Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own this show.

I am thankful that people like this story. I hope that it will continue. I have sequels planned.

Let's get on with the story shall we?

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Lisa's mouth gapped in horror as she helped Collin step through the double doors.

"What happened to you?" she asked, both horrified and concerned. Collin didn't look up at her, like he was ashamed or had done something terribly wrong.

"I…..fell," he told her finally, looking down at the floor.

Lisa knew that wasn't what had happened, she could tell by the bruises on his face.

"What did you fall into?" she asked.

Collin didn't say anything. He just kept looking at the floor. Lisa shuddered as she felt enormous amounts of fear come off of him in droves. Someone close to him had done this. She reached over and hugged him gingerly.

"We need to get you to Sick bay," she said as she got up to cross over to the comm panel. Collin shook his head, "NO," he said flatly.

"You need to have those wounds looked at," Lisa said, worried. "I'm fine," he lied to her.

She turned and glared at him, "you are not fine," she placed at finger over the button.

"Dr. Crusher, please report to Commander Riker's quarters, medical emergency".

Collin glared up at her, but she didn't let it get to her. She punched a few more controls and seconds later, an ice-pack appeared just above the replicator.

"Here," she said handing it over to him, "put this on your wounds until the doctor get's here".

Collin grunted in pain as he placed the pack on his face. Lisa helped him. She sighed in relief when she heard the door chime ring. "COME!" she called.

Dr. Crusher didn't need to be told why she was there; she just rushed over to Collin. "What happened?" she asked as she pulled out her medical tricorder and scanned the boy.

"He says that he fell down," Lisa told her. Crusher looked up at her, "that's not what my instruments say," she stated.

Lisa nodded. But said nothing else.

"I don't want to go to Sick bay," Collin said as Crusher continued her scans. Crusher shook her head, "you don't have a choice in the matter Mr. O'Lara."

Lisa watched as Crusher put her scanner back into its hostler. "Several of your injuries require emergency surgery."

Collin shook his head again, "I don't care, and I'm not going."

Crusher and Lisa exchanged glances. Crusher pulled a hypo out of her med kit and applied it to Collin's neck. Within seconds he was out of it. Lisa got up and went into her father's room, where he was working on crew reviews. "I have to go somewhere for a while, I'll be back later," she told him form the door way.

Riker looked up from his work, "where are you going at this time?" he asked.

"I have to help someone, I don't know how long it will take," Lisa said, worry in her voice.

Riker could tell that she needed to be someplace else, so he only nodded. Lisa ran over and gave him a hug, "Sam's at the table finishing her food, and Theresa is playing in her room," she said as she headed back out of the door.

"Be careful!" she heard her father say as she nearly ran out. He wondered who she had needed to help right now. But there would be plenty of time to ask her later. When they both had the time.

Riker got up from his desk and walked back out into the main living area. Sam was sitting in her high chair, taking the last few sips of her bottle. She looked at him and smiled. Riker smiled back at her, crossing over.

"Ok," he said in a bouncy tone, "Let's go and see what your sister is up to," he said as they headed for Theresa's room.

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Lisa paced up and down in the doctor's office. She was waiting to hear if Collin had made it through the surgery alright. She was beginning to feel her heart race. She hoped that he would pull through.

She was in mid pace when she saw the doctor approach. She felt her heart go up into her throat.

"Is he going to be ok?" she asked, worried. Crusher nodded and Lisa let a sigh of relief.

"Thank You," she said breathlessly. Crusher held up a hand, "it's Collin who should be thanking you," she stated. "After all, you're the one that saved his life".

Lisa didn't say anything. She hopped that Crusher was right.

"When can I see him?" She asked when she felt that she could talk. "Tomorrow," Crusher answered. "He's resting now and shouldn't be bothered."

Lisa, as hard as it was for her to hear this, understood. She nodded and hugged the doctor before she walked out.

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Lisa woke up the next morning feeling sad and angry. Sad because one of her closest friends was Sickbay, and angry because she wanted to know who would want to hurt someone that was so bright and outgoing to people.

She wondered into the main living area, where she found her dad and sisters sitting and eating breakfast. She plunkered herself down in the seat that was next to her father's . Riker looked at her, worriedly. "What happened with your friend?" he asked.

Lisa put her face on the table, "I don't know if I can say," she said in a hoarse voice.

Riker's worry and concerned deepened. "Are you ok?" he asked her, rubbing her back gently. Lisa shook her head and began to sob. Riker leaned over and gently placed her in his arms. Something about the night before had upset her. And he was going to find out what it was.

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When Lisa got to Sickbay, she was surprised to see that Collin had some visitors already. She stood in the door way for a second before she went on. "Excuse me," she began politely, causing the others to look at her, "my name is Lisa Riker, who are you?" she asked.

A man stepped forward, "My name is Michael O'Lara, this is my wife, Caroline, and my younger son: Riley," he said. The other two members of Collin's family nodded when he introduced them. Lisa thought that she sensed fear coming off of them, but she didn't say anything out loud. She turned attention back the man that she assumed was Collin's father.

"You're an ensign," she said, taking note of the pip on his collar. The older man looked disgusted with her for bringing up his rank.

"Yes, I am, I work in Engineering," he told her. She looked at the woman, who had on a blue science uniform, much like the one that her mother used to have. She thought that she saw bruises on the woman's face as well, but she kept that to herself.

"Excuse me," she said a moment later, backing away but not taking her eyes off of the older man.

She waited until she was almost at the door, then turned around and headed for the doctor's office. Crusher was sitting behind her desk, working on a report. She looked up when she saw Lisa.

"I think that we should get security down here," Lisa said in a hushed voice. Crusher's eye brows went up, and then she nodded.

Good, thought Lisa, she noticed the bruises on Collin's mom too.

Crusher reached over and touched a button on her desk, "Crusher to Security, please report to Sickbay on the double".

"On the way, Doctor, what is the problem?" Lisa heard her father's voice ask. It was Lisa that spoke up, "Can't say right now, can we meet in private?" she asked.

She could practically hear her father exchanging looks with Captain Picard. It was a moment before she got any answer. "Yes, the Captain has agreed to let us use his ready room."

"I'm on my way," she said, heading out of the door just as the team got there. She stopped and waited for a minute as Crusher directed the team. She then watched something that she wouldn't forget: O'Lara, in a fit of anger, smacked his wife so hard that she was knocked out . Lisa felt certain now that she was going to do the right thing.

She turned and headed for the bridge.

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Riker looked at his daughter, listening to what she was telling him. "You're sure?" he asked, sitting against the Captain's clear desk. Lisa nodded, "I wish that I wasn't."

Riker shook his head, he, like many people, had thought the human race was beyond using violence in any shape or form.

"So Collin was the friend that you had to help last night," he stated. Lisa nodded again.

"I don't think that this is the first time that he's been hit like this either," she said, letting out her thoughts.

Riker gave her a look of confusion, "what do you mean?" he asked. Lisa took a step closer to the desk, taking a deep breath along the way. "He misses a lot of school, and he's always 'falling into something' or 'walking into' something", she said.

"Lis, some people are clumsy, even me," Riker explained. Lisa shook her head, "How many people do you know walk into a door? Especially in this day and age?" she asked. Riker considered it. She had him there.

"One other thing," she said just as he was about to get up to leave, he turned to look at her, "what?"

Lisa took another deep breath, she knew that there was going to be no easy way to say this, "I just saw him smack his wife," she said.

Riker just looked at her. "You did the right thing," he told her a moment later.

Lisa knew that he was right. She also knew that the hard part was just beginning.

But she was ready for it.

End of Chapter.

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