Chapter 6 -- Trapped

Chapter 6 -- Trapped

Believe me, believe me

I can't tell you why,

But I'm trapped by your love

And I'm chained to your side.

"Jonny . . . "

With an effort, Jonny yanked his thoughts away from Jessie and Ruben Calderone and turned to Brandon. "Hey, I thought you were supposed to be asleep!"

"I woke up. What were you doing?"

"Talking to Jessie."

Brandon sat up eagerly. "Is she still there? Can I talk with her?"

Jonny shook his head. "She's gone now, but we'll try again tomorrow at this time."

Brandon looked at him closely. "Is something wrong? You look funny."

Jonny smiled with difficulty. "No, everything is fine. I was just thinking really hard. Are you still sleepy?"

"No."

"Well, then why don't you come over here and we'll do some web surfing and see what we can find."

Brandon bounced out of bed and came over to the desk. He looked at the computer doubtfully. "I don't know much about computers. Mom would never let me touch the one at home. She said she knew I would break it."

Jonny felt a sharp spurt of anger. Casually, he said, "They aren't hard. Grab that chair and pull it over here and I'll show you." When Benton stuck his head through the doorway to check on them about an hour later, they were both so engrossed they didn't even notice him.

***

Later that evening, the three of them sat at the dinner table. Brandon was chatting excitedly with Benton, telling him about using the computer, what they had found on the web, and the plans to talk with Jessie the next day. Benton was amused at the child's excitement. He was so incredibly easy to please. Benton glanced casually at his son . . . and then looked at him more closely. Jonny sat, staring blindly at a spot about three inches in front of his plate. It didn't look like he had eaten anything at all. And there was something about him . . . Benton couldn't quite place it, but he was sure there was something wrong. He started to say something, but stopped himself. Whatever it was, he didn't think it needed to be aired in front of Brandon. He would wait and talk with Jonny later.

"So, Brandon, are you ready for school tomorrow?"

The boy's smile dimmed. "Do I really have to go? I'm not very good in school."

"I'm afraid you do. That was one of the conditions the judge put on letting you stay with us. And both Jonny and I will help you if you run into trouble. I know it's hard, switching schools like this, but the schools in Rockport are very good and I think you will like your teacher. She was Jonny's teacher when he was your age."

The boy brightened. "Really? That's pretty cool! I'll do the best I can, Dr. Quest. I promise I'll try real hard."

Benton Quest rose and began to clear the dishes. "I know you will, Brandon. And I also know that you'll do just fine. I want you to promise me, though, that you won't hesitate to ask for help if you need it. There is nothing wrong with admitting you don't understand something. Jonny and I will give you as much help as you need. Is it a deal?"

The boy's smile was radiant. "Deal!"

Benton turned to his son. "Are you finished, Jonny?"

"Huh?" He focused with difficulty. "I'm sorry, Dad, what?"

"I asked if you were finished?"

Jonny looked down at his plate. "Oh, yeah, I'm done."

He hardly touched it, Benton thought. Something is definitely wrong here.

Jonny rose and picked up his plate. "Why don't you let me clean up? I told Brandon you would show him the lab this evening. I can do this while you give him the guided tour." As he turned to begin collecting dishes, he caught the leg of the table across one shin with a sickening crack. Benton winced, but other than a slight grimace and a quick rub with his hand, Jonny barely acknowledged the injury.

Benton studied him with concern. Finally, he said, "All right. Come on, Brandon. I'm working on some things I think you'll find interesting."

But Brandon didn't move, staring at Jonny worriedly. "Jonny, what's wrong? You've been acting funny ever since I woke up. Have I done something to make you mad?"

Jonny looked up quickly and smiled. "Of course not! If you had done something to upset me I would tell you, Brandon. I've just got some things to think about right now . . . nothing to do with you. Go ahead. You and Dad have fun, and I'll clean up here. And get your jacket . . . it's cold out tonight and the walk to the lighthouse is a long one."

"Okay." Brandon turned and ran from the room. They could hear him ascending the stairs.

Benton moved to his son's side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong, Jonny? Brandon's right. You aren't acting like yourself."

Jonny shrugged. "I talked with Jessie this evening on IRC."

"And?"

"Things are going well. She's enjoying herself."

"And?" Jonny shrugged again. "Come on, son. Something's upset you. What is it?"

"She's found a new boyfriend."

Benton stared at his son in astonishment. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It was almost all she could talk to me about. His name is Ruben and he's an intern for Estella on the dig. He's from USC." They heard Brandon descending the stairs. Jonny took his handful of dishes and moved toward the kitchen.

"Jonny, this doesn't sound right. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yeah. Later."

He sounds so despondent, Benton thought. This just doesn't make any sense. Jonny and Jessie had been devoted to each other for over a year . . . ever since the business with Francesca Hamilton early last fall. And they'd been to hell and back during that time. This was the last thing either he or Race had worried about. As parents, they had both been concerned about the relationship developing between their two kids. But those worries were much more along the lines of how physical the relationship was getting, and what the two of them were doing when they weren't being chaperoned. He didn't think either of them considered the possibility that the relationship might crumble. Benton was sure Jonny had to be wrong about this . . . he was misreading something because he missed her so much. That had to be it. Well, he'd just have to talk with him about it later.

***

Benton ended up spending most of the evening in the lighthouse with Brandon. He showed Brandon some of his inventions and current research, and let him use some of the equipment. He even let him help work on one of the projects. At first, Brandon was hesitant, convinced that he would mess something up. But finally, after Benton convinced him that he didn't have to worry, he became so engrossed that he didn't want to quit. Benton practically had to drag him away. The entire time, Benton kept expecting Jonny to join them. He had anticipated that Jonny would introduce Brandon to QuestWorld. But he never showed up. When they went back to the house about 9:30, the kitchen and dining room were immaculate, but Jonny was nowhere to be found. Both of them searched the house but couldn't find him. Then Brandon started to worry again.

"But Dr. Quest, I don't know what I did! I didn't mean to make him mad." The boy was close to tears.

Benton reached out and hugged him. "Brandon, you didn't do anything. This has nothing to do with you." He looked at the boy quietly for a moment, debating with himself, and then said, "This is a personal problem of Jonny's."

Brandon looked at him for a minute and then said slowly, "Something to do with Jessie."

The older man looked at him sharply. "Why do you say that?"

"Because when I woke up this afternoon, he looked really funny. I asked him what was wrong but he said 'nothing'. He had been talking to Jessie on the computer. He told me so."

Benton sighed. "I think they had a fight."

"But they love each other. Why would they fight?"

"Sometimes couples do that. It's natural. They don't always get along. And Jessie and Jonny have been apart for a while now. That makes it even harder."

"Where is she? Why would she go away and leave him?"

Benton led the boy into the family room and they both sat down on the sofa. "Did you know that Jessie's parents are divorced, just like yours are?" Brandon shook his head. "Well, they are. And a couple of months ago Jessie and her mother were kidnapped by this man who was very sick. While trying to get them back, Jessie's dad discovered that . . . well . . . let's just say that Jessie's parents are trying to get back together again, and Jessie is with them. They're in Colombia right now and have been for a while. It's not easy to be apart like that."

"I know. I remember how unhappy Jonny was when we all thought Jessie was dead."

Startled, Benton exclaimed, "What? Dead?! When was this?"

"In California. Jessie and Mica were gone when the earthquake happened and the dam broke. We all thought she and Mica were dead."

"They never told me about that."

"Jonny was so miserable. He really wanted to go back and look for her, but he wouldn't do it because of all the little kids. And then that night everyone started asking him all these questions. He didn't like it . . . you could tell . . . but he answered us. Even when Tasha asked him if he loved Jessie."

"And what did he say?"

It was Brandon's turn to debate with himself. Finally, he said, "That he loved her. And missed her. And that he wanted to marry her one day."

Benton sat back abruptly, stunned. He and Race had known that the young couple was very close. But he had no idea things had gone that far for his son. He wondered if Jessie felt the same way. Was it possible that Jessie might be backing off from their relationship because she wasn't ready for that kind of commitment? Was that the problem? My God, Benton thought. He's only 17! He seriously needed to talk with his son!

Benton took a deep breath. "Brandon, I want to ask you to do me a very big favor. I need to talk with Jonny. It's getting late. Will you go up and get ready for bed? I think I know where he is and I want to go check. I won't be off the premises and I'll be back in the house in less than 10 minutes. Can you do that for me?"

Nodding, Brandon stood. "Will he be all right?"

Benton smiled and hugged the boy. "Yes, I'm sure he will be. He's just a little down right now. That goes with getting older sometimes. It's why I want to talk with him. I'll be back in just a few minutes. Will you be okay for that time?"

"Yeah. Will you come see me before I go to sleep?"

"You get ready and get into the bed and both of us will come up and tuck you in very soon." The boy headed for the stairs and Benton went into the kitchen and grabbed his coat. He tugged it on as he left the house and headed out across the lawn. Ever since the family had left Palm Key and settled here in Maine, when Jonny needed time alone to think, he would go out to the seacliffs above the boat dock and sit on the edge looking out to sea. It used to drive Benton crazy, fearing that one day there would be an accident and he would fall. But nothing he ever tried stopped his son from migrating to that place when he was upset. It was as though that particular spot was capable of calming the storms of whatever was raging in him, in a way nothing else could. Finally, Benton had quit trying, and just prayed that nothing would ever happen.

There was a strong, gusty wind blowing in from the northeast, bringing with it the feel of snow. Out over the sea, Benton could see a wall of solid black against the lighter black of the night sky. He could hear the characteristic wail of the wind through the jagged rocks of the cliffs ahead of him, as it gusted through the cracks and crevices. Somehow, the wail sounded even more mournful than usual. Benton shivered in the cold wind. He hoped Jonny was out here. If he wasn't, he had no idea where to look.

Slowly, as he approached the cliff wall, he began to discern a shape that finally resolved itself into the silhouette of his son. Hunched up against the biting wind, he sat on the edge, staring out into the darkness at the storm moving in from the ocean. Benton moved up to stand slightly behind and to one side of him. He laid a gentle hand on his son's head, the way he used to do when he was a child, and silently gazed out over the ocean as well. For a very brief moment, Benton thought he could feel Jonny lean against him the way he used to do when he was little, and had come to him for comfort. But in the same instant, it was gone, leaving Benton wondering if he had imagined it. For a time both of them were silent.

Finally, Jonny said, "We'll have snow by morning."

His father responded softly, "Looks like it." He was quiet for a moment longer. "Brandon's waiting for us to put him to bed." Benton could feel his son sigh.

"We should go in then, I guess." Carefully, Jonny slid back from the edge and stood up. The two of them moved back toward the house in silence. As they entered the house, Benton looked over at him. The young man looked half frozen and there was a blue tinge to his lips.

He frowned. "How long were you out there?"

Jonny shrugged. "I don't know. I wasn't playing attention."

"Let's go up and see Brandon. Then we'll come back downstairs and get something hot to drink and we can talk."

"There really isn't anything to say."

"I think there is. But it can wait for now." Benton put an arm around Jonny's shoulders and guided him toward the stairs leading to the second floor. They ascended the stairs in silence and moved to the bedroom door. When they opened it, they saw Brandon sitting up in bed waiting.

Jonny smiled and crossed to the bed. If the smile looked a little forced to his father, Brandon didn't seem to notice. He just looked very relieved to see them.

Jonny sat down next to the boy. "All ready for bed?"

Brandon nodded, then said, hesitantly, "I'm glad you're here. I was afraid you'd gone away."

Jonny reached out and put his arms around the boy. "I'm not going anywhere, Brandon. This is my home . . . and yours for as long as you need it. And I'm not upset at you. I promise, I'd tell you if you had done something to make me angry." Brandon clung to him tightly and Benton became aware that he was crying again. Jonny held him, laying his cheek against the boy's hair gently. "Shhhhh. It will be all right. I promise." Finally, the sobs began to subside and were eventually replaced by the hiccups. Jonny helped the boy slide down, and tucked the blankets snugly around him. He smiled and brushed the hair out of Brandon's eyes. "I want you to go to sleep now. I'm going downstairs for awhile and then I'll be up to bed. I'll be close, so if you need anything you just call me, okay?"

Brandon ignored the question. "Jonny . . . Jessie will come home, won't she? She hasn't gone away forever, has she? Like my dad?"

Benton Quest caught his breath. There was no hiding the pain this time. Jonny truly didn't believe she was ever coming back!

Jonny answered with difficulty. "I don't know, Brandon. She hasn't told me. Right now I don't know what she wants. All we can do is wait and see." It took everything he had to smile at the boy again. "But it's not something you need to worry about. That's my problem. Your problem is to get some sleep so you will be ready to go to school in the morning. Can you do that for me?"

Brandon's eyes were huge and worried, but he nodded. Jonny squeezed his shoulder gently and rose from the bed. "I'll be up soon." Jonny walked past his father and out the bedroom door.

Benton smiled at the boy and said, "Good night, Brandon."

"Good night, Dr. Quest." He paused briefly, looking at the older man. "Please make him feel better. Please."

"I'll do what I can. Sleep well."

Benton stepped out of the room and closed the door softly. Jonny was nowhere to be seen. He started to head downstairs to look for him, but something stopped him. Instead, he turned and moved to the door of Jessie's room. In the darkness, he could just make out the shape of his son. He sat slumped at her desk with his head cradled in his arms. Benton stood there for a minute, aching for his son. Finally, he crossed to him and laid a hand on his back. "Son, you can't assume the worst. You have to talk with her. Maybe you're jumping to conclusions."

Slowly, Jonny sat upright. His voice sounded tired and defeated. "No. I've lost her . . . I care for her so much, Dad. What am I going to do? How am I going to live through this?" He propped his elbows on the desk and lowered his head into his hands. Benton looked at him helplessly, saying nothing. Jonny had been right earlier. There was nothing you could say.