Chapter 9
By KiddoIn Loving Memory of Jonathan Brandis
Disclaimer:
I don't have any rights to the TV show "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.
A special "Thank You" goes to my wonderful beta-reader Jackie. I wouldn't post without you.
A second "Thank You" goes to Alexis Rose, KatKnits00, dolphinology, kas7 and sara for the reviews.
To Alexis Rose: Have you read the german original of this story before? In this chapter you will read what Lucas is dreaming. How could you know that?
To KatKnits and dolphinologie: Thanks! I also like the part about the background ;-)
To kas7: Thanks! Now your waiting is over, here it is...
To sara: A part of your review made me laugh. Let me just say, that there will come the time when the secret comes out.
Feedback or reviews are always very welcome.
Captain Bridger was sitting on a chair next to Lucas' hospital bed. It had been two days ago that the teenager had been hit by the car. But during the whole time since the accident, Lucas hadn't woken up.
Bridger was very worried about the boy. Dr. Westphalen had tried to reassure Nathan by telling him that some people needed more time to wake up and that Lucas' body was just taking the time it needed. But, Bridger didn't truly believe her. Something was wrong.
Besides, this morning, Bridger had overheard a talk between two doctors that wasn't meant for his ears. The two doctors had talked about Lucas' state. Both agreed on the point that someone with these kinds of injuries should have woken up a long time ago. That the teenager hadn't woken up yet was abnormal and not a good sign. They suspected that the boy didn't want to wake up or that maybe they had overlooked something during the examination. Brain damage was always possible in such accidents.
Nathan wished that he hadn't heard that conversation. He didn't want to imagine that the teenager's brain was damaged in some way. Lucas would still be Lucas to him, but he knew that the boy couldn't take it if he wasn't able to do things anymore that he had mastered in the past so easily. Lucas defined himself, in part, by his intelligence and his abilities on the computer. He built his feelings of self-worth on that. Without those two things, the boy would really have problems. And the Captain didn't want to think about the effects this would have.
The other thing that the doctors had said was that the young genius didn't want to wake up.
Bridger had heard of something like that before. But he couldn't think that of his youngest crew member. Nathan was sure there were a lot of things that he didn't know about Lucas and the visit at Lawrence Wolenczak's party had confused him even more. But the captain couldn't think of a reason why the boy wouldn't want to wake up.
Bridger stood up and looked out the window. He hated the uncertainty of these thoughts. Nathan was afraid to lose the teenager. He had lost Carol and Robert; Lucas' death would be something he couldn't take. It would be the point at which he just couldn't go on. Lucas had just given him his life back. Nathan couldn't lose the teenager.
Captain Bridger took a big breath, and then he turned around and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He took Lucas' right hand in his hand and watched the boy. A few minutes later, Bridger felt a movement.
Lucas' right hand tensed, and the look on his face changed. A tear was running down the teenager's cheek.
"Lucas - Lucas, can you hear me?"
But, the computer genius wasn't able to hear the captain; the boy was caught in his dream.
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Lucas was sitting in the backseat of the car. His father was sitting in the driver's seat, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He glanced on his watch. "What is taking her so long? She knows that we wanted to leave 5 minutes ago!"
The teenager decided not to answer his father and looked at the high-rise apartment building. Two minutes later, his mother stepped outside and got in the car next to his father. His father gave her a dark look. "Great, we'll be too late because of you!"
The blond woman returned the look with an icy one of her own. "Who took so long in the bathroom that I couldn't go inside?" She went through her handbag. "Oh no, I forgot the tickets."
Lucas' father looked angrily at her. "Great, just great. One time we want to go to the theater and you forget the tickets!"
"Calm down, they're just next to the Vidphone."
The teenager didn't want to listen to this conversation any longer. He unfastened his seat belt and jumped out of the car. "I'll be right back; I'm just going to get the tickets."
"Thanks; after all, I was able to raise my son to be a gentleman," said the blond woman in a sharp tone.
Lucas ran to the building and darted up the many steps to the apartment. He unlocked the door with his key and looked for the tickets. Exactly as his mother had said, they were lying next to the Vidphone. The teenager grabbed the theatre tickets, locked the door behind him, and hurried downstairs.
When Lucas' father spotted his son, the teenager was just 10 steps away from the car. The man turned the ignition key so that they could drive away as soon as the boy got in the car. But they never got that far; the moment the key was turned, the car exploded.
The force of the explosion threw Lucas to the ground. He could do nothing to save his parents, but couldn't tear his eyes away as the car burned with his parents inside. Tears were running down his face, and he screamed. "Noooooooo!"
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"Noooooooo!" Lucas awoke abruptly.
To Be Continued...
Written December 2003 / Tranlated Summer 2004
