Lucky followed Emily up the hallway, both of them running as fast as their legs could carry them. His hand gripped hers tightly as they weaved their way through the masses of people in the hospital corridor, past nameless doctors and nurses they couldn't bother to acknowledge. As they turned around a corner, they could see assorted members of their family filling the single row of hospital chairs. Lulu was pale and listless, her head resting on Dillon's shoulder. Audrey was hunched over, gently rocking Cameron in a calming manner. Jason sat on the end, Carly tucked close to him. Nikolas stood off to the side, staring vacantly at a closed operation room door.
"How is she?" Lucky asked Alexis quietly as she rejoined the group. The lawyer looked tired and worried, clearly anxious about something. "Where is Elizabeth?"
Alexis looked from Lucky to Emily, shaking her head slightly. "She lost a lot of blood before the ambulance even made it here," she explained in a loud whisper. "They are going to have to take the baby via c-section. Elizabeth was unconscious before she even went into surgery."
"Have they told you anything?" Emily asked, searching her eyes for any indication about the state of her best friend.
"No one has come out yet."
"I'm going to try to see what I can find out," Emily told Lucky. "I might be able to use my position here to get some kind of insight. Do you know who is in there with her?"
"Dr. Lee went in. She asked Robin to assist. Patrick is also on standby in case anything should go wrong with Elizabeth. She has the best team General Hospital has to offer," Alexis promised.
"Daddy!" Cameron screamed, noticing his father for the first time. Leaping from his great-grandmother's arms, he scampered across the floor to fly into Lucky's arms. Lucky lifted him effortlessly, burying his face in his son's hair. Holding him tightly, he silently prayed that the little boy's mother would return to them both.7 "Mommy is sick. I'm kind of scared. What if something happens to her or the baby?"
"Nothing is going to happen to her," he promised soothingly. "Your mommy and your little brother are both going to be okay. As soon as she wakes up, I bet you are the first person she wants to see. Why don't you go back to Grandma Audrey and color her a picture? That will make her feel lots better."
"That's a good idea," Cam agreed, hugging his father. "I love you, Daddy."
"I love you, too, buddy," he declared before setting him back on his feet. He watched Cameron skip back toward Audrey before climbing back into a chair next to her. Looking around the room, he quickly shifted his gaze to Nikolas. His brother looked as though he could jump out of his skin any minute. Walking up next to him, he searched for the right thing to say. When it became clear that there were no words, he just pulled him into a silent hug. Eventually, they both pulled away, wiping tears sheepishly with the back of their hands. "How are you holding up?"
"As well as you would in the same situation," Nikolas answered. "They won't tell me anything. I'm not officially her kin, so I couldn't even go in there. Jason is the father, but they won't let him in either."
"We're still legally married," Lucky realized suddenly. "I'm the one who is supposed to make her medical decisions, aren't I?"
"Legally speaking, you are the only one. Jason has jurisdiction over the baby in some ways, but since you are still married to Liz, you have say as well. Look, this situation isn't great for anyone involved, but I'm asking you to do what's best for her."
"Any choice that has to be made, I will make with what she would want in mind. And I will consult Audrey on anything. I truly believe that's what Elizabeth would want," Lucky avowed. "Elizabeth is the mother of my son, and he needs her. I won't do anything to put her life in jeopardy."
"She would want the baby to be put first."
"Let's not think about it unless that time comes," Lucky retorted dismissively before slipping away to Jason. Gesturing to the icy mobster, he waited for him to join him. "Because Liz and I are still married, I'm still responsible for making her medical choices. I just wanted to let you know that I won't stand in your way unless it would directly impact her. As soon as your son is born, his decisions will be up to you. You have my word."
"I appreciate you not fighting with me on this," Jason replied. "I promise that I will do what is best for him. I know that is what she would want."
Just then, Patrick ran past, his stethoscope thrown over his shoulder. "Epiphany, Elizabeth Spencer is coding. I'm going to need you to assist in here at once. Call Monica Quartermaine and then come scrub in."
"What's wrong with Elizabeth?" Nikolas demanded of the doctor as he struggled to look through the window of the room.
"Dr. Quartermaine is on her way to discuss the options with the family," Patrick explained. "Until then, you need to wait here. Only one person will be allowed in the room with her. I will leave it up to you to decide."
Lucky looked at his brother and then over at Jason. "Who gets to go?"
"I want to go," Nikolas implored.
"He's my son," Jason countered.
"She's my girlfriend," Nikolas retorted.
"She's my wife," Lucky declared. "With that said, I get to make the choice. I know who Elizabeth would want in there."
"And who's that?" Nikolas asked.
"Me," Audrey said from behind the three men.
"She's exactly right," Lucky told them. "Audrey, you go inside. She is going to need your strength."
"Thank you, Lucky," Audrey replied before following Epiphany in to prepare to observe the surgery. It was unorthodox that a member of the medical staff be allowed to watch a family member within the confines of the operating room, but normal rules had never applied to Chief Nurse Webber.
"How could you do this to me?" Nikolas asked angrily before stalking off.
Emily looked at her boyfriend before following her ex-husband out of the room. Too tired to chase after her, Lucky took Audrey's empty chair and watched his son color a picture of a parrot. Carly watched her cousin struggle with choice, knowing full well that it was difficult to do what's right when your heart wants you to do what feels best. Glancing at her best friend and the love of her life, she wondered if she could make such a selfless choice if she were in his position. Slipping her hand into Jason's, she squeezed his fingers supportively.
"They are both going to be fine," she proclaimed confidently, hoping that she could mask her fear with a strong tone. "You've waited too long to be a father. You're not going to lose him now."
"I'm already a father," he whispered as he pulled her body closer to his. In times like these, he felt better simply having the feeling of her cool skin on his. "I became a father the instant Elizabeth confessed that the baby was mine. And even before that, I got to be a paternal figure to the two most wonderful boys in the world. Loving Michael and Morgan has taught me everything I know."
"Just like loving you has taught me everything that I know," she murmured. Leaning over, she pressed her forehead to his as Jason captured his mouth into a sultry caress. If only for a moment, it was nice to let everything around them fade away. "I love you, Jason Morgan."
"I love you, Carly Corinthos," he repeated, his voice dragging out her last name. "You know what, something sounds so wrong about that name. I think we need to do something about it."
"I guess I could go back to my maiden name, but it just makes more sense to keep Corinthos because of the boys."
"That's not what I meant."
"Oh, Jase," she gasped.
"I want to marry you, Caroline," he whispered, small tears in the corner of his oceanic eyes. "We've already lost so much time."
"You already know the answer," she managed just before their mouths crashed together again.
Lulu had been quiet since arriving at General Hospital. Nikolas had quickly explained the situation, not bothering to dwell on any of the details. Dillon had sat silently next to her, supporting her physically with his body and emotionally with his heart. While his wife was still somewhat angry at Liz, he knew that Lulu still loved her like a sister. Losing her wasn't an option at this juncture. If only for the sake of Lulu's sanity, Elizabeth had to be okay.
"How are you holding up?" he asked Lulu quietly, not bothering to turn and look at her. He knew exactly how her eyes looked, devoid of any true emotion. She was frozen like a statue, posed in a way that she thought she should look.
She shrugged wordlessly. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel. I feel bad for Nikolas, he can't have any say in the life of the woman he loves most. I feel bad for Jason, he's virtually powerless in making decisions about his son. I feel bad for Lucky because he has to balance his own convictions with those of the two people who should have say just because they haven't gone through with their divorce. I feel bad for Cam because he doesn't deserve to lose his mother. I just feel bad."
"It's going to be fine."
"You don't know that," she argued evenly.
"Everything is going to be fine because we all need Elizabeth to be fine. Every single one of us sitting in this hospital room needs for her to survive. Beyond the simple fact that we all love her, each of us has our own reason for having her be okay."
"I can't believe I've been so hard on her."
"It's okay; you've been through a lot. Elizabeth understands."
"It's not okay," she disputed. "No one deserves to be treated the way I've been to her. It doesn't make me any better than it did Georgie or Maxie. I've prided myself on being a better person that that, Dillon, but I've been awful toward Elizabeth. You wouldn't want anyone to treat me the way I've treated her."
"That's true," he agreed. "I guess this is going to give you something to think about. Let that be your focus, not the worst case scenario."
"You're a smart man, Mr. Quartermaine."
"And you're a beautiful woman, Mrs. Quartermaine."
In a quiet hallway away from the waiting room, Emily finally caught up with Nikolas. She stood and waited for him to say something to her, but never did. "Nik?"
"Not now, Em. Please not now," he pleaded through his tears. His entire body shook with sobs, reaching from the top of his head to the bottom of his soles. "I can't do this now."
Wrapping her arms around him, Nikolas could feel her chin bump against his shoulder as she nodded. "Yes, we can," she pledged. "Together, we can."