Dream a Little Dream

Chapter 12

Sam McCall stepped outside the front door of the Iroquois County rescue squad station. It was a glorious summer morning, very warm already. The sun felt good on her face.

She'd just gotten a call from Robin Scorpio, inviting her to come shopping with her the next day. Robin wanted Sam to meet her mother, Anna Devane. While Sam had a great time with the girls on Friday night, she was still a little nervous. Having friends was still a new thing. And she couldn't afford to do much shopping – she'd just bought Danny some new summer clothes.

Lucky Spencer was outside, drying off the ambulance after washing it. He was in uniform, except for his shirt, which he'd tossed in the front seat to have handy in case a call came. His bronze torso glistened with water and sweat.

“Done!” he said. “Looks like another hot one,” he added, looking up at the sky.

“Yep,” Sam said. “I was just checking the weather report online. There's a chance of thunderstorms popping up this afternoon. There's a severe thunderstorm watch from Buffalo to Albany. Makes me worried about lightning strikes. It's been pretty dry lately.”

“I know,” Lucky said. “I saw a piece on the front page of the Herald this morning, reminding people to be careful with firecrackers, cookouts and campfires. Doesn't take much to set off a brush fire in this weather. I hope it rains, and soon. My lawn is starting to suffer. I don't want to use the sprinkler too much because reservoirs may be down – just enough to keep the grass from dying on me. I'd rather spend my money on fun things than re-sodding or re-seeding the lawn.”

Sam nodded. Lawn care wasn't a problem living at Kelly's. She'd been saving carefully since coming to town, and hoped to have enough saved to put money down on a house in the next year. She hated living in the city. She had to stay in the county because of her job, and had her eye on some places further out of town, towards Beecher's Corners. Like Lucky, she liked the idea of being close to the squad. And the peace and quiet of the more open area was soothing. It would also be a nice place to have Danny for visits and holidays.

Lucky dried himself off with a towel, and put his shirt back on. He hopped into the front seat, and backed the ambulance into the garage. He went into the back of the ambulance to check supplies, then went back to the stockroom to get what was needed.

“All set!” he said to Sam. “Need help with paperwork?”

“That'd be great,” she said. “Thanks.”

For the next several hours, they did paperwork, then had a late lunch. As they were eating, they saw the light outside dim. Thunder rumbled, and all of a sudden, rain came down in torrents.

“Whoa!” Sam said. “Guess you got that rain you were looking for!”

“So how was Friday night?” Lucky asked.

“Good,” Sam said. “They're really nice, all of them. It was intimidating at first, but it ended up being a lot of fun. How long have you known all of them?”

“I've known Robin since I first came back to town when I was about 11,” Lucky said. “Her dad is my dad's best friend. Or was. We don't know. There was a boat explosion when he was rescuing Anna's mom from a nutcase named Caesar Faison. He's the one that later helped kidnap me for Helena Cassadine. Anyway, Robert found Anna and Faison on this boat...and it blew up. Everyone was believed to have died. It was devastating for Robin. But then Anna was found alive several years ago, and Faison obviously survived. I don't think Robin's ever given up hope that her dad will come home one day. I don't think my dad has, either. He's got friends – Cameron Lewis, Hutch, Lucy Coe, Felicia – but they're not like Robert was to him. They were two sides of the same coin.”

Sam nodded, sadly, taking a bite out of her turkey sandwich. She knew the pain of loss.

“Karen was a few years ahead of me in school, so I didn't know her as well back then,” he said. “She hung out with the older crowd – Jason and AJ Quartermaine, Brenda Barrett. She had a hard time, too. Sonny Corinthos tried to get his hooks into her, but thankfully she got away. Then she found out Scott Baldwin was her father, which helped. My dad and Sonny were friends for a while – Dad always likes to dance on the edge. But when Sonny started getting really dangerous and unstable, Dad backed away. He wasn't going to expose Mom and Lulu to that kind of danger. And when he thought I was dead because of a mob hit gone wrong, that was the end totally. I think he always pitied Sonny in a way. They both had terrible childhoods. But Dad was able to get past it and make a life for himself. A lot of that was my mom. But Sonny ... he never did.”

“I can't imagine what that must have been like for your parents,” Sam said. “Or you, for that matter.”

“It was a bad time,” Lucky said briefly. “It almost tore my parents apart. And when I came back, Helena had messed with my head – brainwashing. I finally got free of her, but a lot of damage was done. I still don't know if it was her brainwashing that did me and Elizabeth in. By the way, I saw her leaving her house the other night with Ric Lansing when I was out jogging, so don't feel like you have to hide anything from me. It's good. I can't give her what she deserves, which is the world. But we'll always be friends – that was the core of what we called our 'permanent lock.' We were friends first.”

Sam decided to move on.

“How well do you know Mary Bishop?” she asked.

“I met her through Nikolas,” Lucky said. “He met her one night when his car went off the road near her house. It was soon after Connor was killed in Iraq. Nikoas could tell she was dying of grief and loneliness. So he introduced her first to the girls, then guys like me and Zander Lewis, hoping she'd make friends. Gia's the one who hooked her up with her job with Lansing. She doesn't talk a lot, but she's really nice.”

“And Gia?”

Lucky laughed.

“Gia was a pistol from the day she came to town,” he said. “She's got the most amazing fire and spirit. She's had to, with a family like her's. Her mom's nice, but has her own ideas of what she wants Gia's life to be. And when Gia decided to model for my mom's company – you could hear Florence's head exploding clear to Oswego! She's much happier now with Gia in law, although she still has dreams for Gia that just ain't gonna happen. Gia's just not a country club wife sort of woman. And Marcus, he's a great guy, but he's always been a bit domineering. He never approved of Gia's relationship with my brother – she was almost my sister-in-law. Nikolas and Gia were engaged for a while, but it didn't work out. Taggert helped raise Gia, so he's always felt a fatherly sense of entitlement to butt into her life.”

“Ah,” Sam said. “That explains that.”

“What?”

Sam hesitated.

“Gia's seeing someone, and apparently her brother threw a fit,” she said briefly.

“Linc Murphy.”

Sam stared.

“How did you know?” she demanded.

“You didn't hear?” Lucky said. “Taggert went postal on Linc – right in the police department locker room! Mac Scorpio – Robin's uncle – brought the hammer down on him. Taggert was suspended for a week without pay. Someone also heard something about anger management counseling. God knows he needs it. His temper has nearly caused a few brutality lawsuits. Man, Gia must have been put through hell when she told him. How's she doing?”

“You were right,” Sam said. “Gia had it really bad. Marcus got so mean she hauled off and slapped him.”

“Get out!” Lucky said. “She took her life in her hands! And it's ridiculous Taggert's reacting like this. Linc is a great guy, just the kind you'd want for your sister. Straight arrow, got a good job, would treat any woman like gold. He takes care of his grandmother, who raised him after his mom got hooked on booze. She sold her house in Buffalo to come be near him when he got into the police department here, and he takes care of her wonderfully. But Taggert won't see that. All he'll see is Gia living her own life and being happy without his permission. It's sad.”

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Sam and Lucky both jumped as the alarm went off. Both sprinted and grabbed their gear.

“What's going on?” Lucky shouted.

“Bus accident!” the dispatcher yelled back. “A busload of kids on a day camp field trip! Bus hit some standing water and hydroplaned. May have rolled. Near the intersection of Seneca Road and Route 5! Five stations are responding!”

Sam jumped into the driver's seat, Lucky into the passenger seat. They buckled their seat belts and Sam hit the siren. They pulled out of the station and sped to the accident site.

* * *

Pagers were going off all over General Hospital. Get to the emergency room, stat. Dr. Yang Se Chung, who went by “Yank,” was ER chief and directed the goings on as Alan Quartermaine supervised as chief of staff.

Drs. Monica Quartermaine, Tony Jones, Steven Webber and Karen Wexler were among the doctors to rush down to the emergency room. Bobbie Spencer, Amy Vining, Elizabeth Webber and Melissa Bedford were among the nurses.

“We've got a bus accident,” Yank said. “Dispatcher said as many as 30 kids were on the bus. Rescue squads have been dispatched. Expect arrivals within 15 minutes. Everyone get ready.”

The ER turned into a well-choreographed beehive. Everyone knew what to do.

* * *

Lucky and Sam were among the first ambulances at the scene. It was a horrible sight. The bus had rolled. They could see a pair of motionless little legs sticking out from under it.

“My God,” Lucky breathed.

They scrambled into the bus through the rear exit. Children were piled on each other. Sam and Lucky spoke soothingly to them as they assessed the situation. Other paramedics and EMTs arrived, and began the task of gingerly removing the children one by one.

Lucky helped load one little boy onto an ambulance then raced for the next child. He bent over her, and froze.

A little girl, with brown hair in pigtails and straight-cut bangs, lay on the stretcher. Her breathing was slow and shallow. Her face was marble-white. There was blood in one of her pigtails. Lucky shook his head and snapped into action. He quickly took her vitals and relayed them over the radio to General Hospital. Get her in now, Yank said.

“We're taking this one in!” he yelled at Sam. “It's a head injury!”

He pushed the stretcher to his ambulance and climbed in. The doors were slammed behind him. Sam clambered into the driver's seat.

Between taking her vitals and relaying them to Yank every few minutes, Sam heard Lucky singing to the little girl in a broken voice. She was worried. He'd never been affected like this before – they'd been at many scenes where children had died – and they had a lot of work ahead of them.

Soon, they were screaming into the ER lot at General Hospital. Lucky was out the door instantly, helping the orderlies rush her into a room. Sam followed quickly. She didn't notice Tony Jones staring after them.

Steven Webber was waiting for them. He looked at the little girl quickly and began tearing her clothes off to attach monitors.

“I need a nurse!” he shouted. Amy came running. Lucky gave the most recent vitals. Amy saw his face.

“Go, Lucky, now,” she said, firmly. “Get back out there.”

Steven heard the anxiety in her voice. Amy said softly, “Keep Bobbie and Tony out of here. This little girl looks just like BJ.”

* * *

“I don't know what's going on with you, Lucky, but you need to re-focus and right now!” Sam said. “A lot of kids and their families are depending on us!”

“I'm all right,” Lucky snapped. “Just hurry!”

They brought in two more children, stopping neither time to talk with anyone at the hospital. They made one more run. The rest of the children had either been brought to General Hospital or Mercy Hospital. Three children had been pronounced dead at the scene. Several more were in critical condition.

Mac Scorpio had also jumped into action when the call came in. He had policemen dispatched to the scene, and both hospitals, to keep reporters and the gawking public at bay. Stefan Cassadine and Florence Campbell took over handling releases to the press, setting up a press room in a conference room away from the ER and where the parents were being kept. It wasn't far enough to keep everything out, however. The anguished, wordless screams of a mother told her child was dead reached them. Even the seasoned reporters had tears in their eyes. I keep forgetting they're human, too, Stefan thought.

Sam and Lucky pulled in with their final child. It was a little boy with a blond crew cut. His left wrist was likely broken, he had a big lump on his head and was covered in bruises. But he remained concious and alert, and Lucky kept him engaged all the way in to the hospital, to soothe him and check for signs of shock.

Steven and Melissa took the child into a room. Lucky gave the vitals, and, with a final pat on the boy's good hand, left. Sam was out in the main area, giving a report to Karen. Lucky went over to them.

“There was a little girl,” he said hurriedly. “Brown hair, pigtails, she came in with a head injury. Steven was looking at her. How is she?”

Karen hesitated.

“I'm sorry, Lucky,” she said. “She was pronounced brain-dead by neurology a minute ago.”

Lucky followed her gaze down the hall. He saw Bobbie sobbing in Tony's arms.

“Oh, God,” he moaned, and ran over to them. They pulled him into their embrace.

“I don't understand...” Sam said. “What's going on? Did they know the little girl?”

“Are Lucky's parents in town yet?” Karen asked.

“No, Lucky said they're due in on Friday for the party at the Quartermaines this weekend,” Sam said. “Why?”

“Damn,” Karen said. “I think Bobbie could really use her brother right now. And few people can do sympathy and understanding like Laura.”

“Why?” Sam asked again. “Karen...”

“Come over here, where we're out of the way,” Karen said, heading over to an empty room.

“A little over ten years ago, Maxie Jones – she's Tony's niece, his brother Frisco is her father and Felicia Jones-Scorpio is her mother – developed a very serious heart condition,” Karen said. “She needed a transplant desperately. She was dying before their eyes. It looked like a transplant wasn't going to happen – she was probably just hours from death. Then a call came in. A bus accident, similar to this. Bobbie's and Tony's little girl, BJ, was on the bus. BJ was Tony's daughter from his first marriage – he was a widower when he married Bobbie, who adopted BJ. So that made her Lucky's cousin. She looked just like the little girl you brought in. And, just like today, there were massive head injuries. She didn't make it.”

“Oh, God,” Sam breathed, her eyes wide. “It must have been awful.”

“You haven't heard the whole of it,” Karen said. “Bobbie and Tony donated BJ's heart to Maxie. It was ... unbelieveable. BJ saved her cousin's life. But it broke Bobbie's and Tony's hearts. Their marriage didn't survive. Today ... this had to be absolute hell for them.”

Sam's face was streaked with tears when Karen finished.

“And I got on his case afterwards,” Sam said guiltily. “I told him to snap out of it...”

“You did what you had to do, Sam,” Karen said. “Those kids needed Lucky to do his job. Now he's going to need you to be a friend, since his parents aren't here. I'll call Robin. She can get a hold Luke and Laura and fill them in.”

Sam nodded. “I'll do that,” she said. “Thanks for telling me, Karen.”

* * *

Sam walked softly down the hall to where Lucky sat alone, slumped on a chair.

“Where are Bobbie and Dr. Jones?” she asked, sitting down next to him.

Lucky turned his face, swollen from crying, to her.

“They went with Alan,” he said huskily. “He's going to talk to the little girl's parents about donating her organs. Bobbie and Tony went with him to tell the parents about BJ – I guess Karen told you.”

“Yeah,” she said softly. “I can't imagine what they're feeling right now.”

“And yet they're doing something for someone else,” Lucky marveled. “If the parents donate their daughter's organs, kids like Maxie can be saved. What Bobbie and Tony are doing right now ... it's probably one of the bravest things I've ever seen.”

Sam squeezed his hand.

“It sure is,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady. “I never cease to be amazed at how brave people can be. Like you were today. Lucky ... I'm so sorry I snapped at you before ... I didn't know...”

“It's okay, Sam,” he said. “I had a job to do, and you were right to remind me of it. Thanks for being here...”

His voice broke off in a sob. Sam held him and rubbed his back as he cried. Through the tears in her own eyes, she looked over his head and saw that Robin had come down and was standing with Karen. They were crying, too.