CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

	Luke moved to the bar at Kelly’s and was drinking coffee when
Lucky walked in.  “Hey Dad,” he said as he sat next to his father.

	“Hey Cowboy.”

	Lucky looked around, “Where’s Lisa, I thought she was here with
you?”

	“She left,” Luke said without looking at his son.

	Lucky recognized that look on his father’s face.  “What did you say
to her?”

	Luke said, “We had a discussion about her Cassadine offspring.”

	“What’s to be said about the kid?  She died, right?”

	Luke looked blankly at his son, “She’s pregnant, Cowboy.  She’s
going to have Count Vlad’s spawn.”

	Lucky knew how much his father hated the Cassadines, he did too,
but it didn’t change one fact.  “Dad, your going to give up your own flesh
and blood because of a mistake?”

	Luke glared at Lucky, “What do you mean, ‘mistake’?  She’s
married to him!”

	Lucky slammed his fist against the counter, “Face it Dad, you didn’t
raise Lisa.  She was a servant to the Cassadines.  And she’s paid for that, in
more ways that one.  She did what she had to do to survive, just like Mom
did.  Now you’re going to punish her again?”

	“So you just want to accept the fact that she wants to stay with
those vipers?”

	Lucky shook his head, “No, but I will do my best to support her,
because she is my sister.  And if you don’t like it, tough.  But I think
everyone else is with me on this one, Dad.”

	Luke looked intently at his son.  Lucky just stared at his father,
stood up and left.

	Ruby walked up and filled up his coffee cup.  He ran his hands
through his hair.  “I’m striking out, Rub.”

	She nodded, “Yep.”  She started to head into the kitchen, then
changed her mind and turned back to Luke, “Come with me.”

	Luke didn’t know what was bothering Ruby, but he was certain it
had to do with Lisa.  “Okay babe, what is this all about?”

	Ruby looked up at him.  “It’s my fault that you and Lisa were kept
apart all these years.”

	Luke didn’t really comprehend all of this.  “What do you mean? 
Lisa was kept a servant until recently.  That’s not your fault.”

	Ruby sighed.  “Luke, just listen to me.  I have known all along
where Lisa was.”

	Luke interrupted again.  “So has Laura, but I’m not blaming either
of you.  You both knew that I couldn’t have taken care of her.  I just have
to trust that she was smart enough to handle herself.” 

	“Then trust her to be smart now.”	

	Luke was silent.  What else could he say?  Then something
registered with him, “How did you know where she was?”

	Ruby took a deep breath, “Your father would call and tell me all
about her.  He is one of Helena Cassadine’s personal minions.”

	Luke exploded, “WHAT!  He’s been spying on us for Helena? 
Now I know I’m going to kill him!”

	Before Ruby could say anything else, Luke stormed out of the
kitchen and out of the diner.

*****

	Stefan walked towards the docks when he heard the revving of a
car engine.  He stopped, waiting for and listening to what was going to
happen next.

	Suddenly, he saw a car come screeching out of the alley, headed
full tilt for the pier.  He recognized the car immediately and saw what she
was about to do.  He quickly whipped out his cell phone and dialed 911. 
He explained the situation as he ran for the docks.

	He watched as Lisa’s car went plunging into the icy waters of the
Port Charles River.  Stefan shed his coat and jacket and without hesitation
dove in.

	Every few moments, he would resurface.  He could see her, but the
doors of the car wouldn’t open.  He couldn’t get to her.  He worried that
he was already too late.  He had to try one more time.  

	Diving down, he was able to kick out the window and pull Lisa out
of the car.  He knew that she was being cut by the glass, but better to be
cut than dead, he rationalized.

	He surfaced quickly and was able to pull them both out of the
water.  He ran and got his coat and jacket and wrapped them tightly around
her.  He held her close to him, hoping the shared heat would help. 
“Dammit, Leezia, you can’t leave me!” he shouted as the ambulance rushed
up.

	They immediately started checking Lisa’s vital signs and rushed to
load her into the ambulance.  Stefan couldn’t stop his own body from
shaking, both from the cold and from fear, as he watched them work on his
wife.  One of the workers put a blanket around Stefan as he got in the back
with Lisa and the ambulance sped off towards the hospital.

	Stefan pulled the blanket tighter around himself, but said nothing,
merely watching the heart monitor that they had hooked Lisa up to.  He
looked down at her face.  She looked so sad.  He blamed himself. 
Reaching down and touching her face, he softly said, “You can’t leave us,
Leezia.  We can be a family again, you, Anreya and I.”

	An odd noise made him look up at the monitor.  It had flatlined.

*****






CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

	Stefan sat in one of the ER waiting rooms with his head in his hands
and a warm blanket wrapped tightly around him.  He felt lost, not knowing
what he was supposed to do next.  Alexis came silently into the room.  She
called out to Stefan to get his attention, “Stefan?”

	He looked blankly up at her, “Hello, Alexis.”

	Alexis stood next to him and not being one to mince words, flatly
asked, “Have you called the Spencers?”

	Stefan simply shook his head.  After a minute, he said, “What
would I tell them?”

	“Tell them what happened,” she offered.

	He looked up at her, and she couldn’t help but notice a hollowness
in his eyes.  “I’m not sure I know what did happen, Alexis.”

	“Well, until you hear from Lisa’s doctors, I do have some other
news for you.  Good news.  You could certainly use that.  I took care of all
the arrangements concerning Anreya.  You just have to inform the people
that it concerns.”

	Absentmindedly, Stefan said, “Namely, Barbara.”

	“Yes.  The sooner you explain the situation to her, the better it will
be for everyone.”

	Stefan nodded.

	Alexis walked towards the door.  “I’m going to call the Spencers
and tell them what happened.”

	Stefan quickly looked up at her.  “Just tell them that Lisa was in an
accident and get them down here.”

	Alexis walked away quickly to make the call.

	Alan Quartermaine walked into the trauma room and over to
Stefan.  Stefan stood up, “Well Doctor?”
	
*****

	On the Cassadine’s private Aegean island, Helena Cassadine spoke
somberly on the phone.  “Really?  Suicide?  Excellent.  Keep me informed.” 
She hung up the phone and smiled broadly.  Then she laughed her most
wicked Cassadine laugh.  “It’s all starting to finally right itself, Mikkos,”
she said to a photograph of her deceased husband.  “Timoria is falling into
place.”

*****

	Bobbie was working the late shift when Tony walked off the
elevator and over to the nurses station where she was standing.  She
couldn’t help but notice the look on his face.  She recognized it.  He
looked as if his world must have just been stood on end.  “Tony, what’s
wrong?” she asked him.

	Tony took her by the arm.  “We need to talk.  I have to tell you
something.”

	Before they could walk away, Amy quickly came up to them.  “I’m
glad I found you Bobbie, Stefan just brought in Lisa Spencer.  She’s in
Trauma Three.”

	As Bobbie tried to rush off to the ER, Tony held her back.  “This is
more important, Bobbie.  It’s about your daughter.”

	Bobbie stopped, “All right Tony.  You want to bring my past up
and throw it in my face, go ahead,” she said exasperatedly.  “Just be quick
about it.  I need to check on my husband.”

	Tony took a deep breath, he knew she had to hear it sometime. 
“Your Caroline is alive.  Luke only told you she was dead to protect you. 
Bobbie, I’m so sorry, I had no idea.  I never would have, if I had known...”

	Bobbie shook her head, not realizing what he was babbling about. 
“I don’t get it, Tony, what are you talking about?”

	“It’s Carly.  Bobbie, I’m sorry.”

	Bobbie reached up and slapped him.  Hard.  “What kind of twisted
game are you and that tramp playing?  Is this Carly’s new version of the
truth?  What in the name of everything decent would make you do such a
thing?  You both make me sick!”  She stormed off towards the ER before
Tony could say anything else.

*****