Keep lying like that and people will wonder what I am teaching you. I love you Mel."

"I love you too. Now can I go find Josslyn?"

"Sure, go find Josslyn." Lulu straightened, smiled at her cousin. "Thanks for doing this. I think that I need to conquer some of my fears tonight."

"Okay, but be careful. I love you Lulu and I don't want to see you hurt again."

"I'm always careful. I have to be," Lulu replied, glancing in the direction of where Amelia had gone. "I won't let myself get hurt. I've learned my lesson on that one." She hugged Carly tightly. "I have to go."

Carly walked Lulu to the door, helping her with her coat. She waited until Lulu was safely in her car before locking the door.

She could only hope that Lulu was right. Because there was a lot of pain that could potentially break that wall around Lulu's heart.

No one was protected against pain for long.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

I hoped that you liked chapter eight. I thank all of those who are so faithful in reading and especially those who review every time. I really enjoy getting the feedback on the story through the reviews. I'm sorry that I took so long to update. I just started college and have had more reading for classes than I know what to do with. But don't worry, I won't forget about this story.

So please review! They truly make my day!!