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Emily smiled happily to herself as she opened the door to the Quartermaine mansion. Inside, she could hear Edward and her parents bickering. And was that AJ's voice she heard too? Emily almost went back outside into that cold weather, but stopped as she heard her name. Normally, she wouldn't even think twice and would go ahead with her plans for the day, because normally she was always brought up in their arguments.
But this time she stopped, and the smile faded from her lips. Emily turned toward the closed wooden doors to the parlor.
"What are you talking about, Monica, hmmm? You don't even see that child, never mind raise her."
"Edward!"
Emily smiled as she went over to sit down on the steps. Good ol' Lila.
"How can you say that?" Monica's voice, now.
"Well, it's true. She goes out whenever she pleases, wherever she pleases, and you don't even care. That girl has no discipline, and that's what she needs. Good, strong discipline."
Emily rolled her eyes and cupped her chin in her hands.
"Are you telling us how to raise our daughter?"
Emily thought, there's Alan.
"Edward, she has her own life to live. You can't control her like you do everyone in this house."
And Justus.
"I prefer the word 'disciplined', Justus." Edward continued. "Emily has been getting into nothing but trouble."
"Grandfather, will you leave her alone?" AJ sounded exhausted, as if he were tired of fighting. "There was that whole Dorman thing, and then with the drugs!" Edward ignored AJ. "Look at all of the trouble she has caused us."
Emily stood up, her grandfather's words had stung. The smile on her face immediately disappeared, and the sparkle in her eyes was replaced with hurt. The parlor door opened, but Emily didn't see who came out. She ran by them in a blur and slammed shut the front door behind her.
Mark shifted in his bed, very aware of the huge cast on his leg.
A nurse walked in. Amy, her name-tag read. "How are you doing Mark, feeling any better?"
"It depends."
"On what?" Amy smiled as she put a hand on her hip.
"If I say 'yes' does it mean I can get out of here sooner?"
Amy chuckled and handed him a small paper cup filled with water.
"Nice try. Now take your medication."
"Ah, pain pills. I was starting to miss you, my friend." he said jokingly to the medication.
Amy rolled her eyes. "Such the practical joker." She took the empty cup back from him.
"Now get some rest, you have some tests tomorrow."
"Again?" he groaned. "What's with all the tests?"
Amy shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. But I'm sure Dr. Quartermaine will tell you soon. Now get some rest."
The door closed behind the nurse. Mark shifted again to make himself more comfortable. Hopefully the pain medicine would be kicking in soon.
Don't think of the pain, he told himself. Concentrate on other things.
The face of a young brunette came to his mind. Mark smiled as he thought of her.
Emily. Would he ever see her again?
Elizabeth let out a sigh of relief as she took off her apron and tossed it onto the wooden counter. She grabbed her coat and purse off of the hook and looked outside.
"Great, it's raining." She threw up her hands in exasperation and returned the coat and purse back on the hook. She turned around and walked back over to the counter. "There is no way I'm walking home in that."
"So stay here." A male voice said.
Elizabeth whirled around. "Lucky! You scared me, what are you doing back here?"
"It's raining, Elizabeth. You said so yourself that you wouldn't go anywhere in that." Lucky walked behind the counter and filled a cup with soda. He shrugged after taking a long gulp of the cola. "So stay here. Ruby won't care."
Lucky grabbed a magazine from behind the counter and moved across the room to sit at one of the tables. Lizzie rolled her eyes and followed, sinking into the chair across from him.
"I take it you didn't find Emily?"
Lucky was silent, he only stared at the magazine page.
"Lucky, you have to talk to her."
"What if she won't listen?" Lucky finally looked up and stared at her. "What if she won't hear me out?"
Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest. "And what if she does?" Elizabeth sighed. "Listen, Lucky. A half a month ago, I wouldn't have cared less about your friendship with Emily. In fact, I would have wanted any of the possible competition out of the way. But I've seen how much Emily needs you." She leaned forward. "And how much you need her."
Lucky was silent, his eyes were focused on the table.
"You have to tell her, Lucky. She needs you a lot more than you realize."
Lucky stood up. "I'm gonna go get something to eat. Do you want something?"
"Honestly Lucky, you can really get on a girl's nerves."
"I'll talk to her. I want to be there for her, Liz, I do." He ran his fingers threw his hair. "I just don't want to screw things up more."
Emily lifted her hands and face to the rain. It had washed away her tears. The rain was good at that-washing away pain. The ground around her was mud now. In fact, the whole park ground was mud. Her skirt was matted against her legs and her hair was in tangles. She ignored it all.
"Look at all of the trouble she caused us."
Her grandfather's words had stung. She wished that she could forget them but they played over and over again in her mind. Like a broken record.
Am I really that much trouble? She wondered. Am I really in the way?
She shook her head and lowered her hands. Why am I always in the way?
Emily sank to the ground and lay her head down on the now wet grass. Rain pelted her back, but she didn't even notice. She curled into a ball and let the rain fall down on her. Edward's voice repeating in her mind. Breaking her heart.
"Look at all of the trouble she caused us."
Elizabeth walked through the muddy grounds of the park. The rain had let up, but there was still a slight drizzle. The air smelled damp, as it usually did after a hard rain.
Now what will Gram say first? She pondered, a slight smile on her lips. Elizabeth, thank goodness you're home. I was worried about you in this terrible storm. She shook her head. Nope. That wouldn't happen.
Elizabeth, why are you home so late? I thought I told you to come home right after work.
Lizzie rolled her eyes. There it was. The most realistic statement she could think of.
Elizabeth looked around. She certainly wasn't a nature person, that was for sure. Her eyes came to rest on a small figure with tangled hair and wet, muddy clothes. She blinked, not believing what she was seeing.
"Emily? Oh, God, Emily!" Lizzie ran over to her and knelt beside the girl. Emily's eyes were closed and her lips were parted. And she looked cold. Elizabeth stood up and looked around. She put her hands on her head, unsure of what to do.
"Emily, I'll be right back. I'm going to go get help."
Elizabeth ran back to Kelly's.
The door flew open and she rushed inside. "Lucky, Ruby-call an ambulance."
Ruby walked out of the kitchen.
"What happened?" Lucky asked, growing concerned.
"It's Emily, something's wrong."
AJ wandered the park grounds, looking for his sister. This was the last place he could think of. He had checked the Spencer's, the Webber's, the Outback, Kelly's, even the hotel. But Emily was nowhere to be seen.
"Emily!" he called out.
There was no answer. Emily had been missing for over an hour. She hadn't returned to the mansion, and there was no sign of her.
But AJ understood why she wouldn't go back. Sometimes he never wanted to go back himself. He could take Edward's harsh words and abuse. In fact, he would almost always give it right back. But Emily was young and vulnerable. And she had been through a lot these last few months. Sure, she was strong, but Edward's words could sting. And AJ guessed that they had stung hard.
He looked around, hoping to spot Emily somewhere. And he did. AJ's eyes came to rest on a wet figure in the mud. She was curled up in a tight ball and she wasn't moving.
"Emily!" AJ ran over and kneeled down beside his sister. He lifted her head and saw that her eyes were closed and there were tearstains on her cheeks. Her lips were slightly blue and her body was cold. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around her and cradled her body in his arms.
Somewhere in the distance a siren wailed and he looked up to see other figures running toward them.
"It's okay, Em." He whispered, trying to assure himself as well. "Everything will be okay."
Lucky Spencer paced the hospital corridors, anxious to hear the news about Emily. AJ sat in one of the chairs outside her room, and Lizzie sat next to him. The door to Emily's room opened. Lucky looked up as a doctor walked out.
"How is she?" Lizzie asked, standing up.
The doctor looked saddened. "Is there any immediate family member that I could talk to?"
AJ stood up. "I'm her brother."
"Please follow me."
AJ glanced at Lucky, confused. But Lucky was staring at the doctor, all of the worst thoughts going through his mind. What was wrong with her? What was wrong with his best friend? As AJ and the doctor went down the hallway, Lucky walked over to the window and stared inside, feeling helpless.
Emily was lying on the bed, her eyes closed. She looked pale and so cold, even though there was perspiration dotted on her face. An IV bag hung next to her and the medicine dripped down into her hand. A nurse was in there, adjusting the IV and taking notes about her condition on a chart.
"I feel so helpless." Lucky said. "God, I was so stupid."
"Lucky, this isn't your fault." Lizzie said.
"It is, Elizabeth. If I were only paying more attention to her, if I was there for her, she wouldn't have felt so alone. We wouldn't have gotten into that fight." He stared longingly at the teenager.
Lucky looked up to see Elizabeth watching him, with growing concern.
"I'm going to go call Jason. He would want to know." Lucky walked gloomily down the hallway, leaving Elizabeth to stare after him.
She turned to look in the window. "He needs you, Emily." She whispered. "He really does. Even more than he realizes."
"What's wrong with my sister?" AJ wanted to know.
Dr. Sommers motioned AJ into her office. "Your sister has a very high fever, Mr. Quartermaine. Over one hundred and six degrees. If it gets higher, it could be fatal. Let me explain." Dr. Sommer sat at her desk and gestured for AJ to sit in a chair. "Temperatures above one hundred and twelve degrees are usually fatal. They could cause damage to the nervous system that would be irreversible. There's not a very high chance that it will rise six degrees, but the option is always out there.
"There is, however, the risk of pneumonia. We are giving her medication that will hopefully lower her temperature, therefore, the risk won't be quite so high." Dr. Sommers looked at AJ sadly. "We're doing the best that we can. I promise you that she will get better."
AJ could barely meet her eyes. "What can I do?" he asked, barely above a whisper.
"There's nothing that you can do for her health. That's our job. But you can contact her family and friends. That way when she does get better, she'll know that everyone was there for her."
AJ nodded. "I'll do that. I'll make sure that everyone is there for her this time."
Mark roamed the dimly lit halls. It was late that night. All of the other patients were asleep and new nurses had just signed on for their shift. These last few nights at the hospital had been restless, but no medication would help that. It was only because of one word. Boredom. He was bored, that was all there was to it. The TV played reruns that he had seen perhaps a hundred times. The radio played only soft love songs, and there was no use in using the phone. All of his pals would be fast asleep by now.
The rubber tips at the bottom of his crutches squeaked as he walked, and he paused and leaned on his good foot, trying to ease the ache in his underarms.
"Emily Quartermaine's downstairs. I wonder how she's holding up." A nurse at the nurses' station said. Mark's head jerked up at the sound of that name. Emily? The Emily who had struck up a conversation with him just the other day?
"It must be tough." Another nurse agreed.
"Mark?"
Mark spun around to hear his name.
"What are you doing up?"
"Uh, I couldn't sleep. Amy, is Emily Quartermaine the girl who came into my room the other day."
"You bet." Amy replied as she glanced down at a chart.
"Is she here?" he asked.
"She's downstairs."
"Great. I'm gonna go say hi." Mark started to turn away as Amy looked up from the chart.
"Oh, Mark. I'm sorry, I thought you knew." Mark looked at her, confused. "Emily isn't a visitor, she's a patient."
Elizabeth placed two quarters down the slot and punched at the Coca-Cola button. The machine whirred and out tumbled a soda can. Liz bent down to pick it up and took several large gulps of the soft drink.
She glanced down the hallway toward the room in which Emily lay, unmoving, and then to Lucky who was talking on the pay phone to someone with his forehead against the wall, a sign of sadness or frustration.
"Emily please get better." She whispered. "Please."
Lucky Spencer hung up the telephone and ran his fingers through his hair. He had just called Jason, who had promised to come right over. Lucky started back down the hallway, but paused, seeing Lizzie by the soda machine.
Elizabeth walked up to him and held out the can of soda in which he took a sip.
"How are you holding up?" she asked as he gave her back the drink.
"How should I be? Liz, how could I have been so stupid?"
"Lucky, you couldn't have known what was going on inside of her."
"But I should have. If only I was a better friend to her."
"Being here right now makes you a great friend." Liz gazed sadly at Lucky, who looked so hopeless. "Lucky?" She watched him, confused. He was staring over her shoulder, down the hallway.
"What the hell?"
Elizabeth turned around and followed his gaze to see a boy with dark brown hair on crutches, staring in the window to Emily's room.
The brown haired boy gazed at the young girl who lay asleep on the bed.
"Get better, Emily Quartermaine." The boy whispered.
"Hey!" Lucky angrily grabbed his arm and whirled the boy around. "Who the hell are you?"
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" the boy shouted out as Lucky grabbed him roughly by the arm.
"Who are you?" Lucky demanded.
"My name's Mark. Now do you mind letting go?"
Lucky hesitantly let go and Mark bent down awkwardly to retrieve his fallen crutch.
"What are you doing here, and how do you know Emily?"
"Whoa, cool it, man. I don't mean any harm. I met Emily the other day, she came into my room by accident. I just heard that she was here as a patient and I got worried."
Lucky opened his mouth to ask another question, but Elizabeth grabbed him at the elbow and pulled him away.
"Will you chill, Lucky?" She said barely above a whisper.
"What?"
"Don't get so defensive, he's only worried about Emily."
Lucky stared at Mark.
"Do you promise not to lose your cool again?" Liz asked.
Lucky looked at her.
"Well?"
"Yeah, I promise."
Lucky walked back over to Mark and held out his hand. Mark stared at it.
"You're not going to attack me again, are you?" Mark asked with an amused grin.
"Sorry about that, man. I didn't mean to get so defensive. The name's Lucky. Lucky Spencer."
Mark took Lucky's hand and shook it. "Mark." He introduced himself. "Mark Davis."
Emily faintly opened her eyes. She was hardly aware of the room she was in. All she knew was that she was hot and very tired.
The room was blurry. She could scarcely make out the various shapes in the room. Where was she? She didn't even know. Something moved next to her, and she tried to move her head to see, but she couldn't. She was too weak to even lift a hand.
The figure moved again across the room. Emily followed with her half closed eyes. A door opened and then quietly shut.
The lights were bright. She knew that. It was anything but dark in that room. And she could hear the faint beeping sound right above her head.
Her eyes finally focused and she found herself staring out the window in the hall, where three figures stood. Her lips parted as if to speak as she recognized one of them.
"Lucky." She tried, but the sound barely came out as a whisper. Emily's body tired and her eyes became blurry again. And she let the sleep overcome her and her dreams take her away.
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General Hospital's Friendship Forever