General Hospital recap for Tuesday, December 3, 2024: Lucky gives Lulu an earful...about Sam

Dante brought Lulu to her mother's apartment. She hesitantly knocked on the door and was shocked to see Lucky standing there. "Where've you been, Lesley Lu?" he asked with a smile. Lucky sat Lulu down on the couch as she explained her eventful evening escaping from Turning Woods.

When Dante left, Lulu noted that something seemed off with him. Lucky thought that Dante was just in shock after Lulu just showed up at the Quartermaines. Lulu also marveled at the fact that Lucky was in Port Charles. Lucky explained that he came home when he learned she needed a liver transplant.

Lulu assumed Lucky was her donor but asked why Nikolas couldn't donate his liver. Lucky told her that he was a match, but Nikolas' liver was not suitable for a transplant. Lulu was pleased to hear her family rallied around her when she needed them, but then asked a bombshell of a question: "Does that mean Dad's back in town, too?"

Lucky was forced to tell Lulu that Luke had died two years ago. Lulu insisted that couldn't be true. After all, Luke had been presumed dead before. She thought all they had to do was get word to him that she was awake and he would return to Port Charles. Lucky had to do some work, but he finally convinced Lulu that Luke was gone. "Dad's been gone for three years, and I didn't even know," Lulu cried before falling into Lucky's arms.

Lucky and Lulu sat down over coffee and discussed her childhood. "Making Tracy my stepmother was probably one of the best things Dad ever did for me," Lulu said. Lucky admitted that he didn't go to either of Luke's memorials because he couldn't emotionally handle it.

Lulu then thanked Lucky for the liver. He was forced to tell her that he wasn't his donor but that Sam was. Lulu felt it was generous and wanted to thank Sam, so Lucky delivered the bad news that Sam died the day after the surgery. "Sam died because of me?" Lulu asked in disbelief.

Lucky assured Lulu that Sam's death had nothing to do with the transplant. Lulu was still curious. "Why would Sam risk her life for me?" Lulu asked. Lucky explained that Sam and Dante were engaged at the time of Sam's death. "So while I was in a coma, Sam was Rocco's mom. Sam saved my life, and Dante lost her," Lulu said with a stark realization on her face.

Lulu finally realized the reason for Dante's distance. "The look in his eyes. It was grief. Grief over losing the woman he loved," Lulu said.

Laura was back at her office working the phones to try to find Lulu. Anna walked in and told her that they had had no luck. However, she did have Dex bring Cyrus in wearing cuffs. Cyrus insisted he had nothing to do with Lulu's disappearance, but Laura didn't care. "I'm having you arrested for stalking my daughter," Laura announced.

Laura was furious that Cyrus visited Lulu without her permission and even told Turning Woods that he could make medical decisions for her daughter. "As a paroled felon, stalking with fraud charges can land you back in Pentonville," Anna explained. Cyrus insisted he didn't take Lulu from Turning Woods. Laura said she knew that because she walked out on her own, stunning Cyrus.

"Our prayers have been answered. Lulu is awake, but Sister, why are you angry at me?" Cyrus asked. Laura believed that Cyrus visiting Lulu is what led her daughter to run away from Turning Woods without telling anyone. Anna then had Dex take Cyrus back to the PCPD to see if anyone at Turning Woods wanted to press charges.

Soon, Laura got a call from Lucky telling her that he was with Lulu. Laura quickly rushed out of her office to see her daughter.

Maxie sat down with James and asked him if he was sure the picture he showed her was really the woman who had been in their house. James was sure and was surprised to learn that it was a picture of his Aunt Lulu, who he didn't really remember. Maxie insisted there was no way Lulu could have been in their living room.

Maxie called Mac to see if he knew anything about Lulu and found out that she was indeed awake. Dante soon arrived, and an excited Maxie asked where Lulu was. Maxie begged him for any information he could give her.

"It's like she didn't miss a beat. All this time, I was afraid I would never look in her eyes again and then there she was, smiling, talking, just like her old self," Dante said.

Maxie asked a pensive Dante how he was doing. Dante was glad that Rocco had his mom back, but Maxie knew the truth. "The joy of having Lulu back doesn't outweigh the grief from losing Sam," she said. Dante admitted he hadn't told Lulu about Sam yet.

Maxie then gave Dante some advice. "Don't hide your grief from Lulu," she said. Dante pointed out that Lulu had planned to move on with Dustin before he died. Maxie flashed back to telling Lulu to tell Dante she still loved him right before she passed out and entered her coma. She didn't tell Dante about that conversation.

Carly began lecturing Jason as he fiddled around in the Quartermaine boat house. She insisted that the truce between Drew and Jason had to last for the kids' sake. Jason promised to keep his end of the bargain, but that only made Carly more curious, so she asked what was behind this new animosity.

Jason refused to tell her that Drew slept with Willow on the playroom floor the night that Sam died, so Carly blabbered on about not making the kids choose between their fathers. Just then, Danny walked in. Jason could immediately tell something was wrong and asked Danny to talk to him.

Danny was hesitant to say anything but finally blurted out, "Rocco got his mom back." Carly's jaw dropped, and Jason stared at Danny in disbelief. Danny told them that he had seen Dante and Rocco talking to a lady in the living room, and he recognized her from a photo Rocco kept in his room. "The only thing that could make Rocco that happy was his mom," Danny said.

Danny was happy for Rocco, but he missed his own mom. "I know it's not his fault, but it's so stupid, especially when my mom saved his mom's life. They should both be here. Why did my mom have to die?" Danny asked.

Danny then got a text from Rocco, but he didn't know what to say. Carly told Danny it was okay to be happy for Rocco and still miss his mother. Jason assured Danny he was there for him. "Just remember you're not alone. I'm here, and I always will be," Jason said.

After Danny left the boat house to find Rocco, Anna called to tell him that they had to find Valentin immediately.

Molly went through a box of memories and found her 2012 journal entry chronicling the day she first met TJ. Soon after, Ric arrived, but Molly had no desire to talk to her father, so she slammed the door in his face. Ric refused to go away and reiterated that he only took Ava's case to help Molly.

Molly opened the door again and told her father the truth. "I don't need your help or anyone else's right now. Thanks to your help, TJ is staying somewhere else tonight," Molly said.

Molly explained to Ric what had happened after she and TJ had arrived home. Molly said that she realized that Kristina's fall was an accident, but TJ didn't see anything accidental about that day. "TJ thinks accepting the verdict is just another way to avoid my grief and pretend like Irene never existed," Molly cried.

Ric also wanted to talk about Molly's testimony. "If I thought putting you on the stand was going to harm you in any way, I would have never done it," Ric admitted. Molly was amazed, saying, "You thought putting me on the stand would be harmless? You weaponized my ethics against my sister."

Ric noted how Molly always defended her friends against bullies when she was a child. Molly pointed out that what Ric did to Kristina was worse than a bully on the playground. "But who am I to judge you when I've said most of that to Kristina myself? That really was the worst part. Realizing that you were tormenting Kristina with my own words," Molly admitted.

Molly wondered what she had left after losing Irene and TJ. Ric assured Molly that she had him. Molly said she knew that but just wanted to be alone at the moment.

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