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Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven |
Chapter Eight
Emily Bowen-Quartermaine glanced up at the tall building. "General Hospital" it read. She hugged her jacket tightly as a December breeze came down upon her. Here it was, two days before Christmas, and two weeks after Nikolas Cassadine was shot. Had it really been two weeks? What kind of friend was she that she hadn't even gone to see him? She couldn't help wondering all of these things. How was he? Would he get better? Why hadn't she gone to see him earlier?
Emily walked out of the elevator and into the waiting area. She could see Lucky sitting in a corner next to his dad. Sarah was pacing and Elizabeth was talking to her, but it was obvious that Sarah wasn't listening. Stefan Cassadine was talking to a nurse. Emily glanced in the window of a room. There lay Nikolas, a bandage wrapped around his neck. His eyes raised and met hers. He smiled faintly, but Emily could tell that he was in pain.
Emily couldn't stand it. She turned and ran from the window to the elevator. She jabbed at the button. She couldn't see him again. Not like that. And she didn't know why. All she knew was that she had to get out of that hospital. Out of the hospital where people got sick and died, where sometimes even medicine couldn't help the ones you loved. Emily stepped into the elevator and closed the door. Blocking out the memory of the hurt Nikolas Cassadine.
She didn't know what to do. She didn't know where to go. But she had to leave. She couldn't bear to see him like that again. Emily ran out of the hospital in the direction of the park. She slowed to a walk and went over to a bench by the pond. She sat down and drew her knees up to her chin. She couldn't figure it out. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting that way? Why couldn't she just offer condolences and say hello? Emily wiped a tear away and stared down at the cold pond.
"Emily?"
Emily looked up at the sound of her name. Elizabeth stood staring down at her. "I...I saw you run out of the hospital. I got worried, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Well, I know that isn't true." Lizzie sat down next to her. "What's going on?"
"Nikolas."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Who isn't worried about him? Have you seen him, talked to him?" Emily shook her head. "I can't."
"What do you mean 'I can't'?"
"I went to see him today, but when I saw him like that...I couldn't go in there. I was so scared."
Elizabeth's look softened as she watched the frightened girl.
"Why are you scared?" she asked gently.
Emily sniffled and wiped away her tears.
"I don't know. I'm scared of loosing him, I guess. My mother died in a hospital of cancer. Nikolas seems to be my only best friend here."
"What about Lucky?"
Emily laughed. "He barely knows I'm alive anymore."
"Well," Elizabeth said standing up. "I'm your friend. And I promise that you won't lose me as a friend."
Emily smiled. She had totally misjudged this girl. "Thanks Lizzie."
"Do you want to see Nikolas?" She asked.
Emily shook her head. "Not yet, I'm not ready." She glanced out into the frozen pond.
"But I will be soon.
Emily glanced out the window at the rain that was falling hard outside. She had been trapped in the house all day and between the boredom in which she felt and Edward and Alan screaming at each other, she didn't think that she could take it.
"Where are you going, Alan? Back to the hospital?" Edward yelled. "Leaving all of your problems behind?"
If only I could leave all of my problems behind. She thought.
Emily stood up and grabbed her jacket.
"And where are you going, young lady?" Edwards booming voice asked.
Emily ignored him and went out the door. The rain pelted down upon her. Soon, her hair was matted to her skin. Emily walked through the entrance to the park. She soon came upon a small clearing with trees surrounding it.
The rain came down onto her face as she spun in a circle and threw her head back toward the dark sky. Emily came to a stop and her smile faded. If only life could be easy. If only she didn't have to be so scared about anything anymore. If only...
Emily sank to the muddy ground. She didn't even care if her new jeans would be ruined. She didn't care about anything anymore. Why does life have to be so complicated. Why was I thrown into all of this. One problem after another? I'm tired of it. Tired of losing people. Tired of being caught up in the middle of everything, tired of being left alone.
Emily hugged her jacket. I don't want to be alone anymore.
Emily walked in the door to the Quartermaine mansion.
"Emily, is that you?" Monica walked out into the foyer. She gasped when she saw her daughter. "Emily, what on earth happened to you?"
"Where is that child? Emily!" Edward came out of the parlor.
"Nothing happened, Mom."
"Good gracious." Edward took one look at her mud caked clothes and matted wet hair and gasped. "You go right on up there and change your clothes." he ordered.
But Emily was already on her way upstairs. She closed her door behind her and collapsed on the bed. She closed her eyes and soon fell fast into a dreamless sleep.
"Lucky!"
Lucky turned around to see Lizzie Webber walking towards him. He groaned.
"Not now, Lizzie." he said. He started to turn, but Elizabeth grabbed his arm.
"I need to talk to you about someone."
"Who?"
"Someone who you might not think of a whole lot needs you."
Lucky sighed. "I told you. I'm here for Sarah, not Nikolas." he turned around and started to walk off.
"I'm not talking about Nikolas, you jerk! I'm talking about one of your close friends. Does the name Emily ring a bell?"
Lucky stopped. "What about Emily?"
Lizzie crossed her arms. "If you would ask her then you would know, wouldn't you?"
"Where is she? Is she okay?"
Lizzie uncrossed her arms and softened. "She's fine. But she could use a friend."
Emily awoke to the sound of knocking at her door. She slowly opened her eyes.
"Come in." she said sleepily. She sat up as the door to her room opened.
"Emily?"
"Lucky?"
Lucky walked into her room. "Em, what happened?"
Emily looked at him like he was crazy. "What do you mean 'what happened'?"
He gestured to her muddy clothes. She looked down and felt her cheeks grow red.
"Oh, I went for a walk and got caught in the rain." she looked up. "So, long time no see."
"Yeah, I guess so."
"What brings you here?"
"I just wanted to see if you were ok. I thought that you might want to do something tonight. We could go see a movie or get snow cones or something."
Emily sighed. "Why, Lucky? Why now all of a sudden?"
"I just thought that you needed a friend."
Who did he think he was? Emily thought. All of those times when she needed him before, he wasn't there.
She could feel herself growing angry.
"Right Lucky. I do need a friend. But not one who is never around, especially when I need them."
"What are you talking about?" Lucky looked genuinely confused.
"Where were you when I needed you? When I was going through that whole Dorman thing with my family? When I was getting high, when Matt died? Where were you then when I was feeling scared and alone? I was so confused then, I didn't know where to turn. I had no friends, do you know what that is like? I had no one to talk to and that made me even more frightened. No snow cone can fix that."
Lucky watched her as she got more upset. He felt a deep feeling of regret. She was right. Where was he?
"I'm sorry." He said.
Emily shook her head and looked away from him. "You don't get it, Lucky."
"What else do you want me to say, Em? I said that I was sorry. I know that I can't erase the past, but I'm here now, aren't I?" Lucky stared at her.
"I need to hear it. That you're still my friend. That you won't go away again. That you still want to be my friend. Lately, the only person that I would call a friend is Nikolas."
Emily could see Lucky's eyes glaze over at that name.
"Yes, Nikolas. It's amazing how two brothers can be so alike, yet so different."
"I am nothing like Nikolas." Lucky said angrily.
Emily stared at him for a moment before speaking. "You're right, you're not."
Lucky looked at her, hurt in his eyes. "I came over here because I thought that you needed a friend."
"I did, Lucky. For the past months I've needed a friend. But were you there? Why should today be any different than the past six months?" Emily's voice softened, but the pain in her voice didn't go away. "Because Lizzie told you that I needed you, right? Well, I don't, Lucky. Not anymore." Emily tried to hold back the tears that were starting to sting her eyes. "Please leave." she whispered.
"Emily-"
"Leave, Lucky!" she shouted. "I don't need you or your stupid sympathy!"
Lucky looked at her, astonished. His eyes narrowed as anger started to form.
"Fine!" he yelled. He went out the door and slammed it behind him.
Emily grabbed a pillow off of her bed and threw it at the door. Tears began to fall and she sank to the floor, burying her chin in her knees.
"I don't need you, Lucky Spencer." she whispered. "I don't."
Lucky ran his fingers through his hair as he walked in the door to Luke's.
What was all of that? That whole fight. Where did it come from?
"Hey Dad." Lucky greeted his father, sitting on a stool at the bar.
"Hey Cowboy." Luke took a sip of his drink and leaned his elbows on the counter. "What's on your mind?"
"Women. They're so confusing."
Mac Scorpio laughed as he walked past.
"I could've told you that."
Luke smiled. "Sarah?"
"No, Emily."
"As in Quartermaine? I haven't seen her around for a long time. Are you still friends with her?"
Lucky glared at him. "Thanks Dad." Lucky slid off of the stool and walked out the door.
Luke raised an eyebrow. "What'd I say?"
Sarah Webber glanced in the window to Nikolas' hospital room. She looked around her. Seeing that the waiting area was empty, she walked into the room.
Nikolas was turned away from her, his eyes were closed, and by his breathing, she could tell that he was sleeping.
Sarah quietly walked over and pulled up a chair. She gently took a hold of his hand.
"Hi Nikolas." she said quietly. "I know that you haven't wanted to see me lately. But I have wanted to see you because I can't be away from you, especially when you are hurt like this. I don't understand what I have done to make you act this cold to me." Sarah looked down. "But that doesn't matter, just as long as you are alright. Nikolas-"
"Young lady, what are you doing here?"
Sarah jumped and dropped Nikolas' hand at the sound of a voice behind her. She turned to see Stefan Cassadine standing in the doorway.
"I-I-I just wanted to see Nikolas." she stammered.
"My nephew asked not to see you, Miss Webber."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"Please do not come back again." Stefan moved so that she could go out the door.
Stefan closed the door behind her and walked over to the bed. He sat down in the now unoccupied chair and watched as the teenager slept.
"So, how's Nicky doing?"
Sarah glared at her sister.
"Okay." Lizzie said uncomfortably as she sat down next to Sarah on the couch in the waiting room. "Will you be coming home any time soon, or shall I bring your toothbrush here?"
Sarah sighed. "I get the point, okay Lizzie? Tell Gram that I'll be home for supper."
"You know Sarah, Nikolas just needs time. So give him some time and some space."
Sarah stared after her sister as she walked out the door.
Emily walked through the halls of PC High in a daze. It was the last day of school before vacation. She hadn't seen or talked to any of her friends at all. She opened her locker and put in some of her unneeded textbooks.
"Emily!"
Emily turned around at the sound of her name to see Elizabeth Webber running toward her down the hall. She finished putting her books away and closed her locker.
"Hi, Lizzie."
"Hi, you haven't seen my sister around here anywhere, have you?"
"No, why?"
"Because she wasn't in English class."
Emily stared at her in surprise.
"That's exactly what I'm thinking too. My sister would never skip class."
"Maybe she wasn't feeling well and went home."
"Well, I'll call home just the same."
The warning bell rang. Kids rushed to their next class. Lizzie turned to leave, but then stopped.
"Have you talked to Lucky lately?" she asked. "He seems sort of quiet."
Emily shrugged, acting as if she didn't care. Lizzie turned as the second bell rang.
"See ya later!" she called over her shoulder.
Emily watched her run down the nearly empty hallway. Classroom doors shut as the bell stopped ringing. She looked around her and realized that she was now alone in the hall. Alone again.
Elizabeth Webber placed her books on top of the pay phone and slid into the seat. She inserted her quarter in the slot and punched in her telephone number. She waited for someone to answer the phone.
"Come on." she muttered impatiently, but all she got was the endless ringing for an answer. She hung up the phone and sighed. "Okay, big sis. Where could you be?"
Elizabeth grabbed her books and walked out into the school hallway. She walked down the steps and to the front doors.
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth froze. She turned around to face her principle.
"Mrs. Kirscher." she said, surprised.
"Just where do you think you're going?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath. I'll kill you for this, Sarah.
Sarah Webber shivered in the cold. What am I doing? she wondered. He doesn't want to see me. Why am I here?
She pushed open the doors to the hospital and rode the elevator to Nikolas' floor. The floor was deserted, no one was around. Sarah hesitantly walked over to the window of Nikolas' room.
The light was on. Nikolas was staring up at the small tv in the corner, but it was obvious that he wasn't interested in the program.
Sarah took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Nikolas' eyes turned toward her. He shut off the television with the remote and set it on his bedside table. He picked up his pen to write, but Sarah stopped him.
"Nikolas, please, before you say anything. Let me talk to you. I need to talk to you, and I need you to listen."
Nikolas shrugged and looked away. Sarah gazed helplessly at him.
Maybe this was wrong. She thought. Maybe she shouldn't have come.
Sarah took a deep breath and without anymore hesitation, she started to speak. "Nikolas, I know that you don't want to see me. But I need to see you. I care about you. A lot, I really do. And I can't just go on knowing that you're here and that you're hurting."
Nikolas remained silent, his eyes were glued to the corner of the room.
"I needed to see you, Nikolas, because I want to be there for you. You can't just kick me out of your life."
His eyes shifted to the picture on the wall. Sarah felt her anger rise.
"You know what, Nikolas, you can avoid me, you can tell everyone that you won't speak to me, but I won't give up. So long as you avoid me, I'll keep trying harder. I care about you, and I know that you care about me. I know that the real Nikolas Cassadine is in there somewhere, and not the arrogant jerk that I first met."
Sarah looked into his eyes, hoping that something she said had hit home. But the ususal glisten in his eyes wasn't there. Instead it was replaced by a dullness, or perhaps that was loneliness? Sarah shook her head, whatever it was, she would get rid of it. She wanted to help him. She wanted to be there for him. Why wouldn't he let her?
Sarah turned and walked out of the room. She didn't feel an ounce of regret, because she had tried and she would keep on trying. Because she wanted Nikolas back. The Nikolas she loved.
"Mrs. Kirscher." Elizabeth said, surprised.
The principal crossed her arms, waiting impatiently for an excuse.
"I was just going to see my sister."
"Oh?" The woman replied, her expression not changing.
"See, she wasn't in class today, so I assumed that she had skipped and I wanted to find her."
"No one is allowed off school grounds unless they have an excuse. You know the rules."
"But Sarah-"
"Sarah is a bright student. I'm sure that she had a reasonable excuse for not coming to school today."
"But-" Elizabeth started to protest again.
"You, on the other hand, don't have an excuse for leaving. Come to my office and we'll settle this matter."
Elizabeth grumpily followed the woman. You owe me Sarah. You owe me big.
Lucky Spencer raced after the school bus as it pulled out of the busport.
"Wait!" he called after it, but soon it was off in the distance. The buses had left. The school was deserted except for the few students who still lingered about. "Great." Lucky threw his hands up in exasperation. He flung his book bag over his shoulder and prepared for the walk home.
"Just great." he muttered to himself. He walked away from the school and decided to take a short cut through the park. The pond in which he past was almost all ice, now. No ducks waded in the water as they did in the spring. No birds flew over head in the gray sky.
Lucky continued walking. He glanced at an old wishing well as he walked past. Something about that well stopped him. He looked back at it.
"I could sure use a wish coming true right now." he said. Nothing was going right in his life. He felt that the whole world was against him. Sarah was so involved with Nikolas and she was mad at him because she felt that Nikolas' stroke was his fault. Imagine that, his fault! Lucky shook his head.
Cassadines, they manage to get everyone against us. Besides that, he and his dad had just gotten in an argument over his grades. Mr. Murty didn't help any, giving him a D on his last test. And Emily...Lucky shook his head. He couldn't figure her out. Where had all of that come from? All of that, that anger? Had he really caused all of that?
Lucky glanced at the wishing well as he pulled a penny out of his pocket. He tossed it into the old well and made a wish. Praying with all of his might that it would come true.
Sarah's expression took on one of confusion as she walked out of Nikolas' room. The Nikolas she loved? Where had that come from. Of course she liked him. He was her boyfriend, but love? She had never been in love before. And how could she love someone who didn't even want to see her, who didn't even want to know her? Sarah allowed several doctors come out of the elevator before she went in. She pressed the button for the lobby. She couldn't figure anything out.
I feel like a character in a soap opera. she thought, disgusted.
Lucky threw his bookbag down on the steps as he walked in the door to his house. Luke walked out of the kitchen.
"Hey Cowboy. How was school?"
Lucky glared at his father.
"That bad, huh? Well, you have two weeks off. That must be a relief."
Lucky plopped himself down on the couch. "If only I could take a break from my life." he muttered.
"What was that?" Luke asked.
"Nothing. Hey, were you just in the kitchen?"
Luke winked.
"Yeah, right." Lucky said.
"Ah, a non-believer. Take a whiff of that air, son."
"It's pizza dad."
"Exactly."
"Delivered pizza, dad."
"That is where you're wrong, Cowboy." Luke said as he walked back into the kitchen. "It's Dijgorno!"
Lucky got up from the couch and went upstairs. He lay down on the bed and stared at his wall.
Besides the many race car and famous jazz musicians posters, he had pictures from all of the people in his life.
Lucky stood up and stood in front of a particular picture. It was one of him and Emily at the park two years ago. There had been a huge picnic. Of course, he hadn't wanted to go, but Emily had shown up at his house, practically dragging him there.
And he had to admit that he had fun. A lot of fun. Someone had brought out the camera and had taken pictures of them at very spontaneous moments.
This particular picture was one of Emily and Lucky eating grape sno-cones. He remembered that moment very well. Lucky had suddenly taken off some of the ice shavings from his snow cone and placed it down Emily's shirt. This had caused an ice fest, everyone had gotten involved.
Emily was right. Lucky thought. Sno-cones can't fix everything. But maybe I can.
Elizabeth slammed the door shut and glared at her sister.
"Where have you been?"
Sarah put down her magazine. "What do you mean."
"You weren't in school today, so I went to find you. Like a good sister. But Mrs.Kirscher saw me leaving the school and gave me a weeks worth of detention. I tried to tell her, but no...you're the good sister, the bright Webber. 'I'm sure that Sarah has a good reason for not coming to school today. She's so bright'." Elizabeth crossed her arms. "So now I'm waiting. And this excuse better be good, otherwise I'll go right to Gram."
"I went to see Nikolas."
Elizabeth blinked. "That's it?"
"What do you mean, 'that's it'?" Sarah wanted to know.
"You got me detention for him?"
"He's in the hospital, Lizzie."
"But he doesn't want to see you, Sarah. You want to believe something that's not there. Grow up and figure it out."
Elizabeth angrily ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.
Nikolas Cassadine stared at the television in the upper right hand corner of the room. He had been staring at it all day, not really focusing on it, and as the hours past by and the characters changed, he was harly aware. He could only focus on one thing. Sarah. Couldn't she see that he didn't want her to see him? Not like that, anyway. He felt so helpless. So out of control. He never wanted to feel like that again. Never. He didn't know how to make it go away.
He didn't want her sympathy. And that's exactly what she had been doing, wasn't it?
Nikolas turned his eyes off of the television. Was he really acting like an arrogant jerk? He had to admit, that hurt. He knew that he had been acting cold, but that was because he didn't want sympathy. He didn't want anyone bothering him so long that he was feeling helpless. So long that he couldn't talk.
Stefan walked in the door, carrying a coat. "Nikolas, are you ready to go home?"
Nikolas nodded and got off of the bed. He had been ready for hours. He couldn't wait to get back to Spoon Island. Where he could tell the guards and Mrs. Lansbury not to allow visiters. Where he could once again block out the world.
Emily Quartermaine walked in the door to her house. She could hear people talking in the parlor, so she closed the door quietly and tried to remain unheard. She was halfway up the stairs when she heard the parlor door open.
"Emily, is that you?"
Emily froze on the stairway.
"Well, young lady. It's about time you got home. Do you realize that it is seven o'clock?"
She turned around to face Edward who stood waiting with his arms crossed.
"I'm sorry, Grandfather, I was at the park."
"At the park? Are you serious? We have been waiting for an hour to eat dinner. Cook is furious! What in heavens name were you doing at the park?"
Emily turned and started back up the stairs. "I was thinking about how crazy I must be to still live here!"
Emily walked in her room and slammed the door closed. She flung her bookbag onto her chair and lay down on the bed. She glanced at her night table. Pictures were propped up in frames of her family and friends. A picture of Paige was next to her clock, then one of her and her brothers. Then of the whole Quartermaine Clan. Then of Lucky Spencer.
Emily closed her eyes and remembered the day that was taken. It was at a picnic. Half of the residents in Port Charles had gone. She had to practically drag him to come and she had been seriously thinking about leaving him alone. But she was glad that she didn't, because they had a blast. They had played games with the little kids, sat under the willow trees and ate delicious food that the adults had made, and somewhere in between there had been an ice war with snow-cones.
She grinned as she remembered that. Lucky had bought her a grape snow-cone, her favorite, and they had been eating it, laughing at the jokes that the teenagers were telling and having a good time. Then, Lucky thought that it was time to liven up the party by placing some of the ice shavings down her shirt. One thing led to another and soon there was no ice left in the paper cone, but on the ground or in people's shirts.
Emily opened her eyes and stared at the picture. In it she was giving Lucky a huge, playful hug. Tears came to Emily's eyes as she thought of all the adventures they had.
She wiped her tears away as she thought, I miss you, Lucky.
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