Epilogue
~~Three Years Later~~
Liz sank down upon the bed and sighed as her entire body
shuttered. 'How
could this have happened?' She thought to herself. 'We're always
so
careful...well, I mean most of the time.' She pulled her datebook
from her
purse, ready to examine it once again, but she closed it before
she even
began. 'Four tests can not ALL be wrong,' she thought. 'Face it,
somewhere
along the line you slipped up Liz...you forgot a pill...or
two...or....ugh!'
"Pregnant," she wispered aloud to herself in the middle
of her bedroom. Their
bedroom. The room they had slept in together for nearly four
years. How could
this possibly be? Why now? Now, when she still had a semester to
go at the
art academy and Lucky still had a least a year and a half left at
PCU.
She looked down at her stomach and ran a hand across her middle.
It didn't
feel any different than it had a few weeks ago, but she already
felt
different inside. A small smile crept across her lips as she let
her hand
rest there and her mind wander to places she had only let it in
her dreams.
'No,' she thought, getting up from the bed and begining to pace.
'There is
nothing to be happy about here Liz! You're being completely
selfish! It's
Lucky's turn, not yours! You're supposed to finish school
and run Kelly's
for him full time so he can concentrate on his studies for once.
You can't
saddle him with yet another responsibility!....Baby why now?' She
thought,
rubbing her belly.
Tears began to fall as she sat back down on the bed. The guilt
overwhelming
her. Guilt for being pregnant, and now the added guilt of being
upset with an
innocent child. She smiled again at the vision of the unborn
child with
Lucky's bright blue eyes that danced through her head. Her eyes
shown with
love as she thought about a baby that she and Lucky created
together, growing
inside of her at that very moment. She smiled again in spite of
herself.
Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted.
"Aaaah....there's my beautiful girl," Lucky said as he
jogged into their
bedroom. He stood over her, grasping this sides of her face and
giving her a
tender welcome home kiss. "I missed you so much. It's been a
long week."
"It sure has," Liz said. Her voice hallow as he ended
their kiss.
Lucky sat down next to her, so consumed with longing for her that
he hadn't
stopped to notice the look in her eyes. He began kissing her
neck, wanting
nothing more than to make love to his wife at that very moment.
"So," he
mumbled. "Did the car run ok?"
'Yeah,' Liz thought to herself, her mind reeling. 'Our other
expense is
running great Lucky. Yeap...just bought me a new car...and here
comes
something else for you to slave away for...'
"Run's like a dream," she said aloud, staring off into
space as Lucky began
unbottoning her shirt.
He looked up suddenly, struck by the sound of her voice.
"'Lizbeth, what's
wrong?" He asked, his hand covering her cheek.
Her bottom lip began to tremble and she quickly tried tucking it
under her
top one. Of all times for him to call her 'Lizbeth. He definitely
knew that
something was up.
"Baby, what's the matter?!" Lucky asked again, his
voice growing with
concern. He took her in his arms as she rested her head against
his chest.
She looked up after a few moments, Lucky rubbing continuous
circles on her
back. She took a few deep breaths to calm her sobs. "Baby
just tell me," he
wispered. "Whatever it is...you know we can get through
it...just please
don't scare me like this."
Elizabeth looked at him, smileing weakly. She loved him so much
and she knew
he loved her more than life itself. But would it be enough to
carry them
through this? She swallowed hard. "Lucky...I - we're...we're
gonna have a
baby."
Silence filled the space between them for a few long moments.
Each of them
fearing what the other would say. Each of them wanting to be
perfect for the
other. Liz licked her lips and spoke again. "I took 4
different tests...they
were all...positive."
Still no response from Lucky. 'God,' Liz thought. 'He totally
hates this.'
She spoke again. "Lucky...I'm sorry...I must have forgotton
to take a pill or
something.. I - "
"You're sorry?" Lucky asked, cutting her off. He took a
deep breath and then
blew it out, "Come 'ere," he said, barely above a
wisper as he wrapped her in
his arms. She sighed in relief as he held her tight, yet began to
cry again
at his silence.
"Hey," he said softly, pulling away just enough to look
into her eyes. He
brushed at the corners of her eyes with his thumbs. "None of
these," he said
softly. "No more tears....Elizabeth this is...this is
amazing. You and me -
making a baby together?! That's...baby that's wonderful.
That's...God, do you
know how Lucky I am?
Elizabeth smiled through her tears finally. "You mean your
not mad?"
"Huh?" Lucky muttered, completely taken aback.
"Why would I be mad?...How
could I possibly be mad?"
"Lucky come on...you gotta admit this timeing is....I mean,
it was your
turn.."
"My turn?" Lucky questioned.
"Yeah...you know...after I got out of school and
all...remember our plan? It
was your turn to just go to school...not worry about Kelly's...I
just spoiled
everything," she said, turning her head away from him.
Lucky cupped her face and brought it back to look into his eyes.
"Hey,
hey...look at me...first of all, you did NOT spoil anything. If I
remember
correctly it takes two to tango, and we've been doin' the tango
quite
frequently lately."
Liz laughed lightly and he smiled, wiping at his own fallen
tears.
"Secondly," he continued. "If you're worried about
turns Elizabeth, don't be.
Because I've been taking my 'turn' all along. I was fortuneate
enough to find
an angel when I was 15 years old and marry her three years
later....and now,
now I'm fortuneate enough to be blessed with a beautiful, perfect
baby that's
half of you and half of me? Elizabeth I'd call that a hell of a
turn."
Liz sighed, leaning her face into the hand that cupped her cheek.
"I love
you."
Lucky moved closer, placing the most gentle kiss she'd ever felt
in her life
upon her lips, allowing it to linger for a few moments as soft as
a feather.
She felt him clasp her hand in his as he ended the kiss.
"Dance with me," he
wispered, smiling as he led her into the living room, his thumb
rubbing small
patterns on her hand the whole way.
He wrapped her in his arms, as they began to sway in the
musicless room. Liz
picked her head up from his shoulder suddenly, hit by another
plaguing
thought. "Lucky...how are we going to aff - "
"Ssh," he wispered, placing a finger softly against her
lips. "We'll work it
all out ok?...Right now, I just wanna hold you."
Liz leaned her head back down upon his strong shoulder and closed
her eyes as
he began to sing:
"I've got sunshine....."
~~~~~~~~~~~
About 4 months Later
Liz shifted in her sleep, moving her legs around on the cool
comforter as she
felt something tickle at the sides of her stomach. She mumbled to
herself
inaudibly.
Lucky hoisted himself up on his elbow and grinned as her eyelids
fluttered
open slowly.
She tried to focus, through her drowsy haze. "What are you
doing?" She asked,
her voice almost a wisper, as she fought her sleep.
"Sorry." Lucky said, his head nestled next to her ever
expanding belly. "I
didn't mean to wake you...Baby and I were just going over some of
the finer
points of the Blues."
"Oh, is that what we're studying tonight?...The blues?"
Liz asked, sitting up
slightly and admiring the headphones that adorned her stomach.
"I thought you
were going over 70's Rock."
"Elizabeth, that was last week...you gotta keep up."
Liz laughed out loud as Lucky flipped the tape over in his
walkman. Ever
since he'd learned that "Baby," as they liked to refer
to the child growing
inside of her, could hear everything they said, he had deemed it
his fatherly
duty to teach the child the ABC's of music...amongst other
things. He was
constantly conversing with her stomach.
"Why didn't you wake me up baby?" Liz asked, running
her fingers through
Lucky's hair continuously as he lay his head on her belly.
"I would have
liked to hear that lecture."
"Aww...well," Lucky began, moving up beside her and
placing a beautifully
soft kiss upon her lips. "You were just so cute lieing there
asleep, that I
couldn't do it....AND," he continued, kissing her jawline.
"Baby and I had
some things to discuss...." he finished, letting his voice
trail off just
enough to intrigue her.
"Like?" Liz said, leaning forward.
"Oh, well that's for me to know and for you to - "
"Find out?" Liz asked, interrupting him seductively
with a slew of moist
kisses upon his neck.
"Oh...see...that's just unfair Elizabeth," he sighed,
his voice lowering a
few octaves.
"Well, tell me what I want to know and I'll stop."
"I hate to tell you this Elizabeth...but that's not really a
great strategy,"
Lucky said as she continued to work her magic on his neck.
Liz pulled back immediately and grinned mischeviously. "Well
then...tell me
and I'll START again."
Lucky layed down and Liz followed, propping her chin up on his
chest. "Ok,"
Lucky began. "We were basically talking about how great it's
gonna be when we
move to New York City once he's born and then...well, then...do
you know what
he told me, Elizabeth?"
"What?" Liz asked, giggling uncontrollably. "What
did he tell you?"
"Well, Baby says that if he is indeed a HE, he has
absolutely no interest in
being called Lucas Lorenzo Spencer the Third."
Liz shook her head and grinned from ear to ear. They had been
over this twice
already. "Lucky! We talked about this! If this baby is a
boy, I want him to
be named after you!...I really don't see what the problem is, I
thought you
liked your name."
"Yeah Elizabeth I do...but we don't have to heap that name
on the poor kid.
We should look at him, get to know him a bit...and THEN decide
what to name
him."
Liz sighed, knowing she wouldn't win tonight, but she wasn't
going to give up
any time soon. She decided to turn the tables. "Well...who
says it's a gonna
be a boy anyways, huh?"
"Well in that case," Lucky smiled. "It's Elizabeth
Junior all the way!" He
laughed.
"Ugh...you are too much!" Liz laughed, punching him
lightly on the shoulder.
She suddenly quieted, becoming very serious. "Lucky...are
you sure about
moving to New York City? I mean, having to transfer to
NYU...Lucky that's
gonna be a huge adjustment."
"Elizabeth...I'm sure. I mean, I know it WILL be a big
adjustment, but I also
know it's something we need to do. Tammy offering to take Kelly's
off of our
hands was a sign...a sign telling us that our dream of living in
New York
together can really happen. It IS going to happen Elizabeth. Me,
you, and
Baby in New York City...that's how it's supposed to be."
"I love you, " Liz said stroking his cheek.
"I love you too....and I love you," he finished placing
a butterfly kiss on
her stomach.
~~~~~~~~~~
5 months later
"Elizabeth, will you PLEEEEEEASE sit down?" Lucky asked
for the hundreth time
as he followed her into his parents kitchen.
Liz turned around holding a huge pot of mashed potatoes in her
arms, only
seconds before Lucky grabbed it from her, shaking his head as if
it were a
major 'no-no.'
"Lucky," she began through gritted teeth. "For the
last time, I'm pregnant,
NOT sick! I'm perfectly capable of helping your mother with
Thanksgiving
dinner!"
Lucky sighed and ran a hand through his hair frustratedly, as he
followed his
wife back out into the dining room. Elizabeth was 9 months
pregnant, as big
as a small house, and 4 days overdue. His life was one big mood
swing after
another.
He sat down next to her and watched as she gabbed with his
parents and,
surprisingly, her own. The Webbers had decided to buy a home in
Port Charles
and visited as often as they could. Mainly on holidays. They
still weren't
the model parents by any means, but Liz took anything she could
get.
Especially since she wanted their child to have a relationship
with both sets
of grandparents. Liz and Lucky both thought that their unborn
grandchild
could have been the reason for their sudden attentiveness, but
decided not to
question it. If that was what it took for them to have to be a
part of their
lives, so be it.
Lucky couldn't take his eyes off of his wife. Elizabeth had
always been
gorgeous, but for the past few months she'd been stunningly
radiant. She
postively glowed with happiness. He watched as she chit -chatted
with his
sister about some boy in her junior highschool math class. 'Oh
boy,' Lucky
thought scratching the back of his head.
"Oh boy!" Liz said, squeezing Lucky's hand on top of
the table.
Lucky laughed. "How did you know I was just thinking th -
"
"Uh...I don't think you were Lucky," Liz said,
squeezing his hand again, a
bit tighter this time. "Lucky I think this is it."
"This is it?" Lucky asked, bewildered.
"This is it," she said, repeating herself as she looked
straight into his
eyes.
"This is it!!!" Lucky shouted. The meaning of her words
finally dawning on
him. He jumped up from his chair and took her hand as chaos
ensued around
them.
"Ok...ok..."Lucky said, attempting to calm everyone
down, while truely
wanting to jump right out of his own skin. "Elizabeth and I
are
gonna....gonna drive to the hospital...yeah...that's
right...ok...well, um,
see you guys there...I guess," he smiled nervously.
It was followed by a chorus of "yeahs", "see ya
there's" and "good lucks."
~~~~~~~~~
"Ok Elizabeth," said the nurse as she viewed the fetal
monitor next to Liz's
bedside. "You're going to experience a contraction in just a
second...yeah...this one looks like a big one."
Liz shot the nurse a hateful glance as she gritt her teeth and
blew in and
out threw them furiously. "Yeah...I kinda got that
already," she hissed
sarcastically.
Lucky looked down at her and then up again, rolling his eyes at
the nurse. He
offered up thanks when the annoying woman walked out of the room.
He rubbed
Liz's forearm as her contraction subsided.
"You're doing great baby," he wispered, placing a kiss
on her glistening
forehead. "You're doin' so good."
Liz sighed loudly and rolled her head back and forth on the
pillow. "I don't
know if I can do this anymore Lucky...I'm so tired."
Lucky glanced up at the clock on the wall. It had been a little
over nine
hours since they'd checked out of Thanksgiving dinner and into
the hospital.
"Baby I know...God, I can only imagine what kinda pain your
in...but I know
you can do it...Elizabeth you're so strong...the doctor said it
would be
soooooooooooooooon," he wailed as Elizabeth grip on his hand
tightened into a
vice.
She screamed louder than she had since they'd gotton there as
Lucky fell back
into his chair, still held by her clasp on his hand. He got up
quickly after
the contraction ceased. "I'm sorry," she wimpered as
she watched him massage
his aching hand.
"Please Elizabeth," Lucky said, kissing the top of her
head. "If this is all
the pain I have to endure...believe me it's no bigee." He
reached into the
pitcher next to her on the nighstand and pulled out an icechip.
"You want to
eat it or bathe in it?" He asked smiling as he held it up
before her.
She actually smiled back for the first time in hours.
"Bathe," she answered
grinning wearily. Lucky traced the piece of ice down across her
forehead,
then down her cheek, moving quickly to her neck. He saw her bite
her lip and
quickly put the ice down, grasping her hand in his. Tears escaped
the sides
of her eyes as the contraction's full intesity set in.
"Ok...that's it," Lucky said as it ebbed away.
"I'm gonna get that doctor in
here and she's gonna give you some more drugs."
"Sorry...no more drugs for Ms. Liz," the doctor replyed
as she walked into
the room, hearing Lucky's speech. "I'm afraid we have given
her all she can
take...she should be about ready though...let's see."
It didn't take long before Elizabeth was pushing and her
tortourous grip on
Lucky's hand turned into a death grip.
"Ok," the doctor said, looking up from the sheet that
covered Elizabeth.
"You're almost there...I can see the baby's head...I need
you to give me a
really big push now Elizabeth, ok?"
Liz shook her head, near dilirious from the pain and fatigue.
"No....I can't
do this anymore...Lucky tell them I'm not going to do it
anymore."
Lucky licked his lips, his eyes beginning to tear. "Baby,
you have to..." he
said softly into her ear, as he brushed her matted hair away from
her
forehead. "You can do it...I know you can...I swear it's
almost over
sweetie...a couple more pushes and we're gonna have a beautiful
baby to take
home...come on Elizabeth I know you can do this. Do you hear me?
I know you
can."
Liz grabbed ahold of Lucky's hand and beared down with all of her
might,
struggling through the last moments of labor. Finally, on the
fifth and final
push their baby was born, a shrill cry piercing the air.
"Mr. and Mrs. Spencer...you've got a healthy, baby
boy," the doctor said as
she lay the baby on Liz's chest after it was cleaned off.
Elizabeth's tears began again as she looked down at her son, his
hands
fidgeting beyond his control. She lightly brushed her fingers
over his tiny,
pink fingers and then his toes. His eyes closed as he nestled
closer to her
breast. "He's perfect Lucky," she said through her
cascade of silent tears.
Lucky looked down and marveled at the creature that their love
had created.
Small and wrinkled with wispy strands of golden blonde sticking
out from
beneath the blanket he had been wrapped in. Lucky had never felt
more in love
in his life and his heart felt so full it would burst at any
moment. "Just
like his mom," Lucky replyed as he took her face in his
hands and showered it
with gentle kisses from her forehead to her chin.
Her eyelids suddenly became to heavy to hold open a second longer
and she had
not even the energy to kiss him back.
"I love you so much Elizabeth," Lucky said, kissing her
next to her ear. "I
love you so much...I...God, thank you Elizabeth."
"You're welcome, " she mumbled almost inaudibly as she
drifted off.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Elizabeth," Lucky said as he walked into the kitchen
loosening his tie.
"Your daughter is drawing on the living room wall
again."
"Yeah, well "Elizabeth said, as she covered the speaker
on the telephone with
the palm of her hand, and kissed Lucky quickly on the cheek.
"Your son had a
grand time with your guitar this afternoon...you should take a
look at it."
Lucky's eyes widened at her implication. "Lucas Lorenzo
Spencer III!" he
shouted. "Get down here right - "
"No use," Elizabeth said, hanging up the phone and
taking his hand in hers.
"He's not here...your sister picked him up earlier and took
him to a movie in
the city."
"Oh," Lucky said, sitting down. "How come Lauryn
didn't go?"
"Yeah right Lucky," Liz said as she stood behind him,
begining to massage his
shoulders. "I wasn't about to subject your poor sister to
Lauryn-Elizabeth's
current 'I don't wanna' tantrum phase....She was painting with me
this
morning Lucky, and nearly had a fit when I told her it was time
to clean
up....she was upset that I had to start working on that project
for the 7th
Street Art Galery opening."
Lucky laughed and then stopped suddenly, his nose going into
overdrive.
"Elizabeth...is that what I think it is?"
"Yes," Liz said, kissing the top of his head.
"That would be ribs from
Ely's...dont' ask me how I got them down here....just know that
your wife has
her ways," she smiled. "We're celebrating tonight and I
thought that instead
of going out, we could just have a small PRIVATE celebration with
just us."
Lucky had gotton promoted to chief computer analyist at the
Manhattan branch
of Deception worldwide. The company that was now co-owned by
Nikolas and
Emily Cassidine.
Lucky bit his lip and looked up at her. This was too good to be
true. "The
kids?"
"You're parents are picking them up for the weekend,"
she answered. "I think
Lorenzo challenged your dad to a game of poker."
Lucky smiled and nodded. His six year old son had already shown
great promise
in that area. Three year old Lauryn-Elizabeth on the other hand
was more apt
to throw her cards around the room then to deal them. 'We're
gonna have to
work on that,' Lucky thought smiling.
"So," Liz said as she bent down and placed a kiss on
his neck, loosening his
collar. "What in the world will we do with an entire weekend
to ourselves?"
Lucky pulled her closer, causing her to fall and land in his lap.
"Aaaah...I've got a few ideas Mrs. Spencer, " he said
kissing her full on the
lips, as he held her face. Liz marveled at the way he still
kissed her as if
it were their wedding day. "A little bit of this," he
said kissing her again.
"And of course...some strip poker."
"Ugh! Lucky...you always beat the pants off of me!"
Lucky grinned. "Exactly."
"Mmm...exactly." Liz said, repeating his words as she
kissed him, determined
to stay as in love as they were at that moment for the rest of
their lives.
Little did she know, she wouldn't have to. They were destined for
each other
for all eternity.