Disclaimer- Don't own them...blah...blah... check out chapter one before someone sues
me.
Personal Note- Thanks Zev. A simple story is getting to be a novel! Thanks to Dag-
haven't heard from ya but hope ya reading this. Thanks to KL- you just plain rock you
beta you!
Meaning of Life
By the Untalented JOxER
Chapter 9
It was nearly ten at night, and Lucas was still awake. It had been that way for the past
couple of days - since Jesse's accident. Lucas couldn't stop blaming himself. To make
things even worse, he'd been stuck in bed the whole time with nothing better to do than
think about it. Part of him knew that it had just been an accident, but the rest of him knew
that if he hadn't given Jesse the Jell-O, the kid wouldn't have rushed out and gotten hurt.
Physically, Lucas was making progress and, by morning, would be well enough to visit
his friend. Earlier in the day, they'd gotten the teen up and moving. He could even get
himself in and out of a wheelchair, slowly, but he could do it. Lucas was pleased that he
was finally being allowed up. He didn't feel like staying in bed, despite a slight headache.
He was tired and coughing a bit, too, but mostly he was bored.
Sitting up, Lucas maneuvered himself out of bed. Within a few minutes, he'd gotten
himself seated in the wheel chair. As he was hooking on his IV bag, a nurse walked in.
"What's this? Trying to sneak out of my hospital?" Nurse Alex inquired, raising an
eyebrow
"No, sir, I just can't sleep. I was going out for a walk... I mean a roll."
"Well, I still have to take your temperature," Alex drew the ear thermometer close to
Lucas ear. "Your temperature's high- 100 on the dot."
"It's just the air. It is too hot in my room - that's why my temp is high, lets take it again in
a freezer and see if it's still 100 degrees."
"I'm not buying it, mister. There could be a slight infection trying to get you. Need to get
you on antibiotics. Don't go anywhere until I come back."
Lucas frowned. He hated antibiotics. They always made him feel weak and sleepy. After
considering listening to the nurse for a second, the teen decided not to. He wheeled
himself out of his room, turned the corner, and was headed towards Jesse's room.
Pushing open the door, Lucas discovered that he was not the only one awake.
"Pss... Jesse, are you awake?"
"Yeah, come in."
"Great!"
Lucas entered the room and inspected it like any normal person would do. There were
pictures of Jesse with another person, Lucas assumed it was his aunt, and pictures of a
kitten and a bird. The kid had a bunch of clippings of the ocean on a posterboard near the
door. He had some books on the bedside table and a trash can full to the rim with empty
Jell-O packages. Lucas turned to see Jesse. The kid had a small cast on his arm and a
bandage over his forehead. Lucas wheeled himself over as close as he could get.
"Hey, look at you, you are doing so much better Lucas!" The little boy was glad to see
his friend.
"Yeah, I can leave my room all by myself now! Thanks. How are you feeling, Jesse?"
"Not so good. I can't get out of bed until the doc says I can. Knowing her, it will be
awhile! I'm up for it, but she says I should wait until... well... until I am clear of any
infections."
"I'm so sorry, Jesse. It's all my fault."
"Your fault? What is your fault?"
"You got hurt because of me!"
"Don't kick yourself, it is not."
"It is. I gave you the Jell-O and you went to you room. If it wasn't for me, you would
have never been hit by that gurney."
"Oh, you blame yourself for my clumsiness! Don't, okay. If you're really sorry and want
to make it up to me, don't blame yourself, okay?"
"Okay." Lucas' mind was somewhat at ease. He still blamed himself, but at least Jesse
forgave him.
"So, has anyone come to visit you lately?" Lucas quickly changed the subject.
"My Aunt has. She comes almost everyday around dinner time and makes me Fish
gigglers! She works a lot to pay the bills, so I only get to see her for 2 hours. And you.
Besides that, the nurses and the staff, no one else."
"Is that your aunt in the picture over there?" Lucas motioned to a picture near his bed.
"Yup. That's also my cat. His named is Geo. The bird's my bird, Tweets."
Lucas smiled, coughing slightly.
"You sound sick," Jesse added.
"I think I am, but I hope not. I want to get out of this place as soon as I can!"
"That does sound really great. Look, Lucas, I have to tell you something that might shock
you. I like talking to you and all, but if I don't tell you, you might be angry with me if
you find out from someone else."
"Jesse, I already know. Nurse Bay told Ben and Dr. Westphalen when they helped you.
They told me and the captain."
"You know?…I'm sorry. I hope you're not afraid that you might get AIDS, or something,
because you can't get it just by talking. I hope you're not mad. If you are, I understand,
but I hope your not. Your a great friend and I just...."
"Whoa, hold on, Jesse. I've known for days and it didn't stop me from visiting you
tonight. I know the facts and I like talking to you, too. Even though your taste in baseball
teams isn't so good, you're a great guy to talk to."
"Really? I didn't scare you off like the others?"
"No, you didn't. What others?"
"Some other kids around here. Once I tell them, either they don't want me around or their
parents tell me never to come around again. They're all too afraid of something they don't
understand."
"They're just stupid. You didn't scare any of us away."
"Great! I hope to race you in one of these wheelchairs one day. No one has beaten me
yet!"
"Your on!"
Just then, an angry looking nurse came into Jesse's room. It was Alex, holding the
antibiotics for Lucas.
"I have been looking for you. I told you not to move, and what's the first thing you do?
Move." Alex got behind Lucas and started to push him out of the room.
"Come on, Alex, let us talk for a bit longer," Jesse pleaded.
"Tomorrow, kid. Right now, Lucas has to get his antibiotics and some rest. Don't worry,
Jess, I'll come back and sedate you if you are not asleep, too." With that, Jesse said
goodnight to Lucas and faked sleep.
Once he'd entered his room, Lucas started to protest the antibiotics. "Come on, Alex, it
makes me feel light-headed. Do you really have to give them to me."
"No, not if you want to stay here for an extra week. Let see...that would make it 3 weeks?
While we're at it, we can always go for four." Alex teased, smiling as he hooked the
antibiotics bag into the IV line.
"NO! Give them to me," Lucas relented, as Alex finished with the bag.
The nurse helped Lucas out of the wheelchair and gently set him on bed. With in minutes,
the teen was feeling drowsy and was soon fast asleep. Alex left the quiet room and
walked into what he hoped would be another quiet room.
*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Early next morning, Lucas awoke with a slight headache. He didn't feel good, and prayed
that he wasn't getting sick. Lucas' throat felt like it was on fire and his tongue felt like
sandpaper. He started to get up, but quickly laid back down. His head was spinning.
Waiting a few seconds, Lucas tried again. He sat up straight and tried to get into his
wheelchair. Almost falling, he muttered praises to the inventor of the brakes on
wheelchairs. He landed hard in the contraption but was in and wheeled himself to the
bathroom to get a drink of water.
After drinking what seemed like a half a gallon, he was started back toward the bed to lie
down, but paused as a nurse ran past his door. More nurses soon followed after the first,
and Lucas wondered what was going on. He wheeled himself into the hall to check it out,
but didn't have to go far to see that their destination was Jesse's room. Lucas rolled over
to peak inside, but was spotted. A nurse walked over and tried to wheel him back to his
room. Lucas just managed to get his good foot down to halt chair.
"What's going on?" Lucas asked, anxiously.
"Nothing, son, go back to your room."
"No! I want to know what is wrong with Jesse," Lucas demanded, with a little more
force.
"Jesse came down with a slight fever last night and has been under close observation.
This morning, he was worse," the nurse explained. She paused, and then continued. "We
think he has pneumonia and are taking him to the PICU," the nurse finished as he pushed
Lucas towards his room. Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jesse - he could die
from this.
"What are you doing wasting your time with me, get back to Jesse! Help him!"
"Look, son, we're doing everything we can...but I suspect we're..."
"What?!"
"We're just delaying the inevitable."
"You can't just give up on him! He is too young! Kids just don't die. They can't!" Lucas
shouting, getting furious. "Look, just leave me alone! Please, nurse, just leave me alone."
The nurse attempted to help Lucas back into bed, but the teen pushed him away. Taking
the hint, the nurse gave up and left Lucas alone with his thoughts. Lucas wheeled himself
back into the hall just in time to see Jesse, laying on the gurney being pushed toward the
PICU. Returning to his room, he rolled up to his bed and began punching his injured leg.
*This is all my fault. How could I be so stupid? I went to see Jesse last night. I had a
fever. I gave him my cold. Now, he might die* Lucas ranted silently to himself. The more
he blamed himself, the angrier he became, and he slammed his injured leg harder and
harder. It hurt like hell but Lucas knew he deserved it. When he made a mistake, his
father would beat him. It was what Lucas knew.
Nathan had come to hospital alone. Kristen was asleep when he left, and the Lieutenant
was eating breakfast with Nurse Bay. Nathan had been shocked that the nurse had
accepted Ben's offer, but hadn't been surprised that the breakfast was at the UEO's
expense.
Suddenly, Nathan was struck by a feeling that something was wrong. There was parental
feeling telling him that Lucas was in trouble. Not bothering to wait for an elevator, he ran
up the stairs to the second floor. As he opened the door, five nurses rushed a gurney past
at lightning speed. All Nathan glimpsed was a blond kid laying on the bed. The gurney
was heading towards the PICU. *Oh no, Lucas!* was the only thing he thought as he
raced after the gurney. As the gurney entered the PICU, a nurse realized that someone
was running behind them and stayed behind decided stop the individual from entering the
restricted area. The captain tried to push past, but the nurse was stronger than he thought.
"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the PICU, and it's off limits."
"Where are you taking Lucas? What happened to him?"
"Lucas? I think you're mistaken. The patient we took in just now is Jesse Porter."
Nathan was relieved to hear that is wasn't Lucas, but, at the same time, he was concerned
for Jesse. "What happened?"
"Are you family?"
"No, but my ...son has become great friends with him." The captain didn't want to waste
time explaining his relationship with Lucas to the nurse. "I've gotten pretty attached, as
well - that's why I want to know." The nurse must have known Jesse, because he started
to explain.
"Right now, sir, all I can say is that he had signs of pneumonia last night. This morning,
his temperature has risen to 103, and it is not coming down. I think you know about his
condition, and so you understand that we're taking this seriously. If you want more
information, please talk to Dr. Chambers or Dr. Stevens."
"Thank you, nurse." The nurse responded with a nod and headed toward the PICU.
Nathan headed toward Lucas' room. Entering, he was glad to see the boy sitting in his
wheelchair, but his delight quickly turned to shock when he realized that Lucas was
hurting himself. Nathan quickly rushed to the teen as Lucas raised him arm for another
blow. The captain stunned to see his knuckles bleeding. Lucas turned to see who'd
grabbed him, and instantly regretted what he'd just done.
"Lucas! What are you doing!?" Lucas burst into tears as he realized it was the captain.
Nathan got down on his knees to face the sobbing teen. "Lucas, what happened?"
"Nothing, please just leave me alone."
"Can't do that, kiddo. Why are you hurting yourself?"
"Because I deserve it."
"Why?"
"Well, aren't you the nosy one today. Please just go."
"No, I won't leave until I get an answer from you?"
"Fine. You really want to know. Fine! If Jesse dies, it is all going to be my fault. Happy
now! Your little Lucas here will be a murderer!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Jesse got sick last night. I visited him last night and then, he became sick. He was
perfectly healthy before that. I was stupid. I went to see him when I knew I was sick. I
gave him my cold and it might kill him. I'm responsible!"
"No, Lucas, you are not responsible. Jesse was showing signs of pneumonia before he
came to the hospital, that's why he was here. It's not your fault. I still don't understand
why you're hurting yourself like this."
"Because it is my fault. I made a mistake. I needed to be punished," Lucas wailed as he
began to cry harder. Unable to calm the teen down, the captain called for a nurse. The
nurse came in and gave Lucas a sedative. He was asleep in no time and the captain helped
him into his bed.
As the nurse was bandaging Lucas' hand, the Captain excused himself. He had to make a
phone call. He needed to talk to someone about this. Nathan couldn't understand why
Lucas was blaming himself or why he'd think that he needed to be punished. Walking to
the front office, he placed his call. It took a while for the person on the other end to pick
up.
"Hello, Nathan. What's wrong? Is it Lucas?"
"No, Lucas is..fine. No...he's not. I just don't know, Kristen, I just don't know right
now."
"I'll be right there."
Kristen cut the call and Nathan went out front to wait for the doctor.
me.
Personal Note- Thanks Zev. A simple story is getting to be a novel! Thanks to Dag-
haven't heard from ya but hope ya reading this. Thanks to KL- you just plain rock you
beta you!
Meaning of Life
By the Untalented JOxER
Chapter 9
It was nearly ten at night, and Lucas was still awake. It had been that way for the past
couple of days - since Jesse's accident. Lucas couldn't stop blaming himself. To make
things even worse, he'd been stuck in bed the whole time with nothing better to do than
think about it. Part of him knew that it had just been an accident, but the rest of him knew
that if he hadn't given Jesse the Jell-O, the kid wouldn't have rushed out and gotten hurt.
Physically, Lucas was making progress and, by morning, would be well enough to visit
his friend. Earlier in the day, they'd gotten the teen up and moving. He could even get
himself in and out of a wheelchair, slowly, but he could do it. Lucas was pleased that he
was finally being allowed up. He didn't feel like staying in bed, despite a slight headache.
He was tired and coughing a bit, too, but mostly he was bored.
Sitting up, Lucas maneuvered himself out of bed. Within a few minutes, he'd gotten
himself seated in the wheel chair. As he was hooking on his IV bag, a nurse walked in.
"What's this? Trying to sneak out of my hospital?" Nurse Alex inquired, raising an
eyebrow
"No, sir, I just can't sleep. I was going out for a walk... I mean a roll."
"Well, I still have to take your temperature," Alex drew the ear thermometer close to
Lucas ear. "Your temperature's high- 100 on the dot."
"It's just the air. It is too hot in my room - that's why my temp is high, lets take it again in
a freezer and see if it's still 100 degrees."
"I'm not buying it, mister. There could be a slight infection trying to get you. Need to get
you on antibiotics. Don't go anywhere until I come back."
Lucas frowned. He hated antibiotics. They always made him feel weak and sleepy. After
considering listening to the nurse for a second, the teen decided not to. He wheeled
himself out of his room, turned the corner, and was headed towards Jesse's room.
Pushing open the door, Lucas discovered that he was not the only one awake.
"Pss... Jesse, are you awake?"
"Yeah, come in."
"Great!"
Lucas entered the room and inspected it like any normal person would do. There were
pictures of Jesse with another person, Lucas assumed it was his aunt, and pictures of a
kitten and a bird. The kid had a bunch of clippings of the ocean on a posterboard near the
door. He had some books on the bedside table and a trash can full to the rim with empty
Jell-O packages. Lucas turned to see Jesse. The kid had a small cast on his arm and a
bandage over his forehead. Lucas wheeled himself over as close as he could get.
"Hey, look at you, you are doing so much better Lucas!" The little boy was glad to see
his friend.
"Yeah, I can leave my room all by myself now! Thanks. How are you feeling, Jesse?"
"Not so good. I can't get out of bed until the doc says I can. Knowing her, it will be
awhile! I'm up for it, but she says I should wait until... well... until I am clear of any
infections."
"I'm so sorry, Jesse. It's all my fault."
"Your fault? What is your fault?"
"You got hurt because of me!"
"Don't kick yourself, it is not."
"It is. I gave you the Jell-O and you went to you room. If it wasn't for me, you would
have never been hit by that gurney."
"Oh, you blame yourself for my clumsiness! Don't, okay. If you're really sorry and want
to make it up to me, don't blame yourself, okay?"
"Okay." Lucas' mind was somewhat at ease. He still blamed himself, but at least Jesse
forgave him.
"So, has anyone come to visit you lately?" Lucas quickly changed the subject.
"My Aunt has. She comes almost everyday around dinner time and makes me Fish
gigglers! She works a lot to pay the bills, so I only get to see her for 2 hours. And you.
Besides that, the nurses and the staff, no one else."
"Is that your aunt in the picture over there?" Lucas motioned to a picture near his bed.
"Yup. That's also my cat. His named is Geo. The bird's my bird, Tweets."
Lucas smiled, coughing slightly.
"You sound sick," Jesse added.
"I think I am, but I hope not. I want to get out of this place as soon as I can!"
"That does sound really great. Look, Lucas, I have to tell you something that might shock
you. I like talking to you and all, but if I don't tell you, you might be angry with me if
you find out from someone else."
"Jesse, I already know. Nurse Bay told Ben and Dr. Westphalen when they helped you.
They told me and the captain."
"You know?…I'm sorry. I hope you're not afraid that you might get AIDS, or something,
because you can't get it just by talking. I hope you're not mad. If you are, I understand,
but I hope your not. Your a great friend and I just...."
"Whoa, hold on, Jesse. I've known for days and it didn't stop me from visiting you
tonight. I know the facts and I like talking to you, too. Even though your taste in baseball
teams isn't so good, you're a great guy to talk to."
"Really? I didn't scare you off like the others?"
"No, you didn't. What others?"
"Some other kids around here. Once I tell them, either they don't want me around or their
parents tell me never to come around again. They're all too afraid of something they don't
understand."
"They're just stupid. You didn't scare any of us away."
"Great! I hope to race you in one of these wheelchairs one day. No one has beaten me
yet!"
"Your on!"
Just then, an angry looking nurse came into Jesse's room. It was Alex, holding the
antibiotics for Lucas.
"I have been looking for you. I told you not to move, and what's the first thing you do?
Move." Alex got behind Lucas and started to push him out of the room.
"Come on, Alex, let us talk for a bit longer," Jesse pleaded.
"Tomorrow, kid. Right now, Lucas has to get his antibiotics and some rest. Don't worry,
Jess, I'll come back and sedate you if you are not asleep, too." With that, Jesse said
goodnight to Lucas and faked sleep.
Once he'd entered his room, Lucas started to protest the antibiotics. "Come on, Alex, it
makes me feel light-headed. Do you really have to give them to me."
"No, not if you want to stay here for an extra week. Let see...that would make it 3 weeks?
While we're at it, we can always go for four." Alex teased, smiling as he hooked the
antibiotics bag into the IV line.
"NO! Give them to me," Lucas relented, as Alex finished with the bag.
The nurse helped Lucas out of the wheelchair and gently set him on bed. With in minutes,
the teen was feeling drowsy and was soon fast asleep. Alex left the quiet room and
walked into what he hoped would be another quiet room.
*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Early next morning, Lucas awoke with a slight headache. He didn't feel good, and prayed
that he wasn't getting sick. Lucas' throat felt like it was on fire and his tongue felt like
sandpaper. He started to get up, but quickly laid back down. His head was spinning.
Waiting a few seconds, Lucas tried again. He sat up straight and tried to get into his
wheelchair. Almost falling, he muttered praises to the inventor of the brakes on
wheelchairs. He landed hard in the contraption but was in and wheeled himself to the
bathroom to get a drink of water.
After drinking what seemed like a half a gallon, he was started back toward the bed to lie
down, but paused as a nurse ran past his door. More nurses soon followed after the first,
and Lucas wondered what was going on. He wheeled himself into the hall to check it out,
but didn't have to go far to see that their destination was Jesse's room. Lucas rolled over
to peak inside, but was spotted. A nurse walked over and tried to wheel him back to his
room. Lucas just managed to get his good foot down to halt chair.
"What's going on?" Lucas asked, anxiously.
"Nothing, son, go back to your room."
"No! I want to know what is wrong with Jesse," Lucas demanded, with a little more
force.
"Jesse came down with a slight fever last night and has been under close observation.
This morning, he was worse," the nurse explained. She paused, and then continued. "We
think he has pneumonia and are taking him to the PICU," the nurse finished as he pushed
Lucas towards his room. Lucas couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jesse - he could die
from this.
"What are you doing wasting your time with me, get back to Jesse! Help him!"
"Look, son, we're doing everything we can...but I suspect we're..."
"What?!"
"We're just delaying the inevitable."
"You can't just give up on him! He is too young! Kids just don't die. They can't!" Lucas
shouting, getting furious. "Look, just leave me alone! Please, nurse, just leave me alone."
The nurse attempted to help Lucas back into bed, but the teen pushed him away. Taking
the hint, the nurse gave up and left Lucas alone with his thoughts. Lucas wheeled himself
back into the hall just in time to see Jesse, laying on the gurney being pushed toward the
PICU. Returning to his room, he rolled up to his bed and began punching his injured leg.
*This is all my fault. How could I be so stupid? I went to see Jesse last night. I had a
fever. I gave him my cold. Now, he might die* Lucas ranted silently to himself. The more
he blamed himself, the angrier he became, and he slammed his injured leg harder and
harder. It hurt like hell but Lucas knew he deserved it. When he made a mistake, his
father would beat him. It was what Lucas knew.
Nathan had come to hospital alone. Kristen was asleep when he left, and the Lieutenant
was eating breakfast with Nurse Bay. Nathan had been shocked that the nurse had
accepted Ben's offer, but hadn't been surprised that the breakfast was at the UEO's
expense.
Suddenly, Nathan was struck by a feeling that something was wrong. There was parental
feeling telling him that Lucas was in trouble. Not bothering to wait for an elevator, he ran
up the stairs to the second floor. As he opened the door, five nurses rushed a gurney past
at lightning speed. All Nathan glimpsed was a blond kid laying on the bed. The gurney
was heading towards the PICU. *Oh no, Lucas!* was the only thing he thought as he
raced after the gurney. As the gurney entered the PICU, a nurse realized that someone
was running behind them and stayed behind decided stop the individual from entering the
restricted area. The captain tried to push past, but the nurse was stronger than he thought.
"I'm sorry, sir, but that's the PICU, and it's off limits."
"Where are you taking Lucas? What happened to him?"
"Lucas? I think you're mistaken. The patient we took in just now is Jesse Porter."
Nathan was relieved to hear that is wasn't Lucas, but, at the same time, he was concerned
for Jesse. "What happened?"
"Are you family?"
"No, but my ...son has become great friends with him." The captain didn't want to waste
time explaining his relationship with Lucas to the nurse. "I've gotten pretty attached, as
well - that's why I want to know." The nurse must have known Jesse, because he started
to explain.
"Right now, sir, all I can say is that he had signs of pneumonia last night. This morning,
his temperature has risen to 103, and it is not coming down. I think you know about his
condition, and so you understand that we're taking this seriously. If you want more
information, please talk to Dr. Chambers or Dr. Stevens."
"Thank you, nurse." The nurse responded with a nod and headed toward the PICU.
Nathan headed toward Lucas' room. Entering, he was glad to see the boy sitting in his
wheelchair, but his delight quickly turned to shock when he realized that Lucas was
hurting himself. Nathan quickly rushed to the teen as Lucas raised him arm for another
blow. The captain stunned to see his knuckles bleeding. Lucas turned to see who'd
grabbed him, and instantly regretted what he'd just done.
"Lucas! What are you doing!?" Lucas burst into tears as he realized it was the captain.
Nathan got down on his knees to face the sobbing teen. "Lucas, what happened?"
"Nothing, please just leave me alone."
"Can't do that, kiddo. Why are you hurting yourself?"
"Because I deserve it."
"Why?"
"Well, aren't you the nosy one today. Please just go."
"No, I won't leave until I get an answer from you?"
"Fine. You really want to know. Fine! If Jesse dies, it is all going to be my fault. Happy
now! Your little Lucas here will be a murderer!"
"Why do you say that?"
"Jesse got sick last night. I visited him last night and then, he became sick. He was
perfectly healthy before that. I was stupid. I went to see him when I knew I was sick. I
gave him my cold and it might kill him. I'm responsible!"
"No, Lucas, you are not responsible. Jesse was showing signs of pneumonia before he
came to the hospital, that's why he was here. It's not your fault. I still don't understand
why you're hurting yourself like this."
"Because it is my fault. I made a mistake. I needed to be punished," Lucas wailed as he
began to cry harder. Unable to calm the teen down, the captain called for a nurse. The
nurse came in and gave Lucas a sedative. He was asleep in no time and the captain helped
him into his bed.
As the nurse was bandaging Lucas' hand, the Captain excused himself. He had to make a
phone call. He needed to talk to someone about this. Nathan couldn't understand why
Lucas was blaming himself or why he'd think that he needed to be punished. Walking to
the front office, he placed his call. It took a while for the person on the other end to pick
up.
"Hello, Nathan. What's wrong? Is it Lucas?"
"No, Lucas is..fine. No...he's not. I just don't know, Kristen, I just don't know right
now."
"I'll be right there."
Kristen cut the call and Nathan went out front to wait for the doctor.
