If Only Memories Could be Erased As Easily [Chapter 7]
Tony ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a deep frustrated sigh. They had checked everywhere, it seemed. "What would Lucas do?" he whispered. And somehow the image of the bottles of anti-depressants filled his mind. "I'm an idiot!" he muttered, causing Kristin to give him a weird look.
"What is it, Tony?" she asked.
"I know where he's at! Come on!" he shouted behind his shoulder as he jogged back to his room.
"He must have doubled back while we were out searching," Tony sighed. "I didn't even think of it!" he muttered as he raced up to his door.
He attempted to push open the door, and when it didn't open he cursed out loud. "What the heck is going on?"
Westphalen whispered softly, "I think our genius put a security code on the door."
"Damnit!" Tony shouted, slapping his hand against the door. "Lucas! Answer me!" he yelled as he banged his fists against the cold, unforgiving metal. "Oh God... What have I done..." he whispered as he sank to the floor.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder, replying "Tony, it's okay. We'll get a team to decipher the code."
Westphalen made the necessary call to the Captain, telling him they needed people working on Lucas' door but not telling him why, only replying that he had better come down to see for himself.
Anxious minutes passed as the two waited for the Captain and his team. Each held the same thoughts. Was Lucas dead? What if he wasn't in there at all, what if it was a ruse to distract them from searching more? But Tony refused to accept that. 'No, in my heart I know Lucas is in that room,' he thought confidently.
Bridger jogged down the corridor, meeting them at the door. "What have we got?" he asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the Doctor and Tony. Tony was still lying on the floor, his eyes closed, muttering unintelligible comments to himself.
"First, we need a team to decipher the code placed on this door as a security measure," the doctor replied. She looked to uncomfortable to say anymore, but the Captain pressed her.
"Why?" he asked. "What is going on here? Where's Lucas?"
"In there," Tony said with a wave of his hand.
"Well... why doesn't he come out?" he asked.
"We don't think he wants too, Captain," the doctor said softly.
"And? Isn't the kid allowed a little bit of privacy now and then? Did he miss duty or something?" Confused, he looked at the two of his crew members again.
"We... We think he did something to himself," Tony replied with a sigh.
"Wh..What? Why would he do anything like that? You must be mistaken!" Bridger muttered angrily.
"You..." Tony said, a tear running down his cheek. "You didn't see the evidence, the bottles... You didn't see..." Choked up, he was unable to finish his sentence.
The Captain kneeled by the crestfallen officer. "What did you see?" he asked gently.
"He has a whole stash of bottles in his room, sir. Mostly anti-depressants. And...And..." Tony's lip quivered as he spoke.
"Go on, Tony," the Captain spoke softly, but firmly.
"He had cuts..." Tony finished feebly.
"Cuts? Where?" the doctor asked.
"On his wrist. They look like scars... Freshly healed." Tony sighed.
"Damnit!" the Captain cursed. "How far are you guys on the numbers?" he asked the officer standing behind him.
"4 digits out of 6 are known, Sir. We're trying our best."
"I know that, but please hurry!" the Captain ordered. He looked down as Tony moaned and hid his face in his hands.
"It's all my fault," Tony whispered.
Bridger laid a hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not Tony. None of us saw this coming," he whispered as he stole a glance at the door. "None of us."
"Got it, Sir!" one of the officers said excitedly. His fingers flew as he typed in the appropriate code. The door opened, and Bridger hurried in.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, but it wasn't this. The room was a mess, papers everywhere. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the room. And amidst it all lay the body of his friend, unconscious to the outside world.
His expression was one of pain; the drug must have caused a reaction inside him. Bridger wondered idly what else he had taken with the anti-depressants as he kneeled by the fallen boy. In his hand he clutched a blank piece of paper so hard that it had ripped into pieces where his nails struck it. Even unconscious you could tell he was suffering.
"Let me help him," Westphalen said gently as she attempted to move Bridger out of the way for her medical team.
'When had they got there?' he wondered to himself. He had been so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed.
"Okay," the Captain said shakily, his voice tired and strained. And in his stomach he began to feel the first stirrings of fear for his young friend. 'I'm the Captain!' he thought angrily. 'I'm supposed to be stronger than this! But who could be strong at a time like this?'
"Oh God," Kristin whispered without thinking. "His vitals are dropping!" A second later she shouted, "He stopped breathing!"
And the fear which had just started in Bridger's chest grew to immense size. Indeed, he thought as he looked at Lucas. His chest had stopped rising and falling. Any minute now his lips would start to turn blue from lack of oxygen.
'I already lost Robert! I can't lose you too, kid!' Bridger thought fiercely. 'Fight this!'
But Bridger wasn't even sure Lucas wanted to fight this anymore. He had done this to himself willingly. And that was almost enough for Bridger to get down on his knees and weep openly right there. He was scared. He had to admit it. He could face down fleets of submarines and armies of terrorists, but he could not watch his friend die. He could not.
'Fight this!' Bridger thought, willing the thought to enter the comatose boy's mind. But even as he helplessly watched, he realized the life was draining out of the boy. As the doctors frantically attempted to resuscitate the teenager, he noted with detached agony that his lips were turning blue. He wasn't getting enough oxygen.
Lucas was dying...
and it had been by his own hand.
tbc
Tony ran his fingers through his hair as he let out a deep frustrated sigh. They had checked everywhere, it seemed. "What would Lucas do?" he whispered. And somehow the image of the bottles of anti-depressants filled his mind. "I'm an idiot!" he muttered, causing Kristin to give him a weird look.
"What is it, Tony?" she asked.
"I know where he's at! Come on!" he shouted behind his shoulder as he jogged back to his room.
"He must have doubled back while we were out searching," Tony sighed. "I didn't even think of it!" he muttered as he raced up to his door.
He attempted to push open the door, and when it didn't open he cursed out loud. "What the heck is going on?"
Westphalen whispered softly, "I think our genius put a security code on the door."
"Damnit!" Tony shouted, slapping his hand against the door. "Lucas! Answer me!" he yelled as he banged his fists against the cold, unforgiving metal. "Oh God... What have I done..." he whispered as he sank to the floor.
The doctor placed a hand on his shoulder, replying "Tony, it's okay. We'll get a team to decipher the code."
Westphalen made the necessary call to the Captain, telling him they needed people working on Lucas' door but not telling him why, only replying that he had better come down to see for himself.
Anxious minutes passed as the two waited for the Captain and his team. Each held the same thoughts. Was Lucas dead? What if he wasn't in there at all, what if it was a ruse to distract them from searching more? But Tony refused to accept that. 'No, in my heart I know Lucas is in that room,' he thought confidently.
Bridger jogged down the corridor, meeting them at the door. "What have we got?" he asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the Doctor and Tony. Tony was still lying on the floor, his eyes closed, muttering unintelligible comments to himself.
"First, we need a team to decipher the code placed on this door as a security measure," the doctor replied. She looked to uncomfortable to say anymore, but the Captain pressed her.
"Why?" he asked. "What is going on here? Where's Lucas?"
"In there," Tony said with a wave of his hand.
"Well... why doesn't he come out?" he asked.
"We don't think he wants too, Captain," the doctor said softly.
"And? Isn't the kid allowed a little bit of privacy now and then? Did he miss duty or something?" Confused, he looked at the two of his crew members again.
"We... We think he did something to himself," Tony replied with a sigh.
"Wh..What? Why would he do anything like that? You must be mistaken!" Bridger muttered angrily.
"You..." Tony said, a tear running down his cheek. "You didn't see the evidence, the bottles... You didn't see..." Choked up, he was unable to finish his sentence.
The Captain kneeled by the crestfallen officer. "What did you see?" he asked gently.
"He has a whole stash of bottles in his room, sir. Mostly anti-depressants. And...And..." Tony's lip quivered as he spoke.
"Go on, Tony," the Captain spoke softly, but firmly.
"He had cuts..." Tony finished feebly.
"Cuts? Where?" the doctor asked.
"On his wrist. They look like scars... Freshly healed." Tony sighed.
"Damnit!" the Captain cursed. "How far are you guys on the numbers?" he asked the officer standing behind him.
"4 digits out of 6 are known, Sir. We're trying our best."
"I know that, but please hurry!" the Captain ordered. He looked down as Tony moaned and hid his face in his hands.
"It's all my fault," Tony whispered.
Bridger laid a hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not Tony. None of us saw this coming," he whispered as he stole a glance at the door. "None of us."
"Got it, Sir!" one of the officers said excitedly. His fingers flew as he typed in the appropriate code. The door opened, and Bridger hurried in.
He wasn't sure what he was expecting to see, but it wasn't this. The room was a mess, papers everywhere. It looked like a tornado had ripped through the room. And amidst it all lay the body of his friend, unconscious to the outside world.
His expression was one of pain; the drug must have caused a reaction inside him. Bridger wondered idly what else he had taken with the anti-depressants as he kneeled by the fallen boy. In his hand he clutched a blank piece of paper so hard that it had ripped into pieces where his nails struck it. Even unconscious you could tell he was suffering.
"Let me help him," Westphalen said gently as she attempted to move Bridger out of the way for her medical team.
'When had they got there?' he wondered to himself. He had been so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed.
"Okay," the Captain said shakily, his voice tired and strained. And in his stomach he began to feel the first stirrings of fear for his young friend. 'I'm the Captain!' he thought angrily. 'I'm supposed to be stronger than this! But who could be strong at a time like this?'
"Oh God," Kristin whispered without thinking. "His vitals are dropping!" A second later she shouted, "He stopped breathing!"
And the fear which had just started in Bridger's chest grew to immense size. Indeed, he thought as he looked at Lucas. His chest had stopped rising and falling. Any minute now his lips would start to turn blue from lack of oxygen.
'I already lost Robert! I can't lose you too, kid!' Bridger thought fiercely. 'Fight this!'
But Bridger wasn't even sure Lucas wanted to fight this anymore. He had done this to himself willingly. And that was almost enough for Bridger to get down on his knees and weep openly right there. He was scared. He had to admit it. He could face down fleets of submarines and armies of terrorists, but he could not watch his friend die. He could not.
'Fight this!' Bridger thought, willing the thought to enter the comatose boy's mind. But even as he helplessly watched, he realized the life was draining out of the boy. As the doctors frantically attempted to resuscitate the teenager, he noted with detached agony that his lips were turning blue. He wasn't getting enough oxygen.
Lucas was dying...
and it had been by his own hand.
tbc