Author's Note: Taking place after the end of season one. I'm giving an overall warning for trigger warnings. Basically, it's going to get dark and depressing. And since I know I'll get asked (which I do appreciate), I am ok, this is just an idea what took over my head.
Takes place after the end of Season One. I own nothing.
"No... That can't be possible. It... please, Bill... It just can't." Captain Nathan Bridger stared the small private vid-link in absolute horror.
"I'm sorry, Nathan, I have the report right here." Bill Noyce gestured to a think file folder next to him. "I know this is hard, god I can't even believe it. He's just... he was so young." Bill's head drooped in despair.
Nathan shook his own, refusing to believe. "They know for sure it's him? I want to help make the identification if I can. Kristin and I can fly out right away."
"No, Nathan, there's no need." His friend told him patiently, understanding his pain. "His father and the police already made a positive identification."
"His father!" Nathan spat, "he's spent so little time with..." His voice cracked over the name, "Lucas, that he would barely recognize his own son."
Bill hesitated noticeably before attempting speaking again. "What is it?"
"It wasn't based on his... facial structure." Bill whispered, "Lawrence saw him an hour before it happened, he was wearing the same clothes, but also it's the same hair, same body type. Lucas never took his dog tags off and had his..." He swallowed, "UEO id front and center in the wallet. There's just no denying it."
"Wasn't based on ..." Nathan struggled to understand the connotations of the statement. He knew the information that Lucas kept his connection to the SeaQuest so close would haunt him, but he wasn't ready to think about it just yet. "Still, that isn't one hundred percent." He clung to rapidly shrinking piece of hope.
Bill nodded, expecting the comment. "Yes, but the fingerprinting is."
"I want DNA testing." Nathan demanded immediately.
"I already put the order in. I had to pull rank to get it done. It will take up to a week even with me leaning on them."
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the thought of the unnecessary red tape. "Why so long?"
"They had just arrived at Dr. Wolenzcak's vacation home. It's small town in northern New York State, with a two person police force. They have to send it to the state labs."
"How was it done?" The captain changed the subject to keep from growing enraged by the slowness of the operation.
"Nathan don't do this to yourself. Don't make me tell you. I've seen the pictures... I've seen a lot people who've died, maybe it's because I knew him, but this was... indescribable."
"I want to know how it happened." Nathan commanded in a voice that was barely holding on. "You need to tell me."
"GSW to the face, high caliber." Noyce finally said heavily. "One shot," he added in the hopes that knowing Lucas didn't suffer, would help in a small way.
The captain was left speechless. There were plenty of times Lucas was in grave danger on the ship, more than he cared to think about. To imagine the young face destroyed utterly by such a violent act was nearly more than he could handle. "When's the funeral?"
"It was held yesterday, I saw it on the news. That's why I pulled a few strings and got the file."
"Yesterday?!" Nathan fairly screamed. "They didn't think we would want to attend?" He burned with rage for a few moments, unable to speak.
Noyce took the opportunity to explain farther. "Dr. Wolenczak only had a small ceremony, I talked to him before calling you. He honestly didn't think of contacting anyone. Nathan, the man is nearly destroyed by the grief, he broke down several times while we were talking."
"I'll bet," Nathan growled, "maybe he should have been a father years ago and this wouldn't have happened."
He took a deep breath and asked the next question that was burning at him. "If the funeral was yesterday already, then... when did they find him?"
"Two days after they arrived at the vacation home." Noyce cringed, knowing this news would be another heavy blow.
"Two days," Nathan echoed hollowly, "God Bill, it was only a week ago that I saw him, after the ship went down. I didn't expect him to call every day, but if something was wrong he would have told me."
"You can't blame yourself for this."
Nathan snorted at the tired sounding sentiment. "Well I'm going blame someone, damn it. A sixteen year old kid who was happy a week ago doesn't just up and kill himself."
"I am very sorry Nathan." Bill said kindly, "I wasn't as close to him as the rest of you, but I know how much this will hurt everyone."
Nathan didn't answer, instead he stared out of his kitchen window at the figure of Kristin playing with Darwin in the morning sunlight. "Yeah, it will." He squeezed his eyes shut against the last thing that still made sense in his world. "Was there a note?"
Noyce nodded, and pulled a small sheet of paper from the file next to him. Nathan noticed he was careful not to dislodge anything else. Part of needed to see the picture, to make this real, but a bigger part just wanted to end the call and make it all go away. "It just said 'I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore.'"
"Thank you, I need to find a way to break this to everyone." Nathan replied in a dead voice. "I'll be in contact about the future."
"The future? Nathan," Bill started, looking concerned, "you can't run and hide again."
"The hell I can't."
The drawn and glassy eyed face of Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak filled the screen. "Doctor," Nathan greeted him professionally.
"Captain Bridger..." The voice was sluggish and dazed sounding. "I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. My assistant organized everything. I... I just couldn't."
Nathan closed his eyes and nodded, feeling an unspoken bond with the man. "I understand. Is there anything we can do?"
He shook his head, "no, I don't think so. Thank you though. For everything I mean. I know how happy Lucas was with you and your crew." Tears filled Lawrence's eyes. "It's no secret that I didn't understand my son, but this..." He splayed his hands outward in helplessness.
"There was no warning?"
"No, we made plans to eat lunch then go out fishing. I... I was out renting a boat and getting some supplies for us went it happened." Lawrence gave up all pretense of staying in control, laying his forehead down on the desk. "I was only gone for an hour. I came back and there were police there. Someone reported hearing the... the gunshot."
He went silent for several seconds, and Nathan cleared his throat. When there was no response, he called out sharply, "Lawrence!"
Dr. Wolenczak jerked and lifted his head, blinking rapidly. "Sorry," his voice was more slurred than before. "The doctor up there, he gave me medication... I don't like what it does, but he said it was necessary." His started to nod again, and with visible effort, shook himself awake. "I will send you the information, if you want to visit the grave site."
"Of course," Nathan said softly. "I'm sure the entire crew will want to pay their respects." The front door of the house opened and he heard Kristin enter. "I'll be in touch." After one final look at the bereaved man, Nathan closed the link.
He slowly walked into the living room. Kristin was inspecting a large conk shell in her hand. "Look at this Nathan, when Lucas comes next week, I'll teach him how to carve it out to make an instrument."
The simple innocence of her voice made Nathan's knees go out, and he slumped to the floor. Once his tightly controlled emotions cracked, he couldn't get a rein on them again. Anguished sobs broke from his mouth and his chest heaved.
He was dimly aware of Kristin grabbing his shoulders and shaking him violently. "Nathan! What happened?"
Choking on the words, Nathan was finally able to spit them out. "Bill... On the vidlink... Lucas... He's dead, Kristin... oh god… Lucas..." He broke again on the most difficult part, "he killed himself."