Disclaimer: Don't own them.
Authors note: This is the simplest/most plausable way I could explain how Lucas developed hydrocephalus. I really didn't want to go into a more serious medical conditon that would require deep medical explainations. What I have given him does have varying forms of severity. I left it vague for that reason. (I know it can be serious, I'm not trying to make light of the condition.)

Special Thanks: Mary thank you! She really helped me with this. Thanks to everyone who sent me ideas. Keafers- my beta. She puts up with my constant revisions and different sense of humor.

This will be revised, I don't know when though.

SeaQuest 0900

Lucas walked into the Med Bay knowing it was going to be a long day. Kristen had shown him the list of tests she had planned for the day. The only tests not being run on him were a pregnancy test and a barium test.

He walked into Kristen's office and said "Dr. Livingston, I presume?"

"What? Oh, hi Lucas. Are you ready for some fun?"

"Fun for you or fun for me? Swimming with Darwin is fun, or hacking a virgin server, but not being a lab rat."

"A virgin server?"

"An unhacked server."

Kristen just shook her head. Computer hackers had a different grasp on reality.

"Are you ready to begin?"

"Sure! S & M! S & M!"

Kristen rolled her eyes, "It's not going to be that bad. Lets start with the blood draws and X rays."

With that Lucas was off for a day of long tests. He was cooperative, but he really didn't like being messed with that much. Around noon they took a break for lunch. It was partially to give Lucas a break, but also it gave the staff time to analyze the test results.

Lucas walked into the mess and got a ham and cheese sandwich. It looked better than the hot food. He sat down by Miguel and Tim.

"Feeling like a lab rat yet?" Tim asked.

"More than you know."

"Has she found anything?" Miguel asked.

"Not yet, but I've been exposed to enough radiation to make me sterile."

"I thought all computer geeks were sterile." Tim laughed as Miguel tried to look innocent.

"Only the ones that played with nuclear stuff at an early age. I wasn't able to play with it until I was 7."

Tim laughed as he was trying to take a drink. Tea almost came out of his nose.

"Don't say stuff like that when I'm taking a drink!"

Lucas and Miguel just laughed.

"How many more tests do you have to do today?" Tim asked.

"I have 1 more stress test today. I'll trade you for whatever you guys are doing."

Miguel and Tim looked at him, then said "Deal!"

Lucas looked at them and then asked "Why?"

Miguel looked at Lucas and said "We're doing equipment testing. Mother and Loner are arguing over a current. I'll be in Med Bay before the end of the day for headache medication."

"You think that is bad? The last time we crash dove, some wires were severed or pulled loose. I had to crawl through all the ducts until found exactly where they were. Katie had to help me. I will be so glad when this is done."

"On second thought, I'll stay with Doc. At least she has mercy."

"Don't you have to do any testing?" asked Miguel.

"Yeah, I have to do a viral sweep of the main frame, plus some other code testing. I get to do that after Kristen is done with me."

Nathan walked up to the table, curious about what they were talking about.

"Are you trying to get them out of testing?"

Lucas smiled, "No, I'd never do that."

"Good, then get me out of it."

Miguel and Tim looked slightly shocked, then just laughed.

"Not only do I have to do my own tests, I also get to write up reports from all the reports I receive."

Lucas shook his head, "And I thought being a lab rat was bad."

"Has she found anything yet?"

"Not yet. I have no bacterial or viral infections, all my scans have been normal, and no I'm not pregnant."

"Why did they run that test?" Miguel asked.

"The lab tech decided since he'd done every other test on the blood, that one wouldn't hurt."

Nathan smiled at the thought of Lucas with a positive pregnancy test. That would be something interesting to explain.

"Did they find out anything else that was expected?"

"No, The usual lecutre: I need to eat better and get more sleep."

Kristen walked up to the group. She looked at Lucas's empty tray.

"What did you eat?"

"A ham and cheese sandwich. It was the least scary choice."

"Did you see the chief's surprise? It was almost better to chase down your own food." Tim said.

"It's not that bad." said Nathan as he attempted to stir his chief's surprise.

Tim stabbed his with a fork, while Miguel said "Ow! Ow! Let me go!"

Lucas laughed, while Nathan tried not to laugh at their antic. Finally they finished lunch. Lucas and Kristen headed back to the lab, while the rest of the crew went back to testing equipment.

Lucas started the stress test, while Kristen went over his records. She had records from age 3 to the present. She wondered why she didn't have the complete record. She sent a request to the server for his records from birth. Lucas was just getting off of the treadmill when she entered the lab.

"How are you feeling?"

Lucas inhaled deeply, "Computer hackers do not run for fun."

"It didn't kill you. Take off your shirt, so I can take off the heart monitors."

He did as she asked. As he turned around, Kristen noticed a very old scar running transverse along the small of his back. Kristen ran her finger lightly over the scar. Lucas shivered as she did.

"That feels weird!" Lucas said as he pulled away from her.

"Do you remember how you got this scar on your back?" asked Kristen as she continued to study the thin white line.

"Which one?"

"The one that runs along the small of your back."

"I don't know. It has always been there. Why?"

"What do you mean by which one?"

"I have several on my back. I have one on right shoulder from when I was 2. I pulled Cynthia's curling iron off the sink. I also have one on my left side from when I was 6. Lawerence asked me if I'd ever seen a match burn twice."

Kristen looked shocked, "He burned you with a match?"

"Yup, good ole dad! It was supposed to be ok, though, he was drunk when he did it, so that excuses everything."

Lucas's sarcasm showed in his eye's as well as his voice.

He could see that the subject was upsetting Kristen, so he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry about it, that was a long time ago. Plus, they haven't wanted anything to do with me since they sent me to college."

Kristen shook her head. She was starting to acquire an excessive dislike for the Wolenczeks. She squeezed his shoulder. He surprised her when he turned around and hugged her. She hugged him back. When the embrace ended, she noticed Lucas's grin. It was one that meant Lucas was up to something.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing...Just glad to rub some of my sweat off on you!"

"Your terrible!" Kristen said as she laughed.

"Why are you curious about my scar?"

"It looks like an old surgical scar. The records I have say nothing about any surgeries. I also don't have some of your records."

"What type of surgery?"

"I'm not sure, but this may be a lead to the way you mysteriously developed hydrocephalus."

"What do you mean?"

"The way the scar runs suggests you may have had a form of spina bifida as an infant."

"What exactly is that?"
"It is a interaction of genetic predisposition with an essential nutrient deficiency(folic acid). In English, it means that you had part of your spinis process missing. This allowed the cerebral spinal fluid to push out the skin and form a sac. They remove the sac and the child normally suffers no other problems."

"Then how does this relate to my shunt now?"

"If there is some injury to the sac, it can cause complications. One of those is hydrocephalus. I don't know why we would be seeing such a complication now, but it is the only thing I can see as a possibility right now."

"Ok, but what does that mean about my shunt? Does it have to stay in?"
"I can see no reason to remove it. It may be permanent, I don't know. Why?"

"The guys are already saying the tube transports my one brain cell from one brain to the other."

Kristen tried to stifle her laughter, but failed.

"Laugh all you want, at least I have two brains!"

"Yet let males get in a group of 3 or more, and they can not seem to use either one."

"To shay, Doctor, to shay."

"Lets get the last blood draw done, then your free."

"Thanks."

"You've been very cooperative, so as a reward, you are free tomorrow as well."

"Does that mean I can go swimming?"

"No. You aren't to submerge the incision sites for at least another week."

"But!"

"But nothing. I am not taking any chances."

"Yes Mom!"

Kristen smiled as she drew the blood. "I can be much worse, just ask my daughter."

Lucas threw his arms up in jest and said "I give up! Please be merciful!"

Kristen laughed, then said "Go! Be good and don't get Ben in trouble."

Lucas smiled, "Wouldn't dream of it."

"Which one, being good, or getting Ben in trouble?"

"Either!" With that, Lucas was off to play with Darwin.

2000 hours

Kristen finally got the records she requested. She had to threaten peoples lives, but she had succeeded. The records corresponded with her theory. The sac had been removed when Lucas was 4 months old. The nurses notes stated that there had been some cranial swelling. It had been measured and documented. Lucas's head had swelled only slightly, but it may have been enough to cause damage. She sighed, letting out some of her tension as she did. At least now she had a plausible cause.

Nathan knocked softly on her door, making her jump. Nathan smiled. She nodded for him to enter.

"How are you doing?"

"Not bad, I think I have figured out how Lucas developed hydrocephalus."

"What would that be?"

"He had spina bifida as an infant. This can possibly cause hydrocephalus. I don't know why it has taken so long for him to show the signs, but that is the most logical answer I can find."

"What does it mean for him now?"

"I don't really know. The shunt corrected the swelling, so that's what we'll go with for now."

Nathan could see the fatigue in Kristen's eyes.

"Are you done for tonight?"

"Yes, but there is something I'd like to ask you."

"What?"

"Have you seen the scars on Lucas's back?"

"Yes, he told me about some of them."

Nathan could see the anger in Kristen's eyes.

"I take it he told you about the match burn."

"Yes. How could his own father do that?"

"Kristen, there isn't much I would put past those two."

Kristen could see Nathan was no happier about the thought, but there was little they could do to erase the past. She did know it would benefit the Wolenczeks to stay away from Lucas. They had shown little care about him during the time he was on the SeaQuest. She and Nathan loved the boy like he were their own son.

"I just couldn't even think of doing that to any child, especially my own."

"I know. I know I made my share of mistakes with Robert, but never anything intentional."

"True. My daughter almost pulled the iron off the ironing board when she was 8 months old."

"It was my turn to watch Robert when he fell off the couch and hit his head on the coffee table. He was 2 yrs. old at the time. He had a pretty bad cut from it."

"It probably scared you to death didn't it?"

"You could say that. A screaming child, plus all the blood."

"How many stitches did he need?"

"Only three. It still woke me up with how easily a child can get hurt."

Nathan smiled at Kristen.

"Buy you a cup of gourmet mess coffee?"

"Only if it has a piece of chocolate cake with it."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea."

They walked to the mess, each a little more relaxed about life in general.


End Note: Spina bifida has varying forms of severity and complications. It is normally corrected 12-24 hours after birth. The long term results depend on the condtion of the spinal cord and nerves. The outcomes range from normal development to paralysis.