Declaimer: If ya need to know, check out chapter one.
Personal Note- Thanks Zev! Also, thanks to KL- sorry about the headaches! Just
kidding- you're too cool. Thanks to Dag who is always there for me, you're a very good
friend I don't deserve. Dedicated to Steve- thanks for everything and the encouragement
to follow my dreams.
And now, back to the story!
Meaning of Life
By the untalented JOxER
Chapter 6
Nathan couldn't stop thinking about Lucas as he and Kristen walked toward the waiting
room. The kid was finally awake! It would only be a couple of weeks until he was
recovered enough to return home - to the seaQuest. Unable to contain his joy, the captain
chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Kristen questioned.
"Nothing, I'm just happy. Lucas is finally awake and will be back on the seaQuest in no
time! I'm so relieved..."
"I know what you mean, Nathan. These past four days have been agonizing, now the
heavy weight has been lifted from my shoulders."
Pausing briefly outside the door of the waiting room, Nathan gave Kristen's arm a gentle
squeeze to let her know that he felt the same way and then guided her inside. The pair
quickly spotted Ben Kreig sleeping on a couch, snoring loudly.
"I didn't know he snored," Kristen commented, trying hard not to laugh.
The pair noticed that the Lt. had a smile on his face. He was apparently having a good
dream - judging by his statement, a _very_ good dream.
"Should we wake him? He looks so happy," Kristen asked.
"He does look happy, doesn't he? All the more reason to wake him up!"
Nathan leaned over and shook Kreig out of his peaceful dream. Glancing up, Ben opened
his mouth to yell at whoever was disturbing him, but stopped short when he saw that it
was the captain.
"How was your dream, Lt.?" the captain smirked.
"Oh...was I talking out loud? It was...um...good," Ben responded hesitantly, lifting
himself from the couch.
"Bet it was about Nurse Bay."
"Um...no...um....it wasn't. So how's the kid?" Ben quickly changed the subject as he
stretched his tired arms. He couldn't admit his lovely dream was about Nurse Marcy
"Kreig"!
"He just woke up and is being moved to a private room. It's a good sign!" Kristen blurted
out before Nathan had a chance to respond.
"Can we see him?" Kreig asked.
"Indeed you can, Benny!" a voice from behind answered Ben's question. It was Nurse
Bay.
"Nurse Bay?" Ben questioned, a little stunned. Marcy was not in her regular scrubs,
instead she wore a short, khaki skirt and a dark blue blouse. The nurse looked pretty
classy, except for the purple shoes she were her constant companion.
"Please, it's just Marcy when I'm off duty. All that formal stuff is only for when I'm in
uniform," Marcy smiled at Ben's confused look. "I am a regular person, you know, not
some sort of cyborg nurse?"
"I'm sure the Lt. meant no offense," Nathan apologized, eyeing his Lt. "We can see Lucas
now?"
"Sure ya can! He was moved to room 218B - upstairs, toward the yellow lane. I talked to
Doc Chambers and, as long as you promise not to disturb him, you can go on up. Only
for a little while, though. You're under normal visitor's rules after that, okay - 9 am to 8
pm. That was the best I could do. Now, I have to go, but I'll be back on duty at ten.
Gonna pull double shifts the next few days and need all the sleep I can get!"
"Thank you, Nurs...Marcy. Goodnight," Nathan said. Marcy just responded with a smile
before heading off for a good night's sleep.
Nathan, Kristen and, now, Ben took the elevator to the second floor to see Lucas.
Strolling past room after room, it was impossible not to look inside some of the open
doors.
"Too many kids here," Ben began to say. "Just too many..."
"Did Marcy say 218A or B?" Kristen asked, changing the subject. She was sure it was
218, but some rooms were also labeled with letters.
"I think is was 'A', Doc," Ben guessed.
"I am sure it was 'B'!" Nathan retorted. Around the corner, they saw the '200' rooms.
None of the numbers made sense. They went from 200 A-C to 205 then 211 and 215.
"Weird hospital! Can't trust a hospital that doesn't know how to count."
"There's probably a reasonable explanation, Ben."
"Here it is - 218A," the Lt. announced, guiding the Captain and Kristen into a room.
Their gazes fixed on the sandy-blonde teenager lying on the bed - it wasn't their teenager.
The boy was startled to see visitors in his room and quickly straightened himself up.
"Hello?" the teenager greeted.
"Oh...sorry we woke you, son. I think we're in the wrong room," Kristen responded
apologetically.
"Oh...no need to apologize, ma'am. I don't really sleep, anyway," the kid replied. "Should
of known it was a mistake. Who would visit me...?" he added in a whisper, but it clear
enough for the visitors to hear. "Thanks for stopping by at three in the morning. The
name's Jesse."
"Thanks, Jesse, and don't worry, we'll stop by later. Now, get some sleep."
"Thank you, ma'am. I would love it if you came back, its impossible to sleep on a day
like this, too beautiful!"
"Goodnight for now!" Nathan said as the trio left the room. "Must have been 218B," he
muttered, walking from Jesse's room across to 218B.
This time it _was_ their teen asleep on the bed. Ben had already seen the condition Lucas
was in, but it still left the normally boisterous Lt. speechless. Struggling to hold back his
tears, Ben slumped into a nearby chair. The teenager's cast was elevated and the nasty
gash on his cheek was painfully noticeable, as well as the other bruises that had barely
begun to fade.
"Did they get the guy who did this, Captain?" Ben gasped, nearly choking on every
word.
"The truck driver never left the scene. He swore that it was an accident, and his passenger
supported the story. The police ruled it as an accident. No charges were filed."
"Was this the guy you were looking for?" a voice from behind startled Nathan and he
jumped. Turning quickly, he saw Jesse standing just inside the door.
"I told you to get some sleep, young man," Kristen scolded.
"You sound like my doctor, ma'am," Jess replied with a smirk. "I can't sleep so I walk the
halls till breakfast. So...what's his name?" He shrugged his head toward the bed.
"His name's Lucas, Jesse," Ben said.
"Oh. He looks bad. What happen to your son?" Jesse thoughtfully asked the obviously
worried captain.
"Lucas isn't my son, Jesse. He's part of my crew," Nathan explained. "He was hit by a car
and has been here for 6 days now."
"Oh. Sorry to hear that. So, where..." Before Jesse could finish his sentence, he was
interrupted by a 6-foot tall male nurse.
"Jesse! I thought I heard you in here. Come on, kid, back to bed," the nurse ordered
sternly before turning to the trio standing beside Lucas. "Sorry if Jesse is disturbing you.
My name is Alex . I take over the night shift for Nurse Bay. Again, sorry about Jesse.
He's a talker and doesn't always know when to stop."
"Quite all right. He wasn't bothering us at all."
"Thanks, ma'am. Can I come again and chat?"
"Not until you get some rest, Jess. Come on, or else...," the nurse warned.
"Else what!?" the kid challenged.
"Okay! You asked for it!" Before Jesse could get away, the nurse grabbed hold of his
waist and lifted the laughing kid over his shoulder. "Say goodnight to these nice people."
Jesse glanced toward Bridger, Westphalen, and Kreig, but was laughing too much to get
the words out. They had to settle for a shrug as Alex carried the kid out the door and into
his own room. No longer distracted, the trio's attention returned to Lucas and they sat
silently watching him sleep. It wasn't long before the three decided to stay to greet him
when he awoke.
****
(Dr. Wolenczak's Office)
Focused on reviewing his notes from an earlier meeting, Lawrence was startled by the
ring of his office phone. Glancing over, he grumbled as he noted that it was nearly two in
the morning. There was no one left in the office to answer it, even his secretary had
checked out hours ago. Already irritated by the interruption, Lawrence let the machine
pick-up.
"This is Buffalo Hospital. I'm trying to get a hold of a Dr. Lawrence Wol-en-czack to let
him know that his son, Lucas Wol-en-czack, is out of the ICU and...."
"Hello, this is Dr. Wolenczak. How is my son?"
"Sir, he's out of ICU and is doing well."
"...when is he going to be released?"
"Um.. the Doctor says it'll be at least a week..."
"I can check him out whenever I want right?"
"Yes sir, you are his father, so yes you can, but the doctor recommends that he stay at
least a week."
"Thank you. You've really helped."
"Just doing my job, sir. Goodnight."
With that, Lawrence slammed the phone down. He been certain that Lucas would die. *I
was so sure! Damn! Well, I am his father...like the hospital said...this time, I'm going to it
right!* With that thought, he gathered his notes, grabbed his jacket and headed home.
*Must get ready. Lucas is coming home!*
Personal Note- Thanks Zev! Also, thanks to KL- sorry about the headaches! Just
kidding- you're too cool. Thanks to Dag who is always there for me, you're a very good
friend I don't deserve. Dedicated to Steve- thanks for everything and the encouragement
to follow my dreams.
And now, back to the story!
Meaning of Life
By the untalented JOxER
Chapter 6
Nathan couldn't stop thinking about Lucas as he and Kristen walked toward the waiting
room. The kid was finally awake! It would only be a couple of weeks until he was
recovered enough to return home - to the seaQuest. Unable to contain his joy, the captain
chuckled softly.
"What's so funny?" Kristen questioned.
"Nothing, I'm just happy. Lucas is finally awake and will be back on the seaQuest in no
time! I'm so relieved..."
"I know what you mean, Nathan. These past four days have been agonizing, now the
heavy weight has been lifted from my shoulders."
Pausing briefly outside the door of the waiting room, Nathan gave Kristen's arm a gentle
squeeze to let her know that he felt the same way and then guided her inside. The pair
quickly spotted Ben Kreig sleeping on a couch, snoring loudly.
"I didn't know he snored," Kristen commented, trying hard not to laugh.
The pair noticed that the Lt. had a smile on his face. He was apparently having a good
dream - judging by his statement, a _very_ good dream.
"Should we wake him? He looks so happy," Kristen asked.
"He does look happy, doesn't he? All the more reason to wake him up!"
Nathan leaned over and shook Kreig out of his peaceful dream. Glancing up, Ben opened
his mouth to yell at whoever was disturbing him, but stopped short when he saw that it
was the captain.
"How was your dream, Lt.?" the captain smirked.
"Oh...was I talking out loud? It was...um...good," Ben responded hesitantly, lifting
himself from the couch.
"Bet it was about Nurse Bay."
"Um...no...um....it wasn't. So how's the kid?" Ben quickly changed the subject as he
stretched his tired arms. He couldn't admit his lovely dream was about Nurse Marcy
"Kreig"!
"He just woke up and is being moved to a private room. It's a good sign!" Kristen blurted
out before Nathan had a chance to respond.
"Can we see him?" Kreig asked.
"Indeed you can, Benny!" a voice from behind answered Ben's question. It was Nurse
Bay.
"Nurse Bay?" Ben questioned, a little stunned. Marcy was not in her regular scrubs,
instead she wore a short, khaki skirt and a dark blue blouse. The nurse looked pretty
classy, except for the purple shoes she were her constant companion.
"Please, it's just Marcy when I'm off duty. All that formal stuff is only for when I'm in
uniform," Marcy smiled at Ben's confused look. "I am a regular person, you know, not
some sort of cyborg nurse?"
"I'm sure the Lt. meant no offense," Nathan apologized, eyeing his Lt. "We can see Lucas
now?"
"Sure ya can! He was moved to room 218B - upstairs, toward the yellow lane. I talked to
Doc Chambers and, as long as you promise not to disturb him, you can go on up. Only
for a little while, though. You're under normal visitor's rules after that, okay - 9 am to 8
pm. That was the best I could do. Now, I have to go, but I'll be back on duty at ten.
Gonna pull double shifts the next few days and need all the sleep I can get!"
"Thank you, Nurs...Marcy. Goodnight," Nathan said. Marcy just responded with a smile
before heading off for a good night's sleep.
Nathan, Kristen and, now, Ben took the elevator to the second floor to see Lucas.
Strolling past room after room, it was impossible not to look inside some of the open
doors.
"Too many kids here," Ben began to say. "Just too many..."
"Did Marcy say 218A or B?" Kristen asked, changing the subject. She was sure it was
218, but some rooms were also labeled with letters.
"I think is was 'A', Doc," Ben guessed.
"I am sure it was 'B'!" Nathan retorted. Around the corner, they saw the '200' rooms.
None of the numbers made sense. They went from 200 A-C to 205 then 211 and 215.
"Weird hospital! Can't trust a hospital that doesn't know how to count."
"There's probably a reasonable explanation, Ben."
"Here it is - 218A," the Lt. announced, guiding the Captain and Kristen into a room.
Their gazes fixed on the sandy-blonde teenager lying on the bed - it wasn't their teenager.
The boy was startled to see visitors in his room and quickly straightened himself up.
"Hello?" the teenager greeted.
"Oh...sorry we woke you, son. I think we're in the wrong room," Kristen responded
apologetically.
"Oh...no need to apologize, ma'am. I don't really sleep, anyway," the kid replied. "Should
of known it was a mistake. Who would visit me...?" he added in a whisper, but it clear
enough for the visitors to hear. "Thanks for stopping by at three in the morning. The
name's Jesse."
"Thanks, Jesse, and don't worry, we'll stop by later. Now, get some sleep."
"Thank you, ma'am. I would love it if you came back, its impossible to sleep on a day
like this, too beautiful!"
"Goodnight for now!" Nathan said as the trio left the room. "Must have been 218B," he
muttered, walking from Jesse's room across to 218B.
This time it _was_ their teen asleep on the bed. Ben had already seen the condition Lucas
was in, but it still left the normally boisterous Lt. speechless. Struggling to hold back his
tears, Ben slumped into a nearby chair. The teenager's cast was elevated and the nasty
gash on his cheek was painfully noticeable, as well as the other bruises that had barely
begun to fade.
"Did they get the guy who did this, Captain?" Ben gasped, nearly choking on every
word.
"The truck driver never left the scene. He swore that it was an accident, and his passenger
supported the story. The police ruled it as an accident. No charges were filed."
"Was this the guy you were looking for?" a voice from behind startled Nathan and he
jumped. Turning quickly, he saw Jesse standing just inside the door.
"I told you to get some sleep, young man," Kristen scolded.
"You sound like my doctor, ma'am," Jess replied with a smirk. "I can't sleep so I walk the
halls till breakfast. So...what's his name?" He shrugged his head toward the bed.
"His name's Lucas, Jesse," Ben said.
"Oh. He looks bad. What happen to your son?" Jesse thoughtfully asked the obviously
worried captain.
"Lucas isn't my son, Jesse. He's part of my crew," Nathan explained. "He was hit by a car
and has been here for 6 days now."
"Oh. Sorry to hear that. So, where..." Before Jesse could finish his sentence, he was
interrupted by a 6-foot tall male nurse.
"Jesse! I thought I heard you in here. Come on, kid, back to bed," the nurse ordered
sternly before turning to the trio standing beside Lucas. "Sorry if Jesse is disturbing you.
My name is Alex . I take over the night shift for Nurse Bay. Again, sorry about Jesse.
He's a talker and doesn't always know when to stop."
"Quite all right. He wasn't bothering us at all."
"Thanks, ma'am. Can I come again and chat?"
"Not until you get some rest, Jess. Come on, or else...," the nurse warned.
"Else what!?" the kid challenged.
"Okay! You asked for it!" Before Jesse could get away, the nurse grabbed hold of his
waist and lifted the laughing kid over his shoulder. "Say goodnight to these nice people."
Jesse glanced toward Bridger, Westphalen, and Kreig, but was laughing too much to get
the words out. They had to settle for a shrug as Alex carried the kid out the door and into
his own room. No longer distracted, the trio's attention returned to Lucas and they sat
silently watching him sleep. It wasn't long before the three decided to stay to greet him
when he awoke.
****
(Dr. Wolenczak's Office)
Focused on reviewing his notes from an earlier meeting, Lawrence was startled by the
ring of his office phone. Glancing over, he grumbled as he noted that it was nearly two in
the morning. There was no one left in the office to answer it, even his secretary had
checked out hours ago. Already irritated by the interruption, Lawrence let the machine
pick-up.
"This is Buffalo Hospital. I'm trying to get a hold of a Dr. Lawrence Wol-en-czack to let
him know that his son, Lucas Wol-en-czack, is out of the ICU and...."
"Hello, this is Dr. Wolenczak. How is my son?"
"Sir, he's out of ICU and is doing well."
"...when is he going to be released?"
"Um.. the Doctor says it'll be at least a week..."
"I can check him out whenever I want right?"
"Yes sir, you are his father, so yes you can, but the doctor recommends that he stay at
least a week."
"Thank you. You've really helped."
"Just doing my job, sir. Goodnight."
With that, Lawrence slammed the phone down. He been certain that Lucas would die. *I
was so sure! Damn! Well, I am his father...like the hospital said...this time, I'm going to it
right!* With that thought, he gathered his notes, grabbed his jacket and headed home.
*Must get ready. Lucas is coming home!*
