Jonathan Jackson wrapped up his run as General Hospital‘s Lucky Spencer on June 11 and had a series of emotional goodbyes as he exited Port Charles.
After Elizabeth (Rebecca Herbst) turned down Lucky’s marriage proposal, they both acknowledged that his life had taken a different course, and staying put in one place was no longer his norm. Lucky then resolved to leave town once again, and he and Liz shared a touching farewell.
Lucky let Isaiah (Sawandi Wilson) know he was leaving, then visited his sister, Lulu (Alexa Havins), to tell her he was taking off once again. His last visit was to his mother, Laura (Genie Francis), at her office, where he broke the news of his departure.
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” he began. “I know you wanted me to stay, and I wanted to make it work for so many reasons, but this just isn’t where I belong, at least, not now.” Lucky expressed how when he came back, he was guilt-ridden over the fact that he had been gone when Laura and Lulu went through so much and vowed he wouldn’t abandon them again.
His mother insisted he had nothing to apologize for, gently reassuring him that his happiness was more important to her. “Listen, there have been times where you’ve left town because you had to, and frankly, there were some times you left town when I felt like maybe you were running away,” she explained. “But this time feels different. It feels like you’re going because you really believe in your heart that this is what’s best for you.”
Laura then asked her son what prompted his decision to go, and he revealed that he proposed to Elizabeth, who turned him down, not because she doesn’t love him, but because she feels they’re at different places in their lives, which Laura understood. “We love each other enough to want what’s best for each other,” Lucky noted. “We need different things, and it’s better that we acknowledge that now ’cause if we don’t, we’ll just end up hurting each other all over again.”
Laura mused that real-life stories don’t have fairytale endings, and Lucky pointed out that Luke and Laura weren’t big on fairytales. “We liked adventures,” she said with a laugh, and he conceded that his adventurous spirit came from them. “I know,” she replied. “That’s why I never questioned your need to be out there in the world, to be seeing it and saving it and changing it.”
“Don’t make me sound too good,” he joked. “People are going to expect better of me.”
Promising to keep it their “little secret,” Laura told him how grateful she was that he came home and reconnected with his loved ones, who would always love him no matter where in the world he was. “I would say to be careful,” Laura began, but Lucky cut her off, quipping, “We both know I probably won’t.”
Laura asked her son to stay in touch, then cried openly as she hugged him goodbye. She made it clear that he had her blessing to leave. “That means the world to me, Mom,” he said. “Thank you for welcoming me home and also for letting me go.” Laura reminded him that she would be there for him anytime. “’Cause I’m always gonna be your mom,” she reminded him.
After Lucky left, Laura looked at a childhood photo of him, then kissed it and held it to her heart. “My baby,” she said.
The action picked up at the airport, where Lucky and his son, Aiden (Colin Cassidy), were preparing to travel to Europe. “I’m hoping this is the first of many trips we take together,” an enthused Lucky told him. “I’ve got so many great places to show you, man.” When Aiden asked how long they’d be in Paris, Lucky called it a pit stop, revealing they’d be going to Luke’s old stomping ground — Amsterdam, a nod to Luke’s portrayer, Anthony Geary, who now lives there in real life.
Lucky then received a text from Elizabeth: “Wait for me,” it read. Aiden boarded the plane, and the gate agent told Lucky he had to as well. Hoping Liz would show, Lucky asked for five more minutes. After the gate agent told Lucky he had one minute, Liz ran in.
“I can’t let you leave without you knowing that I do love you,” she declared. “That hasn’t changed. And I will never stop loving you.” A grateful Lucky replied, “I know. I love you, too. More than ever.”
Liz made him promise to take care of himself and get Aiden home safely. Lucky assured her he would, and the two shared a passionate kiss. “I’ll still think of you whenever I see something beautiful,” he told her. “Goodbye, Elizabeth.” Lucky went to board the plane and turned around for one last look. She waved, her tears threatening to fall. The door closed behind Lucky, and Liz took a deep breath, then said, “Bye, Lucky.”
