Lucas Jones (Ryan Carnes)


 * Lucas redirects here. For other uses of the name, see Lucas (disambiguation).

Lucas Stansbury Jones is a fictional character on the popular ABC soap opera General Hospital. Lucas is the adopted son of Tony Jones and Bobbie Spencer. He was most recently played by Ben Hogestyn.

Birth and adoption
In 1989, Tiffany Hill's sister Cheryl Stansbury is pregnant, seemingly with mobster Julian Jerome's child. Cheryl is on the run from Julian, and boards a bus. During a stop over in Delaware, Cheryl wakes up in a clinic with a doctor and nurse hovering over her. They tell her that she passed out in the bus station and was brought to the clinic. The doctor, Dr. Perry, informs Cheryl that she is sick and he doesn't know if she will be able to deliver a healthy baby safely.

Meanwhile, back in Port Charles, Bobbie Spencer wants to adopt a child. She is hopeful that she will be able to adopt the baby of a pregnant woman named Molly, but after the baby is born, Molly decides to keep the baby. Bobbie is devastated. She then meets a man named Clayton who tells her that he can help her adopt a baby, for the right price. Clayton then calls Cheryl's doctor, Dr. Perry and tells him that he has a potential client, and asks if Dr. Perry has a patient.

Cheryl then goes into labor. Later, Clayton goes to the clinic where Dr. Perry tells him that the baby is fine, and that the mother is still under anesthesia after the c-section. When Clayton hears she had a c-section, he tells Dr. Perry that since Cheryl doesn't remember the baby being born, Dr. Perry can tell her that the baby died. When Cheryl wakes up, that is what the doctor tells her. Bobbie is overjoyed when the baby is brought to her in Port Charles. She names him Lucas Spencer, after her brother, Luke, and asks Robert Scorpio and Terri Brock to be his godparents. He is christened on September 14, 1989. Unbeknownst to everyone, Lucas is actually Cheryl's baby; and Cheryl believes that Robert, not Julian, was actually her baby's father. After the christening, Tony Jones proposes to Bobbie, she accepts, and they are married on October 13. Tony then adopts Lucas, making him Lucas Jones.

Illegal adoption revealed
In April of 1990, Lucas becomes very ill. For a while, no one knows what is wrong with him. Bobbie goes to Clayton to try and find out about Lucas' family medical history. He is of no help and she realizes that the adoption was actually illegal. At one point, Bobbie can't wake Lucas up and rushes him to the ER, where he is put in ICU. He’s in a coma for a short time and Simone Hardy diagnoses him with Type I diabetes.

Robert Scorpio begins to investigate Clayton and his illegal adoption ring. He is led to Dr. Perry, whom Robert also starts to investigate. Meanwhile, Tiffany tells Bobbie that her sister Cheryl lost a baby the previous year, around the same time Lucas was born. Bobbie begins to notice signs that Lucas might actually be Cheryl's. On one occasion, Lucas has an insulin reaction and Cheryl knows exactly what to do and helps him. She tells Bobbie that diabetes runs in her family. Tiffany had also told Bobbie that Cheryl's baby was born in Delaware, which is where Dr. Perry used to have a clinic.

Bobbie tracks down Esther, Dr. Perry's nurse, to get answers. Esther confirms to her that the baby is in fact Cheryl Stansbury's. Bobbie is shocked, and decides to keep it a secret because she loves Lucas and does not want to give him up. The only person Bobbie confides the truth in is her Aunt Ruby.

In December of 1990, Cheryl collapses and is put in General Hospital. During her time in the hospital, she tells Tiffany that her baby is alive. Tiffany and Cheryl's doctors, Alan Quartermaine and Tom Hardy, think that Cheryl is refusing to accept the loss of her child and try to convince her that her baby is dead. She also tells Tiffany that Julian Jerome is not her child's father, but that Robert Scorpio is. She tells Robert that she knows her baby is alive because she heard him crying. Without telling him that he is his father, she asks Robert to find him, which Robert agrees to do.

Frisco is working on the illegal adoption ring case and finds out that Bobbie's son Lucas is actually Cheryl Stansbury's. He goes to Bobbie and confronts her with the information. He finds out that Bobbie has known for months and has kept it a secret. Bobbie is able to convince Frisco to keep the secret and to help her keep Lucas from going back to Cheryl. Frisco lies to Robert and Anna and tries to keep them from finding out about Lucas.

Robert and Anna, however, are only one step behind Frisco and end up finding out the truth anyway. Robert confronts Bobbie and tells her that she has to give Lucas back to Cheryl because he was taken from her illegally. Bobbie refuses. Robert tries to convince her, but she still refuses, so Robert tells her he'll have to take legal action. Several days later, Robert again tries to convince her, and then demands that she give up Lucas. When she won't, he goes to the nursery to take him, but he's gone. Bobbie has sent him to stay with Ruby. Robert goes to get a court order and Bobbie packs a suitcase, planning to take Lucas and run. When Bobbie arrives at Kelly's to get Lucas, Tony is there, and she has to tell him everything. Robert goes to Kelly's and Bobbie tearfully and painstakingly lets Robert take Lucas from her arms.

Robert then takes Lucas to Cheryl, who is now out of the hospital, and tells her that Lucas is her son. Cheryl is shocked, but overjoyed, and tells Robert that he is Lucas' father. Robert denies it. Cheryl points out that they were together at the right time and tries to convince him. Robert demands a blood test to prove it. Cheryl is so convinced that she has no problem with him getting a blood test, thinking it'll prove he is the father. The blood test, however, proves that Robert is not his father, meaning that Julian Jerome is Lucas' father. Cheryl takes Lucas and moves to Phoenix, where she has accepted a job.

Cheryl's death and custody battle
On October 2, 1992, Tiffany receives a phone call from Phoenix saying that her sister Cheryl was in a car accident and that she's in critical condition. Tiffany and her husband Sean fly to her bedside to find that she's in a coma with a severe head injury. Cheryl unfortunately does not make it after several days in the coma, and Tiffany has to explain to little Lucas why his mommy won't be coming home. Tiffany and her parents decide that it's in Lucas' best interest for him to live with her and Sean, so they take him back to Port Charles with them.

When it comes time for the reading of Cheryl's will, everyone is surprised when the instructions state for both Tony and Bobbie to be present, in addition to Sean and Tiffany. Scott Baldwin plays a video tape that Cheryl had made in the case of her death explaining her decision for custody of her young son Lucas. In the video, Cheryl leaves Lucas in the custody of Tony and Bobbie, who raised him the first eighteen months of his life. Tiffany is devastated at this and right away believes that either Cheryl wasn't in her right mind when she wrote the will, or that she was mad at her. Tiffany can't believe that Cheryl didn't leave Lucas to her and Sean.

Tiffany refuses to give Lucas over to Bobbie and hires a lawyer to help her sue for custody of him. She says she loves him and can't let him go, especially after losing her sister. Tiffany cites that she is Lucas' blood relative and should have custody of him. At the court hearing, after hearing several witnesses testify, the judge awards sole custody of Lucas to Tony and Bobbie, as Cheryl's will stated. They promised to allow Sean and Tiffany a relationship with him and told them they could come over whenever they wanted. On March 1, 1993, Tiffany tearfully hands Lucas over to Bobbie. Both Tiffany and Sean retain a relationship with him until they move to Boston in 1995.

Estrangement from Tony
In 1996, Tony begins an affair with Carly Roberts. When Bobbie finds out, the two divorce. Carly gets pregnant and she and Tony plan to marry, but right before the baby is born, Carly tells Tony he isn't the father. Tony also finds out that Carly is actually Caroline Benson, Bobbie's daughter she had given up for adoption as a teenager. The two then break up.

In 1998, Tony kidnaps Carly's baby, Michael, and Lucas is afraid that Tony will try to kidnap him too. Bobbie tries to get Tony to relinquish his rights to Lucas. Tony ends up in jail for the kidnapping and Bobbie tells Lucas not to worry.

When Tony gets out of jail, he makes a deal with Bobbie's brother Luke for him to help him see his son. He tells Luke that if he brings Lucas to see him, that he’ll spy on Helena Cassadine for him. Luke does this, and Tony explains his actions to Lucas and tells him he’d never hurt him and that he’ll always love him. After this, Bobbie gets a restraining order against Tony to keep him away from Lucas.

Tony later calls Lucas at home and tells him to meet him to play ball, and he does. At one point during their meeting, Tony stops to talk to Felicia and Lucas hides behind a bush so she won't see him. The ball rolls into a warehouse and Lucas goes into the warehouse to get it. The warehouse then catches fire, and Jerry Jacks rescues him.

This is more fuel for Bobbie to take action to keep Lucas away from Tony. She explains to Lucas that Tony is sick and that he cannot see him anymore. Tony later sees Bobbie and Lucas in the park with Jason Morgan and Michael, and he gets upset. Tony doesn't understand why it's okay for them to be with a gangster like Jason Morgan, but he can't see his son.

Bobbie is now involved with Jerry Jacks, and Jerry goes to jail for setting the warehouse fire from which he saved Lucas. When he gets out, they continue their relationship, and Tony takes pictures secretly of them to prove she is involved with gangsters and is a bad influence for Lucas. Bobbie, Jerry, and Tony all then go to a psychiatrist to discuss their problems and Lucas. Tony accuses Bobbie of being an unfit mother, partly because of her involvement with gangsters.

Tony eventually pulls his life back together and is able to get closer to his son and spend more time with him.

Near death at the hands of Helena
In 2001, Lucas' cousin Lucky Spencer is brainwashed by Helena Cassadine. She instructs Lucky to pour a vile of a mysterious liquid into Lucas' drink at home. Lucky does, and Lucas gets deathly ill. His blood sugar rises dramatically, which they get under control, but his temperature keeps going up no matter what they do for it. He then starts to have seizures and slips into a coma. Tony scrambles to find a cure for Lucas.

Helena kidnaps Tony and takes him to the basement of General Hospital. She tells Tony that Lucas will die if he doesn't do exactly what she tells him to do. Helena tells Tony that her son Stavros has been cryogenically frozen and she needs a surgeon to wake him up. If Tony wakes up Helena's child, she will give Tony the antidote to wake up his child. If Tony doesn't do it, not only will Lucas die, but so will Bobbie's niece Lulu, then Bobbie's grandson Michael.

Tony promises that if Helena gives him the antidote, that he will come back and resurrect Stavros. Helena gives the antifote to Tony. Tony then gives the antidote to Lucas in his IV and he awakens and makes a full recovery. Tony holds up his end of the bargain and returns to the basement where he follows Helena's instructions to bring back Stavros.

Coming out and Tony's death
In October of 2005, Lucas is edgy and noticeably hiding something. He confides in his cousin Georgie that he's gay. Georgie urges him to come out of the closet, but Lucas isn't ready and makes her swear she will keep quiet. On New Year's Eve, he tells Georgie's boyfriend Dillon.

In January of 2006, Lucas and Brook Lynn go to Jake's. Brook Lynn asks Lucas what's been going on with him. He tells her that he's gay and that Georgie and Dillon already know. Brook admits that she's suspected for a while and she's glad he's coming out. A guy named Frank is playing pool and overhears them talking. Later, he picks Lucas up, inviting him out for pizza. Later, Georgie and Dillon are walking and find Lucas in the park. He's been badly beaten.

Dillon and Georgie take him back to the Quartermaine Mansion and he refuses to go to the hospital in fear that his sexual orientation will come out. Lucas' cousin Maxie shows up and, seeing how badly Lucas is beaten, is worried about him. He tells her that he's gay. Maxie tells him that she's sorry that he felt he couldn't tell her and that she loves him. She kisses him on the forehead.

Maxie tells her boyfriend and police detective Jesse Beaudry what happened to Lucas and that he's gay. She asks him to help catch the guy who beat him up, without involving the police. Jesse agrees. He tells Lucas he will go undercover and let Frank pick him up, then bust him.

Georgie urges Lucas again to tell his parents. He tells her that he can't because his parents have expectations of him, such as having a girlfriend and eventually having kids. Dillon wants Lucas to go to the police. Lucas explains to Dillon and Georgie that when he was growing up, he was disgusted with himself because he couldn't understand why he felt the way he did. He says he eventually worked up the courage to talk to a teacher in junior high. The teacher told him he could cure himself by teaching himself to think like the normal boys and he tried to do that. He tells them that he tried to act like the other boys and do what they did, but he felt like he was quietly going crazy. He tells Georgie that he finally realized that Georgie accepted him and he could be himself around her. He thanks her for being there for him.

The next day, Lucas goes back to Jake's to find Frank. He starts a fist fight with him, and Jesse and Lucky break it up. Frank says that Lucas just attacked him and he wants to press charges. Lucas is taken into the PCPD and Lucky asks Jesse what happened. Jesse refuses to tell Lucky what he knows. In the interrogation room, Jesse urges Lucas to admit he's gay and that Frank beat him up because of it so that Frank will be the one to go to jail and not Lucas. Frank claims to Lucky that Lucas is "a queer" and that when he offered to give him a ride, he came on to him. Lucky talks to Lucas and, saying they are family, urges him to tell him the truth, but Lucas refuses to admit he's gay. He tells him that they fought over a pool game, and Lucky tells him that he will be booked on assault charges.

Frank is let go, and Lucky calls Bobbie. She comes to the police station to post Lucas' bail, and asks what happened. Lucas gets angry with his mom when she tries to baby him, and blurts out he's gay in the middle of the police station. Lucas tells Bobbie that he's the biggest disappointment of her life and that he can ease her pain by telling her he's adopted. He points to Lucky and says that Lucky's what a Spencer man is supposed to look like, and that there's no way he has any of those genes in him.

Lucas goes back over to the Quartermaine Mansion where he runs into Lulu. When she asks what happened to his face, he blurts out he's gay. Lulu thanks him for coming out because it takes the family's focus off her. Georgie and Dillon arrive and Lucas tells them that his mom is wishing she never adopted him. He says that if he were all Spencer and Jones genes, that he wouldn't be gay. Lucas thinks that Bobbie is embarrassed at having a gay son. Georgie and Dillon try to convince him to give her the benefit of the doubt, saying she was just blind sided when he told her.

Lucas asks Dillon if he can stay at the Mansion, and he says he can, but his mother, Tracy, comes in and says that he can't. She doesn't want any more "freeloading Spencers" in the house, referring to Luke and Lulu as the others. Bobbie arrives and talks to Lucas. Tracy overhears that Lucas is gay and says that Lucas is not wanted in her house and that Dillon cannot associate with him. She tells Bobbie to keep her son and his issues away from her family. Bobbie defends her son to Tracy, saying she loves him and is proud of him. She tells Tracy to lay off her son. Lucas starts to feel better about his mom knowing when she tells him she loves him, but then she tells him she'll get him counseling. She tells him that he's supposed to be experimenting at his age and that counseling might help him sort things out. Lucas tells her that there's nothing to sort out. He accuses Bobbie of thinking he'll figure out that he's not gay. Lucas agrees to counseling to appease her.

Lucas goes to his counseling session with Lainey and sarcastically asks her if she's good at curing people of being gay. She asks him if he wants to be cured, and he says that that's what his mom wants. He tells her that he first was aware of himself being gay one summer when he was at soccer camp and all the girls had a crush on the male coach, and he did too. He tells Lainey that he is gay and there's nothing he can do about it. Lainey reassures him, telling him that he knows who he is and that she'll help him figure out how to deal with it.

In February of 2006, an epidemic of encephalitis breaks out in Port Charles. On February 3, Lucas tells his dad Tony that he's gay. Tony assures Lucas that he's still proud of him. Days later, Tony falls ill with the virus. On February 10, Tony lies dying in his hospital bed. Bobbie stands by his side and Lucas sits next to his father. Luke listens in from the doorway. Tony has a heartfelt goodbye for his son, telling him he loves him and is proud of him. He tells him he's proud of his strength, courage, and convictions. He tells him to stand tall and to never let anyone make him think that he's any less of a man for being gay. After saying goodbye to Luke, then Bobbie, Tony says he sees his deceased daughter B.J. telling him it's time to go, and he dies.

In March of 2006, Georgie introduces Lucas to her friend Guy. Guy later gets beat up by Frank for being gay and presses charges. Lucas decides to back up Guy and also give a statement about Frank beating him up before. Frank is finally charged with the hate crime.

Lucas was most recently said to be living in Seattle, Washington. Since his departure, Bobbie has on occasion said she went to visit him.