"Ladies and gentlemen. It is now safe to gather your belongings,
and exit the aircraft." Laura scooped up the sleeping toddler while Luke
grabbed their overhead luggage. They quickly gathered all of their bags,
and took a cab to their hotel. Laura gasped as they walked into the lobby.
"Luke, we'll never be able to afford this!"
"Sure we can. Besides, whoever is after us will be less likely to look for us here than in some run down cheesy dive. We're safer here."
"I guess you're right. Doing the unexpected will help us keep at least one step ahead, won't it."
"That's the plan," Luke said as he casually walked up to the front desk. "We have a reservation. Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker."
"Ah, yes sir. You're suite is waiting for you. It's number 1587. Take the first elevator to the 15th floor, and your room is on the left. Will you be requiring a bellhop to assist with your luggage."
"No, thank you. We can manage," Luke said as he reached down to grab the suitcase with one hand, and Laura's hand with his other.
Once inside the elevator, Laura looked over and questioned, "Mr. and Mrs. Whitaker?"
"Well, I certainly wasn't going to give our real names. And, can you think of a better name? We'll be just like the Whitaker's by the time we're that age. Can't you see it?"
"I certainly can." Just then, the elevator opened, and the three of them got off. "Oh, here's our room. Do you have the key?"
"Right here in my hot little hand.........There. What do you think?"
Laura was mesmerized by what she saw. A large living room with an entertainment center, and large, comfy looking sofas. A desk was in the corner surrounded by several plants. The bar was straight ahead, already furnished with a basket of fruit, a plate of meats and cheeses, a loaf of Italian bread, and a bottle of champagne on ice. As if that wasn't enough, the king sized bed with the adjoining bath and spa blew her completely away. "Now, I know we're not going to afford this."
"Don't sweat it sweetheart. They paid me pretty well when I was mayor of Port Chuckles, and I managed to save some. We're all right."
"If you say so." With that, Laura walked over, and set her son down on the sofa. She arranged some pillows around him to make his bed comfortable for the night. He hadn't woken up since they had reached the hotel, and it appeared he would be out for the night. Then, Laura walked over to the bar, carried the food carefully balanced on her arms to the bedroom, and started arranging a carpet picnic.
Luke laughed as he walked into the bedroom at he sight his wife made. She was surrounded by expensive foods, shoveling in the bread like there was no tomorrow. "Hungry?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer was. Laura just nodded in response. "Are you gonna share?"
Laura stopped, swallowed, and then answered with mock frustration, "Well, I guess." Luke laughed out loud, and plopped down next to his wife. He figured he had better be quick if he wanted to get any for himself. He started to nibble on some of the cheeses, but couldn't help but watch Laura consuming the food in front of her like a vacuum.
"Laura, slow down! You're going choke to death if you don't chew before you swallow."
"I can't help it. I haven't eaten in almost 24 hours, on top of which, I have no idea what I'm doing here, or what you're planning to do, or how in the world someone got close enough to get our picture, but we didn't notice. I'm terrified, so I'm going to eat like a pig until I feel better."
"Laura," Luke started, trying to reassure her. "Laura, look at me. We're going to be just fine. We're all going to stay here tonight, and tomorrow morning, I'm going to go over to this Hacienda del......something or other and find out who is there and what goes on there. I'll come back and let you know everything that happens. If it seems safe enough, I'll go back and try to meet with whoever sent us that cowardice excuse of a letter. But, until that happens, we're going to be fine. Stop worrying."
"Easier said than done," Laura answered. She put down what was left of a sandwich, crawled over, and sat in Luke's lap. Luke wrapped his arms around Laura's waist, and began to slowly rock back and forth. "Luke, promise me that you'll be careful."
"Baby, careful is my middle name. Who do you think you're dealing with here?"
"I'm serious. When it was just us, you didn't have to worry so much about what was going to happen. But, now our son is depending on us. I don't want him to have to grow up in a world of violence. I want us to be a normal family."
"Us.......normal. I don't think there's a prayer in the world of that happening." When Luke noticed Laura's scornful expression, he continued "I'm going to find out what is going on so I can stop it. But I can't do that until I know who's behind all of this. I won't do anything stupid. That's why I'm gonna come back and explain everything that happens. I won't just fly off the handle. We can decide what to do together. I promise."
"Good. That's just what I wanted to hear." Laura really was soothed by the fact that Luke wouldn't do anything until he talked it over with her. "Now, can we finish eating. I'm starved!"
"Sure," Luke chuckled, "but, you've gotta share."
"OK." Luke and Laura ate until there was no more to be had. They cleared up all the trays, and got ready for bed. While Luke was in the bathroom taking a shower, Laura crept out into the main room to check on her son. She bent over to see him sleeping soundly in a mound of pillows. He looked so at peace. All this trouble didn't seem to be affecting him in the slightest. Laura envied her son. She wished that she could feel as comfortable as him. But, why should he feel differently? He had everything he needed. Both of his parents were there caring for him, just like always. He didn't understand that someone was after them, or that they might have to stay away from their home indefinitely. All he knew was that he had everything he needed. Feeling a little better after seeing her son was perfectly all right, she flipped off the lamp, and went back into the bedroom. She quietly undressed, and slipped on her most comfortable flannel night dress. She turned down the bed, and snuggled against the plush pillows. She had every intention of waiting for Luke to come out of the shower, but the day was beginning to wear on her, and she drifted off to sleep.
As Luke emerged from the bathroom he saw his wife's sleeping form buried under a huge down comforter. His heart caught in his throat, and every fiber in his being fell in love with her all over again. She could have refused to come with him. She could have taken their son back to Port Charles and tell him to take care of this mess before it ruined their lives. But she didn't. There she was, right in front of him, doing her best to be brave through this whole escapade. He regretted that trouble always seemed to find him, but loved the fact that he was here with his family, ready to take on the world. Luke took a deep breath, sighed, and quickly put on a pair of drawstring sweatpants. As he crawled under the covers, Laura instinctively stirred, and repositioned herself, putting her head on his chest, and her arms possessively around his waist. Luke, in turn curled around his wife, and quietly fell asleep.
