Lucky is at General Hospital, pestering a nurse about Summer's files. Nikolas and Lydia step off of the elevator and join him. The announcer announces that Lydia will now be played by J. Robin Miller.
Lucky: I am sure the results are in by now. This -- the patient's name is Summer Halloway.
Nurse: Autopsy results can only be given out to police personnel.
Lucky: She was my girlfriend, all right? Can you just please make an exception?
Nurse: I'm sorry.
Lydia: Oh, look, it's Lucky, the one person I seriously wanted to run into.
Lucky: Yeah? Why is that?
Lydia: Mr. Arrogant, so full of yourself and your ridiculous opinions. It's a pleasure to prove you wrong.
Lucky: Yeah, well, let me just take a wild guess. Does this have something to do with your so-called engagement?
Nikolas: We're here for a blood test.
Lydia: Step one on the road to a lifetime of wedded bliss.
Lucky: Oh, give me a break, Lydia. Call it like it is. You can't wait to get your greedy little hands on a fortune. You know, I just think about all the times that you looked down on Summer, dissing her, calling her hooker. How are you any different? Aren't you just selling yourself for money?
Emily is sitting at her desk, brushing her hair. She looks at the hair worriedly that is left in the brush. There is a knock on the door.
Emily: Come in, Zander. Hey.
Zander: Hi.
Emily: What are you doing here?
Zander: I came to see you. How are you doing
Emily: Good.
Zander: Yeah?
They kiss.
Emily: How are you?
Zander: I'm good. Listen, I know you got chemo today. I'm going with you.
Emily: That's really sweet of you, Zander, but there's nothing for you to do. I just sit in a chair for an hour, and then I'm wiped out for the next 24. Why don't you come over tomorrow instead?
Zander: This locket was meant to symbolize that nothing could come between us. And even after you said we were over and you sent it back to me, I couldn't throw it away. Because I never stopped feeling connected to you. And I never will. Now, I want to go through this with you, if you'll let me. I am stronger than you think.
Emily: It's not you, Zander. Maybe it's, I don't know -- vain, or obnoxiously self-absorbed might be a better way of putting it, but I don't want you to see the way chemo makes me.
Zander: Well, then I’ll wait out in the hall, or I'll camp outside your door.
Emily: Zander --
Zander: But you're not going to push me away again. We're going to get through this. Here -- turn around.
Emily: Okay.
Zander pdividers the locket around her neck.
Zander: We are going to spend the rest of our lives together. They have a kiss.
Emily: I love you so much.
The trio are still in the waiting room. Lucky and Lydia are waiting on the couch for Nikolas. Lucky is reading a magazine. Then, Nikolas comes in.
Lydia: There's no reason for you to pretend you have manners.
Lucky: You talking to me?
Lydia: I'm telling you you don't have to wait for me. I'd prefer if you didn't.
Lucky: No, I'm just waiting for my brother
Nikolas: The nurse is waiting for you.
Lydia: Perfect timing. I'd rather have a needle stuck in my arm than spend another minute with your brother's negativity.
Nikolas: I -- I know -- I know. I know what you're about to say. And it's all true. The woman is insufferable. The last thing I want to do is marry her, but it doesn't matter. My family needs this union to survive.
Lucky: You're an idiot. What are you guys doing here?
Emily and Zander come from the elevator and join Nikolas and Lucky.
Emily: Oh --
Lucky: Did you get into another fight?
Emily: You're still keeping my secret?
Nikolas and Emily share a glance.
Nikolas: I thought you wanted me to.
Emily: I did, until I realized how unfair I was being, especially to you.
Lucky: Am I missing something?
Emily: I have breast cancer. That's why we're here. I'm having chemotherapy.
Lucky: That's what you've been hiding all these months?
Emily: Yeah.
Lucky: I'm so sorry, Em.
Emily: So am I -- for handling it so badly. But I'm getting better at it as I go along.
Lucky: Well, is there anything we can do?
Emily: Yeah, just keep being my friend. I might need that.
Lucky: Count on it.
Emily: And try not to worry, Lucky. I'm going to beat this.
Zander: Yeah, we should -- we should get going.
Emily: Yeah.
Emily and Nikolas share a head nod and Lucky wraps Emily in a hug.
Lucky: Emily, I love you.
Emily: Oh, I love you, too.
Nikolas: Now you know.
Lucky: Yeah, I do. You fell in love with Emily for real.
Nikolas and Lucky are sitting on the couch in the waiting room. Nikolas is playing with his hands. His voice is hoarse.
Nikolas: Emily was afraid that she was going to die a little bit at a time like -- like Paige did. She didn't want Zander to watch that happen, so her solution was -- was asking me to pretend to be in love with her. I agreed.
Lucky: Okay, I understand how that started as a setup, but it's gotten real to you now. Nikolas, I can see it. Does Emily know how much you love her?
Nikolas: It doesn't Emily loves Zander. Zander loves her back. He's the one she needs.
Lucky: No. Where does that leave you?
Nikolas: Where it always has, I guess -- a friend, surrogate big brother.
Nikolas has tears in his eyes as he describes this to Lucky.
Lucky: Only you'll be trapped into a marriage of convenience with a woman you don't like, much less love. I mean, it just doesn't make any sense.
Nikolas: It does to me. Lydia's inheritance can save Cassadine Industries.
Lucky: You'll be spending the rest of your life without love.
Nikolas: So? I'll never have the woman I love, Lucky, which makes it easier to settle for the one I’m marrying.
Just then, Lydia comes out and joins them.
Lydia: Are you still here? How tedious. Shall we go?
Nikolas and Lucky see Emily and Zander coming down the hallway and jump up to see them.
Nikolas: How are you feeling?
Emily: I'm a little tired.
Zander: Yeah, I need to get her home.
Lucky: Okay. Hey, I’ll call you.
Emily: Okay.
Zander: All right. See you, guys.
Lydia: Am I the only one who finds Emily’s wilting-flower act the slightest bit much?
Lucky: Why don't you just shut your mouth before you make a bigger fool of yourself?
Lydia: God. Bite my head off.
Nikolas: I have to go.
Nikolas rushes off quickly.
Lydia: Where are you going? Are you gratuitously rude to everyone or am I your target of choice?
Lucky: You know what? If you ever get over yourself long enough to notice another human being, it might have registered to you that Emily is in a lot of pain.
Lydia: Oh, please. She's working Nikolas, playing on his sympathy. Don't you see how he hops to whenever she's around? Well, two can play that game. After we're married, Nikolas is going to forget all about little miss Emily.
Lydia is signing papers at the counter. Lucky is talking and mocking her a bit.
Lucky: I don't think you'll have a prayer of having Nikolas fall in love with you. But why would you want to? Aren't you the one that said this marriage is a business relationship complete with lovers on the side?
Lydia: Nikolas is opposed to fooling around -- more proof he already thinks of me as his.
Lucky: Nikolas cares about his reputation and how it reflects on his family. He doesn't want a wife who's going to cheat -- yet another reason why your marriage is a bad idea.
Lydia: Are you insinuating I’m incapable of fidelity?
Lucky: No, I just think you're shallow and fickle and need to be in the center of attention. Married or not, the first man who comes along -- you're going to have him in bed, it could be a race car driver or a polo player.
Lydia: For your information, I am more than capable of having a lasting, committed relationship. I have no intention of cheating on Nikolas unless he cheats on me.
Lucky: You sure about that?
Lydia: Absolutely.
Lucky: Prove it.
At this time, they are in the elevator. Lucky grabs Lydia and kisses her hotly.
Emily and Zander are in her bedroom. He is slowly leading her to the bed.
Emily: Oh -- ahem. This is the part of chemo that I hate the most -- the nausea.
Zander: Here -- hold on.
Emily: Thanks.
Zander: Tell me what I can do.
Zander lays her back against the bed and sits beside her.
Emily: Oh, just sit with me.
Zander: Okay, okay. You're amazing. You're amazing, how strong you are and this courage. You know this is how you're going to beat this thing, right?
Emily: Keep telling me that.
Zander: I will, as long as you need to hear it.
There is a knock on the door.
Zander: I'll be right back.
Zander gets up and goes to open the door.
Emily: Okay.
Zander: Hey.
Nikolas is standing at the door. He has the book, "The Captain of My Dreams" for Zander to read to Emily.
Nikolas: I started reading this to Emily after the chemo. It distracts her, sort of lulls her to sleep, so I --
Zander: Yeah. Thanks, man.
Nikolas: All right.
Nikolas goes to leave and Emily calls out to him. Nikolas pops his head around the door and their eyes meet. He waves a little to her.
Emily: Nikolas, is that you?
Nikolas: I didn't want to bother you, so I --
Emily: No, no, no way. Come in. Come in.
Zander: Yeah. Come.
Nikolas: I brought our book.
Nikolas points back to the book in Zander's hands. He sits on the bed and Emily demands that he reads.
Emily: Oh. Good. Read to me. One paragraph and I'll be fast asleep.
Nikolas: I'm thrilled to know just how completely I bore you.
They have a little laugh.
Emily: Hmm. It's a gift. Hmm. Read.
Nikolas: Okay.
Zander hands Nikolas the book, he opens it. and gets more comfortable on the bed. He holds the book with his left hand and pdividers his right arn and hand over her knee and on the other side of the bed. During this scene, Zander is walking around listening to Nikolas read. He looks knowing and jealous.
Nikolas: "In the cool, clear light of the early morning, they set out for a ride. And the sky was still dark in the west. The fields and woods were shadowed and mysterious. The only sounds were the calling of the birds and the muffled clatter of the horses' hooves."
Nikolas pauses with a hiccup as Emily's hand comes down from resting on her chest to lay on Nikolas's right hand as he reads.
Nikolas: "They came to the gate leading out of the downs, and he turned, daring her with a smile."
The camera pans on Zander's face... zooming in...he knows that there is something going on between Nikolas and Emily.