Chapter 10

Nikolas sat on the Spencer porch. He knew Lucky would come back, he had to. All his stuff was there. It was getting dark out. The door opened and Lulu came out. She walked over to the steps and sat down besides Nikolas.

"He'll be okay Nikky."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will Lulu."

Nikolas began to think about something Lucky had said.

"Lulu, have you worried about Lucky these years he's been away?"

"Of course, But I've always known he was safe."

"How?"

Lulu looks away.

"I just did."

"Lulu, were you and Lucky keeping in contact?"

She nods and then replies, "It was through e-mail. Mom and Daddy don't know. In fact Mom thinks it's some guy from school I've been writing to. But Every Friday I'd hear from Lucky."

"Friday's?"

"Yeah Friday's."

Nikolas thinks back to last Friday when he had asked Sam to get the computer for him. So that's what was so important.

"I can't believe he came back. I asked him almost every single email whether or not he was coming home soon, and he always told me he didn't think so. How did you find him?"

"It was by accident really. He was working as a bell boy at the hotel Lark and I were staying at."

"I can't believe you found him, with out trying."

"Yeah with out trying, The moment I saw him in the elevator at the hotel I knew it was him."

"Does he realize what a great big brother you are?"

"He doesn't think of me that way Lulu, never has and probably never will."

Nikolas looked off into the distance and thought back to the day he found out Lucky had left town. Laura had come to see him, he could tell she had been crying. Then she told him. After she left he went to the docks. That was when he met Lark.

"Earth to Nikolas! Big brother snap out of it." Lulu cried.

"Sorry, I got caught up in my thoughts."

"Oh ok." Lulu and Nikolas sat there in comfortable silence.

Lucky walked up the Spencer driveway and saw Lulu and Nikolas on the porch.

He didn't want to deal with Nikolas right now, but seeing as Lulu and Nikolas were together there was no avoiding it.

"Hey, is this a private party or can anyone join." Lucky said looking at Lulu.

"Sit down." Lulu said. "So Lucky, what have you been doing these past four years?" Lulu asked.

"Well besides my fabulous job as a bell boy I also went to school in San Francisco majoring in Computer Science."

"I didn't know you were still in school?" Nikolas asked surprised.

"What did you think that I would forget about school all together?"

"How did you graduate from high school with out a real name and address."

"I got my GED when I got tired of running. Then I started hanging around the university and did odd jobs for one of the professors. Since a GED isn't enough to get into most colleges I had to look for another way in. So one day as I was putting up shelves in the professor’s study his computer crashed. Well I helped him get it set up again, apparently he was working on something important, I was able to help him save it. And in order to pay me back, he got me into the university."

"Interesting...."Nikolas said.

"So that's how it happened!" Lulu exclaimed. Nikolas and Lucky looked at her.

"What? Never heard an eleven year old girl yell?"

"Never expected you to be so vocal Lu, last time I saw you, you barely said three words."

"Things change Lucky."

"Yeah they do...." Lucky thought about how much that one statement was true. A week ago he thought he would live to an old age, or at least not dying from a tumor in his brain. A week ago he would never have dreamed of going home.

****

The next morning Lucky woke up feeling just as tired as he had when he went to bed. Jet lag he thought to himself. After Nikolas and Lark had decided to go home. Lulu and Lucky had talked for hours. Lucky loved talking to his sister again. It had been way to long. He had however managed to avoid the confrontation that was inevitable between him and his parents. He was not looking forward to it at all. Lucky sighed and walked downstairs. His parents and sister had already left for the day. So he had the house to himself. Hungry he went into the kitchen to get a bowl of cereal.

*****

Emily knocked on the Spencer door. She couldn’t believe what Lucky had told her last night. She hadn’t heard from him since he left, and then to just see him on the docks like that was a shock. It was not however, as much as a shock as it was to find out that he was dying.

******

Lucky walked out from the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in his hand. He set it down on the table. Just as he sat down to eat there was knock on the door. He got up and answered the door. When he opened the door he saw Emily standing there waiting for him.

"Emily, hi. Come in." He opened the door wider.

Emily stepped in and looked around. "I um…wanted to make sure you make that appointment at Mercy."

"What's the point Em?" he said as he closed the door.

"You need a second opinion. Sometimes Doctors see something and it's one thing but diagnose it another."

Lucky gave her a look.

"It's true! I'm a nurse I should know. Please Lucky get another opinion."

"You want another opinion?"

"Yes."

"Here's one! I'm dying, I get headaches ever damn day! It's painful and it's going to end in a few months. So let's just drop it."

"I can't"

"Why?"

"Because what if there is a chance that you can live. And you waste it. You spend the next two months waiting to die, instead of living your life. You won't be living. Lucky you need to go to Mercy. I'll be there with you."

"Em, I don't want to hear again that I am going to die."

"But what if you're not." Lucky thinks about this for a second.