Family Values Series
A Mother's Love
by Mapu
My seaQuest stories are set in the first series since IMHO that was the best series. I don't own the seaQuest crew - someone else does … I just play with them. The Family Values Series are stories that have a strong focus on Lucas.
Below the cold ocean floor, deep in the warm Earth something changed. A small tremor dutifully recorded by instruments but not felt by those living above, moved a harder section of magma. The change caused the flow of a superheated river of molten rock to change course on its endless journey. The new direction offered resistance, increasing pressure along a previously unimportant fault line. The fault suddenly weakened and moved several feet. Lava flowed into the new gap widening it further. The pressure continued to build till it was beyond the fault's tolerance and it gave way. A cavern opened. The pressure dropped as the lava at last had somewhere to go. The tectonic movement was barely felt on the surface but it was accurately measured and recorded by equipment dedicated to the purpose.
A geothermal scientist looked at the recorded data without concern, minor quakes like the one just recorded happened all the time. He idly plotted the origin of the quake, and following his standard operating procedure, and emailed a notification to the colonies closest to the epicenter of the quake. As a low priority notification he knew the email would most likely never be read ... it would probably just be filed along with all the other notices of similar importance. Hurriedly, he packed up for the night; his wife would kill him if he were late home again. He gave the quake no more thought as he rushed from his office, intent on catching his bus home.
Deep in the Earth, unseen even by the sophisticated measuring instruments, the cavern slowly filled. When the cavern became full the magma would simply find somewhere else to go.
***
"I hate mornings," Lucas mumbled into his pillow, and fumbled for the reset button on his alarm in what was becoming his daily wake up ritual. He had an even better reason than usual to hate this morning. Half of the night he'd been kept up by a sharp pain in his stomach and he was still tired from the lack of sleep. He'd lost count of the number of times he had woken during the night, and sworn to himself that he would never again eat any of Kreig's "almost the real thing" pizza. He hadn't been particularly hungry when he'd eaten it, and had only eaten a couple of slices; enough to satisfy his friend. It had tasted fine at the time ... actually it had been pretty good, but there was something about it that just wasn't sitting right with him.
Pulling himself up in his bed, Lucas gasped as another sharp pain lanced through his gut. He clutched at his middle and folded over the pain, waiting for it to pass. Eventually the pain faded to a level he could tolerate and he stood up. He considered going to see the doctor about it, but decided against it. Dr. Westphalen would recognize the symptoms immediately, give him an antacid and then a long lecture about eating properly. The antacid he could use ... the lecture he was willing to do without.
Besides, today was going to be a good day, the kind of day that didn't start with a trip to the doctor. It was the first day of the Oceanic conference. A conference Lucas had been looking forward to for months, and it was a conference he fully intended to enjoy. The conference organizers had asked him repeatedly to be a contributor, and discuss his vocorder, but Lucas had politely declined the invitations. He was tired of having to prepare conference notes, address large groups of people and all the associated stress that went with presenting. This time he wanted to do something he had never done at a conference before... he wanted to be just another face in the crowd.
Feeling very sick, he stumbled into his bathroom and threw up repeatedly ... until there was nothing left. Feeling terrible, he swore off pizza for life. Throwing up had hurt a great deal; his stomach seemed to twist, tying itself into knots. A few minutes later, the pain seemed to fade and vanish as if it had never been. Getting shakily to his feet he peered into his medicine cabinet. There wasn't much there, some acne cream, a few headache tablets and the antacid. He took a large dose of the antacid and a few of the headache tablets, since he'd also woken up with a slight fever. He looked at the acne cream with disgust, but finally relented and squeezed some out of the tube and spread it over the pimple that had begun to form on his forehead. By the time he had carefully combed his hair so that the offending pimple was hidden from view, he had begun to feel a little better.
The last thing he felt like was breakfast, so instead he headed down to the moon pool to spend a little time with Darwin before the launch took the seaQuest party to the conference. He trotted down the steps to the seadeck, letting his excitement for the coming day get to him. Skipping over the last few steps, he landed lightly on the deck. The impact of his landing sent another stabbing pain through him, this one much worse than any he'd had before. He gasped and grabbed his right side as the burning pain intensified. Taking short breaths, he doubled over, waiting for it to ebb. At last he was able to straighten up. Deciding he needed to take a lot more care until Kreig's pizza-from-hell had worked its way out of his system, Lucas set off down the hall at a much more sedate pace. If he was honest with himself, Lucas would have recognized that even though the pain had only just begun, he hadn't been feeling right for a few days, but the thought never occurred to him.
"Lucas play?" Darwin greeted him with excitement when he arrived at the moon pool.
"Yeah sure buddy, let me just change first, okay?"
Lucas quickly crossed to the small change room, taking his wet suit from the hook as he passed. He changed with speed and hurried back out to join his dolphin friend. They played for some time, Darwin winning more often than usual because Lucas found it hard to move as fast as usual ... still he held his own against the dolphin. Lucas ducked under the water as Darwin passed and stole the sponge they were using as a ball from his mouth. Darwin turned quickly, accidentally bumping hard into Lucas's stomach.
Lucas didn't feel the impact, instead he felt an intense burning sensation tear through his side. His stomach clenched in on itself with a blinding pain, and all of the air in his lungs left him. Unfortunately, his head was still under the water as he tried to breath in again. Panic gripped him at the sensation of saltwater rushing into his lungs. He splashed ineffectually trying to find the surface, but was weakening too fast. Something strong and solid pushed him from below, his head breaking the surface in time for him to cough up much of the water he'd just taken in. Gasping for air, and struggling weakly in the water, Lucas let Darwin push him to the edge of the pool. He clung to it as he tried to empty his lungs of the remaining water.
"Lucas hurt ... Darwin get help," the dolphin cried urgently, beginning to swim away.
"Darwin wait!... I'm okay. I just swallowed some water. I'll be all right in a moment." Lucas coughed hard for a long moment.
Darwin swam on his side closely observing his human friend. "Lucas sure?" he asked at last.
Lucas smiled, fighting off another coughing fit. "Yeah, Dar. I'm sure... but I think I've had enough play for now."
It took Lucas two attempts to pull himself out of the pool, but at last he stood dripping wet on the metal deck. Wrapping one of the large bath sheets that Dr. Westphalen always stored near the pool around himself he sank to the deck. Lucas rested his head in his hands feeling dizzy, sick and unable to stop coughing. He felt someone kneeling next to him, and a gentle hand landed on his shoulder. Glancing up, he saw Lt. Tim O'Neil beside him.
"Lucas, are you okay?" Tim asked, concern written over his expressive face.
Lucas waved weakly, nodded and coughed again. "Yeah, Tim. I'm fine ... I just breathed in at the wrong time," Lucas explained, pointing back over his shoulder at the pool.
"Do you want me to call Westphalen?" Tim asked, still obviously worried.
"Are you crazy? Do I want to sit through another Lucas, you shouldn't swim alone lecture? No thank you!"
"She has a point, you know? It's dangerous, anything could happen," Tim told the teenager.
Lucas rolled his eyes, then smiled cheekily. "But I wasn't alone. I was with Darwin ... and he's probably the best swimmer on the boat."
Tim opened his mouth to argue some more, but from the look in Lucas's eyes he knew the teenager was ready for any argument. He shook his head, refusing to be drawn into the debate, he didn't have enough time before his shift for a sparing match with Lucas. The last one had lasted almost three days. In the end Lucas had won, simply by aggravating Tim so much he had conceded to Lucas' point of view, just to shut him up. Tim smiled at the slightly disappointed look that crossed the teenager's face. That was one way to win and argument against Lucas; not start.
"Want a hand up?" Tim asked instead. Lucas nodded and Tim helped the teen to his feet. Lucas coughed again, holding both arms around his middle. "Are you sure you're all right, Lucas?" Tim asked uncertainly. Lucas didn't look so good. The boy's face was even paler than usual and the way he held himself seemed to show he was in some pain.
Lucas straightened, rolling his eyes again. "What's with you? ... Are you taking lessons from Westphalen?" he asked exasperated.
"As a matter of fact I am! Do you think I'm getting my money's worth?" Tim asked innocently, reassured that if Lucas was this spirited there couldn't be anything seriously wrong. It was just hard sometimes not to want to wrap the kid up and lock him in his quarters where he would be safe.
Lucas shook his head, smiling. "I think I'm going to go get ready for the conference. If I'm late for the launch I won't need a cheap imitation Westphalen lecture ... I'll have the real thing."
"Yeah, and if I don't move it, I'm going to get the look from Bridger. Have a great time," Tim said, waving to the teenager as he left.
Lucas watched Tim leave with a smile. He rubbed gently at his right side for a moment, again regretting the pervious night's pizza, before he, too, left for his quarters and the lighting fast packing job that awaited him.
***
Lucas made it to the launch bay with less than a minute to spare. He smiled sweetly at the frowning face of Dr. Westphalen, knowing he had just cheated the good doctor out of one of her favorite past times; the lengthy Lucas lecture. He boarded the launch with Dr. Westphalen and the other seaQuest scientists. The launch glided smoothly out of the seaQuest and began its two hour trip to the conference. Lucas counted the seconds in his head, he had estimated it would take the doctor no more than five minutes to begin a conversation about either, how close he had come to being late or, what, if anything, he had had for breakfast.
"I don't suppose you were late because you were having a proper breakfast this morning?" Kristen turned in her chair to stare at the young man beside her.
Three minutes and eleven seconds, and both topics ... Westphalen was in fine form this morning. "I wasn't late," Lucas pointed out to her, shaking his head in denial.
Westphalen frowned, "Arriving a few seconds before boarding is being late, Lucas."
"Why? No one had to wait for me... What's the point of sitting around for ten minutes, doing nothing, before you even leave?" he asked her, willing to distract her with the minor infraction of almost being late in order to avoid the far more risky breakfast topic.
"And I suppose you had something critically constructive to do during those ten minutes?" Westphalen challenged.
Lucas nodded, with a smirk painted over his face. "Yeah ... I had to pack."
Westphalen's mouth dropped open for a moment, as she stared daggers into the boy sitting next to her. "Honestly. I don't know why I bother," she huffed, crossing her arms over her stomach and sitting back in her chair, effectively ending the conversation.
Lucas smiled softly at his victory before fishing into his travel bag for the headset he had brought with him. Settling back into his chair with the deafening music pumping into his ears, he relaxed into the trip, feeling almost well for the first time in days.
Lucas was woken as someone gently shook his shoulder. "Come on, sleepy head, we're here," Westphalen told him brightly. Lucas nodded lethargically, yawning and stretching a little to work the kinks out of his neck. A small twinge of pain shot across his side at the movement but he contained his reaction to it. "At least I'm getting better," he thought. His short nap during the trip seemed to have done him a world of good, the pain had decreased and was much less sever and easier to handle. Lunch was going to be a problem ... he still didn't feel like eating, but he knew, with Westphalen watching him, there would be little to no chance of skipping another meal.
"We're here in plenty of time, registration has just opened," Westphalen informed him happily. Smiling brightly at Luccas' long suffering expression ... at least until they reached the excessively long registration queues. Even the line marked W-X-Y-Z was impressively long, and Lucas scowled darkly as he lined up behind Westphalen.
"Oh yeah ... being on time is just such a bonus," Lucas said grumpily, dumping his bag at his feet and preparing himself for the long, dull wait.
During the twenty minutes that it took for Lucas to reach the head of the line and face the skeptical looking registration clerk, he had begun to feel seriously sick again. The nausea returned in force, his body shook with small tremors, and his side burned with continual sharp pains. His mood had deteriorated in tune with his well-being, and darkened to the point where his temper was simmering just below the surface.
"Are you sure you're in the right place, kid?" the bored clerk asked.
Lucas sighed frustrated, pointing to the large W on the sign above the desk. "My name is Wolenczak," he said, temperamentally.
"This is a registration for conference attendees only, son," the clerk explained, with exaggerated patience.
"No kidding, Sherlock, just check your list, I'm on it... and you aren't my Dad," Lucas replied hotly.
"Lucas," Dr. Westphalen called his name warningly.
Lucas scowled at her, as the registration clerk at last looked and found his name. "Ah, yes, ... here you are Woolenkerzak," the man said, at last.
Lucas bit his lip trying to control his irritation at the man for mispronouncing his name, from the corner of his eye he could see Dr. Westphalen's continuing glare. He knew she would be unbearable if he made a scene over, what she would consider, a trivial thing.
Lucas took the conference pack from the man without saying another word, and followed Westphalen toward the conference entry.
"Which presentations are you attending today?" Westphalen asked the teenager.
Lucas dug his schedule out from the pack he'd been given and compared his preferences with Westphalen's. To his dismay, and her delight, they discovered that they were planning to share the final seminar.
"That's wonderful ... we'll go to the paper, and then we can have dinner together afterward," Westphalen announced happily.
Lucas muffled his groan before the doctor noticed his lack of enthusiasm. He was in a bad mood, and feeling terrible, but he really didn't want to hurt the doctor's feelings. He honestly didn't mind sharing time with her; usually he enjoyed it ... it was the thought of having dinner together that disheartened him. There would be no way he would be able to pretend to eat and get away with it, like he could with Ben and the guys. He consoled himself with the thought that, at least he had managed to avoid having lunch with the doctor since their schedules hadn't coincided. Westphalen planed to take her lunch in the first seating and Lucas in the second. He hoped the extra time would allow his stomach to settle down enough before he would need to face food at dinner.
Lucas tried his hardest to concentrate on the paper the two men on the stage were presenting ... it was interesting stuff. The researchers had done some amazing work computer modeling the oceans currents. Normally, Lucas would have been fascinated, but with the constant agonizing cramps in his side, he found it difficult to clearly hear what was being said, much less comprehend it. He tried to concentrate on the speakers just to keep his mind from the pain but it didn't work; the pain simply couldn't be ignored.
Finally Lucas had to admit to himself that what ever was wrong with him, it was a great deal more serious than bad pizza. He conceded that he needed help and reluctantly decided he felt unwell enough to warrant interrupting Dr. Westphalen. He knew that she would soon be on her way to lunch and if he waited any longer he wouldn't be able to find her. If he missed her, it could be hours until he saw her again. Lucas wasn't certain he would be able to handle waiting so long, even if he wanted to.
He got to his feet and began to make his way toward the isle, earning himself several grumbles of complaint from other attendees as he passed them. Eventually, he made it to the exit and escaped into the lobby with a final annoyed glance from one of the conference organizers.
Quickly, he made his way to the entrance of Dr. Westphalen's seminar and took up a position near the door. He rested against the wall as he waited for the doctor to appear. Running a shaking hand through his hair he tried vainly to recall a time he had felt worse and began to think about what he was going to tell the doctor. Dr. Westphalen was definitely going to have something unpleasant to say to him about not going to see her sooner. He spent the time preparing himself for it. A reprimand was a price he was more than willing to pay for the chance to feel better.
Lucas didn't have long to wait before the conference doors opened and people began streaming out of the lecture hall. He quickly spotted the doctor amongst the throng of attendees intent on getting to the lunch hall.
"Doctor ... Kristen," Lucas called out loudly as she passed nearby.
Kristen's head swung around, searching, until she spotted Lucas standing against the wall. She smiled and waved as she pushed her way through the crowd toward him. The smile fell from her face as she got close enough for a good look at him.
"Lucas, what's wrong? Are you ill?" Kristen asked, instantly concerned.
Lucas nodded. "I don't feel too good," he agreed.
Kristen wrapped an arm around the teen's shoulder to help support him and led him away from the crowded area. "Let's get you to the hotel and have a good look at you, then, okay?" she told the boy encouragingly. Lucas permitted the doctor to escort him as he soaked up comfort from the touch.
Kristen directed Lucas to the MagLev that connected the resort hotel to the conference center. She settled the boy into one of the large, soft chairs and took the seat next to him. Since they were alone in the compartment, and there was no one else to see it, Lucas relaxed the tight control he'd held over his pain. He grimaced and moaned softly as the carriage rapidly accelerated. Kristen was becoming increasingly concerned and couldn't stop herself continuously checking on the boy. Lucas' color was poor and it was obvious he was in severe pain.
***
Not far from the resort and deep under ground something changed. A cavern filled with molten rock reached a critical pressure. The ceiling above, weakened by the intense heat collapsed. The Earth's crust crumbled and cracked, spewing out superheated liquid rock. The saltwater of the deep ocean vaporized into steam on contact with the inferno while at the same time, cooling the lava. The ground shook from the effect of the unleashed forces ... then it shook harder.
Kristen felt the first tremor through her seat. She was just about to ask her companion if he had felt it when the second, much stronger, quake hit. The MagLev carriage rocked from side to side, throwing its occupants around its interior. Both Lucas and Kristen cried out as the carriage came free of its magnetic anchor and flew through the water at an incredible speed. It crashed hard on its side, sliding roughly across the ocean floor, and coming to rest against a natural embankment. The carriage tilted, and almost gracefully rolled, toppling back the right way up.
In the dim emergency battery powered lighting Lucas discovered Westphalen, slumped unmoving several feet away. He tried to stand, but found he couldn't. His right ankle refused to take his weight, and sent a shooting pain up his leg when he tried to put pressure on it. His nausea swelled again, and he retched, clutching at the burning pain in his side. When it passed, he crawled weakly over to the doctor. Gently, he rolled her onto her back and checked her pulse. She was alive. Relief flooded through him causing him to feel lightheaded. He let his body relax, he couldn't have prevented it anyway, and he nestled himself close to the doctor, sharing in the warmth and solace of her presence. The dark beckoned to Lucas invitingly and he welcomed its embrace.
Lucas felt the soft support of cushioning under his back and the comforting warmth of blankets covering his body. He smiled lightly in the hazy contentment of his semi-conscious state, believing himself to be in his own bunk on board the seaQuest.
"Hello there. I was wondering if you were planning to wake up anytime soon," Dr. Westphalen's voice cut through his pleasant stupor, bringing him suddenly to full awareness. He blinked several times to help clear away the lingering sleep-fog from his mind and discovered the doctor's concerned face hovering above him. It was a surprise for him to learn he wasn't in his bunk and he could think of absolutely no reason why Dr. Westphalen was watching over him as he slept.
"What happened?" he asked trying to sit up. A familiar fiery pain flashed a path across his side causing him to gasp for air, and he didn't resist the doctor's gentle hand pushing him back down.
"Just rest, Lucas. We are on a MagLev carriage. It crashed. Do you remember that?"
Lucas nodded slowly, the doctor's words triggering the memories. He could remember a terrifying weightless sensation as the carriage came free of its track, and the sickening force of the impact as it slammed back into the ground. He looked at his companion with concern, when the memory of Kristen lying unconscious on the floor with a head wound returned. For the first time he noticed the thick bandage around her forehead.
"Are you okay?" he asked worried.
Kristen smiled, touched by the boy's thoughtfulness. "Yes. It's just a bump ... I'm fine. I'm a lot better than you are. How long have you been feeling unwell?"
"Just today ... and last night," Lucas answered without thinking.
"And before that?" Kristen insisted.
Lucas thought for a few moments and slowly nodded his head. "I guess I've been a bit sick for nearly a week now," Lucas confessed at length.
"Why on earth didn't you say something about it sooner?"
Lucas shrugged his shoulders. "I thought it would go away."
Kristen heaved a sigh, shaking her head. It annoyed her to no end when people didn't take their health care seriously.
"It would have gone away, if you had come to see me about it. You have appendicitis, Lucas, and its been left long enough to become a serious problem," Kristen admonished, a little more abruptly than she intended.
"I didn't know," Lucas said despondently.
Kristen sighed again, calming herself. "No, I supposed you didn't. I'm sorry, Lucas, I shouldn't be arguing with you about this now. I'm just a little concerned. This isn't the most ideal place for you to be in your condition."
Lucas smiled in spite of the discomfort in his side. "My condition... You make it sound like I'm going to have a baby."
Kristen didn't return the boy's smile, taking his hand in her own instead she frowned as she considered the best way to explain their situation to him. "No ... Not a baby. Your appendix is on the verge of bursting, Sweetheart. If that happens, it will poison your blood. We need to remove it, and the only medical equipment on this damned train is a first-aid kit. There's not a scalpel or a clamp in the lot. You need surgery, Lucas, and there is not a damn thing I can do about it," Kristen ranted, loosing some of her control and verbalizing her frustrations.
Lucas squeezed her hand in an effort to comfort the older woman. "It's okay, Kristen. They'll come for us and I'll be fine," Lucas offered.
It disturbed him, more than he cared to admit, to see the doctor loose her cool. Lucas waited for the doctor to respond and tell him it really would be all right but she remained unexpectedly quiet. Realization dawned on Lucas that he probably hadn't heard the worst of the news yet.
"What?" he asked.
Kristen shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his cold hand between her warm ones. "I've only been awake a short time, but my best guess is that we have both been unconscious for over three hours. There has been no sign of a rescue and the driver's compartment is pretty badly damaged... the radio is dead," Kristen said and paused despondently.
"And?" Lucas prompted her.
"And ... there is a little less than an hour of power left ... maybe a bit longer for the oxygen."
"Oh.... That's not too encouraging," Lucas commented, when he had finally processed the depressing news.
"The good news is that I found this survival suit in the driver's compartment. It seems to be intact and has a fully charged pack."
"What about the driver?" Lucas asked quietly, dreading the answer.
"He died. The front of the train took the hardest hit," Kristen said quietly.
Lucas nodded his understanding; glad he hadn't seen what the doctor had seen. He tried to sit up a little, in the hopes that the change in position would help his thinking, but Kristen's hand instantly restrained him.
"Lucas, don't move. You'll aggravate your illness if you move around too much like that. Try to lay still," she instructed him.
Lucas nodded, feeling a wave of pain wash through him. "Yeah, good idea," he agreed weakly.
"Do you need something for the pain?" Kristen asked.
Lucas thought about it for a moment then shook his head. "No. It's not so bad if I don't move around. I just kind of forgot it was there for a second," he told the doctor sheepishly.
"Let me know if you change you mind. There is enough sedatives in this case to put a whale in a coma," Kristen observed.
"Wow, that's almost enough to shut Ben up," Lucas joked, wanting and needing to lighten the mood.
Kristen chuckled. "Maybe we should start slipping doses into his food."
"Nah, life would get too boring."
"I would think you would want a break from Mr. Kreig's brand of excitement after the Captain found that vid in your room last week," Kristen teased.
Lucas groaned. "You knew about that?"
"It's a small boat, Lucas, everyone knows," she tormented the boy and was rewarded by a high blush.
"That wasn't my fault ... Ben said it was an ordering mistake. It was supposed to be Back to the Sun ... about the reemergence of solar energy ... Not Babes in the Sun," Lucas lamely defended himself.
"Since when have you been so interested in solar energy?" Kristen asked, genuinely amused at the boy's sad attempt to lie. Lucas' total inability to tell a convincing lie was, in Kristen's opinion, one of the boy's finest character points.
"Since always." Lucas insisted.
However, his bullheaded obstinacy was probably his worst flaw, she thought. "Ah, I see. And you couldn't find that information on the Internex?"
Lucas had the good manners to look away embarrassed. "I don't know what the commotion is ... I didn't get a chance to see it anyway."
"Good."
They were silent for a while, enjoying each other's company in the silence of the wrecked carriage before Lucas finally spoke the thought he suspected was on both their minds.
"I'm not going to make it ... Am I?"
"Of course you will. What kind of talk is that?"
He gave the doctor a skeptical look. "I'm being realistic. In an hour, when the power fails, this place is going to get freezing. There is only one survival suit and I'm sick and I can't move."
"Lucas, when the time comes we'll get that suit on you and you'll wait until the rescue teams arrive. You are going to survive," Kristen told him adamantly.
Lucas was stunned as the meaning of her words sunk in. "What ... And let you just die?" he asked incredulously.
"Yes if it comes to that... then that is what we'll do."
"No."
"Yes. Lucas, if I have to I'll sedate you and dress you in the suit by myself. It would be easier if you were conscious to help me, but it's not necessary," Kristen's tone was hard as steel.
Lucas shook his head in denial at the sudden terrible reality facing them and decided to try to offer different proposal.
"Kristen, if you go now you could get help and bring it back for me. Neither one of us has to die. You have to try," Lucas pleaded.
Kristen just shook her head sadly. "We are about half way between the conference center and the hotel. It would take me an hour to reach either one... by the time a rescue team made it back here you would be beyond help. We both know that. I'm sorry, Lucas, there just isn't another way."
"There has to be another way. It doesn't make any sense to give me the suit. I'll probably die before a rescue comes anyway. Please, Kristen, I don't want to see you die," Lucas begged, tears of distress welling from his eyes.
Kristen carefully gathered him to her for a gentle hug. Lucas clung to her desperately as he tried to control the tears that leaked from his eyes.
"Don't worry, love, I'll make it so that you won't see it. I wish there were another way, Lucas. Believe me, I do not want to die, but I'd rather that than to live with the knowledge that I took your chance away from you."
"What about me? How am I supposed to live knowing I took your chance?" Lucas demanded, his tears gone having been replaced by anger.
"That's different."
"How?"
Kristen gently smoothed the soft blond hair away from the teenager's face. "Easy. I'm not giving you a choice."
Lucas tried to be reasonable but he was too angry and afraid to control his temper well. "Look, you don't have to do this because I'm young. I'm not a little kid. You don't have to protect me, and I don't have anymore right to life than anyone else does," he argued.
"Your age is not the only reason I'm doing this. You're very dear to me, Lucas. If you were thirty years old I'd still do everything in my power to see that you survived. The fact that you're sixteen just makes me more determined."
Lucas' thoughts raced, trying to think of a solution that wouldn't result in the doctors or his own death. He came up empty. Unless the rescue crews got to them soon, he knew the doctor intended to carry out her suicidal plan in an effort to preserve his life. Since a rescue hadn't already arrived it was more than likely that they hadn't been missed yet, which would make the doctor's sacrifice a vain one. He knew he would be long gone himself before the rescue arrived. Despite how much it hurt, he could think of no argument that would dissuade Kristen from her chosen plan.
"There's no real point in waiting. We should get you into the suit now while we have plenty of time," Kristen cut across his scattered thoughts.
Kristen supported him as he struggled into a semi-seated position. He didn't want to fight with the doctor anymore; he didn't want his last thoughts of her to be angry ones. He tried not to show the pain the movement caused but he couldn't stop his body shaking from the effort the movement had caused.
"Do you want something for the pain?" Kristen asked, noticing the boy's discomfort.
At Lucas' whispered "Yes," she filled a needle from one of the vials and injected the contents into his arm. A few moments later with the medication coursing through his blood stream Lucas relaxed.
"Wow... what is that stuff?" Lucas asked impressed by the drug's effect as a numbing sensation flooded his through his limbs easing his pain.
"Pymoxstral... Don't worry, it's not addictive," Kristen assured him with a smile.
Lucas furrowed his brow in concentration, "I think I've heard of that."
"More than likely. It made a big splash in the medical and scientific journals when it was released a few years back."
"I remember now. Isn't it one of the drugs they use for suspension?" Lucas said.
"That's right. It slows down respiration at the cellular level... pain relief is actually a side effect," Kristen explained.
Kristen moved to begin dressing him in the suit when Lucas stopped her hand.
"Wait. That is it. We can both survive this. You said there was enough of the drug in that case to put Ben in a coma. How much would you need to put me into one?" Lucas asked becoming excited.
"That won't help, you'd just die in a coma. In fact, you'd most likely die sooner."
"Not if I were in a state of suspension." Lucas argued.
"Lucas, we have no way to induce a state of suspension, there isn't a suspension chamber here..." Kristen began.
"But if there was ... you could put me under, get us out of here, fix me up and then bring me out of it again. Right?" Lucas asked.
"Lucas, we need to focus on the here and now. That's not an option, we don't have a chamber." Kristen tried to rationalize with the overly excited boy.
"But if we did... you could do it," Lucas insisted.
Kristen relented. It was obvious to her that Lucas needed something to hold on to, an "if only" so that in the years to come he would be able to manage his remorse with the thought that, "If only there had been a chamber..."
"Yes, Lucas, _if_ we had a chamber to put you under. I could get help and we would both be fine. I'm sorry there isn't one here."
"Oh, but there is," Lucas told her with a triumphant grin.
"What are you talking about?" Kristen demanded.
"The seawater at this depth is just a few degrees above freezing. If you give me enough Pymoxstral, then let the seawater in through the intake valves my temperature will drop fast enough and low enough. It will be just like a real chamber."
"Lucas, those chambers do a lot more than just lower a body's temperature. They regulate the body systems and maintain the stasis."
"I know that, but all we need is some time. Between the drug and the hypothermia I would have maybe five or six hours."
"You would have three... three and a half at most," Kristen corrected, shaking her head.
"Still plenty of time," Lucas declared.
Kristen thought about Lucas' idea for a long moment, she didn't like it at all there were just too many things that could go wrong. Her plan at least didn't involve killing Lucas in order to try to save him later.
"Lucas, do you have any idea how dangerous what you're proposing is? A coma won't work. Your heart rate and respiration would have to be stopped completely... you would be, for all intent, dead. There is no guarantee I would be able to revive you... you could suffer brain damage or just never wake up again. I just don't know if I can justify exposing you to that kind of peril," Kristen told the teenager.
"I do understand the risks. I think it's worth it. Please, Kristen, I want to do this. It makes more sense than you just letting yourself die."
"Lucas, I'm not trying to be a hero. I'm doing what I think is the best for you."
"Having you survive this _is_ the best thing for me. You're a doctor... we don't know what's happened at the resort. Their doctor might not be able to help me and I'd die anyway. Can you risk that?" Lucas asked, knowing he had scored an important score.
Kristen frowned Lucas had a point, one she hadn't considered before, his survival could very well depend on her own. She sighed realizing she really didn't have a choice, "All right Lucas. We'll do it your way... but you had better wake up again young man."
Lucas smiled, enjoying his victory and reveling in the relief that washed through him. "Don't worry, I'm not planning on having you mad at me for the rest of eternity."
Kristen didn't reply to the jest, instead she settled herself on the seat next to the teenager and hugged him gently. The decision had been made but she knew it was going to take her a little time to get used to the idea. Of its own volition her mind played over the medical implications of what she was about to do, clinically assessing the risks. It could work, and if the patient was anyone other than the boy she held in her arms, she would be completely behind it... but it was this boy and the thought terrified her.
Lucas welcomed the comforting presence and rested his head tiredly against the older woman's shoulder. Lost in thought, the pair watched the slow motion of condensation droplet as they merged and quietly slid down the wall of their private little world. A strange thought occurred to Lucas ... he realized that if he did indeed survive, this moment of comfort would be the one he would remember most clearly. An almost subliminal groan of the stressed metal fighting to defy the ocean depth and pressure sounded through the room, and occurred to his relaxed mind, that the same sound would have worried him a few months ago. That time spent living under the ocean had changed him, he worried less and trusted more than he could ever remember having done in his life.
Lucas' restfulness was disturbed by a slight tremor running through the carriage. The tremor only lasted a few seconds and if it hadn't been for the sudden tightening of Kristen's embrace he might have been able to convince himself that he had imagined it.
"There's no time like the present," Kristen said, more to bolster her own courage than from any desire to perform this particular medical procedure.
Kristen took the suit from Lucas lap and began to pull it on. Even though she took her time, double and triple checking every seal, she soon had the suit on. She glanced over at the small status display on the far wall and read the details before looking down sadly at her teenage friend. Time had almost run out.
Lucas looked up at her and smiled, "You always look great in blue," he commented
"Thank you, Dear, but we are still going to have a discussion about the proper management of your health."
Lucas groaned in mock protest, "You can't blame a guy for trying."
Kristen busied herself preparing the needed injection. The medical side of her mind distancing itself from the emotional connection as she calculated the correct dosage for a patient of Lucas' body weight.
Once the injection was ready she turned to her patient, "All right, Lucas, it's nap time. Are you ready?" At his slow nod she swabbed one pale arm with an antiseptic cleaner.
"Don't I get a goodnight kiss first?" Lucas pouted, suddenly not sure the whole thing was such a great idea.
Seeing the real fear in his expressive blue eyes, Kristen tried to keep the mood light. "Little imp," she said tousling his hair and lightly kissing his sweat sheen brow. She gazed directly into Lucas' frightened eyes and grew serious, "It will be all right, sweetheart, I won't let anything happen to you... ready?"
Lucas nodded more confidently than before and Kristen smiled warmly. She slid the needle through the pale, young skin and injected the drug, years of practice making the action swift and nearly painless.
"How long?" Lucas asked.
"Not long... you should be feeling the initial effects already."
Lucas concentrated on the sensations returned from his body, at first he felt no difference, then slowly one by one his muscles began to relax. He experimented by trying to wiggle his toes and found he couldn't. The revelation frightened him a little, he knew he should have expected it, but the feeling of loosing contact with his own body was disturbing.
"I'm really scared," he admitted at last.
"Of course you are sweetheart ... that's perfectly understandable. Just try to relax and let the drug do its job, okay?"
"Okay," he agreed.
Kristen lifted one cold, motionless hand in her own and squeezed it gently. She knew Lucas was far beyond being able to feel the gesture but that didn't stop her gently rubbing the smooth skin in small circles.
"Kristen?" the boy mumbled.
"Yes, Lucas?"
"I can't see you," Lucas mumbled, barely coherently but obviously very afraid.
Kristen looked down into his deeply relaxed face, at his closed eyelids and smiled despite the seriousness of the situation. "It's all right, Lucas, your eyes are closed. Go to sleep. I'll be right here with you."
Unmindful of the doctor's urging for him to sleep, Lucas' eyes slit open and gradually focused on Kristen's face.
"You promise?" he asked.
"Yes. Don't worry, I'm right beside you," Kristen reassured him, and watched Lucas' lips twitch into a small smile.
"Kristen?"
"Yes, Lucas?" the doctor asked, slightly exasperated that the boy was still resisting the drug's pull.
"I'm glad you're here ... with me ... that it's you," Lucas mumbled, disjointedly.
"I promise, I will always be here when you need me, Lucas. And I'll be here when you wake up. Please, Lucas, just go to sleep," Kristen urged.
A tear welled and slipped from beneath one partially closed eyelid. "Scared," he muttered.
Gently, Kristen began to recite a favorite poem, her soft lilting accent making the words flow almost like a lullaby, and she told the boy about a lakeside field of golden flowers on a bright English spring day. By the time the poem had finished, Lucas had fully closed his eyes at last succumbing to the drug's influence.
Kristen felt for and found the boy's pulse. She measured its beats as it gradually slowed and stopped. Knowing there wasn't much time to prevent the pseudo-death from becoming a real one, Kristen got to her feet and stumbled blindly to the intake valve. Tears blurred her vision and she roughly swiped them away. "He is not dead," she told herself harshly, and promised herself that she would see to it that he lived. Turning the wheel to fully open, Kristen stood back for a moment watching the cold ocean rushing into the cabin, beginning to flood it.
Hurrying back to where Lucas lay, she picked up her helmet and gloves and quickly pulled them on, then with great care she held Lucas' body down as the water level rose up around him. A small, strangled cry escaped her when the water covered his face, turning the skin and lips blue from the intense cold. The boy's hair fanned out; framing his face in a golden halo and making his features seem impossibly young to Kristen's suddenly aged soul.
Moving quickly in her race against time, Kristen securely tied Lucas' lifeless body to her own by a rope so that the ocean currents wouldn't be able to snatch him from her once they were outside. Gathering her precious cargo to herself she opened the door and stepped from the ruined carriage into another world. It took her several minutes to get her bearings in the darkness, the bright helmet light providing the only illumination in the eerie dark.
At first, Kristen was uncertain as to which direction to go, and was immensely relieved when she noticed the crash skid marks grooved into the seabed. Taking a deep breath to help gather her determination, Kristen fumbled her way along the length of the wreck, and set off in the direction she hoped would lead her back to the MagLev rail. It was hard going and she quickly discovered the best way to carry Lucas was to drag him by the back collar of his jacket. She tried not to look at his body carelessly trailing behind her like a child's discarded doll and quickened her pace.
Reaching the MagLev track was a relief but it brought her to new decision. She could return to the conference center or continue their original journey to the hotel. Toward the hotel, a slight glimmer of light seemed to glow in the darkness. Hoping the light was more than her imagination, Kristen began to walk in that direction, dragging Lucas with her.
Forty exhaustive minutes later and Kristen stopped in her tracks confused. The glow that she had taken to be the lights of the resort hotel filled the entire horizon with a ruddy light. Even stranger, not too far ahead she could see the MagLev line glowing like a runway marker, leading off toward the distant glow. A small tremor shook the ground and as she watched the glow became fractionally brighter.
A sense of wrong filled her, the hotel just wasn't big enough to be putting out that much light ... there were precious few things that could. Horror washed through her as she realized what the most likely source of the light could be. With urgency she checked her suit's environmental gauges and saw the ambient temperature had risen... was still rising. It was only a degree or two but much more would affect Lucas, bringing him out of his stasis and killing him.
With dread she realized that for well over ten minutes she had been walking up hill, putting Lucas and herself directly in the path of what she was now sure was lava spreading over the sea floor. Wasting no time, Kristen turned back and hurried down the slope she had just climbed.
She took no time to be careful with Lucas, it would do the kid no good to save him from a few bruises and cuts if he were to die from a destabilized suspension or worse.
"I'm sorry, Lucas," Kristen muttered as she saw his injured ankle brush solidly against a rock.
Fighting back tears of frustration, Kristen realized that Lucas's survival time would be up before she would be able to get him back to the conference center... if they made it back at all. Glancing over her shoulder Kristen could see the leading edge of the lava flow for the first time as it began its descent down the hill toward her. The flow moved at an alarming rate and Kristen pulled out all the stops, almost running. Her breath came in sharp gasps... the sound almost drowned out by the loud hiss in her ears as the suit struggled to keep up with the oxygen requirements of its wearer.
Rivulets of sweat from her exertion trickled uncomfortably down her back as she pushed herself to greater speeds. She winced internally every time Lucas' arm or leg bounced against an obstruction but didn't allow it to affect her pace.
Suddenly she was falling, sliding down a steep embankment. Lucas, ripped from her grasp, slid down the slope before her attached only by the rope. She frantically grabbed at it and began to pull the teen toward her but was unable to stop the boy's head connecting solidly with an outcrop of rock. She slid to a stop beside him and gathered him to her, rapidly checking him for damage. Blood washed from the new wound in the side of his head, clouding the water red, fortunately without a pulse the amount of blood loss was low.
Kristen cursed herself for not having seen the drop before she fell into it. Rising she began to climb the other side of the trench, pushing Lucas up the slope in front of her. At the top she looked back to check on the progress of the lava flow, and discovered it was alarmingly close. She was about to resume her flight when something registered. The deep trench she had just climbed out of led away from the conference center... it might even be enough to divert the flow but at the very least it would give her a little time.
Turning from the lava and looking ahead she was immensely relieved to see the dim lights of the conference center ahead. Pulling Lucas up, she gave his body a brief hug before reclaiming her hold on his jacket. "Hold on, baby, we're nearly there," she told him as she began to pull him as fast as her exhausted body could toward safety.
Reaching the conference complex proved easier than actually getting inside. The structure had taken a fair amount of damage from the earthquake and aftershocks. The first airlock that Kristen tried proved to be the entrance to a flooded section ... the outer hatch of the second was next to impossible to open. Kristen swore at the reluctant lock and soundly condemned the maintenance crews for not doing their jobs properly. "Oh come on!" Kristen yelled in frustration.
Forced to let Lucas go so that she could use both hands on the locking wheel, Kristen got a more secure grip. She checked to make sure Lucas was still firmly attached by the rope, before bracing her feet against the under side of the lock she put all her strength against the wheel. It finally gave way with a groan that Kristen could hear through her suit. Praying the entry beyond the airlock would not be flooded, she lifted Lucas into her arms and swam up into the airlock. Fortune was with her at last and the little view window showed a dry room on the other side.
As soon as she cycled closed the out lock the automatic systems began to drain the seawater from the tiny room, replacing it with breathable air. Kristen waited until the water had cleared her head before pulling off her gloves and helmet and discarding the now useless items. While there was still enough water to help her, she braced Lucas vertically against the chamber wall. He wasn't a heavy boy, but Kristen doubted she had the strength left to lift Lucas' weight from the floor unassisted.
Supporting him awkwardly against the wall, Kristen was uncomfortably aware of the closeness of Lucas' unnaturally still face. The boy's hair fell in thick wet bangs across his face, trailing rivulets of salt water down his unresponsive features. Without the ocean currents to simulate movement Lucas looked truly lifeless.
Kristen couldn't help the soft sob of fear as she looked into the blue tinged face, he was so unlike the Lucas she had come to know and care for. That Lucas was always in motion, always rushing from one project to the next. Sometimes exuberant, sometimes moody and angry but always animated. The Lucas she loved didn't know how to be still, this Lucas was so serene it tore at her heart until she couldn't bear to look at him anymore.
The moment the water finished draining from the lock Kristen cycled open the inner door.
"I'm saved!" came an excited cry and Kristen looked up the hall to see a large middle-aged man rushing toward her, clutching an arm full of datadisk and papers. He pushed past Kristen, forcing his way into the airlock. Kristen almost lost her grip on Lucas but managed to stop the boy falling in time. She turned to get a look at the man behind her who was hammering on the outer lock with his bare fist
"What are you doing?" she asked sharply, startled by his bizarre behavior.
The man ignored her and continued to beat on the outer door. "Open up. Let me in ... Oh please open the door," he cried out desperately.
"There's nobody there," Kristen told him annoyed.
The strange man stopped his pounding and turned to Kristen. "If no one is there, then how did you get in here?" he demanded.
"That isn't important ... help me with him," Kristen ordered, nodding toward Lucas, her voice strained from the effort of supporting the kid.
"How did you get here?" the panicked man screamed into Kristen's face, and clutched at her. His extra weight on her arm caused her grip to slip and she had no choice but to lower Lucas to the floor. She had barely released the teenager's body when she felt herself being dragged to her feet.
"You have to get me out of here. They left me... I told them to wait but they didn't. I'll pay you ... whatever you want ... just get me out of here," the man demanded shaking Kristen roughly in his frenzy.
If she hadn't needed his help Kristen would have been tempted to push back, instead she tried bargaining as a way to calm him. "I'll help you ... but you have to help me with this boy first," Kristen offered.
The man looked with surprise at the crumpled form on the floor. "Why? ... He's dead."
The statement shocked and angered Kristen who advanced on the stranger. Her pent-up fears were released in a surge of fury, and before either realized it she had backed the larger man into the far wall. "He is not dead," she snarled, punctuating each word with a poke in the chest by a pointed finger.
Disbelief mixed with more than a little fear laced his eyes but he kept his mouth shut in the face of what he obviously believed was a mad woman. The man's face lost much of the agitation it had shown only moments before and sanity slowly to return to his eyes. Kristen's attack had shocked the panic from him. Deciding it suited her purpose to let him continue believing she was slightly deranged, Kristen leant in closely, "Now are you going to help me with him?" she asked in a no-nonsense tone.
The man simply nodded and followed Kristen's directions, they quickly had Lucas supported between them and were making rapid progress down the hall. Finding the medbay was a simple matter; they followed the large posted signs on the wall put there for the purpose of leading tourists unfamiliar to the complex toward medical help.
Kristen pointed to the main surgical bed and together they carried Lucas to it. The stranger dumped his papers onto a nearby bed as they passed, then lifted Lucas onto the indicated bed. He stepped back out of Kristen's way, as she hurried about the room dragging pieces of equipment and medical supplies to within easy reach of the bed.
"My name's Professor Peter Harridan," the man introduced himself.
"Dr. Kristen Westphalen," Kristen replied, not bothering to look up from her work connecting the myriad of monitors and life support systems to her freezing cold patient.
"Who was he?" Harridan asked sadly.
"He _is_ Lucas Wolenczak. Now if you don't mind, I am rather busy," Kristen snapped.
Professor Harridan's jaw dropped in surprise at the name. "Such a shame... I would very much have like to have met him." He said softly, his voice carrying in the quiet room.
Kristen fumed but refused to comment.
Wrapping a warming blanket around him Kristen began to raise Lucas's body temperature. Inserting an IV drip into his arm she injected drugs designed to counteract the effects of prolonged suspension, and hoped that it was not too late. Rapidly, she started the full life support systems and watched the monitors for a moment to be sure everything was functioning properly.
The monitors began to bleat with a machine-like precision, the sound echoing strangely in the quiet room. Kristen heard Harridan's stunned gasp of surprise at the sound of the heartbeat, but Kristen knew the life sounds were only a mirage. The thin electrode she had inserted into his chest delivered regular micro electric shocks directly to Lucas' heart simulating a steady pulse. His breathing was being regulated and controlled by a machine which forced oxygen into his body through the tube down his throat. Lucas needed the blood and oxygen circulation to deliver the anti-suspension drugs to his entire system. The sounds gave the illusion of life but an illusion was all it was.
Knowing Lucas' life depended on her speed and skill, Kristen focused her entire being on her patient. Snapping on a set of surgical gloves she began what she knew would be the fastest surgical procedure she would ever need to perform. Within minutes she had isolated and removed the poisonous appendix from the teenager's body and clamped closed the associated blood vessels.
One of the monitors began to beep a warning and Kristen looked up from her work. The monitor showed that Lucas' body temperature had reached a level where re-animation had to begin. Covering the still open surgical wound with a cloth Kristen retracted the heart electrode from Lucas's chest. She watched with dismay as the monitored heartbeat lost its rhythm and stopped. Taking a long needle, Kristen injected a large dose of an adrenaline derivative directly into the boy's heart then applied the resuscitation paddles to his chest. She sent a massive electric current through him, and the young body convulsed violently.
The heart monitor raced wildly as the combination of drug and electrical stimulus affected it. Kristen watched, waiting to see what would happen as the paddles recharged in their cradles. The heart rate dipped for a moment then strengthened to take on a steady rhythm. The beat wasn't as strong as Kristen would have like but it was steady and done without assistance. Kristen smiled fondly at her patient, she had always known the kid had a good heart, now she had the medical proof.
Kristen's good mood was short lived, in the distance a deep rumble sounded, coming closer by the second. At first Kristen thought it sounded very much like a waterfall or a train, then she recognized the sound and threw herself across Lucas. Covering as much of Lucas' body with her own as she could, Kristen shielding his eyes with her hand. Moments later the room began to shake. Jars rattled on their shelves, several falling to smash and spill their contents on the floor. With an inarticulate cry, Professor Harridan threw himself under one of the treatment beds and braced himself against the frame. Overhead a light exploded showering Kristen and her patient with hot glass shards and diming the room. Kristen was grateful for the protection of the thick survival suit she still wore but worried about Lucas.
As suddenly as it had begun the aftershock was over and Kristen carefully stood back from the table. A pain filled groan brought her attention to her patient's face. The sound was repeated and Kristen was certain she had never heard a sweeter sound. Careful of glass slivers, she removed her hand from Lucas' face. She was a little surprised to see the pale blue eyes fractionally open and trying to focus. She could see Lucas was trying to say something, his mouth moving awkwardly around the oxygen tube but no words could come. Kristen stripped off her surgical gloves and caressed one cold cheek with her bare hand, "Lucas, can you hear me?"
The young man's mouth moved again, the only sound he was able to produce was a small groan, but he did manage a small nod of his head. Kristen smiled at him warmly. "Everything is fine, but I need for you to go back to sleep. Do you think you could do that for me?" Kristen asked.
Lucas managed another slight nod before sleep claimed him again. Kristen smiled as she added a sedative to his air supply, finally allowing herself to accept the fact that Lucas had really survived his ordeal.
Consciousness returned in painful stages as Lucas slowly regained awareness of his body. He discovered his body parts were defined by varying levels of pain. His hands and arms hurt, which was nothing compared to the pain in his legs and feet. His stomach and chest competed for second place by radiating intense pain but nothing could compare to the throbbing pain consuming his head. He tried to imagine what could explain how he had come to hurt so much, but wasn't able to. He could remember everything that had happened to him, up to the moment he'd fallen asleep, that explained the stomach and one ankle but the rest was a mystery.
He opened his eyes, intent on asking Kristen why he hurt so much, but instead of the doctor's pleasant features, he found himself staring into the face of a slightly balding older man. "Who are you?" Lucas asked with surprise, his voice hoarse and dry.
The man held a straw to his lips and Lucas responded automatically to the need, sipping the cool water.
"My name is Peter Harridan. Doctor Westphalen asked me to watch you while she went to contact your ship," the stranger told him.
"Oh... Hi, I'm Lucas," Lucas introduced himself, unable to keep the disheartened tone from his voice. He knew it was irrational but he was intensely disappointed that Kristen hadn't been there when he'd woken up. She had promised. Lucas was so lost in his thoughts he missed the condescending smile flutter across the other's face. He closed his sore eyes to rest them for a moment and felt the inviting pull of sleep ... perhaps Kristen would be there the next time he woke up, Lucas mused to himself.
His eyes sprang open again when the professor shook his shoulder. "Oww," Lucas growled grumpily at the rough treatment.
"Sorry, Kid, but the good doctor told me to keep you awake once you were conscious," Harridan explained.
"That's a change. Usually she is harping at me to get more sleep... and now that I want to sleep, she wants me to stay awake," Lucas grouched.
Harridan smiled, "Yes, she definitely seems to have a very active maternal instinct where you're concerned. She spent at least ten minutes giving me instructions on how to take care of you before she left... I thought she would never go."
"Yeah, she can be pretty intense," Lucas agreed, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to get any more sleep for a while.
"I'd say that was an accurate description. I'm glad you're doing so well, I'd hate to be around her if you weren't."
"How long has she been gone?" Lucas asked a little concerned.
"A while. There is a lot of damage to the structure, it might take her a while to find a working transmitter," Harridan explained, reassuringly at the kid's worried expression.
Lucas nodded his understanding but still wished the doctor would return. He felt terrible and wanted her with him rather than some strange man. A deep grinding groan reverberated through the room and the floor trembled. Nothing fell but everything rattled and shook filling the room with a cacophony of noise and dust. Lucas gripped the raised rails of his bed in fear and waited for the shaking to stop. "That happen a lot?" he asked when it was over and he had found his voice again.
"More often than I would like," the older man commented in a slightly quavering voice.
Lucas looked toward the door, "I hope Kristen is all right."
"I wouldn't worry too much, Kid. I don't think I have ever met a more resourceful woman."
Lucas smiled at the open adoration on the others face. Kristen had done it again, it seemed to Lucas that where ever she went, middle-aged scientists fell all over themselves in an effort to please her. The captain was certainly a casualty of her charms... except that he hadn't admitted it yet.
Lucas was not greatly interested in other people's love lives but had decided that pair would be good for each other and had been working at putting them together at every opportunity. So far there had been plenty of sparks but no fire. Lucas knew he wasn't an expert when it came to romantic stuff but the captain and doctor had him confused. Here were two people who couldn't hide how they felt about each other but tried to anyway. Lucas just didn't get it ... what were they waiting for?
"Hey! You're not drifting off on me are you? Harridan asked.
"No, I was just thinking."
"If you're thinking then you must be feeling better," a familiar voice commented.
"Kristen!" Lucas cried out happily. "Are you okay?" he asked a moment later, noticing the new and darkening bruise on her jaw.
"I'm a little bruised but I'm fine. How are you doing?" she asked coming next to him and carefully examining the monitor readings.
"I'm good," Lucas began. Taking in Kristen's disapproving frown Lucas added, "I have a killer headache though."
Kristen nodded, satisfied Lucas wasn't glossing over his condition, and prepared a shot of pain relief for him.
"Did you get into touch with the _seaQuest_?" Lucas asked.
Kristen nodded, "They have sent a launch for us, we need to meet them at the west airlock. Lucas, we aren't going to be able to use a wheelchair for you, the corridor is full of debris but between Professor Harridan and myself, we should be able to get you there all right. It won't be easy for you but I need you to stay awake and help as much as you can."
"No problem, I feel fine ... actually, apart from being a bit tired and the headache ... which is almost gone now, I feel great," Lucas told the worried doctor confidently.
Kristen shook her head sadly and patted Lucas's hand, "Lucas, you have spent several hours being dead, undergone an operation and been bruised and battered about. You do _not_ feel fine ... you may not be in pain at this moment but trust me, you will find this trip difficult."
Lucas thought about it, Kristen was right ... his body had had a hard day, but he just didn't feel as bad as she thought. He did trust Kristen as a doctor but he knew in this case she was wrong about him... he felt fine.
"All right, I'll take the drip ... Harridan you take the medical kit, and the two of us will support Lucas between us," Kristen organized briskly.
At the professor's frown Kristen rested her hands against her hips and asked, "What exactly is your problem?"
"Nothing, I was just thinking about my research notes. I won't be able to take them if I carry the...." Harridan trailed off at the livid look on the doctor's face.
"Your notes! You're worried about your notes?" she began angrily.
"They're important. There is years of research there," Harridan defended.
"More important than the life of a sixteen year old?" Kristen demanded
Harridan stayed silent for a long moment then slowly shook his head.
"Maybe we could leave the medical kit. I don't feel bad, we probably won't need it," Lucas offered.
Kristen softened her tone as she spoke to the teenager. "Lucas, we are going to be extremely fortunate if you can make it the entire distance without loosing consciousness. I know you think you feel all right now, but that will change once you start to move," Kristen told him sadly, crushing the hopeful look that had formed on the professor's face at the offer.
It didn't take Kristen long to disconnect Lucas from everything except for the drip and with Harridan's help they lifted him up into a sitting position. Lucas' head swam and he fought to keep from passing out, Kristen's steadying hand on his shoulder helping to give him a focus. His earlier comments about being well enough came back to him and he almost laughed out aloud. He was no longer sure he was going to make it out of the room under his own power let alone across half a conference center.
Kristen gave Lucas a few minutes to get used to being upright before she and Harridan pulled him gently to his feet. Trying not to put much pressure on his damaged ankle, Lucas leant heavily on Kristen for support.
"Ready?" Kristen asked the group.
Lucas nodded and instantly regretted the motion, he swallowed hard several times to fight down the wave of dizziness rose and closed his eyes to let the sensation pass. Slowly the three shuffled out of the room and into the corridor.
The hallway was littered with broken ceiling panels and support beams, making it difficult to navigate through. Broken lighting fixtures and loops of wiring hung from the exposed structure in several places, occasionally flaring and snapping with sparks. Lucas let Kristen worry about finding a path and concentrated on remaining conscious and upright. Lucas only looked up when the group came to a stop in front of a broken stairwell.
"We are so close ... We need to get up there," Kristen informed them quietly, as she examined the wrecked staircase. The remains of the steps were not much more than a tumble of twisted metal still attached on one side to the level above.
Harridan moved Lucas over to the wall and gently lowered him to the floor before going to join Kristen in inspecting the obstacle. He craned his head and looked up at the twisted metal and the level above. "Any ideas on how we are going to get the kid up there?" he asked after a moment.
"I'll climb up. You can push him from below while I pull him from above," Kristen said, thinking the problem through.
"No, I'm stronger... I'll go up first," Harridan corrected.
Kristen nailed him with an appraising stare; it wasn't that long ago the man had considered his research more important than Lucas' life, and she wasn't entire sure she trusted him. At last she nodded in agreement, Kristen knew she was in good shape and she was strong but as a doctor she had to accept that Harridan with his larger body mass would have a better lifting strength than she did.
Stepping aside she watched in trepidation as the man climbed up the unstable metal work and pulled him self onto the level above. Moments later, Harridan 's head appeared back over the edge and he smiled down into Doctor Westphalen's worried face.
"Piece of cake," he said smilingly.
Kristen shook her head amused and returned the smile before going back to get Lucas.
She had to shake the boy awake and was gratified when he responded. With effort she managed to get him standing and led him over to the stairwell. Lucas leant solidly onto Kristen for support no longer able to trust himself to hold his own weight or remain straight.
Kristen helped him up the pile of broken metal as high as she could. Harridan reached down from the level above but wasn't able to reach either of them. "Hey, Kid? Reach up and grab my hand," Harridan urged the teenager.
Lucas tried to lift a hand up over his head but was just too tired to manage it.
"I can't," the teen mumbled miserably, as the hand fell limply to his side.
"Yes you can, Lucas. I know you can. Just reach up and take his hand and we can all go home," Kristen's soft voice encouraged.
Home ... the thought echoed through Lucas' mind gaining strength and giving him strength at the same time. Using the last of his strength, Lucas reached upward. He felt Harridan's fingers brush across his own and stretched a little further. As his strength ran out, he felt Harridan's firm grasp locked around his wrist. He felt himself being pulled upward. The strain on his arm and the stretching of his surgical stitches made him cry out. He fought to stay awake as he'd promised the doctor he would, but didn't have anything left to fight with and the darkness won.
Lucas woke up, this time the transition was nearly instantaneous, and completely devoid of all pain. He frowned confused, he'd been expecting to open his eyes to the dim lighting of the ruined conference center, instead he found himself in a brightly-lit room. The colors of the room were achingly familiar and Lucas felt a smile curl his lips as he recognized the seaQuest decore.
"How are you feeling?" a warm voice asked from beside him.
Lucas turned his head and found Doctor Westphalen seated in a chair by his bed. "I feel good... really good," Lucas told her happily.
Kristen stood and brushed the blonde hair back from his eyes. "You're doing very well. Mending nicely. I expect you'll make a complete recovery soon, and before you ask ... yes, you are going to have a scar, but not on your face."
Lucas looked at the doctor with confusion, "Where?" he asked.
Kristen ran a tired hand over her hair. "Your stitches were strained and pulled when we lifted you ... I had to replace a few before we got to the launch. It caused a little ridging and that will most likely result in a scar on your side."
Lucas smiled, "Good, I always wanted a scar."
Kristen looked at the teen in surprise, "You're serious... you actually _do_ want a scar?" she asked in disbelief.
"Of course ... Will it be big?" Lucas asked hopefully.
Kristen shook her head, she'd been intending to apologize to the boy for the existence of the scar, now she found herself having to disappoint him with its relatively small size. "I'm afraid not... actually it won't be very big at all."
Lucas sighed disappointed, "Well, at least it's a start. Maybe I can get a tattoo that will make it stand out more," he muttered.
"What? Like a big red arrow pointing to it?" Kristen asked incredulous.
Lucas's smile brightened at the idea. "Hey, that's a great idea!" he enthused.
Kristen shook her head in hopelessness. "I think you need to get some sleep, you're obviously still under the effects of the pain medication."
"Where is everybody?" Lucas asked, abruptly noticing how quiet the room was.
"It's late, Lucas, except the third-watch crew almost everyone is asleep. I sent the captain to his quarters a little while ago for some rest. He's been sitting with you since we got back. I expect he'll show up again in a few hours. Until then it's just me."
"How long have we been back?" Lucas asked, curious.
"About eighteen hours."
Lucas was stunned, "And I've been asleep all that time?" he asked amazed.
Kristen nodded, "That's not a long time, Lucas, you were exhausted. I expect you'll need a good deal of sleep over the next few days."
The doctor was right, despite only having been awake for a few minutes, and having slept most of a day he was already feeling tired. "What about you? Have you slept?"
Kristen smiled, "I had a good twelve hour nap myself... how do you think I was able to convince Nathan to go to sleep?"
Lucas smiled at the thought of the conversation that must have gone on between the captain and doctor while he'd been asleep. He could almost see the captain finally giving in to the doctor's insistence and scowling as he was sent to his quarters.
"Hey, where is Professor Harridan?" Lucas asked.
Kristen huffed in disgust. "He's gone. As soon as we were aboard he organized for a salvage launch to come pick him up. He went back to the conference center to find his notes."
Lucas' eyes widened in surprise. "That's dedication."
"That's selfish stupidity," Kristen corrected.
Lucas didn't agree ... he could understand the man's research becoming that important to him, but he said nothing to the doctor. It was obvious she had different priorities. A deep yawn escaped him and he glanced apologetically at the doctor.
"Tired?" she asked.
"Yeah, a bit," Lucas acknowledged.
Kristen pulled the bed covers up snugly over him. "Then get some sleep," she said dropping a quick kiss to his forehead and turning to leave.
"Kristen? ... Thanks," Lucas murmured, as deep natural sleep came over him.
Kristen gazed at the sleeping boy for a long time, thinking over how close she had come to loosing him. "You're welcome, Lucas."
Finita.
"I wondered lonely as a cloud."
William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
***
JULY 2000