Sorry for the delay.. My fault :)
If Only Memories Could be Erased As Easily [Chapter 5]
Running blindly down the corridor, Lucas didn't even stop when he slammed into an officer. He hobbled for a few steps as he tried to untangle himself from the fallen officer, and kept running.
He didn't know where he was going, only that he was running out of time. 'I have to hurry,' Lucas thought desperately. 'But where do I go? What do I do? He knows my secret!'
When he stopped to catch his breath, he realized with a start that he heard Tony's footsteps behind him and catching up fast. Muttering under his breath, he chose the first door he came to and opened it.
Stepping inside, he prayed that it would close without Tony noticing. Sweat poured down his face as he stood there shaking like a leaf. He listened as the footsteps got louder and louder...
And quickly receded into the distance.
Tony had not heard the noise.
Lucas took this opportunity to take a look at his surroundings. He found himself in a dimly lit storeroom packed with boxes and boxes. Sighing, he sank down next to a large box and tried to take in gulps of precious oxygen.
Fear gripped his heart as he realized everyone would know what he had done to himself recently. The scars on his wrist would eventually fade, but the scars on his heart never would. Tears streaked down his face as he banged the back of his head up against the box cursing himself for failing.
*~*
Tony muttered as he realized he was without a clue as to where Lucas currently was. He went to his next plan: go see Dr. Westphalen. And so he did. He only hoped that she could somehow help. If anyone could...
She barely glanced up as he came through the door, obviously very busy tending to her newest patient. "Doctor," he started to say.
"Tony, can't see you see I am very busy? Unless it's an emergency, I don't want to hear it!" she snapped without looking up.
"It's an emergency," Tony said simply. "It's about Lucas." The doctor motioned for her assistant to take over and led Tony into her office, closing the door behind them.
*~*
Lucas tapped his fingers against his hunched up knees in rhythm to the ominous beating of his frantic heart. The heaviness of his heart weighed down on him at this particular moment. He felt like he could suffocate at any given moment.
He raised a hand to his face, and felt the tears that lined his cheeks. A small shudder racked his body as he brought his head to his knees. After several seconds, a small whimpering came from his lips as he attempted to keep his anguish quiet. He didn't want his hiding place to be found. By now they must have the entire boat searching for him, he reckoned...
He didn't even have the energy to move right now. He kept his back hunched over as he gripped his two hands together in front of his knees, rocking back and forth with an occasional cry that gave away the pain his soul felt. A pain so fresh and hurtful that he imagined no one else could hurt worse than he, right now. He was alone in the world.
So very alone...
*~*
Doctor Westphalen's assistant looked up as the door to her office opened. Out stepped a very stressed looking doctor. Tony came out from behind her, his step noticeably slower, shame evident in his eyes.
"I'm going to need you to look after this patient," Doctor Westphalen stated to the assistant. "That okay?"
The assistant nodded, and watched with a puzzled frown as the door closed behind the two.
She didn't know Lucas very well, but she knew something had to be up. Shrugging, she returned back to her work of mending this patient. She still had a job to do, mystery or no mystery.
*~*
"Okay, so..." Dr. Westphalen said slowly. "You think Lucas is in danger of hurting himself?" she asked.
Tony nodded, keeping his eyes cast downward as they briskly walked. "I ran after him, and he got away. I don't know where he's at. I thought you'd know, since you're so close to him..." he trailed off.
"Why didn't you ask the Captain?" Dr. Westphalen asked. "Not that asking me was a bad idea, but I was just wondering," she added as they walked down the corridor.
Tony shrugged. "You were a closer walk than he was."
She nodded, silently accepting his answer. Taking a deep breath, she replied "Well, we'd better find him. And I have an idea of where at he's hiding."
*~*
Lucas gripped the edges of his shirt between his fingers, mindlessly playing with them. Time seemed to have stood still in this little hiding place of his. Hidden partially behind boxes, it would be hard for a person to find him in this room unless they were directly searching for him and knew what to look for.
Sighing, he pushed down the cuff of his shirt and stared at his wrist. The veins in it were deep blue, almost purple in color. The scars formed intricate patterns that gracefully danced around his veins. He longed for something sharp. He refused to fail again.
He wasn't even sure how he failed the first time, only that he wussed out and tried to stop the bleeding himself. That was how no one knew what had happened to him - he simply hid the marks beneath the cuffs of his shirt. And eventually all that was left were faint scars.
He knew he had to move soon. He doubted he could stay here forever.
As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and in stepped the doctor and Tony. He shrank back, trying to make himself into a tiny little ball, hoping against hope he was not seen.
If they found him now, they would stop him. And he didn't want that. He held his breath, waiting for the inevitable signal that he had been found.
tbc
If Only Memories Could be Erased As Easily [Chapter 5]
Running blindly down the corridor, Lucas didn't even stop when he slammed into an officer. He hobbled for a few steps as he tried to untangle himself from the fallen officer, and kept running.
He didn't know where he was going, only that he was running out of time. 'I have to hurry,' Lucas thought desperately. 'But where do I go? What do I do? He knows my secret!'
When he stopped to catch his breath, he realized with a start that he heard Tony's footsteps behind him and catching up fast. Muttering under his breath, he chose the first door he came to and opened it.
Stepping inside, he prayed that it would close without Tony noticing. Sweat poured down his face as he stood there shaking like a leaf. He listened as the footsteps got louder and louder...
And quickly receded into the distance.
Tony had not heard the noise.
Lucas took this opportunity to take a look at his surroundings. He found himself in a dimly lit storeroom packed with boxes and boxes. Sighing, he sank down next to a large box and tried to take in gulps of precious oxygen.
Fear gripped his heart as he realized everyone would know what he had done to himself recently. The scars on his wrist would eventually fade, but the scars on his heart never would. Tears streaked down his face as he banged the back of his head up against the box cursing himself for failing.
*~*
Tony muttered as he realized he was without a clue as to where Lucas currently was. He went to his next plan: go see Dr. Westphalen. And so he did. He only hoped that she could somehow help. If anyone could...
She barely glanced up as he came through the door, obviously very busy tending to her newest patient. "Doctor," he started to say.
"Tony, can't see you see I am very busy? Unless it's an emergency, I don't want to hear it!" she snapped without looking up.
"It's an emergency," Tony said simply. "It's about Lucas." The doctor motioned for her assistant to take over and led Tony into her office, closing the door behind them.
*~*
Lucas tapped his fingers against his hunched up knees in rhythm to the ominous beating of his frantic heart. The heaviness of his heart weighed down on him at this particular moment. He felt like he could suffocate at any given moment.
He raised a hand to his face, and felt the tears that lined his cheeks. A small shudder racked his body as he brought his head to his knees. After several seconds, a small whimpering came from his lips as he attempted to keep his anguish quiet. He didn't want his hiding place to be found. By now they must have the entire boat searching for him, he reckoned...
He didn't even have the energy to move right now. He kept his back hunched over as he gripped his two hands together in front of his knees, rocking back and forth with an occasional cry that gave away the pain his soul felt. A pain so fresh and hurtful that he imagined no one else could hurt worse than he, right now. He was alone in the world.
So very alone...
*~*
Doctor Westphalen's assistant looked up as the door to her office opened. Out stepped a very stressed looking doctor. Tony came out from behind her, his step noticeably slower, shame evident in his eyes.
"I'm going to need you to look after this patient," Doctor Westphalen stated to the assistant. "That okay?"
The assistant nodded, and watched with a puzzled frown as the door closed behind the two.
She didn't know Lucas very well, but she knew something had to be up. Shrugging, she returned back to her work of mending this patient. She still had a job to do, mystery or no mystery.
*~*
"Okay, so..." Dr. Westphalen said slowly. "You think Lucas is in danger of hurting himself?" she asked.
Tony nodded, keeping his eyes cast downward as they briskly walked. "I ran after him, and he got away. I don't know where he's at. I thought you'd know, since you're so close to him..." he trailed off.
"Why didn't you ask the Captain?" Dr. Westphalen asked. "Not that asking me was a bad idea, but I was just wondering," she added as they walked down the corridor.
Tony shrugged. "You were a closer walk than he was."
She nodded, silently accepting his answer. Taking a deep breath, she replied "Well, we'd better find him. And I have an idea of where at he's hiding."
*~*
Lucas gripped the edges of his shirt between his fingers, mindlessly playing with them. Time seemed to have stood still in this little hiding place of his. Hidden partially behind boxes, it would be hard for a person to find him in this room unless they were directly searching for him and knew what to look for.
Sighing, he pushed down the cuff of his shirt and stared at his wrist. The veins in it were deep blue, almost purple in color. The scars formed intricate patterns that gracefully danced around his veins. He longed for something sharp. He refused to fail again.
He wasn't even sure how he failed the first time, only that he wussed out and tried to stop the bleeding himself. That was how no one knew what had happened to him - he simply hid the marks beneath the cuffs of his shirt. And eventually all that was left were faint scars.
He knew he had to move soon. He doubted he could stay here forever.
As if on cue, the door to the room opened, and in stepped the doctor and Tony. He shrank back, trying to make himself into a tiny little ball, hoping against hope he was not seen.
If they found him now, they would stop him. And he didn't want that. He held his breath, waiting for the inevitable signal that he had been found.
tbc