A SONG CAN TELL US SOMETHING
Chapter 1 - I'm With You
By Kiddo
Information:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Captain Bridger and the others don't belong to me.
I'm not making any money with this story, it is just for entertainment.
The song "I'm With You" was written by Avril Lavigne & The Matrix
I changed a few things from the show; Stark never tried to destroy the seaQuest, Nathan Bridger has been the captain of the SeaQuest for one month, Lucas Wolenczak is not already on the seaQuest, but he will be in this story.
This story is an AU and takes place during the first season.
Do you remember the Episode "Special Delivery" from the second season? In this episode Lucas wore something like a brown jeans-jacket. I love this jacket, he looked so cute in it :-).
So in this chapter he wears this jacket, I know he hadn't had the jacket in the first season, but hey, this is FanFiction and for this reason, he can wear everything the writer wants. :-)
Feedback and Reviews are always welcome.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES TO MY BETA JACKIE!!!
**************************************************************************** **********************************
*
I'm standing on the bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound
*
Captain Bridger was sitting in a canopied beach-chair on a sandy beach and looked at the ocean. Today was the first day of his shore leave and he had rented a big room at a hotel near the beach. After the evening meal, he had gone for a walk, but when it had started to rain he had gone to one of the canopied beach-chairs. Now he was waiting for the rain to stop so he could go back to his hotel room.
Nathan Bridger looked at the ocean and thought about his life. He had been captain of the SeaQuest for a month; he liked his job and it gave him something new to do. But he wasn't really happy. He felt that there was still something missing, something else he needed to become really happy again. He had hoped that his work would fill the emptiness inside of him, but so far it had not.
Bridger looked up at the stars, the rain had nearly stopped. He stood up and walked back to the hotel.
*
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
*
Suddenly Captain Bridger stopped. There was something in one of the canopied beach-chairs. He went to it to take a closer look.
A boy lay in the chair and slept. The boy looked like 14 or 15 years old. He wore sneakers, blue jeans, a white shirt and a brown jeans-jacket.
It took Bridger only one look to see that these were expensive clothes, but the clothes wouldn't keep the boy warm. Even though it was dark outside, the Captain could see that the clothes were kind of dirty. It didn't look as though this was the first night the teenager had not slept at home.
Bridger was sure that this boy wasn't homeless; normal street kids wouldn't wear such clothes. Maybe the teen had a argument with his parents and tried to shock them by running away.
Nathan thought about waking the boy up. Sleeping on the beach was not allowed and the police checked regularly. Maybe he could talk with the boy and convince him to go home.
Bridger shook the boy carefully by the shoulder. "Hey, wake up, you're not allowed to sleep on the beach."
The strange boy jerked awake and tried to pull away from Bridger.
Nathan hurriedly took one step back; he didn't want to make the boy more afraid. "Everything is alright kid, I won't do anything to you. I just woke you up so the police don't find you here sleeping."
The unknown boy nodded his head, but still looked distrustfully at the Captain.
The boy slowly sat up in the canopied beach-chair. Moonlight was falling on his face now.
It was the first time that the Captain could really see the boy's face. The teenager had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. One part of the right side of his face had another color. It looked like he was hurt.
Had the boy had an argument? Why had the blond boy slept at the beach and not at home?
One look in the teenager's eyes told Bridger that the unknown boy was afraid of him.
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
The boy pulled the jacket a bit closer around himself. Anybody could see that he was cold, he was freezing.
Captain Bridger gave the teenager his hand. "My name is Nathan Bridger. You don't need to be afraid of me, I won't do anything to you."
The boy carefully took the hand and shook it. "I'm Lucas."
Nathan smiled. "Okay Lucas, do you have a last name?"
Lucas was silent for a moment, he looked at the ocean and said, "Moore."
Captain Bridger watched the boy and nodded his head. He knew the boy was telling the truth when he had said that his name was Lucas, but after that the boy had lied. Moore was not this boy's real last name, Moore was the first name the boy could think of at that moment.
*
I'm looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
'cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be alone
*
"Why are you sleeping at the beach and not at home in your warm, comfortable bed?" asked Captain Bridger and sat himself next to the boy in the chair.
Lucas looked at the ocean again. "Because I don't want to!" His voice was just a whisper.
"Then why aren't you sleeping at a friend's?"
The blond teenager looked at the old man. "I don't have friends." He looked so sad. "Nobody really wants to be my friend. I'm alone..."
The words made Bridger sad. It would be terrible to have no friends. Lucas seemed so lonely.
*
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
* Captain Bridger looked more closely at the boy and thought about if he had seen him in a missing persons advertisement before. But it wasn't so. He was sure that he had never seen the boy before, or even a picture of him. "Doesn't anybody miss you? Is nobody searching for you? I'm sure that your parents must be very worried about you."
The blond boy shook his head. "No, nobody would start a search for me. That would mean that other people would hear about this. My parents wouldn't want this known, not to the public. My father always has other ways ."
Nathan thought about the words of the boy. His parents sounded like they were rich and famous. But it was weird. It was more important to know that your son is safe at home than the public opinion. His own family was one of the important things in the world.
He thought about his dead son Robert. If he had run away, he would have tried anything and everything to find him. Bridger stopped those thoughts. Why had Lucas run away? What brought a boy to run away from his home? He must have a reason. Lucas had said, that his father "always" had other ways. The words shocked Bridger. Always! That meant the teenager had run away before. But this time the teenager must have run away fast, he had nothing beside the clothes he wore. "What do you mean with your father has other ways?"
Lucas rubbed his hands together to get them warm. "Oh, I mean there are people searching for me. My father always gets them to search for me. They get lots of money and therefore they don't tell anyone about our little family problem. My parents don't want anybody to know that I run away from home."
Captain Bridger was speechless. The boy was so open and yet so closed at the same time. "Why do you run away from home?"
The blond teenager shook his head and looked at the ground. "I don't want to talk about it!"
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
Captain Bridger hadn't really expected an answer. He felt sorry for Lucas. This night was colder than the nights before and the boy really looked like he needed a warm place to sleep.
Bridger couldn't let the boy alone in the cold. The boy didn't have warm clothes, just this thin jeans jacket. The jacket was nice and looked good, but it was nothing for this weather.
Nathan was sure that he couldn't convince the boy to go home. What should he do with the boy?
Nathan thought about his big hotel room. The room was too big for one person and one bed was free. But on the other hand, he didn't know the boy. Could he invite a unknown person?
Lucas seemed nice and harmless, he didn't believe that the boy was any danger to him.
But what would the teenager think if he invited him? The boy didn't know him more than he knew the boy.
Bridger had to make a decision. "I have a big room in a hotel near the beach. One bed is free. If you want you can sleep there. I'm sure that has to be better than to sit here in the cold and freeze to death."
*
Oh, why is everything so confusing
Maybe I'm just out of mind
Yeah, yeah,.
*
Lucas was confused. He just met an unknown person a few minutes ago and this person wanted to help him without asking something in return. Or did Bridger want something and would just say it later? "What do you want for this?"
Nathan shook his head. "I don't want anything in return. I just want to help and I'm worried about what might happen if you sleep out here in the cold."
The teenager was speechless and very confused because of this answer. Bridger didn't really know him and was more worried about him than his own parents.
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
* Lucas thought about it. It all sounded good, but could he trust this man? He really made a nice and harmless impression. Bridger didn't look like some kind of serial killer.
Could he go with him? It was so cold and he felt like an iceblock. The teenager finally nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."
Captain Bridger smiled and stood up. "Alright. Come on, the hotel's not far away."
The blond boy slowly stood up and followed after Bridger. Nathan watched this and slowed down a bit when he saw that the teenager seemed to have trouble walking. Was the boy hurt or did he just have problems walking because he was stiff from the cold?
*
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
A short time later they were at Bridgers hotel room. In the light Bridger could take a real look at the boy for the first time. His face was very bruised. It looked like someone hat hit him there. The teenager's clothes were wet from the rain. No wonder that the boy was cold.
Bridger went to the Vidphone and started to dial a number.
Lucas watched the Captain carefully. He would be out of the door as fast as he could be if the older man called the police.
Nathan looked at the boy and realised what Lucas must think of the call. "You don't need to be afraid. I will not call the police or anything like that. I just want to order something to eat from the pizza place next door. The hotel kitchen is closed at this time of the evening. What kind of pizza do you want? Don't worry about it, it's my treat. You don't need to pay."
Lucas looked more relaxed. "Is onion pizza alright?"
Captain Bridger nodded. "Yes. Would you like anything else?"
The teenager shook his head. "No, thank you."
After Bridger had made the call he looked at Lucas. "It will take some time until the pizza is here. If you want, you can take a shower to get warm again."
Lucas looked at the Captain carefully, not really sure what he should say to this offer.
Bridger saw that the teenager was unsure. "You can lock the bathroom door, it has a key. You can use the hotel towels, I brought my own towels with me."
Now the teen nodded his head. "A warm shower sounds nice."
Captain Bridger went to the big dark wood wardrobe and opened it. He took a white t-shirt and long, blue jogging pants out and gave them Lucas. "They are washed. The t-shirt is two small for me and the trousers are new, so I hope they're not to big for you. In the bathroom is a washing machine. It's a washer and a dryer in one. You can put your clothes inside and they will be clean and dry tomorrow."
"Thanks!" After Lucas went into the bathroom, Bridger could hear the boy turn the key. A minute later he heard the washing machine and the water from the shower.
12 minutes later the key turned again and Lucas came out of the bathroom. The teenager wore Bridgers clothes which were a few sizes too big. He had a towel in one hand to dry his hair.
Bridger looked at Lucas left arm, which the boy tried to hide. Near the boy's wrist were some bruises, they looked like hand prints. It seemed that somebody had tried to hold the teenager back with violence.
Nathan went again to his wardrobe and took out a sweatshirt and gave it Lucas. "Here you can wear this too, a t-shirt alone is not warm enough."
"Thank you!" said the teen shyly, as he laid the towel down and took the shirt. Just like the other clothes the warm shirt was too big for the thin boy.
Bridger had to smile. "Oh, I hope that doesn't mean I should start a diet."
Lucas shook his head, smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "No, you are just right how you are."
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Nathan went to the door and opened it. It was the pizza-boy. The Captain took his wallet out of his trousers and paid for the pizza. After that, he closed the door and went to the table. Bridger gestured with his right hand to a chair and looked at the teenager who stood in the middle of the room. "Take a seat."
Lucas sat on the free chair and took the pizza which Bridger handed to him.
The meal was eaten silently. Bridger had eaten dinner before but he had thought that it would be easier for the boy to eat something if he ate something too. So he had ordered a pizza for himself too.
Only one time did the Captain leave the table to bring his guest and himself something to drink from the minibar. Lucas drank a coke and then he drank a water.
When they were both finished with their pizza, Bridger looked at the blond boy. "Where did the marks near your wrist and on your face are come from?"
The teenager jerked slightly, it was obvious that the question made him nervous. Lucas shrugged with his shoulders. "I don't know, I forget. I probably bumped against something." The truth was something different, he knew where it had come from. His pain always reminded him on it. But he couldn't tell Bridger the truth, this man was so friendly to him, he couldn't involve him in his problems. This was just his problem and he had to deal with it.
Lucas looked around the whole room and searched for an other topic. Finally his eyes rested on the table before the sofa. On the table stood a cardboard box, the words on it told the boy that there was a laptop in it. "You bought a new computer, sir?"
Bridger turned around to the laptop and than looked again at the teenager. He realised that the boy was trying to change the topic of conversation. Nathan thought a moment about it, then he decided to go along with it. "Yes, I bought the laptop this morning. I tried to install a few programs but I failed. I didn't even realise what the computer wanted from me. Maybe this laptop is a little bit to modern for me. Are you interested in computers?"
The teenager could only smile at this question. "I think you could say that. Maybe I could help you a little bit with the laptop."
"Oh, that would be very kind of you, and I would be very thankful for it. I'm really fed up with it." Bridger stood up and went to the sofa, Lucas followed him.
Both sat on the hotel sofa and Nathan opened the cardboard box and took the different parts of the laptop out of it. After this he looked questioningly at Lucas. "So Mister Expert, what do we do with it now?"
"First we put it together the right way and after that we can install your programs and test it to see if everything works the right way." With a concentrated look on his face, the blond teenager started to work on the laptop.
After 35 minutes he was already finished. Bridger was simply speechless. He had never seen anybody before who was so good with a computer. The teenager had never looked at the directions, every minute the boy had worked at the laptop he had relaxed more in Bridger's company.
"Thanks, Lucas, I don't know what I would have done without you. You can't imagine how grateful I am for this." Nathan looked at his watch. "Wow, it's really late, I don't know how you feel, but I'm really tired. My bed calls for me. If you want you can watch TV, there are some headphones."
Lucas shook his head. "No, thanks, I think I'll go to bed too."
After both of them used the bathroom they went to bed. Both thought about a few things before they fall asleep.
In the middle of the night, Captain Bridger was woken from his sleep by some strange sounds. He took a moment to realise where it was coming from.
Lucas rolled restlessly in his sleep, from one side to the other, and spoke. "No...let me go.don't."
Immediately Bridger was at Lucas' side and shook him gently by his shoulder to wake him up from his nightmare. "Lucas, wake up, you are just dreaming!"
The teenager's eyes snapped open and with a start, rolled to the other side of the bed, away from Bridger. When the teenager realised where he was, he calmed down and his breathing slowed. It didn't take the boy long to realise that he had woken the older man up with his dream. "I'm sorry that I woke you up, sir!"
Nathan Bridger didn't look cross or anything like that. "Don't worry, everyone has bad dreams sometimes. What were you dreaming about? Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucas' answer was more than fast. "No!"
Captain Bridger nodded. "Okay, no problem. Then I suggest that we try to go back to sleep."
The teenager also nodded. "Good night."
"Good night to you too." It took a long time for Nathan to fall asleep. He thought about the strange boy. There was something not right with the teen, but what was it? What was the boy afraid of?
*
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
The next morning Nathan was woken up by a sound, it sounded like a door shutting. His eyes first fell on the other bed in the room. The bed was empty and made. Bridger stood up and knocked at the door of the bathroom. "Lucas?"
When he received no answer he pushed the door handle. The door of the bathroom wasn't locked. The washing machine was open and empty. Bridger's clothes lay neatly on a chair in the bathroom.
Lucas had gone without saying good bye.
Bridger went out of the bathroom and counted if all his things were in the places they should be. Like he had expected, nothing was missing. He was right about Lucas, the boy was an honest person.
Just now the Captain saw that their was a message on his laptop. On the computer screen stood in big letters: THANK YOU!!!
Nathan remembered that he had been woken up by the sound of a door. Perhaps he could see the boy leaving the hotel.
With a few fast steps the Captain was at the big windows. He could just see that a black car had stopped next to the teenager. Two big men with dark suits got out of the car and talked with Lucas. It looked like they knew each other. After a few moments of this, Lucas got in the car with the two men and they drove away.
Nathan thought about it. This was one of Lucas father's "ways." Now the boy was being brought back to his parents. Bridger could only hope that he had helped Lucas for the better and hadn't made things worse for the boy.
END OF CHAPTER ONE **************************************************************** Important information:
In this Story Lucas went with a unknown person, in this case Captain Bridger. Please, NEVER do such a thing!!!
I tried to start the story in a different way because the beginning is really important for the next chapters, but couldn't find another solution.
Please, never go with an unknown/strange person, you never know who this person is!!!
Chapter 1 - I'm With You
By Kiddo
Information:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Captain Bridger and the others don't belong to me.
I'm not making any money with this story, it is just for entertainment.
The song "I'm With You" was written by Avril Lavigne & The Matrix
I changed a few things from the show; Stark never tried to destroy the seaQuest, Nathan Bridger has been the captain of the SeaQuest for one month, Lucas Wolenczak is not already on the seaQuest, but he will be in this story.
This story is an AU and takes place during the first season.
Do you remember the Episode "Special Delivery" from the second season? In this episode Lucas wore something like a brown jeans-jacket. I love this jacket, he looked so cute in it :-).
So in this chapter he wears this jacket, I know he hadn't had the jacket in the first season, but hey, this is FanFiction and for this reason, he can wear everything the writer wants. :-)
Feedback and Reviews are always welcome.
A SPECIAL THANK YOU GOES TO MY BETA JACKIE!!!
**************************************************************************** **********************************
*
I'm standing on the bridge
I'm waiting in the dark
I thought that you'd be here by now
There's nothing but the rain
No footsteps on the ground
I'm listening but there's no sound
*
Captain Bridger was sitting in a canopied beach-chair on a sandy beach and looked at the ocean. Today was the first day of his shore leave and he had rented a big room at a hotel near the beach. After the evening meal, he had gone for a walk, but when it had started to rain he had gone to one of the canopied beach-chairs. Now he was waiting for the rain to stop so he could go back to his hotel room.
Nathan Bridger looked at the ocean and thought about his life. He had been captain of the SeaQuest for a month; he liked his job and it gave him something new to do. But he wasn't really happy. He felt that there was still something missing, something else he needed to become really happy again. He had hoped that his work would fill the emptiness inside of him, but so far it had not.
Bridger looked up at the stars, the rain had nearly stopped. He stood up and walked back to the hotel.
*
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
*
Suddenly Captain Bridger stopped. There was something in one of the canopied beach-chairs. He went to it to take a closer look.
A boy lay in the chair and slept. The boy looked like 14 or 15 years old. He wore sneakers, blue jeans, a white shirt and a brown jeans-jacket.
It took Bridger only one look to see that these were expensive clothes, but the clothes wouldn't keep the boy warm. Even though it was dark outside, the Captain could see that the clothes were kind of dirty. It didn't look as though this was the first night the teenager had not slept at home.
Bridger was sure that this boy wasn't homeless; normal street kids wouldn't wear such clothes. Maybe the teen had a argument with his parents and tried to shock them by running away.
Nathan thought about waking the boy up. Sleeping on the beach was not allowed and the police checked regularly. Maybe he could talk with the boy and convince him to go home.
Bridger shook the boy carefully by the shoulder. "Hey, wake up, you're not allowed to sleep on the beach."
The strange boy jerked awake and tried to pull away from Bridger.
Nathan hurriedly took one step back; he didn't want to make the boy more afraid. "Everything is alright kid, I won't do anything to you. I just woke you up so the police don't find you here sleeping."
The unknown boy nodded his head, but still looked distrustfully at the Captain.
The boy slowly sat up in the canopied beach-chair. Moonlight was falling on his face now.
It was the first time that the Captain could really see the boy's face. The teenager had the bluest eyes he had ever seen. One part of the right side of his face had another color. It looked like he was hurt.
Had the boy had an argument? Why had the blond boy slept at the beach and not at home?
One look in the teenager's eyes told Bridger that the unknown boy was afraid of him.
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
The boy pulled the jacket a bit closer around himself. Anybody could see that he was cold, he was freezing.
Captain Bridger gave the teenager his hand. "My name is Nathan Bridger. You don't need to be afraid of me, I won't do anything to you."
The boy carefully took the hand and shook it. "I'm Lucas."
Nathan smiled. "Okay Lucas, do you have a last name?"
Lucas was silent for a moment, he looked at the ocean and said, "Moore."
Captain Bridger watched the boy and nodded his head. He knew the boy was telling the truth when he had said that his name was Lucas, but after that the boy had lied. Moore was not this boy's real last name, Moore was the first name the boy could think of at that moment.
*
I'm looking for a place
I'm searching for a face
Is anybody here I know
'cause nothing's going right
And everything's a mess
And no one likes to be alone
*
"Why are you sleeping at the beach and not at home in your warm, comfortable bed?" asked Captain Bridger and sat himself next to the boy in the chair.
Lucas looked at the ocean again. "Because I don't want to!" His voice was just a whisper.
"Then why aren't you sleeping at a friend's?"
The blond teenager looked at the old man. "I don't have friends." He looked so sad. "Nobody really wants to be my friend. I'm alone..."
The words made Bridger sad. It would be terrible to have no friends. Lucas seemed so lonely.
*
Isn't anyone trying to find me?
Won't somebody come take me home
* Captain Bridger looked more closely at the boy and thought about if he had seen him in a missing persons advertisement before. But it wasn't so. He was sure that he had never seen the boy before, or even a picture of him. "Doesn't anybody miss you? Is nobody searching for you? I'm sure that your parents must be very worried about you."
The blond boy shook his head. "No, nobody would start a search for me. That would mean that other people would hear about this. My parents wouldn't want this known, not to the public. My father always has other ways ."
Nathan thought about the words of the boy. His parents sounded like they were rich and famous. But it was weird. It was more important to know that your son is safe at home than the public opinion. His own family was one of the important things in the world.
He thought about his dead son Robert. If he had run away, he would have tried anything and everything to find him. Bridger stopped those thoughts. Why had Lucas run away? What brought a boy to run away from his home? He must have a reason. Lucas had said, that his father "always" had other ways. The words shocked Bridger. Always! That meant the teenager had run away before. But this time the teenager must have run away fast, he had nothing beside the clothes he wore. "What do you mean with your father has other ways?"
Lucas rubbed his hands together to get them warm. "Oh, I mean there are people searching for me. My father always gets them to search for me. They get lots of money and therefore they don't tell anyone about our little family problem. My parents don't want anybody to know that I run away from home."
Captain Bridger was speechless. The boy was so open and yet so closed at the same time. "Why do you run away from home?"
The blond teenager shook his head and looked at the ground. "I don't want to talk about it!"
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
Captain Bridger hadn't really expected an answer. He felt sorry for Lucas. This night was colder than the nights before and the boy really looked like he needed a warm place to sleep.
Bridger couldn't let the boy alone in the cold. The boy didn't have warm clothes, just this thin jeans jacket. The jacket was nice and looked good, but it was nothing for this weather.
Nathan was sure that he couldn't convince the boy to go home. What should he do with the boy?
Nathan thought about his big hotel room. The room was too big for one person and one bed was free. But on the other hand, he didn't know the boy. Could he invite a unknown person?
Lucas seemed nice and harmless, he didn't believe that the boy was any danger to him.
But what would the teenager think if he invited him? The boy didn't know him more than he knew the boy.
Bridger had to make a decision. "I have a big room in a hotel near the beach. One bed is free. If you want you can sleep there. I'm sure that has to be better than to sit here in the cold and freeze to death."
*
Oh, why is everything so confusing
Maybe I'm just out of mind
Yeah, yeah,.
*
Lucas was confused. He just met an unknown person a few minutes ago and this person wanted to help him without asking something in return. Or did Bridger want something and would just say it later? "What do you want for this?"
Nathan shook his head. "I don't want anything in return. I just want to help and I'm worried about what might happen if you sleep out here in the cold."
The teenager was speechless and very confused because of this answer. Bridger didn't really know him and was more worried about him than his own parents.
*
It's a damn cold night
Trying to figure out this life
Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
* Lucas thought about it. It all sounded good, but could he trust this man? He really made a nice and harmless impression. Bridger didn't look like some kind of serial killer.
Could he go with him? It was so cold and he felt like an iceblock. The teenager finally nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you."
Captain Bridger smiled and stood up. "Alright. Come on, the hotel's not far away."
The blond boy slowly stood up and followed after Bridger. Nathan watched this and slowed down a bit when he saw that the teenager seemed to have trouble walking. Was the boy hurt or did he just have problems walking because he was stiff from the cold?
*
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
A short time later they were at Bridgers hotel room. In the light Bridger could take a real look at the boy for the first time. His face was very bruised. It looked like someone hat hit him there. The teenager's clothes were wet from the rain. No wonder that the boy was cold.
Bridger went to the Vidphone and started to dial a number.
Lucas watched the Captain carefully. He would be out of the door as fast as he could be if the older man called the police.
Nathan looked at the boy and realised what Lucas must think of the call. "You don't need to be afraid. I will not call the police or anything like that. I just want to order something to eat from the pizza place next door. The hotel kitchen is closed at this time of the evening. What kind of pizza do you want? Don't worry about it, it's my treat. You don't need to pay."
Lucas looked more relaxed. "Is onion pizza alright?"
Captain Bridger nodded. "Yes. Would you like anything else?"
The teenager shook his head. "No, thank you."
After Bridger had made the call he looked at Lucas. "It will take some time until the pizza is here. If you want, you can take a shower to get warm again."
Lucas looked at the Captain carefully, not really sure what he should say to this offer.
Bridger saw that the teenager was unsure. "You can lock the bathroom door, it has a key. You can use the hotel towels, I brought my own towels with me."
Now the teen nodded his head. "A warm shower sounds nice."
Captain Bridger went to the big dark wood wardrobe and opened it. He took a white t-shirt and long, blue jogging pants out and gave them Lucas. "They are washed. The t-shirt is two small for me and the trousers are new, so I hope they're not to big for you. In the bathroom is a washing machine. It's a washer and a dryer in one. You can put your clothes inside and they will be clean and dry tomorrow."
"Thanks!" After Lucas went into the bathroom, Bridger could hear the boy turn the key. A minute later he heard the washing machine and the water from the shower.
12 minutes later the key turned again and Lucas came out of the bathroom. The teenager wore Bridgers clothes which were a few sizes too big. He had a towel in one hand to dry his hair.
Bridger looked at Lucas left arm, which the boy tried to hide. Near the boy's wrist were some bruises, they looked like hand prints. It seemed that somebody had tried to hold the teenager back with violence.
Nathan went again to his wardrobe and took out a sweatshirt and gave it Lucas. "Here you can wear this too, a t-shirt alone is not warm enough."
"Thank you!" said the teen shyly, as he laid the towel down and took the shirt. Just like the other clothes the warm shirt was too big for the thin boy.
Bridger had to smile. "Oh, I hope that doesn't mean I should start a diet."
Lucas shook his head, smiled and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "No, you are just right how you are."
At that moment there was a knock at the door. Nathan went to the door and opened it. It was the pizza-boy. The Captain took his wallet out of his trousers and paid for the pizza. After that, he closed the door and went to the table. Bridger gestured with his right hand to a chair and looked at the teenager who stood in the middle of the room. "Take a seat."
Lucas sat on the free chair and took the pizza which Bridger handed to him.
The meal was eaten silently. Bridger had eaten dinner before but he had thought that it would be easier for the boy to eat something if he ate something too. So he had ordered a pizza for himself too.
Only one time did the Captain leave the table to bring his guest and himself something to drink from the minibar. Lucas drank a coke and then he drank a water.
When they were both finished with their pizza, Bridger looked at the blond boy. "Where did the marks near your wrist and on your face are come from?"
The teenager jerked slightly, it was obvious that the question made him nervous. Lucas shrugged with his shoulders. "I don't know, I forget. I probably bumped against something." The truth was something different, he knew where it had come from. His pain always reminded him on it. But he couldn't tell Bridger the truth, this man was so friendly to him, he couldn't involve him in his problems. This was just his problem and he had to deal with it.
Lucas looked around the whole room and searched for an other topic. Finally his eyes rested on the table before the sofa. On the table stood a cardboard box, the words on it told the boy that there was a laptop in it. "You bought a new computer, sir?"
Bridger turned around to the laptop and than looked again at the teenager. He realised that the boy was trying to change the topic of conversation. Nathan thought a moment about it, then he decided to go along with it. "Yes, I bought the laptop this morning. I tried to install a few programs but I failed. I didn't even realise what the computer wanted from me. Maybe this laptop is a little bit to modern for me. Are you interested in computers?"
The teenager could only smile at this question. "I think you could say that. Maybe I could help you a little bit with the laptop."
"Oh, that would be very kind of you, and I would be very thankful for it. I'm really fed up with it." Bridger stood up and went to the sofa, Lucas followed him.
Both sat on the hotel sofa and Nathan opened the cardboard box and took the different parts of the laptop out of it. After this he looked questioningly at Lucas. "So Mister Expert, what do we do with it now?"
"First we put it together the right way and after that we can install your programs and test it to see if everything works the right way." With a concentrated look on his face, the blond teenager started to work on the laptop.
After 35 minutes he was already finished. Bridger was simply speechless. He had never seen anybody before who was so good with a computer. The teenager had never looked at the directions, every minute the boy had worked at the laptop he had relaxed more in Bridger's company.
"Thanks, Lucas, I don't know what I would have done without you. You can't imagine how grateful I am for this." Nathan looked at his watch. "Wow, it's really late, I don't know how you feel, but I'm really tired. My bed calls for me. If you want you can watch TV, there are some headphones."
Lucas shook his head. "No, thanks, I think I'll go to bed too."
After both of them used the bathroom they went to bed. Both thought about a few things before they fall asleep.
In the middle of the night, Captain Bridger was woken from his sleep by some strange sounds. He took a moment to realise where it was coming from.
Lucas rolled restlessly in his sleep, from one side to the other, and spoke. "No...let me go.don't."
Immediately Bridger was at Lucas' side and shook him gently by his shoulder to wake him up from his nightmare. "Lucas, wake up, you are just dreaming!"
The teenager's eyes snapped open and with a start, rolled to the other side of the bed, away from Bridger. When the teenager realised where he was, he calmed down and his breathing slowed. It didn't take the boy long to realise that he had woken the older man up with his dream. "I'm sorry that I woke you up, sir!"
Nathan Bridger didn't look cross or anything like that. "Don't worry, everyone has bad dreams sometimes. What were you dreaming about? Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucas' answer was more than fast. "No!"
Captain Bridger nodded. "Okay, no problem. Then I suggest that we try to go back to sleep."
The teenager also nodded. "Good night."
"Good night to you too." It took a long time for Nathan to fall asleep. He thought about the strange boy. There was something not right with the teen, but what was it? What was the boy afraid of?
*
Take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are but I
I'm with you
I'm with you
*
The next morning Nathan was woken up by a sound, it sounded like a door shutting. His eyes first fell on the other bed in the room. The bed was empty and made. Bridger stood up and knocked at the door of the bathroom. "Lucas?"
When he received no answer he pushed the door handle. The door of the bathroom wasn't locked. The washing machine was open and empty. Bridger's clothes lay neatly on a chair in the bathroom.
Lucas had gone without saying good bye.
Bridger went out of the bathroom and counted if all his things were in the places they should be. Like he had expected, nothing was missing. He was right about Lucas, the boy was an honest person.
Just now the Captain saw that their was a message on his laptop. On the computer screen stood in big letters: THANK YOU!!!
Nathan remembered that he had been woken up by the sound of a door. Perhaps he could see the boy leaving the hotel.
With a few fast steps the Captain was at the big windows. He could just see that a black car had stopped next to the teenager. Two big men with dark suits got out of the car and talked with Lucas. It looked like they knew each other. After a few moments of this, Lucas got in the car with the two men and they drove away.
Nathan thought about it. This was one of Lucas father's "ways." Now the boy was being brought back to his parents. Bridger could only hope that he had helped Lucas for the better and hadn't made things worse for the boy.
END OF CHAPTER ONE **************************************************************** Important information:
In this Story Lucas went with a unknown person, in this case Captain Bridger. Please, NEVER do such a thing!!!
I tried to start the story in a different way because the beginning is really important for the next chapters, but couldn't find another solution.
Please, never go with an unknown/strange person, you never know who this person is!!!