Dr. Karen Wexler pushed a strand of caramel brown hair behind her ear as she walked in to check on one of her newest patients, Lance Anthony Jones. His parents had brought him in the morning before and they had run an ultrasound to determine exactly what was wrong with him. Blood in the urine and a back ache could have been anything. It was quite rare for this kind of disease to show up so suddenly at such a young age. Most people inherited it from their parents and then went years, decades, without a single noticeable symptom. Poor little Lance had gotten the bitter taste of what was to come.
He had been a little trooper when she had taken his blood pressure both times, once this morning and then again later in the afternoon, and it had been elevated in both instances, a symptom of PKD. She met the eyes of his worried parents and gave each of them a warm smile. "I won't ask you how you're doing, because that would be foolish and cruel." She told them. "I was able to run some tests and it confirmed what I had suspected. Lance has a rare condition know as Polycystic Kidney Disease. It's an inherited disease that sometimes goes unnoticed for years. For most people, it has no symptoms. Obviously, Lance is in the minority. We were able to detect three small cysts on his kidneys."
"Cysts?" Dillon questioned weakly.
"Yes. Is there a mother in the picture?" Dr. Wexler wanted to know.
"No." Dillon shook his head. "Not in years."
"We used a surrogate." Lucas explained.
"Is there a way you can test me and see if he got it from me?" Dillon asked.
"I was actually about to suggest that." Dr. Wexler nodded. "Now there are two ways we can treat this. Mind you, there is no definitive cure."
"Just tell us what the options are Doc." Dillon begged.
"There are ways to lessen the condition and that's what we want. As I said, most people don't even have symptoms. They have no pain. That's what we want for Lance."
"Is this fatal?" Lucas wondered.
"It can be, but there's no reason to assume it will be. As a doctor, I rely on facts. Our hands aren't tied. Now, I'm going to suggest some medication for your son to take: Tylenol or Aspirin. If the condition worsens, surgery may be required to remove the cysts." Dr. Wexler clarified.
"That's all we can do? Tylenol? It doesn't require anything more, I don't know, dramatic?" Not that Dillon wanted to condemn his son to life in a bubble, but for a rare disease the treatment seemed painfully ordinary to him.
Dr. Wexler watched him solemnly. "I'm afraid there's not much else we can do. This disease, while common...well there's just not a lot we know about it."
Dillon ran his hand through his hair, stunned almost into silence. "What...what do we tell our son?"
"Tell him that Dr. Karen told him to take his medicine and not spit it out. I did notice that his blood pressure was elevated, so I will give you some medication to regulate it. So far as I can tell, he doesn't have a urinary tract infection, but I'd like to see him in three weeks just to be safe. There's no need for concern at this point."
"Easier said than done." Dillon quipped.
"What do you mean, at this point?" Lucas asked warily.
"If his condition worsens, we may have to consider a kidney transplant..." Dr. Wexler began.
"Transplant?" Dillon shot up to his feet.
"We're not there yet. We'll have to do testing to see if either of you are candidates." Dr. Wexler told them.
"But it could come to that." Lucas assumed.
"If we all live our lives based on what could be, we'd never leave the house Mr. Jones." Dr. Wexler pointed out. "Now there's no reason to ask for trouble. Lance is a happy, healthy little boy."
"Except for the healthy part." Dillon muttered under his breath.
"For all intents and purposes, he is healthy. I know it seems unrealistic, but the Tylenol and the blood pressure medication will keep it from worsening." Dr. Wexler assured them.
"He's never even had a cold." Lucas murmured to himself.
"We should have brought him sooner. The first time he complained."
"You didn't know. You can't blame yourself. And, really, it wouldn't have made a difference." Dr. Wexler shook her head.
"Are you sure?" Dillon questioned. "You said yourself you don't know much about this disease."
"We aren't completely in the dark about it. I'll be able to tell you when it's time, if it happens, to start discussing a kidney transplant." Dr. Wexler reiterated.
"That's a big comfort. Thanks." It wasn't her fault, Dillon knew that. But he couldn't help it. He was helpless against this and he needed blame someone. Unfortunately for Dr. Wexler, she was the lucky recipient.
"I'm sorry." Dr. Wexler said quietly. "But I have your son's best interests at heart. There aren't going to be any surprises."
"Can we take him home?" Lucas asked faintly. He just wanted to go home, cry on Dillon's shoulder, and then figure out how to tell the rest of the family.
"Absolutely!" Dr. Wexler smiled. As she was talking, she wrote out a prescription for Lance's blood pressure medication. "I have included my personal number on the back of this. If you have any questions or you just need to talk, don't hesitate." She held out the paper until one of them finally took it.
"Thanks." Lucas said his voice void of emotions. Right now they needed to take Lance home; they could fall apart tonight but right now they needed to get home. "Come on Dillon. Let's get our boy."
*****
The cabin was a study in contradictions. From the outside a passerby would assume the large rustic cabin with the picture windows and the wrap around porch was a rustic, slightly traditional home that probably housed at least one person who dressed primarily in flannel and carried an axe. One step inside and that assumption was completely erased.
The large sunken living room was filled with comfortable well worn leather furniture and low black tables. Lois had somehow left a note apologizing for the "early bachelor decor" of the place, explaining the furniture was from Ned's first small cottage that he refused to get rid of. She had tried to make up for it over the years with what she termed a "subtle" New York influence. Several black and white photos of New York's skyline and landmarks (some Lucky had recognized as Patrick's early work during his "artsy" phase) lined the walls throughout the cabin. The kitchen gleamed with the latest in stainless steel appliances that Robin would probably kill for.
Although the outside indicated the cabin was large, even that was misleading. So far Elizabeth had found five bedrooms, a media room, what she suspected was a studio Ned probably swore he would never work in, three bathrooms and that was just on the first floor. Lucky had laughed that Lois may own a cabin in the mountains, but there was no way she would leave any of the comforts of the city behind.
Although everything had impressed her, the most impressive part to Elizabeth was somehow Lois had managed to get two cribs that closely resembled the two she and Lucky had picked out to place in the twin's room. Never again would she ever underestimate the power of the determined team of Lois Ashton and Laura Spencer. There was no way on Earth this was what she had imagined their homecoming from the hospital as, but the thoughtful gesture made it feel just a little bit better.
Reaching down into the soft green bedding, Elizabeth traced Gracie's sleeping face with her finger. When her finger touched the tiny cheek, Gracie immediately began mimic a sucking motion. She stirred the tiniest bit before settling right back down. Only two days old and already Elizabeth suspected her tiny blue-eyed daughter had not been the attention seeking ham of the twins. That had to be Jake.
"She's still sleeping?" Lucky whispered walking into the room, Jake comfortable nestled on his shoulder, his tiny fist stuffed comfortably in his mouth.
"Out like a light." The entire drive over here she had been awake and two seconds into entering the cabin, she was out like a light. Her brother on the other hand had slept most of the drive and woke up only when they arrived. Jake gurgled and shifted, as if demanding his presence be acknowledged.
"I just talked to Patrick." Lucky adjusted Jake again as they walked out of what he had sworn was just a temporary nursery. If it took him walking away from a job he loved, he was not going to hide out with his children forever. "Cameron should be here soon."
"Did he say if there were any problems?"
"Swears it went smoothly. Apparently Ms. Osencraft likes us better than we thought. Patrick mentioned something about restraining orders and zoning permits that kept anyone that didn't have a kid enrolled off the school grounds."
"Good." Elizabeth sank down on to one of the leather couches, curling her feet underneath her. She held up her hands for Lucky to give Jake over to her. "If we have to be fugitives, at least we'll be comfortable." She joked as she took hold of her son.
"I'm sorry Princess." Lucky sighed as he sat down next to her. "If I could fix this..."
"Hey you didn't cause this. And we're working on something to fix it. It's not the best situation, but we'll deal right?" She tried to keep the tears out of her voice but it was useless. Lucky heard them, just like she knew he would. He pulled them both close to him so she could rest her head on his shoulder.
"It will be ok. I swear we'll get through this." He whispered into her hair. The vibration of the phone in his pocket caused him to release her from his arms. Sighing he checked the caller ID. "I have to take this. It's Dara."
"Yeah go ahead." Elizabeth smiled softly.
"Hey Dara." Lucky sighed into the phone.
"Lucky. I'm sorry I had to call you today. How you holding up kid?"
"Sunshine and roses."
"Alright stupid question." Even though he couldn't see her, Lucky could imagine the eye roll that had accompanied his response. "Listen Lucky I don't want to add any more on to your plate right now and I know you're under a ton of pressure but..."
"But you're my lawyer and you only call me when you have a good reason." Lucky finished for her, knowing the speech by heart.
"I heard from Diane Miller." The silence that followed her announcement caused Dara to hurry out the rest as if afraid he would hang up the phone and never answer her call again. "They've filed an injunction for emergency custody of Cameron, Lucky."
"What?" The alarm in his voice caused Elizabeth to stand up, holding Jake close to her.
"What happened? What happened?" She asked alarm.
"They can't do that. There is no reason for that." Lucky argued into the phone.
"I agree there's no reason." Dara tried to reassure him. "And there is a good chance the judge will dismiss this outright. Unfortunately with the media attention on you right now, the right judge may listen."
The door to the cabin opened and Cameron raced inside as fast as legs could carry him with Guinevere Ramirez close behind him. "Daddy!" He called out happily. "I'm here!"
*****
Lulu had found herself speechless exactly one other time in her life and it was when she had seen Bradley with another woman. This definitely topped that. Her brain almost hadn't registered who they were when the youngest of the threesome had shown up at Lucky's door demanding to be let in. Never one to do as she was told, Lulu had invited them, without opening the door, to wait on the lawn and she would see what she could do. Since then, she had been trying to reach her parents, knowing that Lucky would be nowhere to be found.
Sarah Webber's squealing accompanied every voice message she had received from her parents' home phone. She was a feisty little thing and a major irritant. Thank God Lucky had gone for the right sister or they might be in the news for a different reason, perhaps for Lulu running her over with her car. "I told you already: I'm not letting you in until I get an okay." She mouthed through the window. "And if you don't leave, I'm going to have my godfather hop over and arrest you for trespassing."
"We have rights!" Elaine Webber complained from her spot on the porch step.
"This is Port Charles, lady. Your rights aren't recognized here." Lulu assured her.
"You will let us in now or I will sue you!" Sarah threatened. "We are Elizabeth's family. She needs us to protect her."
"Are you out of your mind?" Lulu balked. "You're the reason she has so many goddamn issues."
"Young lady I don't know who you think you are..." Jeff Webber began, rising up to his full height. "But I am telling you right now you are messing with the wrong man. Now let us in immediately so I can make sure you haven't kidnapped my mother."
"I wouldn't hurt Audrey, though I'm not sure how she ended up with a jerk like you for a son. Karma runs backwards sometimes I guess." Lulu replied unperturbed.
"Lulu? Is that you?" Laura's voice hummed over the cell phone.
"Mom! Oh thank God." Lulu moved away from the locked front door. "Where is Lucky?"
"I don't know sweetheart. Ned's got him and Elizabeth in hiding until this all blows over."
"Elizabeth's family is here." Lulu explained.
"Well of course Audrey's there..." Laura sighed.
"I don't mean Audrey. I mean her son, wife, and daughter." Lulu clarified with an eye roll.
"Oh." Laura sounded thoughtful.
"Oh? What am I supposed to do? They won't leave." Lulu whined.
"Be creative. I'm sending your father over." Laura suggested.
"Creative?" Lulu repeated.
"Think like your father, Leslie Lu. Help is on the way." Laura assured her daughter before hanging up.
Audrey moved slowly out of the hallway and towards Lulu. "What is all the fuss about?"
"I'm trying to think like my dad and it's not working out so well."
"Are Jeff and Elaine still out there?" She managed. Her speech was improving daily.
"Uh huh."
"Th-that explains the pounding." She nodded towards the door. "I suggest music."
"What are you in the mood for? Lucky has ever song ever made." Lulu informed her new friend as she moved toward the entertainment center.
"Some-something loud and wi-with a beat."
Lulu picked out a CD she knew her brother would never openly admit to having and turned it to the track that she loved. Jennifer Lopez's voice bounced beautifully off the walls and the beat was just enough to drown out the Motley Crew behind the door.
Audrey nodded approvingly. "P-perfect."
*****
Luke kept his pace deliberately casual, even though he knew his wife and daughter would skin him alive if they saw him taking his time like this. Laura and Lulu wanted immediate action and this situation called for at least somewhat careful planning. It required a delicate touch. As much as they all wanted to run Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse off, technically he couldn't really ban them from his family's life until Elizabeth gave her approval. Not that he doubted that was far behind.
Two days late for the arrival of their own grandchildren. Now granted they didn't arrive in a predictable fashion, but they were Spencer children. A little excitement was to be expected. Jeff Webber should have been in town long enough to remember that fact at least. Luke started to whistle an aimless tune as he made his way onto Lucky's front lawn. He grinned when he finally placed the pounding dance rhythms he had heard the entire walk over as coming from his son's house. Looks like Lucky and Elizabeth were going to have to consider moving after all, he smiled. The neighborhood watch would not be amused. Luke should know after all.
"Howdy partners." He yelled out in greeting. "What brings you all to town?" It did not escape his notice that the music ended as soon as he was in eye shot of the front window. Sweat Pea and Audrey must have been playing lookout.
"Oh, it's you." Elaine Webber's voice dripped with disdain. "Have you come to let us in or must we be delayed even longer?"
"Let you in?" Luke feigned confusion. "You mean you haven't been invited in?"
Sarah had always heard that you got more flies with honey. "Mr. Spencer, is there any way you can convince your daughter to let us in? We've all had an awful trip."
"Of course my dear." He said sweetly. "You just need to know the password."
"The password?" Jeff Webber did not look amused.
"Yes. The password. You were told the password?" Luke feigned concern with a practice ease. After two days of running off journalists, this was easy.
"Of course we weren't told a password. Doctors have impeccable memories and we're not likely to forget something like that." Elaine Webber spoke up.
"Well if you don't know the password, you don't get in. It's the law."
"Whose law?" Jeff Webber wanted to know.
"Mine. God's. Same difference really."
You have some nerve." Elaine poked him in the chest with her perfectly manicured finger.
"Says the grandmother who hasn't seen her own grandchildren." Luke pointed out brushing her finger off of him as if it was no more than a fly.
"She should have been married before children were ever considered." Elaine replied briskly.
"And Johnny Lang should have never tried pop music. We live in disappointment darling."
"Where is Elizabeth?" Elaine demanded.
"Here. There. Everywhere."
"Sir, if I have to get rough with you, I will." Jeff assured him. "But I think we can handle this like rational adults. Our daughter chose to keep those babies without our conscious approval. It is my understanding she got herself pregnant just to spite us."
Sarah nodded in agreement. "She's always been a little too promiscuous."
"Your understanding? It is my understanding you're a pompous ass." Luke said hotly crossing his arms.
"Excuse me? This is none of your business. She's our daughter, not yours."
"Really? Could have fooled me."
Elaine took a deep breath. "If we leapt up every time Elizabeth said to, we'd never have a moment's peace. She's been a problem since day one, let me assure you."
"A problem? Or do you mean a real person instead of another Stepford daughter?"
"Lizzie was always the troublemaker. This is no different." Sarah interrupted. "She's managed to get herself knee-deep in trouble this time, and we're here to protect her reputation...that is if your son hasn't completely ruined it by now."
Luke would have advanced on the little blonde twit if she had been worth the effort. No wonder Audrey had been reluctant to contact these excuses for life forms when Elizabeth went into labor. They were making Helena Cassadine seem like a viable Mother of the Year candidate. "Protect her reputation? If she named her children after legumes, she would still have a better reputation than you three."
"I see we're going to have to consult the police on this matter. We had hoped to do so quietly but, really, what is one more demerit for Elizabeth?" Jeff Webber asked to no one in particular.
"The police already know you're in town." Luke smiled. "They are waiting to give your Welcome to Port Charles present."
"What does that mean? What is he talking about Daddy?" Sarah whined.
"Restraining orders. For all three of you." Luke smiled as he made his way onto the porch. "You come near Elizabeth, those babies or my son, and you'll get to know the inside of the Port Charles pokey real well. I'd think twice if I were you Jeff. You're too pretty to last long inside."
"How dare you threaten us?" Elaine ranted incredulously.
"It's all part of my charm." Luke assured them as he knocked on the door.
Jeff laid his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Now, let's not get too excited, okay? Your blood pressure is already too high I imagine." He pointed out, ignoring the man in front of him. "We'll be staying at the Metro Court Hotel. When our daughter returns, we'd like to see her."
"As long as it's from fifty feet away."
Previews:
"You still have that metal bat handy?" Lulu's voice startled her older cousin. She nodded toward Majandra. "She's a beauty."
"I gave up the bat years ago. I'm a much better driver." Lucas answered in a light tone.
"And I'm sure I don't have to remind you to use rubber gloves." Lulu nodded.
"You'll be there with me. I'll need someone to help me get the body in the trunk." Lucas reminded her.
"So that's all I'm good for? Getting rid of dead bodies?" She feigned hurt.