When Cassadines Fall

Tough Call

KC yawns as she turns around to lock the door to her suite. Glancing down at her watch she exhales in a sigh. It had turned out to be a rather... busy weekend. Not that they'd gone anywhere. There is a little smile and a spring in her step. When she'd left Stefan had been sleeping. So much for insomnia. The trip in the elevator is brief and she strides out to the front of the hotel where her car is waiting. Glancing up at the sky she notes for the first time since she's been here the sky is blue without a cloud in sight. "Looks like it's going to be a good day."

"You said something, Dr. Ryan?" The driver turns back to glance over his shoulder.

"No snow."

"If it holds it'll be the first day in three weeks." The driver replies ruefully turning back to keep his eyes on the road. "You got a busy day today?"

"Depends on how my morning goes."

Lulu looks at the coffee maker biting her lip. She looks in the back of it... there is water. Looks in the filter it looks like dry stuff. She presses the little red button on the bottom hoping that her father had done all the stuff right the night before when he'd come in from the club. Getting the coffee started she goes to get ready for school. The coffee pot hisses and the aroma of dripping coffee wafts from the kitchen to the couch where Luke has crashed. He groans and rolls over onto the floor and then staggers to his feet. Like a creature from a double feature he lurches to the kitchen stumbling, then swearing and hopping on one foot as he steps on a Barbie shoe. Luke grabs the counter with both hands to get his balance back. Looking at a coffee mug in the sink through blurry eyes he rinses it out and then fills it with the black brew. The coffee completes the job that the pain had started.

"Hey Daddy."

"Good Morning, Princess." Luke takes a sip.

"Mama has more tests today." Lulu pulls out her cereal and checks the date on the milk carefully before opening it.

"Yeah, that's what Doc Red said."

"Gramma wants to be there to look at the tests. Before Dr. KC decides to do surgery."

"Yep, she told me. Baby, where is the aspirin?" Luke groans.

Lulu pulls it from the cupboard by the coffee maker where it is kept for convenience sake. "I wanna go to the hospital too."

Luke shakes his head. "After school." Lu gets an obstinate look on her face. "Don't look at me like that, Princess. Your mama might not even have surgery today and if she does it won't be until you're out of school anyway." Luke hears a knock on the door. "That will be Elizabeth."

"It's not fair." Lulu protests as she goes to open the door. "Hey Lizabeth."

"Hey Lu. You ready to roll?"

"Yeah, she is." Luke answers for his daughter. He goes over to Lu and gives her a smooch on the top of the head. "I'll call you if something is up."

"You swear." Lulu looks up at Luke with her big brown eyes.

"I swear." Luke crosses his heart and holds out a hand to shake.

Amy and Bobbie work together to transfer Laura to the CT bed. "Small blessings." Bobbie comments.

"Yeah, it's a lot harder when patients are awake. Even the calmest folks get claustrophobic."

"Who can blame them? It's like being slid into a coffin." Bobbie mutters. She squeezes Laura's hand reassuringly.

They step out of the room. "Have you heard from Jerry?" Amy asks.

"He called over the weekend but I was called in here early."

"Oh I bet that made you a joy to be around."

Bobbie half laughs. "Lets just say nobody dared screwed up within my sight on that shift." She glances back to the CT lab. "What do you think of all this?"

"I don't know what to think." Amy says grimly. "It's only been a couple of weeks, I know, but we have to do something."

"How are the kids doing?"

"Nik has been a rock of course. Everyone is hanging together."

"Good Morning, Ladies." KC says cheerfully as she walks up on Bobbie and Amy. "You hear the weather report? No snow in the forecast I think it's a good sign. Is Mrs. Spencer ready?"

"The tech is just about to begin." Amy tells her. KC nods and goes through to the control center and pulls up a chair next to the tech. "What you think of that one?"

"I haven't spent any time with her. Laura's the only patient that Dr. Ryan has here so I haven't seen her in action. What do you think?"

"She's good with Luke. That could be half the battle."

"I have to get back on the floors." Bobbie says reluctantly. "Page me when you think there is going to be a decision. I need to be there for Luke... and the kids."

"I'll call. And thank Audrey for pulling me from the schedule today."

"Face it. Your head wouldn't have been in the game." Bobbie replies. "You can cover for me when Jerry gets back."

PCPD Detectives bull pen

The room goes cold and as quiet as it gets. Agent Ford feels the shiver run down his spine. Being here is not his idea of a good time. Especially after all that had gone down. Taggart is distracted by the sudden silence and looks up. Everyone is ignoring the Special agent and giving him plenty of distance. Taggart gets a look like sucking on a lemon and rises to his feet. "May I help you, Special Agent Ford?"

Ford gives a little sigh of relief. Normally the badge and the suit were enough to get cooperation but Larkin had blown that all to hell. "Is there somewhere we could talk privately?"

Taggart looks around and then shrugs. "Over here." He leads the way into the interrogation room. "What's up?"

"Do you have anyone in Chinatown?" Ford's frustration comes through.

Taggart sits on the conference table. "This is what you were talking to Dara about."

"Yeah." There is a map in the room. Ford goes over to the map and traces over the area that bounds Chinatown. "I think this shipment has already landed. Those SOBs think they are getting away with it. Hell-- they are getting away with it."

"We got a few connections down there-- damn few."

"Anybody in the department that speaks Chinese?"

Taggart shakes his head no. "Spanish is the second language of choice. What about you guys... You're suppose to be the big bad."

"We're stretched kinda thin. I've put a request in but..." Ford shakes his head.

"What's the intel on these guys?"

"I only know what they did in California." Ford's face grows grim. "I have translations from the survivors. The folks pay up front for their passage but they don't have the full rate. No matter how much they have it's never enough. So they are told they will be given jobs once they get in the states to pay back the rest of their passage."

Taggart straightens suspiciously. "What kind of jobs?"

"Oh they're told jobs in restaurants, factories, landscaping you know jobs where they'll fly under the radar. But looking at who was taking passage..."

"Let me guess... not a lot of old people or kids."

"No. Youngest was about 12 and the oldest about 25. What intel we have is actually from organization taps where they are talking about purchasing fresh meat. That's why we're looking at Port Charles. The taps are from the families down in The City."

"You think they are using Corinthos' network?"

"You know the guy better than I do. He's antidrug which is strange enough for a man in his position but how does he feel about prostitution?"

KC puts up slide after slide on the backlit device. Lesley walks over to the slides. She puts on her glasses that she uses only for reading. Even then she is squinting. KC points out the point on the slides that interest her. "These are before and these are from this morning. If there is any change it is minimal. No improvement but..."

"Where is it located?" Lesley asks.

KC goes over to a model of the human skull and starts pulling it apart. "Here." Lesley winces. "You see the problem."

Luke who had been holding his counsel sitting off to the side next to the window speaks up. "Well you can explain it to me."

"I can get to the lesion. I can even zap it. No problem."

"Then what is the problem?" Luke asks.

Lesley answers. "In order to get to the lesion..." Lesley traces a path along the brain.

"I may have to do more damage to get to it and there is no guarantee that zapping the lesion is going to wake your wife. Yes, It's the right area to stimulate. But in order to get there I'm going to going through the areas that effect memory, emotion."

"How?"

"It's a small lead." KC picks up a pencil. "Smaller than the point of this. Run on a wire. The wire works as a camera and a zapper. I'll be able to see what's going on. It's not like the old days when we'd be opening up her skull to gain access."

"How?"

"Inner corner of the eye."

"That's a lobotomy." Luke protests "You're just using a wire instead of a knitting needle."

KC winces. "Exactly my point. Yes, in order to get to the lesion I would have to traverse territory where any screw ups would result in the possibility of your wife waking but being an entirely different person. We still don't know everything about the brain but we do know the most about the frontal lobes. Even everything going right I'll be zapping cells to get to the lesion. There will be consequences with surgery. Because I'm good-- it'll be minimal, but it will be there."

"And still no guarantee she'll wake up." Luke says morosely.

"It's the right region... but no. No guarantee." KC agrees. "Sensory Stimulation could still pull her out of it. The lesion isn't life threatening. There has been some evidence of the coma being... shallower then before."

Luke looks at her. He'd been visiting Laura since the day after the accident. He hadn't seen any change. "Les?"

"I'll back your call, Luke." She smiles sadly when she sees Luke's eye roll knowing she's been no help at all. "I mean it Luke, I'll back your call." Lesley leans forward and takes Luke's hand. "You and I both know what Laura would want."

"Do it, Doc." Luke stands up. He goes over to the door and opens it up. Outside Amy, Nik, Lucky and Bobbie all wait for him.

Lesley comes out behind Luke. "We decided that surgery is the best option. Dr. Ryan believes she can take care of the lesion on Laura's brain. A coma would be Laura's idea of Hell... not being with all of you. Anything we can do to bring her out of it... we will do."

"Thanks Les." Luke says gratefully.

Bobbie comes up and gives him a hug. "What ever you need, Big Brother."

"Be there for her, Barbara Jean." Bobbie nods at Luke's request and then goes into the doctor's office.

The Mansion

Maddy walks up to the instructor after class. "I'm doing my college applications. I need to have a reference from a teacher."

The instructor nods. "I've already been working on them. You and Emily both have been procrastinating but I won't reference that in the letters."

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Maddy says ruefully. "I made some serious headway on them last night. I know I already missed one deadline."

"What schools are you considering?" The instructor asks. Maddy lists them off. The instructor nods agreement at her choices. "Most of these schools have their application materials online. The colleges themselves prefer to do things the old fashioned way as far as acceptance. You are planning visitations of course as part of your selection process?"

"I've already walked Xavier and Tulane back in New Orleans." Maddy replies. "I have a coffee kiosk on the PCU campus... so I've been there at all hours."

The instructor nods. "Many considerations. But you've made a good first step with your selections. I'll have your letter back to you by the end of the week. Plenty of time. I will also prepare your transcripts. Then it will be out of your hands until the replies come back."

"What do you think my chances are?"

"Good. You are capable of any of the coursework at these schools. I would say... look now as to what your first choice would be. Each school has it's own advantage."

"PCU?"

"It is a good regional school with a solid reputation. There are other schools on your list that have a more national even international reputation. You and I both know if you choose PCU it will be because of... collateral issues. You have to assess your long term goals."

"And you think that's wrong? If I picked PCU?"

"It's your call. I believe you should be challenged. It is the way I teach. If you decide on PCU the challenge won't be academic."

The instructor falls silent as Emily returns. "I just talked to Elizabeth. They are going to go forward with surgery for Mrs. Spencer."

"Go Forward? When?"

"Now." Emily asserts. "Lizabeth is going to get Tammy to cover for her at Kelly's and head over to the hospital. Are you going to take the van or do you want to ride with me? You can leave Cinnamon here with Raoul or we could take her with us... She can visit with Larry while we sit with the guys."

Maddy shakes her head. "You go on ahead. Tell N... them I'm on my cell."

"Maddy?!"

"I got to go." Maddy packs up her things and whistling for Cinnamon heads for the door.

"Okay that was really weird." Em stares after Maddy.

A few hours later, Lucas looks from the corner of the school as the bus pulls away. The grapevine had already reached him. Lulu had been picked up early from school by her Aunt Amy. Mom is in surgery... brain surgery and would be for hours. This is it. The time had come to put his plan in action. Lucas goes into the office and goes up to the secretary. "I missed my bus. Is it okay if I call my sister to come pick me up?"

The secretary brings out the phone. "Dial nine to get an outside line."

Lucas pulls a number out of his backpack. He'd gotten it from one of his school mates who has an older sibling who'd gone to the high school with Maddy and used her shopping service to get concert tickets. He dials the number. "Maddy? This is Lucas. Lucas Jones. I missed the bus... Mom's in surgery and I can't get hold of Carly. Could you pick me up at the school?" Lucas hangs up the phone and tells the secretary. "Voice mail. I'll just wait outside."

Maddy finishes up the kiosk in the business district and climbs into the drivers seat. She pulls out her cell phone and checks her voice mail. Swearing when she get the message from Lucas. "Don't do it, Maddy." She mutters to herself. "He's a big boy. He can get home on his own. It's a play." Then the sucker in her rebuts. "He's a diabetic; it's f'ing cold, and he's just a kid." Maddy turns on the van and pulls out into traffic going in the direction of the elementary school.

Maddy pulls around the circle in the front of the school stopping by the front doors. Lucas is sitting huddled on the bench out front. His shoulders hunched up around his ears and his hands in his pockets. When he sees the van he hops to his feet. The secretary comes out of the building when she sees the van pull up. "You aren't Mrs. Quartermaine. Lucas, you said you were calling your sister."

"I did."

"That is not your sister." She says emphatically. "I'm calling the cops."

"She is too my sister." Lucas declares. "Tell her, Maddy."

Maddy rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders. "You familiar with the phrase ****** in the woodpile? Lucas takes after our father. You did know he was adopted right? It's really pitiful. No rhythm and he doesn't even like collard greens. He's a total disappoint to my side of the family. So of course we found a nice white bread family to raise him so he wouldn't feel so deficient."

"Well I never!" The secretary sputters.

"You oughta. Live a little." Maddy suggests. "Course you know what they say about black guys." She looks over to Lucas. "So are you going to get in the van or you going to wait for a cop to take you home?"

Lucas races over to the van and climbs in the passenger seat. Maddy comes around and climbs in the drivers seat. He waits until she is all buckled in and has put the van in gear. "Maddy, what do they say about black guys?"

"They have big feet."

Bobbie pulls off the cap and uses it to wipe the sweat from her brow before dropping it in the laundry along with her gown. Assisting Dr. Ryan had been an... interesting experience. "It was a pleasure working with you, Doctor."

"Back at you." KC replies. Bobbie unknots the back of KC's gown. KC drops it in the laundry along with her cap. They are both now dressed in their scrubs. "Stefan has a good set up here."

"This theatre hasn't been used as extensively since Tony..."

"Since Dr. Jones had his accident. Dr. Quartermaine told me that surgery is probably out of his future."

"He's a very good administrator." Bobbie decides to not bring up their history.

"Mrs. Spencer's sister told me that you used to be married to him."

So much for that plan. Damn Amy. "You know how it is working in a hospital. The only people you met are through work."

"Yeah, it's tough especially when we specialize in crazy hours." KC agrees. "You ready to talk to the family?" Together they walk out to the waiting area. Lulu is cuddled up next to Luke. Lucky and Liz sit next to each other holding hands.

Nik sits next to his grandmother. He rises to his feet when he sees KC and Bobbie. "Well?"

KC looks around seeing that she has everyone's attention. "The surgery went as expected. Now we wait." She looks to Luke and Lulu. "You two have been through this before. There is a time after surgery when we just wait and see. Give your mother time to wake up from the anesthesia."

"You gave her sleeping stuff when she was already asleep?" Lulu asks.

"Yes, 'cause I didn't want her to wake up during surgery. That would have been very scary for your mom and for me too. She should be asleep for a few more hours and then we'll start trying to wake her up again." KC explains specifically to Lulu. Then her comments are more general. "She's in post op where she'll be constantly monitored... and won't be moved back to her room until morning. Her visits will be short. Ten minutes one person at the top of the hour. I suggest you draw straws and the rest of you get some dinner... get some rest. I've given up on telling families that they ought to come back in the morning. Nobody ever takes that recommendation." KC turns to Bobbie. "I'll be in the hospital. Have me paged."

Bobbie nods. Luke comes over and takes his sister's arm leading her away from the family. "How did it go? Really?"

"Luke, it was textbook, really. No problems. But you're back to the wait and see." She gives him a hug. "I have to call home and check on Lucas. Do you want Lulu to spend the night with us?"

Luke runs a hand over his grey stubbled scalp. "Yeah. I guess."

"Okay. I'll just go get changed and then I'll be back. It went really well." Bobbie says convincingly. "You made the right call."

"We'll see."

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