"Lulu, do you want something for breakfast?" Maxie called from the sitting room.

Lulu glanced up from where she was styling her hair and finishing her makeup in the bathroom. "I'll just have coffee and a bagel. But don't worry about room service; I'll just pick up something on my way to the hospital," she called back.

Maxie appeared in the doorway, grinning and carrying a tray. "I know that I don't have to worry about it, but I did anyway. And I know you so I already had them bring it up."

Lulu rolled her eyes for form, but reached to take the tray. "Thanks. You always know what I need."

"That's what friends are for," Maxie said simply. She reached for Lulu's brush, moving it through her own hair. "And before you ask, Mel's dressed and currently enjoying a plate of French Toast."

Lulu finished her makeup, smiled at Maxie through the mirror. "Thanks you for that too. And for staying last night. Girls night was just what I needed."

"Of course. It was fun," Maxie glanced down, fiddled with Lulu's eye pencil. "And I needed it just as much as you."

Lulu laid a hand over Maxie's. "I'm sorry for leaving you. I'm sorry for not being here when you needed me. I'm sorry for not being a good friend."

"No." Maxie lifted her eyes, stared hard at Lulu. "No. Don't be sorry. We all do what we need to do. You left because it was the option that was best for you. I didn't marry Spinelli because it was me. So please, don't be sorry for not being here." She turned, starting to walk out of the room before glancing back at Lulu. "Because we've all been guilty of not here."

Lulu sighed, finished her makeup and ran the brush through her hair one more time. She glanced in the mirror, deciding that today was going to be a good day.

It had to be a good day, because if it wasn't, she didn't know what she was going to do.

* * * * *

Lulu walked out into the front room. Maxie was sitting at the table, her blackberry in hand. Amelia, who was currently stuffing French toast into her mouth, glanced up when she heard her mother's footsteps.

"Mama! Aunt Maxie says she's taking me to get my nails done today!" her voice was happy and her eyes were bright.

Lulu raised her eyebrows. "Really?" She glanced at Maxie, "really?"

Maxie grinned and set her phone on the table. "Oh come on Lu. How many times to I get to spoil my god-daughter?"

"Please, Mama?" Amelia turned pleading eyes on her mother. "I've never gotten my nails done before."

Sighing, Lulu shook her head. "Don't you turn your eyes on me, Amelia Spencer." She turned to Maxie who was mirroring Mel's look with the added touch of a sly grin. Rolling her eyes, she threw up her hands in defeat. "Fine! Go ahead. Have a wonderful time."

Amelia broke out into a grin and jumped up from the chair, cheering happily. She threw her arms around Lulu's waist. "Thank you Mama!"

Smiling, Lulu held on. She lifted her eyes to Maxie's. Have fun, she mouthed. When Amelia pulled back, she said smartly to disguise the emotion in her voice, "now young lady, you're not going anywhere if you don't go brush your teeth."

Amelia shot her mother a grin and rushed off to the bathroom. "Don't go Aunt Maxie!" she called over her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

Maxie chuckled and moved to pick up Amelia's mess. "Thanks for letting her go."

Lulu rolled her eyes. "I didn't seem to have a choice in the matter."

Placing the dishes on the room service cart, Maxie glanced back at Lulu. "I did it for you, you know."

"Really?" Lulu raised her eyebrows. "And how does taking my daughter for a pedicure benefit me?"

Gathering up her clothes and stuffing them into her overnight bag, Maxie shrugged. "I figured that you would be relieved to know that your daughter was well-taken care of while you are figuring out things." She cocked a perfectly shaped eye-brow, daring Lulu to disagree.

Lulu sighed. "You make it really hard to argue, you know." She picked up Amelia's backpack, placed her stuffed animal and her color books in it.

"Then don't," Maxie replied simply. "And plan on having her stay the night. Then maybe you'll really work out things."

Lulu's eyes widened. "What?" she sputtered. "What are you talking about?"

Maxie laughed. "Oh don't act so innocent. You know exactly what I mean."

Lulu shook her head quickly, her eyes still wide."No." She put her hands over her ears. "No, I don't know what you mean. And I don't want to know."

Patting Lulu's shoulder convincingly, Maxie just smiled. "Yes, you do. You're still curious."

Amelia raced out of the bathroom before Lulu could respond. "I'm ready!" She threw her arms around her mother's waist. "Aunt Maxie packed my clothes too! She said I get to spend the night with her."

"Yes, you do. But you have to promise to be a very good girl." Lulu knelt down to look into Amelia's eyes. "Promise?"

Amelia grinned and gave her mother a smacking kiss. "Promise." She looked up at her aunt, "can we go now?"

Lulu rolled her eyes as Maxie's laughter rolled through the room. "Yes, you can go. I will call you later to say goodnight."

Maxie looked down at Amelia, who was tugging her backpack over her shoulders. "We are going to have a great time. Tell your Mama not to worry."

Amelia turned back to her mother even as she was racing for the door. "Don't worry Mama. I'm going to have a lot of fun."

Lulu smiled and handed Maxie Amelia's overnight bag. She mouthed thank you as she went to open the door herself. "Have fun," she called as Amelia and Maxie headed for the elevator.

When they'd disappeared into the elevator, Lulu closed the door and studied the room which slightly resembled a country in the wake of a hurricane. She sighed and set to work tiding up. She'd nearly finished when her cell phone started to ring from where it was sitting on the coffee table.

She held her breath as she snatched it up. "Hello?" she said quickly, praying that it wasn't bad news.

"Dad's awake."

Her eyes widened and her heart started to race. "Lucky? Is he okay? Is he talking?" the questions rolled off her tongue at an amazing pace.

"He's lucid. He's talking a little bit. Both the cardiologist and Patrick Drake are with him now. I don't know what the doctors say yet," Lucky replied quickly. "But come as soon as you can."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes," she said breathlessly. She closed the phone without waiting for a response and ran for her bag. She shoved open the door and hurried for the elevator.

Her father had to be okay, there was no question about it. Because there was no way she was going to lose him without a fight.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

Breathless, Lulu raced out of the elevator on the fifth floor of General Hospital. She saw Elizabeth standing behind the nurses' desk, but didn't stop to talk. Practically running, she skidded to a stop in front of her father's room.

Without even going inside, she heard voices. Not just voices, her father's voice. Breathing a sigh of relief, she leaned against the wall. Talking was good, she thought, it meant that he was lucid.

And hopefully it meant that he was going to be okay.

She took a deep breath and stepped up to the door, knocking lightly. Her father was sitting up in bed and Tracy, Lucky and Ethan were seated around him. They all looked up at the sound of her knock.

"Gumdrop," Luke said happily, raising a hand in a greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" she asked credulously, stepping inside. "You were lying on death's door. Where am I supposed to be?"

"Well, I'm good now." Luke eyed his wife, "aren't I? Well enough for a little drink. You know, just something to celebrate my good health."

Tracy snorted and rose. "Yeah right. I've already asked Alice to hide all the liquor in the house."

"You wound me, wife." Luke put a hand to his heart as if in pain.

"I'll wound you all right." Tracy turned to Lulu. "Dr. Drake says there was no permanent damage to his brain—obviously—and Dr. Newton says the exact same thing we've known for years: if he doesn't change his habits, another heart attack could kill him."

"They said that three heart attacks ago," Luke reminded her, a gleeful twinkle in his eye.

"And yet, he's still here." Ethan turned to Lulu. "I told you he was too stubborn to die."

"Hard's more like it," Lucky rose, reached for his coat. "I've got to get back to the station." He turned back to his father. "I'll stop by later, just to see how you're doing." He gave Lulu a hug and slipped out of the room.

Luke turned to his second son, eyeing him owlishly. "A bit of a surprise later, eh?"

Ethan couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah right, Mate. Just the thing I want to do—to aid my father in his early death and then face the wrath of Tracy. Sorry, not a chance." He slipped past Tracy, laid a hand on Lulu's shoulder. "Hang in there, kid."

When he was gone, Tracy turned back to her husband. "Now don't you go about pestering the nurses and doctors around here," she said warningly.

Luke gave her a look of complete innocence. "Why in the devil's name would I do that?"

"I know you." She landed down, kissed the top of his head. "I'll be back later."

She also patted Lulu's shoulder while she gathered her belongings. "Talk some sense into him," she ordered and disappeared after Lucky and Ethan.

Lulu said nothing as she sat down in Tracy's vacated chair. Luke watched her as she shed her coat and set her purse on the floor.

He couldn't believe how much of an adult she'd become.

It wasn't as if he hadn't seen her in the six years since she'd left Port Charles. On the contrary he'd spent part of every summer in Greece. Not that he'd ever admit it, but Luke Spencer loved being a grandfather to Amelia.

But seeing her now, back in Port Charles and obviously worried over his health, he realized just how much she'd changed.

"You scared us all," she said quietly.

Luke broke away from his musings, studied Lulu's face and saw the truth. She had been worried that she might lose him. "I'm sorry for that. But I'm back. I'm going to be fine."

"I was so afraid that I would lose you. And I don't think that I could face that."

"I'm going to be okay," Luke reiterated.

Lulu seemed to gather her wits as she sighed, smiling now. "I knew that you were too stubborn to die from a heart attack. But you were gone for so long that I was beginning to believe that maybe you weren't strong enough."

"I'm as strong as a horse and stubborn as a mule," Luke said proudly. "But it must have been pretty bad if you came all the way from Greece to sit by me in my time of need."

"We were worried," she said defensively.

"Well you don't have to worry anymore," he replied quickly, then grinned. "Where's my favorite granddaughter?"

Lulu mirrored her father's grinned, rolled her eyes. "She's with Maxie today. I'll bring her by tomorrow. She will be so excited to see you."

"Does this mean you're back for good?" Luke asked quietly. On principal, he didn't get involved in his kids' personal lives. But he had to know the answer.

Her smile slid away and her eyes became dark. She took her head slowly. "No," she said, letting out a breath. "No, we can't be here. We'll go back to Greece at some point. I can't take the risk. It's better for all involved if I take Amelia back with me to Greece."

Luke said nothing, knowing that there was nothing he could say to make her feel any differently. Lulu was anything if not stubborn. He liked to think that it was the Spencer in her. But he knew that she was very sure on this matter because there was no way she would allow Johnny Zacchara to know that he was a father.

"I'm glad that you're okay, Dad."

Luke grinned. "I'm hurt that you would even consider another option."

"You were in a coma," Lulu reminded him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. She rose and reached for her purse. "I've got to go. I have some errands to run and I need to call my publisher."

"So you're a famous book-writer now," Luke commented as he watched Lulu slip her arms into her coat.

She shrugged. "It pays the bills—and it's a hell of a lot more interesting than working at Crimson. And it means that I can work from home and spend time with Amelia."

"Make sure you bring her by to see me," Luke ordered and raised his chin defiantly, just daring her to disagree.

Lulu smiled, thinking of how her father had taken to being a grandfather. Although it had taken Lulu's daughter to change him because he hadn't been too interested in being a grandfather to either of Lucky's boys. "I will. Tomorrow. She needs to have fun with Maxie today."

"Okay, tomorrow then. I'll be waiting."

Still smiling, Lulu called out her goodbyes as she walked out of the room, heading toward the elevator. Within minutes, she was walking out of the hospital toward her car. She was restless, she thought. She didn't want to go back to the hotel or to see any of her family. But responsibility won out as she headed back to the hotel and buckled down at her computer for the rest of the morning.

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