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Confrontations
Kevin Collins sat in the middle of the courtroom
lost in thoughts
of Lucy as the court began it's recess. As the seconds dragged on for
what
felt like hours, he began to think back to a time when he and Lucy had
been together and seemingly happy with one another. It seemed that no
matter
how hard he tried, he couldn't shake the feeling that she desperately
needed
him now more than ever.
"But she has Scott now." Kevin reminded himself
silently as images
of Lucy making love to Scott in Florida flooded his mind.
"Paging Dr. Collins. Dr. Kevin Collins." Eve called out
waving her hand
in front of his face as he snapped back into the reality of his
surroundings.
"You look about a million miles away right now."
"Try a couple thousand." Kevin replied with a sigh as he
looked around
the half empty courtroom. "What are they waiting for?"
"It's lunch time Kevin." Eve explained to him as she
noticed the guard
eyeing her closely. "You know I'm surprised the judge allowed me to
come
out here and sit with you considering the way I've been treated like a
criminal this past week. You'd think that they'd have thrown me in full
security shackles at this point."
"Well, maybe they're realizing that there's no possible
way you could've
killed all those people after all." Kevin suggested hopefully as he
watched
her expression.
"Fat chance Kevin." Eve huffed with a sarcastic laugh.
"You really must've
been out of it during the testimonies that took place today."
"I'm sorry Eve, really I am." Kevin apologized shaking
his head. "I
really meant to be supportive today, but my mind just can't focus on
the
trial right now."
"You're thinking about Lucy, aren't you?" Eve questioned
taking note
of the sadness in his eyes.
"Every second of the day." Kevin confessed closing his
eyes and picturing
Lucy's face. "She's the first thing that I think of when I wake up each
morning and the last thing I think of when I go to sleep at night."
"You still love her very much, don't you?" Eve
questioned realizing
that she needn't ask because the truth was evident in Kevin's face.
"More than I've ever loved anyone in my life, but I feel
as if my heart
has betrayed me." Kevin continued staring off into space.
"Because Lucy slept with Scott." Eve finished reaching
out to take Kevin's
hand.
"It goes beyond that Eve. It's like the more I think
about it, the more
I doubt the love Lucy and I shared. I almost feel like a fool for
trying
to compete with the madness that she and Scott create when they're
together.
It's just so damn frustrating to see........." Kevin explained facing
her
with a frown. "I'm sorry. I'm sure listening to my problems is the last
thing you need right now."
"No Kevin, it's okay." Eve assured him quickly. "You're
my friend and
I'll always be here for you whenever you need me."
"Thanks Eve." Kevin began looking at the time. "And to
make it up to
you, what do you say I run over to the deli down the road and pick us
up
some lunch?"
"Kevin, that would be wonderful, but Chris is already
picking up lunch
for me." Eve explained to him as Chris re-entered the courtroom
carrying
two brown paper bags. "I'm sorry."
"That's okay." Kevin shrugged standing up and checking
the time. "Actually,
I think that I should probably run over to GH for a few minutes and see
how Serena's operation went."
"Please sent her my love and tell her how much I miss
her." Eve insisted
as Chris took a seat next to her.
"I will." Kevin replied with a wave as he left the
courtroom unable
to get rid of the sinking feeling in his chest.
Scott Baldwin checked the time realizing that Lucy was
supposed to be
meeting him in Serena's room about ten minutes ago. He wondered what
she
had gotten into this time considering that she knew how important it
was
that he get to the courthouse on time for his afternoon testimony. He
realized
that he was going to have to leave soon, but looking at a sleeping
Serena
kept him there for a few more moments.
"Karen," Scott called out seeing his daughter down the
hall.
"Hey Scott," Karen began walking towards her father.
"How's Serena doing?"
"She's sleeping right now." Scott explained looking at
his little angel
knowing how wonderful it was for her to have her eyesight back again.
"She's
so happy."
"I'm so glad that her cornea transplant went off without
any problems."
Karen said stepping into the room further to look at her little sister.
"So am I." Scott replied realizing how much Serena
reminded him of Dominique.
"She's quite a little fighter. So brave."
"Yes she is." Karen agreed looking at Scott and sensing
something was
on his mind. "What's wrong?"
"Am I that easy to read?" Scott questioned with a frown
as he checked
the time once more. "I have to go down to the courthouse to testify
today
and Lucy was supposed to be her about fifteen minutes ago to stay with
Serena while I'm gone, but as usual Lucy is running late."
"I can stay with her for a while if you'd like." Karen
suggested realizing
that time with Serena would be good for her.
"Are you sure? I know how busy things are around here
for you." Scott
answered taking her hand in his.
"Of course I'm sure. There's no place where I'd rather
be than with
my sister right now." Karen assured him as he reached for his jacket.
"Good
luck today."
"Thanks, but I think Eve is going to need it more than
me." Scott insisted
wearily as he walked into the hall ready to leave for the courthouse.
"Hey Scott, I'm glad I found you." Matt called out
approaching him.
"Matt, how's it going?" Scott questioned realizing that
he was pressed
for time.
"Not well actually." Matt confessed seriously. "Ellen
and I were on
our way over to the courthouse, but she got tied up with Lucy."
"So that's where she is." Scott replied realizing that
Lucy must've
been busy chatting away. "She's always yapping about something lately."
"You don't understand Scott." Matt insisted seriously.
"Lucy passed
out a while ago and Ellen is in with her right now."
"What?" Scott questioned in disbelief. "When did this
happen?"
"About fifteen minutes ago, but look I need your help to
try to get
a hold of Kevin. I called his cell phone and tried paging him, but
nothing
seems to be working. I think it's important for him to be with her
right
now." Matt continued watching Scott closely.
"Where is she?" Scott questioned in a panic.
"She's in the examining room with Ellen." Matt explained
watching Scott
race off down the hall. "Where are you going?"
Lucy woke up realizing that she was in a small white
examining room.
She noticed a light flashing into her eyes as Ellen came into focus.
She
could feel her head throbbing from the impact she had encountered in
the
fall as she tried to move about on the examining table.
"Don't move Lucy." Ellen insisted glancing her friend
over. "How are
you feeling?"
"My head hurts a little bit, but I think that I'll be
okay if I just........."
Lucy began trying to sit up as dizziness filled her head. "Whoa that's
a doozy."
"That's what I thought Lucy. I'm worried about you."
Ellen continued
helping her lay back down. "Lucy, I'd like to run a few tests on you to
make sure that you're alright."
"Ellen, I'm fine really." Lucy began with a shrug. "I
have to go see
Serena. I promised Scott that I'd watch her while he was at the trial
today.
He's going to be so angry that I didn't show up on time."
"Well Scott will just have to answer to me when he gets
upset Lucy because
I'm not letting you go anywhere until I run some tests on you." Ellen
explained
seriously. "After the nightmare you have just gone through, there's no
way that you're getting out of this examining room without a thorough
check
up."
"Ellen, I'll be fine really. In fact, back at the
mansion, I got a bump
on my head there too and look I'm fine." Lucy insisted trying to show
Ellen
that she was alright.
"I don't buy it Lucy and as your doctor and friend I'm
making you stay
right here." Ellen insisted sternly looking at her. "No arguments."
"But....." Lucy began to protest.
"No buts." Ellen said writing down a few notes on Lucy's
condition.
"Now you're going to do something very unlike Lucy Coe and be quiet for
a couple of minutes while I have them run some blood tests on you."
"Kevin, thank God I found you!" Matt called out as Kevin
stepped off
of the elevator.
"What is it?" Kevin asked curiously turning to face
Matt.
"Lucy passed out a while ago and she's in the examining
room with Ellen."
Matt explained quickly.
"What happened?" Kevin questioned following Matt down
the hall towards
Lucy's room.
"I don't know. Apparently she was talking to Ellen and
she just passed
out." Matt continued as they reached the examining room door and Scott
rushed out of the room coming face to face with Kevin.
"Scott," Kevin said glaring at him.
"Kevin," Scott muttered turning to face Matt. "Where the
hell is she?"
"Who?" Matt questioned in confusion.
"Lucy, you nitwit." Scott informed him with a scowl. "I
went in there,
but there's no sign of her or Ellen."
"I thought they were in there." Matt began with a shrug.
"Perhaps Ellen
took her down to the lab."
"I'm going to go look for her." Kevin announced turning
towards the
lab.
"The hell you are." Scott shouted grabbing onto Kevin's
arm. "You're
not going anywhere."
"Scott I strongly suggest that you remove your hand from
me immediately."
Kevin ordered trying to remain calm as his hate for Scott began to
surface.
"Look, if you think that you can just waltz back into
Lucy's life after
pushing her aside like you did, then you'd better think twice because
I'm
not going to let you put her through that anymore." Scott explained
protectively
still holding onto Kevin's jacket. "You're probably the reason she
passed
out today. She's been so worried about your feelings that she's gone
and
made herself sick."
"I'm the one responsible?" Kevin questioned in
disbelief.
"That's right." Scott insisted shaking his head. "How
can you believe
that you have any right to her after walking out on her like you did?"
"So this is how it's going to be." Kevin responded
shaking his arm loose.
"Scott, since we're on the subject, maybe I should bring up the the
fact
that I'm not the one who left Lucy when she needed me the most. I was
there
for her when she went through her depression about you taking Serena
away
from her. I was the one who listened to her cry and I was the one who
mended
her broken heart."
"Well, aren't you special?" Scott muttered
sarcastically. "Hey look
on the bright side though, now Lucy can be happy because we're together
again. She doesn't need to be around a pretentious stuffed shirt like
you
any longer now that she's got a real man by her side."
"A real man wouldn't have abandoned her like you did
Scott. At least
I had a reason for walking out on our wedding and even after that, I
never
shut her out like you did for all those years." Kevin answered in a
rage.
"Why I ought to..........." Scott shouted lurching
towards Kevin as
he raised his fists.
"That's enough!" Ellen shouted moving in between the two
of them. "I
won't have this going on in the hospital."
"Ellen," Kevin began directing his attention towards
Ellen. "How's Lucy?"
"She's resting." Ellen explained eyeing both men
carefully.
"I need to see her." Scott insisted pushing Kevin aside
as he got up
in Ellen's face.
"I'm afraid that it's not possible right now." Ellen
said shifting her
gaze between both men. "Right now the last thing Lucy needs is to be
upset."
"Please Ellen, tell me what happened. I want to see
her." Kevin started
needing to see Lucy.
"I'm not allowing her to have any visitors right now
especially you
two. As for her condition, we'll know more when the lab results come
back."
Ellen finished sternly. "Now if you two are going to carry on like
children,
then I suggest that you take it outside because this is a hospital."
"You're right Ellen." Kevin said shaking his head and
glaring at Scott.
"He's not worth it."
"Yeah, well I've got to get down to the courthouse
anyways Mr. Shrinky-dink."
Scott piped up turning to Ellen. "Will you please let me know when you
hear anything about Lucy's condition?"
"Of course. I'll be sure to call the both of you." Ellen
responded as
she watched both men head off down the halls in opposite directions.
Chapter 3
Talking in your sleep
Lucy sat in the hospital bed realizing the only thing
left to do was
think about things and that was the last thing she wanted to do in her
seemingly restless condition. She knew that she was going to have to
start
concentrating on the future soon enough, but she couldn't quite pull
herself
together enough to get into that frame of mind at the moment. She
reached
for the television remote control and turned up the volume only to
catch
the middle of a report about the General Homicide murders. A picture of
Kevin flashed across the screen as the report continued and Lucy shut
the
television off.
"It's no use." she said turning over on her side as the
image of Kevin
stayed in her mind as she closed her eyes trying to fight the tears
forming.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this for us Kevin. I'm so sorry......one
thing just kind of led to another and then poof. I just wish that there
was something I could do to change all of this."
"Lucy," A familiar voice called out to her as she opened
her eyes and
saw Victor standing before her.
"Victor, what are you doing here?" Lucy questioned as he
leaned down
to hug her.
"I brought Serena over a couple of get well presents and
while I was
with her Mary came into the room and told me that you were admitted
earlier
today. What happened Lucy?" Victor questioned in concern as he took a
seat
on the chair next to her bed.
"I honestly don't know Victor." Lucy confessed shaking
her head. "One
minute Ellen and I were chatting away and then the next thing I
remember
was leaving her office to go see Serena. After that, everything was a
blur
until I woke up in an examining room."
"You haven't been resting well, have you?" Victor
questioned noticing
the dark circles under her eyes.
"Is it that obvious?" Lucy responded with a half smile.
"You know Monk hasn't been sleeping much lately either."
Victor informed
her with a hopeful smile. "Maybe the two of you should get together to
find some way to cure that problem you both seem to be having. Perhaps
I could set up dinner for the three of us sometime and you could bring
Sigmund over since the place has been so empty without you both
and........"
"Oh Victor, you know there's nothing more that I would
like to do than
sit with Kevin and talk about things, but it just doesn't look like
it's
going to happen anytime in the near future." Lucy replied sadly taking
his hand in hers. "Thank you for trying though."
"Monk will want to talk to you once he sees how you're
feeling about
everything." Victor insisted not willing to give up on getting Lucy and
Kevin back together for good. "We both miss you terribly."
"Victor, right now I think that Kevin and I both need
time to figure
things out. After what I did in Florida, I don't think that Kevin is
going
to want to take me back." Lucy explained thinking about all the events
that had taken place during the last week.
"But Monk loves you and you love him Lucy. When two
people love one
another, they'll always find a way into one another's arms." Victor
explained
with tears in his eyes. "We all make mistakes, believe me, I've made
many
of them, but when it comes to matters of the heart, you can't give up
on
love without a second thought. I know if you and Monk try, then you can
work everything out."
"Victor I........" Lucy began as they were interrupted.
"Hello, it's good to see you awake Lucy." Ellen smiled
entering the
room and noticing Victor. "Oh hello."
"So is everything alright?" Lucy questioned before
Victor could reply
to Ellen's greeting.
"The first set of tests confirmed what I was
suspecting." Ellen explained
with a frown as she glanced over her chart. "You're undernourished
Lucy."
"What?" Lucy asked in confusion. "Are you saying that I
passed out because
I need a good meal? But of course that would make sense since I hadn't
eaten very much when I was stuck in that awful place with Scott."
"In that case, we're taking you out for a steak dinner."
Victor suggested
brightly. "I know the perfect restaurant...."
"Steak? Well, I don't know about that Victor, but I
could go for some
good Italian food right now. Maybe some pasta with thick tomato sauce
or
perhaps an alfredo maybe. I just think that is should be something with
lots of goodies along with it...maybe something a bit elegant or fun."
Lucy continued sitting up in her bed and scanning the room.
"I have a brilliant idea." Victor insisted helping her
up. "We can go
to that new restaurant in town, you know the one that gives you the
little
bib to keep you from getting your shirt dirty. You know, the one who
has
those little umbrellas in their drinks."
"Oh I just love those little umbrellas." Lucy agreed
with a smile as
she started to stand up. "Ellen, have you seen my shoes around here?"
"Lucy, you're not going anywhere." Ellen informed her
seriously.
"What do you mean I'm not going anywhere?" Lucy
questioned in confusion.
"You said that I'm just in need of a good meal, so I don't see what the
problem is. Victor will see to it that I'm well taken care of tonight.
Believe me, if anyone can find a way to make you eat it's Victor. He
just
makes you eat and eat and eat of course not to the point where you get
fat or anything, but...."
"Lucy, I want to run a couple more tests on you and I
think it would
be best if you stay here overnight just to be safe. I think it would be
best considering all that you've been through over the past week."
Ellen
continued watching Lucy's expression sink. "Trust me, it'll only be for
tonight. That way I can see what I'm dealing with."
"But Ellen, I have more important things to take care of
like seeing
Serena and feeding Sigmund." Lucy began to protest. "Poor Sigmund must
be thinking that I've abandoned him completely since I've been gone so
much lately. He's going to be so upset because his mommy and daddy have
paid him so little attention. I just know being alone in that hotel
room
is killing him and the last thing I want is a dead duck. I must go see
Sigmund."
"I'm sure you're duck will be fine." Ellen insisted
moving towards her.
"Now why don't you just lay back and try to relax for a while?"
"Ellen," Lucy started as Ellen reached in her pocket for
a needle. "What's
that for?"
"I'm giving you something to help you sleep better
because God knows
you won't do it on your own right now." Ellen explained injecting the
IV
as she spoke. "I'm going to see to it that you have your long overdue
rest."
"But........." Lucy started with a yawn as she leaned
back into her
pillow.
"See it's working already." Ellen smiled pleased to see
that Lucy wasn't
fighting the sleep. "I'll come back and check on you in a little while,
okay?"
"Alright," Lucy yawned as Ellen left the room and she
turned to Victor.
"What am I going to do now?"
"Don't worry Lucy." Victor insisted helpfully as he
squeezed her hand.
"I'll go over to the hotel and bring Sigmund back to the Lighthouse for
tonight. That way you know he's well taken care of."
"Victor, that's so sweet." Lucy whispered as her heavy
eyelids began
to droop shut. "You've always been so good to me and I just wanted to
say.........I
just wanted to say............boy this stuff really works, doesn't it?"
"I'll bring you back some dinner later since I know how
horrible this
hospital food is." Victor explained watching her fight to keep her eyes
open.
"Thank you Victor." Lucy sighed looking up at him in her
sleepy state.
"Thank you for always being here for me."
"You're like a daughter to me Lucy and I'll always be
here for you."
Victor reminded her as she slipped into her slumber.
Kevin sat in his office looking over some patient files
and trying to
move on with his work for the day. It was his first day back after
being
reinstated to the hospital again by the board. He had been so busy
lately
with the General Homicide murders, that he was rather surprised that
the
board and given him his position back at the hospital with so little
warning.
He decided that he was eager to push his problems aside and focus on
his
work now, but all he could think about was Lucy.
With a sigh Kevin set down the folder he was holding and
his eyes drifted
to the couch sitting across the room. He closed his eyes and thought
back
to the many hours he and Lucy had spent together in his office. Images
of Lucy began to flood his mind as he thought back to the times she had
tried to seduce him into making love to her in his office, but he had
refused
because of the issues he had been dealing with at the time.
"Make love to me Kevin." Lucy's voice rang out through
his head.
"What I wouldn't give to go back to that moment in
time." Kevin whispered
opening his eyes half expecting to see Lucy on the couch waiting for
him
as he noticed nothing but emptiness on the couch. "Back then we had to
work through Damian and my memories of Grace, yet it seems like nothing
compared to what we're going through now."
"You've got to quit living in the past Kevin. That's
what's making this
so hard for you." Kevin reminded himself as he tried to focus his
attention
on the pile of work waiting for him. He decided that he couldn't stay
in
that office any longer so he set his folder aside and stepped out into
the hallway heading towards Lucy's hospital room.
When he reached Lucy's room, Kevin glanced through the
window and found
her sleeping in the bed. Without a second thought, he stepped into the
room and moved over towards her bed noticing her pale face and tousled
hair. He stood over her sleeping figure and watched her eyelids
fluttering
as it was apparent to him that she was dreaming.
"I wonder what's going through your head right now
Lucy." Kevin whispered
stroking her soft hair as she slept. He felt his heart pounding in his
chest as he reached for her hand and captured it in his own the feel of
her soft skin brought back feelings that Kevin had been trying to bury
for quite some time.
Overcome by emotion, Kevin took a seat next to Lucy and
silently admired
her as she rested in her bed. He had to fight back the urge to take her
in his arms as he listened to her breathing softly as she remained
tucked
under her blankets. He gazed over her admiringly as he realized how
much
he hated to see her looking so helpless. He wished that there could've
been some way that he could help her to regain her strength as she
looked
exhausted before him.
"Oh Lucy, how did we get to this point?" Kevin
questioned touching the
side of her face as he spoke to her. "If only I could've listened to
you
on our wedding day and heard you out before I stormed off like that.
You
know we'd be married now and starting a family of our own instead of
all
being torn apart like this."
Kevin paused half expecting Lucy to respond as she
remained motionless
before him. He watched her eyelids fluttering as she quietly snored.
"Oh who am I kidding?" Kevin questioned in frustration
pulling away
from Lucy and standing up. "Scott Baldwin would've come between us
eventually
because he was such a big part of your past. It's just that I know if I
could've showed you how much I cared then maybe you wouldn't have had
to
turn to Scott. Maybe we could've worked through the unresolved issues
between
the two of you and then we could've moved forward with our future."
Kevin began to pace the room feeling his palms sweating
as a lump formed
in his throat. He glanced over at Lucy as his eyes glazed over with
sadness.
"Oh Lucy, I keep telling myself to cut my losses and
move on, but every
time I try I realize that life without you is the worst possible life
for
me. I'm afraid that I'll never be able to move on, but what scares me
more
is the thought of moving on with my life. I need you Lucy like I need
to
breath. Without you it's like I'm drowning in murky waters and I can't
seem to pull myself to the surface no matter how hard I try." Kevin
began
turning away from her as he struggled to keep himself together as his
palms
quivered with each word he spoke. "Lucy, I need you like I've never
needed
anyone in my life before. You're love has pulled me through so many
dark
shadows I found myself in and I can see myself regressing without you
by
my side. There's just an emptiness in my heart that I can't live with
any
longer. Lucy, I love you and I need you in my life."
"Please don't leave me." Lucy whispered catching Kevin
off guard as
he turned to find her talking in her sleep. "Please, please don't leave
me alone again."
"I'm right here." Kevin replied rushing over to her side
as he reached
for her hand and took it in his. "I'm here now Lucy."
"I'm so scared." she whimpered jerking her head a bit.
"I can't do this
alone."
"Lucy, you're not alone." Kevin whispered wondering if
he should try
to awaken her from her dream.
"Everything is just closing in around me.
Please...........please I
need you." Lucy cried out as her eyelids began to flutter wildly.
"Lucy, wake up." Kevin insisted nudging her as she began
to breath harder.
"Lucy!"
"Oh God!" she cried out opening her eyelids as Kevin
pulled her into
his arms tightly.
Lucy began to sob holding onto him as Kevin whispered
comforting words
into her ear unsure of what had caused this sudden outburst within her.
He closed his eyes getting lost in the feel of holding her in his arms
when she suddenly spoke the words that struck like a dagger into his
heart.
"Oh Scott, I'm scared. Don't leave me again. I need
you." she sighed
leaning back into her bed still asleep as Kevin released her in shock
as
his heart broke in two as he realized she was dreaming of Scott.
Chapter 4
Enter Luke
Lucy Coe woke up to the sunlight flooding in her
hospital room and the
sounds of laughter ringing in her ears. As her eyes focused upon her
surroundings,
she noticed Serena and Scott sitting in the corner of her room with a
box
of crayons and a coloring book on the table before them as Scott
tickled
Serena.
"Stop it daddy! You're going to wake up Lucy if you keep
tickling me."
Serena warned him as he tickled her side. "Daddy, we have to be
quieter."
"Too late for that." Lucy smiled watching Serena's face
light up as
she turned around to look at Lucy.
"Lucy!" Serena cried out hopping down off of Scott's lap
and rushing
into Lucy's arms. "You're finally awake! I've been dying to talk to
you."
"Oh Serena," Lucy smiled exchanging glances with Scott
as she held her
tighter. "I've missed you so much. It feels like you've grown up so
much
since the last time I've seen you."
"You only saw me yesterday." Serena giggled looking up
at Lucy with
bright eyes. "Of course now it's my turn to look at you."
"Oh my gosh that's right." Lucy gasped as Serena smiled
brightly. "Your
cornea transplant."
"It went off perfectly." Scott explained as Lucy touched
the side of
Serena's face. "My perfect little angel."
"I owe it all to you and daddy. If you hadn't come back
home when you
did, then I don't know if I would be able to see again." Serena
explained
innocently. "I owe it all to God and mommy for bringing you both back
to
me."
"Serena, there is no other place in this world that your
daddy and I
would rather be than with you honey." Lucy insisted brushing her
fingers
through Serena's soft white blonde hair. "In fact, your daddy and I
were
determined that no matter what, we would make it back to you in time."
"I just knew that you two wouldn't let me down." Serena
cheered hugging
Lucy again before smiling brightly as she took Lucy's hand in hers. "Of
course, I need to thank Kevin too for going to look for you both. He
really
loves you Lucy."
"Yes I know." Lucy replied quietly as she gazed up at
Scott who was
staring at her uneasily as Serena continued to talk.
"Now that I can see again, then maybe you and Kevin will
have the wedding
that you didn't have before." Serena suggested brightly as her face lit
up with joy. "This time I'll be able to see everything and I just know
it'll be great. Please say you'll marry him now. Please Lucy."
"Serena, you know I think I see Grandma out in the
hall." Scott spoke
up sensing the tension in Lucy's face as he picked his daughter up into
his arms. "Why don't we go say hello to her for a few minutes and let
Lucy
rest?"
"But dad, there is so much that Lucy and I have to catch
up on." Serena
insisted looking down at Lucy. "Isn't that right?"
"Of course it is," Lucy responded with tears in her eyes
as she reached
for Serena's tiny hand, "but why don't you say hello to your grandma
since
I know how happy she'll be to see you. We can talk later on over some
frozen
yogurt or something, okay?"
"Yogurt? With sprinkles on top?" Serena questioned wide
eyed.
"Of course Serena. With lots of sprinkles and a cherry
on top." Lucy
added as Scott carried Serena out into the hall.
Kevin walked out into the kitchen in his blue robe ready
to read the
morning paper and fix himself a cappuccino when he heard the familiar
sounds
of quacking in the distance. At first he thought it was his mind
playing
tricks on him, but the more he strained to listen to the sounds above
his
cappuccino maker, the more vivid they became. He moved in towards the
living
room and his eyes grew widened as he was greeted with the sight of
Sigmund
sitting on top of the coffee table munching on some fresh fruit that
had
been placed out before him.
"I don't believe this." Kevin muttered moving alongside
of Sigmund as
the duck began quacking away. "How did you get here?"
Sigmund waddled over towards Kevin and quacked as he
looked up at him.
Kevin gazed around the room searching for signs of Lucy as he took an
excited
Sigmund into his arms.
"Lucy?" Kevin questioned in confusion as he moved around
the living
room expecting her to come out at any minute. Suddenly he thought of
checking
Lucy's old exercise room to see if she had returned to the lighthouse.
"Lucy, where are you?"
Kevin set Sigmund back down on the coffee table and
began searching
the rooms expecting to find Lucy there waiting to talk with him about
everything
that had happened. He paused for a moment and remembered the last time
he had seen her in the hospital and she had called out Scott's name. He
had felt so hurt that even in her dreams she was reaching out to Scott
and not him, but he had to try to remind himself that Sigmund was here
at the lighthouse and not at Scott's place, so that had to mean
something.
"Oh Monk, good morning." Victor smiled as Kevin walked
back into the
room giving up on his search.
"Victor, was Lucy here earlier?" Kevin questioned
watching Victor feed
Sigmund.
"No, as far as I know, she's still in the hospital
Monk." Victor replied
looking up at his son's confused face.
"How did Sigmund get here then?" Kevin questioned
listening to the duck
quacking.
"I brought him over late last night." Victor explained
feeding Sigmund
the rest of his half eaten piece of toast. "Lucy was worried that he
might
be lonely in her hotel suite, so I offered to take care of him for
her."
"Oh, I see." Kevin replied in disappointment as he
grabbed his newspaper
and slumped down in the chair next to the couch.
"You know Monk," Victor began interrupting Kevin from
reading, "you
might feel better if you go on over to the hospital and talk to her."
"There's nothing left to say Victor." Kevin insisted
looking at his
father. "She and I are finished."
"How can you say that? Especially in front of Sigmund."
Victor gasped
pulling the duck into his arms. "You'll break his poor heart if he
hears
that kind of talk out of you."
"Now you're starting to sound like Lucy." Kevin muttered
rolling his
eyes and tossing the newspaper aside.
"Maybe then you'll pay attention to what I have to say."
Victor insisted
quickly. "Monk, you know how much you love her and how much she loves
you.
You two need each other and I just know if you go to the hospital and
see
her, then you'll realize how much you two need to be together now."
"Victor, I did go see her already." Kevin responded in
irritation. "In
case you forgot, I start back up at work this week. I went over to the
hospital to get things organized and I saw her for a little while."
"And what happened?" Victor asked curiously. "Did you
give her a chance
to talk about things with you?"
"She was sleeping Victor and then she had a dream about
Scott." Kevin
snapped standing up and walking towards the kitchen.
"Scott? Are you sure?" Victor asked in confusion.
"I'm positive Victor." Kevin replied shaking his head.
"She called out
his name and said how much she needed him."
"Did you ask her about it?" Victor questioned curiously.
"Oh right, like I was going to stick around for her to
wake up and say,
"Gee Lucy, I need to know what exactly was running through your head a
few minutes ago when you called out to Scott." I don't think that I
could've
stuck around to take another blow to my ego like that."
"Monk, you never know what she was dreaming
about..........." Victor
started trying to calm Kevin down.
"I don't want to either." Kevin snapped walking down the
hall and slamming
the door behind him as he reached his room. A few minutes later Kevin
returned
to the living room now dressed as he reached for his coat.
"Monk where are you going?" Victor questioned concerned
by his son's
behavior.
"I need time to think." Kevin replied walking out the
front door and
slamming it so hard that a picture fell off of the wall behind him.
"This doesn't look good Sigmund." Victor said looking at
the duck still
sitting on the table top. "It doesn't look good at all."
Scott returned alone to see Lucy after talking to Gail
for a few minutes
about Serena's condition. As he entered the room, he stood next to her
bed as the two of them locked gazes without saying a word. Finally
Scott
broke their silence and spoke up.
"I'm sorry about that back there with Serena." Scott
said uneasily taking
a seat next to Lucy's bed. "I just couldn't tell her that we........"
"Oh, I understand." Lucy began shaking her head. "Right
now I think
Serena is the last person who should know that we.........well you
know."
"Right........right. I agree with you completely." Scott
insisted clearing
his throat as he gazed over Lucy. "So how are you feeling? How's the
bump
on your head?"
"I'm a bit tired, but I guess that's to be expected
after the fall I
took." Lucy sighed forcing a nervous smile. "You know I had the
strangest
dream."
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Scott chuckled leaning
in closer to
her bed as he listened to her.
"It was so awful Scott. We were all together, you know
Kevin, you, me,
and we were trapped in a cave like the one you and I were stuck inside
of in Florida and we were searching to find our way out, but I ended up
taking a wrong turn and I was alone. No matter how hard I tried to find
you all, I just kept getting even further back into the cave." Lucy
explained
remembering her dream.
"Then what happened?" Scott questioned touching her soft
hair.
"Just when I was about to give up completely, you found
me." Lucy explained
locking gazes with him.
"Maybe that was a sign Lucy." Scott suggested with a
goofy grin. "I
was the one that found you so maybe that means that you and I......."
"You know, Ellen says that this is all due to a lack of
nourishment
or something, which isn't surprising considering that all we had in the
jungle was that can of whatever it was." Lucy interrupted looking away
as she changed the subject.
"Yeah, but at least it was food." Scott reminded her as
he leaned in
closer to her bed.
"Hey, it was my first time cooking in a while. Come to
think of it,
that was one of the only times I've cooked, except for Doc of course
when
I went out of my way to make him this horrible breakfast which he ate
up
only because he didn't want to hurt my feelings." Lucy laughed thinking
back as she looked into Scott's eyes. "I'm just glad that I didn't kill
you with my cooking."
"I wasn't too worried about it Lucy." Scott whispered
moving towards
her as he swept her soft hair out of her face with his fingers. "In
fact,
when you set your mind on something, you usually do it quite well."
"Well, I've learned from the best of them....." Lucy
began as she realized
Scott's face was only inches away from hers. "Scott I think that we
should
talk about......."
"Lucy," he whispered leaning in ready to kiss her as the
door opened.
"Excuse me," Ellen spoke up realizing what she had just
interrupted.
"Ellen, how are you this morning?" Lucy gasped in shock
as Scott moved
away from her.
"Good, and you?" Ellen questioned eyeing Scott closely
as he gazed out
the window to avoid eye contact with her.
"I've been better." Lucy admitted with a half smile.
"Please tell me
you have good news for me."
"Well, I haven't gotten all your lab results back yet,
but it looks
like you're going to be able to leave this morning." Ellen explained to
her. "I want you to try to take it easy though."
"Oh I will." Lucy responded brightly looking up at
Scott. "I can go
home."
"That's wonderful Lucy." Scott replied giving her a
quick hug as he
glanced over at Ellen. "How soon can we get her out of this joint?"
"Well, I've already started working on your release
papers, so as soon
as Lucy gets dressed, then we can work on getting her out of here."
Ellen
responded brightly as she clenched her clipboard. "I'll go finish up
the
paperwork and I'll see you in a few minutes then Lucy."
"Okay," Lucy smiled turning to Scott once again. "I can
go home Scott."
"That's the best news I've heard in the last couple
hours." Scott insisted
watching Lucy's face cloud over. "What is it Lucy?"
"I don't have anyone to go home to." Lucy sighed sadly
as she realized
that her home was still the hotel suite.
"Of course you do Lucy. Sigmund will love to see you
again and you can
tell him all about our adventure. I'm sure he'd love to hear about
hijackers
and alligators and hopefully the suspense won't ruffle his tail
feathers
too much." Scott teased giving her a nudge noticing that her mood
wasn't
lightening up.
"I had Victor take Sigmund to the Lighthouse for the
night." Lucy explained
with tears in her eyes. "I'm back here in Port Charles and I'm alone
again
Scott."
"Lucy, I won't ever let you be alone. Do you hear me?"
Scott questioned
touching the side of her face and forcing her to look into his eyes.
"You're
not going to be alone any longer."
Kevin entered the restaurant and headed to the bar ready
to rid himself
of his sorrows the best way he could think possible. As the bartender
approached
him, he ordered a drink. Now with three empty glasses sitting before
him,
his depression had begun to get the best of him as his thoughts
revolved
around Lucy.
"Hey Doctor, funny seeing you here." Luke called out
entering the room
to find Kevin sitting at the barstool so early in the morning.
"Oh hi Luke." Kevin muttered as his next drink arrived.
"A little early in the morning to be getting hammered,
don't you think?"
Luke questioned taking a seat on the barstool next to Kevin.
"Listen Luke, I'm not in the mood to get a lecture about
when is the
right time to consume alcohol today especially from you." Kevin replied
sourly as he downed his latest drink. "Besides, it's only seltzer water
with a twist of lime."
"Ah, the hard stuff I see." Luke laughed taking a seat
next to Kevin.
"I see you're roughing it this morning Doctor Collins."
"You know Luke, I'm not really in a mood for small talk
this morning
so if you're looking for someone to shoot the breeze with figuratively,
then perhaps you'd better find a more willing participant." Kevin
informed
him quickly as he turned his attention back to the empty glasses
sitting
before him.
"Actually Doc, you're the most interesting subject in
this joint at
the moment." Luke informed him with a smile. "Want to talk about it?"
"No!" Kevin answered point blank as he began stacking
his empty glasses
on the counter.
"Somehow I get the feeling this has something to do with
that vixen
of an ex-fiancee that you had. Am I right?" Luke questioned realizing
that
he wasn't getting any type of response from Kevin. "What's Lucy done
this
time? Has she thrown herself into some type of dangerous adventure
against
your better judgement? You know, I was under the impression that the
two
of you were going to try to patch things up with one another after the
wedding fiasco that took place a while ago. I'm sure whatever she did,
it has to be a good one if you're so upset. Has she gotten involved in
another dangerous scheme that makes your blood boil? Come on I'm dying
to hear this one."
"What hasn't Lucy done in this lifetime Luke?" Kevin
questioned with
a laugh. "Lucy is the most free spirited, danger loving woman I know.
Her
spontaneity has always kept my mind reeling for so long."
"Well, the doll definitely has spunk." Luke agreed with
a laugh. "At
times it made me wonder what someone as straight forward as yourself
saw
in someone as wild at heart as Lucy, but over time I've come to see how
you two really have a knack of complementing one another in a strange
sort
of way that only you two are capable of doing."
"Yeah, well maybe your initial intuitions about Lucy and
I were right
on." Kevin insisted looking at Luke. "Perhaps Lucy and I were merely
tempting
fate when we tried to make our relationship work."
"Ah come on, what's life without a few ups and downs on
a bumpy road?"
Luke asked with a laugh. "Besides, Lucy Coe is definitely one woman who
could make the rides much more enjoyable."
"And confusing." Kevin added with a frown.
"Oh come on, you have to admit that part of the reason
you love her
so much is because of her spunk. No other woman has what Lucy Coe does
and you'd hate it if she ever changed." Luke insisted with a laugh as
he
watched Kevin closely. "In fact, I'd go as far as saying that her style
so to speak is what keeps you going back for more."
"Yeah, I guess you're right Luke." Kevin agreed thinking
about the many
times he had argued with Lucy about the way she was, but how he
realized
that no matter what happened, he hadn't ever wanted her to stop being
who
she was.
"I know I'm right." Luke insisted ordering a round of
drinks for the
two of them.
"What can I get for you?" the bartender asked.
"Two vodkas straight up." Luke replied eyeing Kevin
closely. "Better
make those doubles."
"Luke, that's not necessary." Kevin insisted shaking his
head in refusal
as the bartender brought over their drinks.
"Of course it's necessary. So what's Lucy done this
time?" Luke questioned
again eager to hear what the latest news was.
"I don't even know where to begin Luke, but the worst
part about all
of this is that it's all my fault." Kevin began as Victor rushed into
the
restaurant.
"Monk, I've been looking for you everywhere." Victor
insisted with a
worried expression on his face. "I was hoping that you wouldn't be here
like this."
"Oh Victor, what's wrong with drowning your sorrows in a
couple of drinks?"
Kevin questioned holding his glass in the air as he took his first sip.
"Besides, Luke and I were just chatting away about the good old days,
weren't
we?"
"Something like that." Luke responded hearing familiar
laughter as he
looked up to see Lucy, Scott, and Serena walk into the restaurant
together.
"What the hell is she doing with him?"
"Enjoying herself I suppose." Kevin replied feeling his
heart sink as
he noticed the look of happiness on Lucy's face as she swatted at Scott
playfully.
"Monk, maybe you should go talk to her." Victor
suggested giving him
a nudge.
"I can't Victor." Kevin replied still gazing at Lucy as
their eyes locked.
She stared at him intently for a brief second before turning her
attention
back to Scott.
"Well if you won't then I will." Luke announced getting
up off of the
barstool and turning back to face Kevin before he headed towards Lucy.
"We'll have to do this again sometime Doc."
"What's he doing?" Victor asked curiously watching
Luke's every move.
"Hey doll face," Luke called out approaching Lucy with a
smile on his
face.
"Luke, how are you?" Lucy questioned throwing her arms
out around him
as Scott remained silent.
"Oh you know, I'm surviving." Luke replied with a
glimmer in his eye.
"So what are you doing scrapping the bottom of the barrel Lucy?"
"Excuse me?" she questioned in confusion as Luke nodded
in Scott's direction.
"Oh, well, you see I just got out of the hospital and I'm......we're
having
lunch."
"Well, don't let me stop you from doing so." Luke
replied giving her
another hug as he glared at Scott for a brief second before turning his
attention back to Lucy. "Listen, give me a call sometime and we'll
catch
up on the good old days, alright?"
"Alright," she smiled as Luke took off across the
restaurant towards
the back exit.
"What did he want?" Scott asked as Lucy rejoined him and
Serena.
"Just to chat." Lucy shrugged directing her attention to
Serena. "What
do you say we find a table and eat?"
Kevin watched as Lucy, Scott, and Serena waiting for a
table together.
Kevin tried to divert his attention from the group, but he couldn't
keep
his eyes off of Lucy even though the pain of seeing her with Scott was
unbearable. After a few minutes, Serena looked up and noticed Kevin and
she instantly rushed over to him with a smile on her face.
"Kevin, I'm so glad to see you." Serena cried out
extending her arms
to give him a hug.
"I'm so glad to see you too." Kevin replied giving her a
hug as he looked
her over. "It's so good to see you walking around like this."
"I owe it all to daddy and Lucy coming back." Serena
explained happily
as she looked up at him with innocent eyes. "If they hadn't returned to
be with me, then I might not have been able to see again."
"It's truly a miracle that you can see again. I just
knew that your
surgery would work out for you Serena." Kevin insisted with a smile as
he cast his gaze up to find Lucy staring down at him.
"Hello Kevin," Lucy said in a low tone as she looked
into his brown
eyes.
"Lucy," Kevin replied standing up to come face to face
with her.
"Our table's ready Luce." Scott interrupted noticing
that Kevin was
there. "Oh um, hi."
"Daddy, would you look Kevin and Victor are here. Can
they join us for
lunch please?" Serena asked looking up at her father and holding her
hands
together in a mock prayer as she looked back at Kevin. "Please say
you'll
join us for lunch."
"Oh Serena, that sounds wonderful, doesn't it Monk?"
Victor replied
with a smile as he turned to Kevin who was still engaged in a stare
with
Lucy.
"Please join us Kevin." Lucy insisted with a smile as
she looked deep
into his sad eyes sensing the pain he was going through.
"It's a sweet offer Serena," Kevin began shifting his
gaze away from
Lucy and looking down at the small girl as he spoke, "but I have to get
over to the hospital and see a couple of patients today."
"You're working at the hospital again?" Lucy questioned
curiously after
Kevin's last remark.
"Yeah, the board reinstated me last weekend and I'm
starting back up
again little by little." Kevin explained gazing over at Lucy once
again.
"Doc that's fantastic." Lucy started excitedly as she
began to lean
forward to hug him, but stopped herself mid-movement realizing that he
probably wouldn't want her to touch him after all that had happened.
She
placed her hand out to his shoulder and with a sigh said, "I knew that
you'd be back there soon enough. They couldn't have a better doctor
working
on staff there."
"Thanks Lucy." Kevin replied wanting to take her into
his arms and celebrate
as he noticed Scott lingering around the side of Lucy. "That means a
lot
to me."
"So you really can't stay?" Serena questioned sadly.
"No, I'm sorry Serena, but I promise you that sometime
very soon you
and I will learn how to play our song flutes. Okay?" Kevin answered
lowering
himself to talk to her once again.
"Okay, it's a deal." Serena replied happily giving him a
hug goodbye.
"Well, then I'll see you all later. Victor,
Scott........" Kevin paused
looking at Lucy and feeling his heart race as he spoke. "....Lucy."
"Goodbye Kevin." she replied watching him leave as she
turned to Victor.
"Please say you'll join us."
"Actually, I'd better attend to a few things." Victor
explained with
a smile. "I just remembered there are a few repairs around the
Lighthouse
that need to be made this afternoon. Oh by the way Lucy, you can pick
up
Sigmund whenever you're ready."
"I'll stop by later tonight or in the morning." Lucy
replied giving
Victor a hug. "Thank you for everything."
"It's no problem at all." Victor responded noticing how
agitated Scott
looked. "Now go eat up. Remember it's doctor's orders."
"Okay, see you later Victor." Lucy smiled as Scott lead
her towards
the table.
Victor watched as Lucy, Scott, and Serena sat down to
enjoy their meals.
He paid his tab for the drink he had ordered and then walked outside to
use the nearest pay phone.
"Luke Spencer please." Victor spoke into the phone as
this thoughts
came together in his head. "Hello Luke, this is Victor Collins, and I
need
to see you right away."
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