 |
||
When Cassadines Fall
"Thanks. Just page me okay? And pencil me in for the morning opening." Lesley
searches through her bag. "Oh Dang it."
"What is it, Grandmother?" Nik asks as he pours himself a second cup of coffee.
"I forgot to give Luke Lulu's multivitamins. Oh well. I'll have to give them to
him at the hospital when we go to visit your mother." Lesley frowns when there
is no reply from Nik even though none is needed. "You do understand why Lulu had
to go with her father last night, right?" Nik shrugs and takes a sip of his
coffee. "You have a lot of unresolved issues with Laura because you didn't
spend time with her growing up. Hell! Laura has issues with me because she was
raised by the Vinings. It's time for Luke to put Lulu first. And we're
going to make sure that happens."
"And if he decides to go gallivanting off to Istanbul or something?"
"Then we'll offer for her to stay with me, or God willing, Laura. And if Luke
wants to go and take Lulu with her then we'll make sure she can get in touch
with us. Get her one of those international satellite cell phones or something.
But that isn't going to happen, Honey. Luke isn't going anywhere as long as
Laura is here... as long as his family is here. Yes, Luke will never be...
conventional." Lesley reaches out and takes Nik's hand. She squeezes it to get
his full attention. "But he is like you and Lucky. Don't laugh-- I'm serious as
a heart attack. Family is everything to Luke. He has a different way of showing
it. Not bad... just different."
"Grandmother, I might be okay with that... support it even. But the problem with
Luke's concept of family is that it has never included me. He will cut me out of
my sister's life in a heartbeat."
"That's not going to happen." Lesley says resolutely. "And if I have to get in
Luke's face to make sure it doesn't then I will. Honey, Luke will never cut me
out of Lulu's life and I'm staying right here." Lesley taps the kitchen counter
of Wyndemere Lite. "Fact is you kids have done such a good job of spoiling me, I
doubt I'll ever leave."
"That would be fine with me."
"Enough mushy stuff. I need a ride to the hospital. You can tell me about this
Ricky guy and why he's got you all torqued up."
Liz hesitates as she is about to rap on the door of the apartment over Luke's
club. Just as legendary as Luke's blues collection is his lack of skills in the
cooking and cleaning department. Whatever she saw wouldn't surprise Lucky but if
Nik asked.... She exhales and knocks. Lulu answers the door. "Hey Elizabeth."
"Hey yourself, Lulu. You ready to go?"
"Yeah, wait here. I'll get my stuff." Lulu turns around to go into the
apartment. Liz takes half a step into the apartment, looking around curiously.
Like the club, Luke's apartment decor is... eclectic and crowded. She is about
to call out to Lu again when she spots Luke crashed out on the couch. Lulu comes
back and had her finger to her lips. "Shhh... Daddy's sleeping. He was up late
last night firing Claude and making the tape for Mama."
"Oh Okay. Did you get breakfast?"
"I had cereal. Daddy has Apple Jacks. I got the milk from the club though. It's
not good when the milk container starts..." Lulu makes a motion with her hands
as if expanding.
"No, Not good. Don't even open it cause it will reek. That's why Lucky and I use
the milk over at the house and don't even keep any in the fridge at our place.
We don't drink enough of it... cept when Lucky gets on a cereal kick." Liz
agrees. "You know what your dad needs? One of those Dry Erase boards like Nik
has at his place. So you could leave a note for your Dad that you left for
school. I can pick one up at the University Bookstore."
"Princess?" Luke growls half asleep.
Lulu goes over to the couch. "Daddy, I'm going to school." She says softly.
"Okay." Luke turns over, his head tangling in the earphones of the stereo system
and then his eyes come open momentarily coherent and he turns back over
practically strangling himself with the cords. "Damn it." He pulls the
headphones off and rips them out of the stereo to get himself untangled.
"Lulu..."
"Yeah, Daddy?"
"Your note. It's on the coffee table." Luke starts sorting through all the
stacks of albums on the coffee table. He holds up an envelope triumphantly.
"Here you go."
"Thanks." Lulu tucks it into her Hello Kitty. Luke gives her a smooch on the
cheek which sets her to giggling when his beard tickles.
"Mr. Spencer, Lu gets off school at 3:05. I'll stop by the office and update her
emergency numbers with your cell phone number." Liz offers.
Luke grimaces; he hates the damn cell phone. "Thanks Elizabeth. Have a good day,
Princess."
"You too, Daddy. Tell Mama hi for me. I finished my picture. It's on the table."
Lulu and Elizabeth leave shutting the door behind them. Luke sighs. He'd
forgotten this part from when Lucky was coming up. How did he end up with two
kids who actually liked school? He stretches his neck out and then
rises from the couch. Luke turns on the stereo and flips on the tape to see if
he got everything on it. While he is listening to the tape he searches for
something to wear, shifting piles of laundry til he comes up with the clean
stuff and then heads to the shower.
KC strides up to the nurses station on the neuro floor. "Hi Denise right?"
"Right." The black woman with the close cropped hair smiles at the new doctor.
"Dr. Ryan, Laura had a quiet night. The trip didn't seem to cause any
complications."
"Well that's good news."
"Dr. Jones was looking for you last night but you'd already left
the hospital."
"Okay. I'll have to check in with him today. Denise, how soon can I get Mrs.
Spencer in for a CT?"
Denise pulls out a file and scans down the sheet. "This morning. But Dr. Jones
needs to sign off on all procedures."
"When will he be in?"
Denise glances over to the clock on the wall. "He'll be in within the hour."
"Great. I'll just check on Mrs. Spencer and then I really need some coffee."
"The Coffee on the floors is horrible. The cafeteria is on the first floor."
Luke strides into the hospital. In one hand he has a boombox and the rolled up
picture that Lulu had completed. He makes his way to Laura's room. KC is kicking
back in the chair next to Laura. She has a cup of coffee by her and is reading
the Port Charles Herald aloud. "Do you know any of these people?" KC asks Laura.
"There is something in here about the District Attorney Justus Ward implementing
new security procedures in the courthouse something about a shooting."
"Did they shoot Justus?"
KC glances up after scanning the article. "Nope, just held hostage."
"Damn. I knew I couldn't get that lucky." Luke puts the boombox by Laura's
bedside table. He plugs it in.
"May I?" KC asks. Luke nods. KC puts on the earphones and hits play. Her eyes
close and her head starts nodding with the beat... and her toes start tapping.
Her eyes open back up. "Oh yeah, that'll work." She gives Luke the thumbs up.
Reaching over to the earphone jack she pulls it out and the music fills the room
and spills out into the hall. "What else?"
"Lulu finished this." Luke holds up the rolled butcher paper. "Are you sure
about this?"
"Sensory Stimulation. If you want I can find you the articles on it. But I think
it's just common sense. If it's quiet and dark what else is there to do but
sleep?" KC shrugs. "But if any piece gets through... visual, auditory, tactile
then there is a reason to come back up. Until we know there is a physical reason
for the coma then I say pull out all the stops."
Luke slaps the rolled picture into KC's hand. "Well then do it up."
KC opens up the picture and whistles. "Your girl has got it going on. Reminds me
of a gal back home. My idea of drawing is stick figures." KC goes over to her
purse and pulls out a small container that holds thumb tacks. "I was hoping you
took me seriously." With that she kicks off her shoes and climbs on Laura's bed
being very careful to not step on the patient or any lines. She tacks the poster
into the ceiling right over Laura's head.
"What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" KC looks over at the middle aged
man standing in the doorway wearing a white coat. "Dr. Jones, I presume?"
Damn it must be me. This always happens. Trying to create an impression and what
am I doing? Creating an impression.