Part 4
Nathan was beginning to pace the living-room portion of the suite when his wayward son walked in fairly pale. "My God Lucas are you okay?" Grabbing Lucas in a fierce hug.
"Dad? Need air to breath," Lucas managed to get out.
Nathan brought the teen to arms length, but never actually released him. "I knew, I knew we should have talked about things last night. I should have woken you up but you just looked so peaceful I didn't have the heart to do it. Then the nightmare, Gods the nightmare, if ever there was a sign we needed to talk that was it…"
"Dad, dad! Stop rambling, what are you talking about?" Confusion riddled Lucas' face as he interrupted Nathan.
"I'm talking about yesterday, Kiddo, I'm so sorry I shook you like that. I have no excuse for it, none whatsoever, nor do I know why I did it. I just hope that you can forgive me, but I'll understand if you can't right now." Nathan finished, finally pausing to take a breath.
Lucas broke free of his father's grasp, circling the older man as he headed towards the sofa. "Shook me? Yesterday?" The youth's eyes flashed back and forth trying to figure out what Nathan was referring to. His eyes grew wide for a second as the realization hit him. "Oh that," he responded with a shrug of his slender shoulders. "I knew you didn't mean it, you were just concerned." Then a look of pure horror washed over his face. "Oh! You thought I'd be…that you'd …no dad, No! Never! I know you're not like them, or that you'd ever hurt me, but above all I know you love me." This time it was Lucas who initiated the hug, a rarity in its own right.
Both men moved over to the couch and sat down, each lost in their own fear of the other's turmoil. After several minutes Lucas suddenly broke the silence by asking "Dad what would happen if someone found out about me? I mean how easy would it be?"
Startled by the shift in topic Nathan stared at Lucas a moment before answering. "You mean the adoption?" Lucas nodded. "Since most of our friends know its bound to get out. For that matter the adoption is a matter of public record, anyone can see I adopted a child. What brought this on?" Concern for his son beginning to rise again.
"But I thought the adoptee's full name was kept off the public records to provide anonymity for the child?" a panic started in the teen's voice.
"True, because the law changed on 2011, so no one should be able to find out who you were before the adoption. Why are you asking about this?" Nathan's alarms started going off. If anyone hurt his son…
That law was passed specifically to prevent an adoptee's past from coming back to haunt him/her. All records, right back to the child's birth certificate, were altered to the new name. Essentially it erased the existence of which they were originally born as. Which is why adoptions were taken very seriously nowadays. Nathan and Lucas had been pretty fortunate that the Wolenczaks kept their son's picture out of the vids., helping to ensure his privacy. The research papers that Lucas had written and academic credits would also have been changed. It was Lucas Bridger that graduated from Stanford with top honors.
"A-Alexia, she…she called me Lucas Wolenczak. She called me Wol…Wol…" The panic took over and the words would no longer come out. Nathan just tried to comfort his son as best he could.
"Alexia Grantvin? How did she...? When did you see her?" The older man started to fume inside, but was careful not to let Lucas know. Thinking to himself, 'Damn, there were reasons the law had been passed, if someone's leaking information out about my son, heads will roll.' He continued to support Lucas until the teen calmed enough to speak again.
"When I went for a walk this morning I ended up in the garden on the roof. She was there too and eventually we started talking and laughing," Lucas smiled at the memory. "I guess we kinda lost track of the time because the next thing we knew some staffer from the hotel is telling us that you and Dr. Grantvin are looking for us. Why did you do that anyway? I left a note." Pausing just long enough to catch his breath and send his father a look of confusion and hurt.
"Then she starts panicking, saying she has to go, that he was going to kill her. She had a huge bruise on her face." Jumping off the sofa Lucas began to pace, anger emanating from him. "He hit her! When I tried to ask her about it I reached for her arm and caught her by the wrist. Oh yeah, her wrist was all bandaged, her fingers swelling. So I quickly let go and she takes off. When I go after her yelling that I want to help, she calls back saying I couldn't help her, no one could, but she called me Lucas Wolenczak." Confusion crossed the boy's face once more. "Said that not everyone could escape the way I did. Why are people like that? Why do parents have kids if all they do is want to hurt them?" Lucas broke down in anguished sobs and sank to the floor.
Nathan moved to his son's side, embracing Lucas as he cried himself out. Once the racking sobs had eased Nathan lifted the boy and maneuvered them back to the couch. There he had Lucas tell him everything from the beginning, asking for clarification when need. This process took well over an hour as Lucas had to take frequent breaks.
When he finally got what seemed to be the whole story Nathan was fuming. Both for Alexia and the abuse she seemed to suffer, and at her for being the cause of his son's emotional distress. Still there was no real proof, only Lucas' observations. Alexia had never acknowledged that the bruise came from her father. Lucas became extremely agitated when this was pointed out.
"Whoa! Hold on a minute, Kiddo, we can't just go around accusing her father of abuse, you know that, just in case he is innocent." Seeing Lucas' rebelliousness rising and continued, "we need to talk with her, find out what the story is."
His dad seemed far too logical at times as the words penetrated. "We?" Those bright blue eyes bore into Nathan's.
"Yes, we. I'm upset about this too" adding privately, 'I'd like to know where she got her information.' Nathan just held his son a moment more before Lucas pushed away. The older man just smiled, Lucas had never been one for physical contact and Nathan was surprised that Lucas had allowed so much already.
Lucas rose, beginning to pace once more, except this time he was lost in thought about how they were to approach Alexia. His father watched him until he became dizzy before rising from the couch and walked to the vid-link.
A matronly looking woman appeared on the screen. "Good morning Captain Bridger, how may I help you today?
"Good morning." Nathan put on his best smile, "I was hoping that you could patch me through to Alexia Grantvin's suite."
"I'm sorry sir Dr. and Ms. Grantvin are no longer staying with us," was the even reply.
"Really? Might I inquire as to when they checked out." A small weight began to settle in Nathan's stomach.
"I really shouldn't be telling you this, but according to our records they left about forty-five minutes ago. Was there anything else I can help you with sir?"
Nathan glanced up at his son, who'd stopped pacing mid-stride. Then turning back to the monitor, "No, thank you. You've been a great help." He terminated the link.
Nathan stood up straight and turned towards Lucas. Father and son just stared at each other, neither wanting to speak the truth out loud. They were too late.
On to part 5