Disclaimer: See Part One
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Kristin woke up and stretched her wound up and tight muscles. She hadn't realized she was that tired but if truth be known it had been a very busy day. The clock by the bed read a little after 8pm. She got up and headed for the bathroom to splash some water on her face and get woke up. Leaning up she turned on the bedside lamp and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out of the other room looking refreshed and feeling a little more alive. Westphalen suddenly realized that she was hungry; she hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Heading over to the door to Lucas' room she found the note on the floor and picked it up. "Doc, I'm down in the kitchen getting something to eat. Lucas"
Kristin folded the paper and put it in her pocket and then headed out the door. She found Lucas sitting in the kitchen on stool with a coke in one hand and a chicken leg in the other. Coming up behind him she laughed at the site, "Hi Lucas."
Lucas swallowed the bite of food he had in his mouth and greeted the doctor. "Hi Kristin. Joann left us some chicken, potato salad and some other healthy stuff in the fridge. She left a note also and said to help ourselves to whatever we could find and that she'd be home around 11 or so."
Kristin nodded and walked over to the fridge and fixed both herself and Lucas a plate of what he called "the healthy stuff" and poured them both a glass of milk. The teen was anxiously finishing his chicken leg while reading a magazine and said, "Doc can you hand me another piece of that chicken please?"
In response Kristin slip the plate of food under his magazine and sat down opposite him. Lucas lowered the paper and looked up at the doc questioningly. "Lucas you need more than chicken and coke. It won't kill you to eat healthy once in a while you know. You're far too skinny anyway."
Lucas just continued to look at her oddly but picked up the fork and began picking at the food. After Kristin finished her dinner and coaxing Lucas through his she picked up the dishes and proceeded to wash them. Lucas came over and helped her dry and put them away, once they found out where they went. After they were done Lucas looked over at her and said, "What do you want to do now Doc?"
"Well we need to cal Nathan and let him know we made it okay. Before that though why don't we go into the living room and talk, if you don't mind?"
The teen nodded and lead the way into the living room and sat down on a loveseat and watched as Kristin sat down gently beside him. Smiling Kristin began, "I wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me today, I couldn't have done it without you Lucas."
The young man nodded and gave her a smile of his own. "You're welcome Doc, although I must say I'm glad Rocco came back when he did."
The older woman smiled and sat forward a little bit. "Lucas before we get into today I want to talk to you about why we're out here. I've tried several times but every time it seems like we're interrupted."
Lucas watched as Kristin seemed to be struggling with what to say and after today he didn't want to see her fight that hard anymore. The truth was he was upset at first because she had withheld thing from him but then he realized she wouldn't have done it if she really didn't care about him. "Doc you don't have to tell me anything. I know why we're out here."
Kristin looked up quickly, shocked at what he had said. "What do you know Lucas?"
"That the main reason we came here was because my dad is going to be at the conference and you hope to get that permission slip for the physical signed."
The older woman gave a weak smile and said, "I'm sorry Lucas. I didn't want to lie to you, but I thought if you knew your dad was out here you wouldn't come. I really am sorry."
Lucas scooted a little closer to his friend and placed his hand on top of hers. Kristin placed her other hand on top of his, thus encompassing his hand in hers. "Doc, you don't have to be sorry. I know you only did it because you care about me. Heck it's more effort than my real mother ever did."
Kristin gripped his hand, Lucas never talked about his family much but she knew from her examinations of the boy and his medical records that the young man wasn't as clumsy as people guessed he was. She felt that Lucas wanted to share a little bit about his family and she needed to encourage him in that. "How do you mean, dear?"
The young man shook his head and quickly pulled his hand back and said, "It's nothing don't worry about it."Â He rose and walked over to the big fireplace and looked up at the country picture hanging above it.
Kristin sat still for a moment, not sure what to do. Lucas was such a fragile person, emotionally. He could break down into sobs in one moment and then be a flying rage the next; she'd seen it happen between Nathan and the boy before. Cautiously she got up and approached the young man and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in his muscles and said gently, "Lucas please, I'm here if you need to talk. I would really like to know what you meant, if you'll tell me."
The doctor felt the teens shoulders tense and then momentary relax under her hand, which was still placed on his shoulder. Turning slightly Lucas looked at her and slowly nodded. He walked over and sat on one of the big overstuffed couches and waited for the doc to come and sit next to him. "Doc my mom, as you probably guessed, didn't exactly act like your typical mother. You've seen my medical records and the scars from the injuries, can't you guess what happened?"
That was the truth; childhood clumsiness just couldn't explain all the injuries the young child had obtained in his short life. She slowly nodded over at him and patiently waited why he picked up the story. "My mom would come in, drunk after a night out going who knows where. My dad had left for work and there was no one at home but myself and usually whatever servant was stuck watching me. Mom would dismiss the servant and come into my room. She stumble over to me and stand just staring at me until I always heard the same thing, 'You're worthless'. After that I always knew what happened next."
Kristin had tears in her eyes as she listened to the boy recount with such vivid and clear memories. She didn't know what to do for the young man other than just be there. She gently placed her hand on his leg and silently waited for him to continue the story.
Lucas knew that if he didn't finish this now he probably never would, but it wasn't right to burden his friend with this, it wasn't her problem. He wanted so much to share the hurt and pain with someone but every time he tried he drove the people he loved away, and damn it he did love the doc, just like the Cap. He couldn't stand to drive her away. He jumped up and raced up the stairs and to his room. The teen threw himself on his bed and just let the tears come that he had been hiding back for so many years.
The doctor didn't know what to think or do. Lucas had seemed so calm while talking to her and then suddenly erupted and ran up the stairs. She wasn't certain what had him the most upset, the memories he was dealing with or the fact that he was beginning to share them and it frightened him. Deciding she would try to find out she rose off the sofa and headed upstairs and toward her own room. Arriving she came in and quickly grabbed her medical bag off the table by the door, not knowing for sure what shape the young man would be in. Kristin came over to the door and lightly knocked. It was a good minute or two before she heard a light, "Yeah" come from inside. Squaring her shoulders she turned the knob and entered the room.
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Kristin woke up and stretched her wound up and tight muscles. She hadn't realized she was that tired but if truth be known it had been a very busy day. The clock by the bed read a little after 8pm. She got up and headed for the bathroom to splash some water on her face and get woke up. Leaning up she turned on the bedside lamp and headed for the bathroom. A few minutes later she came out of the other room looking refreshed and feeling a little more alive. Westphalen suddenly realized that she was hungry; she hadn't eaten anything since that morning. Heading over to the door to Lucas' room she found the note on the floor and picked it up. "Doc, I'm down in the kitchen getting something to eat. Lucas"
Kristin folded the paper and put it in her pocket and then headed out the door. She found Lucas sitting in the kitchen on stool with a coke in one hand and a chicken leg in the other. Coming up behind him she laughed at the site, "Hi Lucas."
Lucas swallowed the bite of food he had in his mouth and greeted the doctor. "Hi Kristin. Joann left us some chicken, potato salad and some other healthy stuff in the fridge. She left a note also and said to help ourselves to whatever we could find and that she'd be home around 11 or so."
Kristin nodded and walked over to the fridge and fixed both herself and Lucas a plate of what he called "the healthy stuff" and poured them both a glass of milk. The teen was anxiously finishing his chicken leg while reading a magazine and said, "Doc can you hand me another piece of that chicken please?"
In response Kristin slip the plate of food under his magazine and sat down opposite him. Lucas lowered the paper and looked up at the doc questioningly. "Lucas you need more than chicken and coke. It won't kill you to eat healthy once in a while you know. You're far too skinny anyway."
Lucas just continued to look at her oddly but picked up the fork and began picking at the food. After Kristin finished her dinner and coaxing Lucas through his she picked up the dishes and proceeded to wash them. Lucas came over and helped her dry and put them away, once they found out where they went. After they were done Lucas looked over at her and said, "What do you want to do now Doc?"
"Well we need to cal Nathan and let him know we made it okay. Before that though why don't we go into the living room and talk, if you don't mind?"
The teen nodded and lead the way into the living room and sat down on a loveseat and watched as Kristin sat down gently beside him. Smiling Kristin began, "I wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me today, I couldn't have done it without you Lucas."
The young man nodded and gave her a smile of his own. "You're welcome Doc, although I must say I'm glad Rocco came back when he did."
The older woman smiled and sat forward a little bit. "Lucas before we get into today I want to talk to you about why we're out here. I've tried several times but every time it seems like we're interrupted."
Lucas watched as Kristin seemed to be struggling with what to say and after today he didn't want to see her fight that hard anymore. The truth was he was upset at first because she had withheld thing from him but then he realized she wouldn't have done it if she really didn't care about him. "Doc you don't have to tell me anything. I know why we're out here."
Kristin looked up quickly, shocked at what he had said. "What do you know Lucas?"
"That the main reason we came here was because my dad is going to be at the conference and you hope to get that permission slip for the physical signed."
The older woman gave a weak smile and said, "I'm sorry Lucas. I didn't want to lie to you, but I thought if you knew your dad was out here you wouldn't come. I really am sorry."
Lucas scooted a little closer to his friend and placed his hand on top of hers. Kristin placed her other hand on top of his, thus encompassing his hand in hers. "Doc, you don't have to be sorry. I know you only did it because you care about me. Heck it's more effort than my real mother ever did."
Kristin gripped his hand, Lucas never talked about his family much but she knew from her examinations of the boy and his medical records that the young man wasn't as clumsy as people guessed he was. She felt that Lucas wanted to share a little bit about his family and she needed to encourage him in that. "How do you mean, dear?"
The young man shook his head and quickly pulled his hand back and said, "It's nothing don't worry about it."Â He rose and walked over to the big fireplace and looked up at the country picture hanging above it.
Kristin sat still for a moment, not sure what to do. Lucas was such a fragile person, emotionally. He could break down into sobs in one moment and then be a flying rage the next; she'd seen it happen between Nathan and the boy before. Cautiously she got up and approached the young man and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. She could feel the tension in his muscles and said gently, "Lucas please, I'm here if you need to talk. I would really like to know what you meant, if you'll tell me."
The doctor felt the teens shoulders tense and then momentary relax under her hand, which was still placed on his shoulder. Turning slightly Lucas looked at her and slowly nodded. He walked over and sat on one of the big overstuffed couches and waited for the doc to come and sit next to him. "Doc my mom, as you probably guessed, didn't exactly act like your typical mother. You've seen my medical records and the scars from the injuries, can't you guess what happened?"
That was the truth; childhood clumsiness just couldn't explain all the injuries the young child had obtained in his short life. She slowly nodded over at him and patiently waited why he picked up the story. "My mom would come in, drunk after a night out going who knows where. My dad had left for work and there was no one at home but myself and usually whatever servant was stuck watching me. Mom would dismiss the servant and come into my room. She stumble over to me and stand just staring at me until I always heard the same thing, 'You're worthless'. After that I always knew what happened next."
Kristin had tears in her eyes as she listened to the boy recount with such vivid and clear memories. She didn't know what to do for the young man other than just be there. She gently placed her hand on his leg and silently waited for him to continue the story.
Lucas knew that if he didn't finish this now he probably never would, but it wasn't right to burden his friend with this, it wasn't her problem. He wanted so much to share the hurt and pain with someone but every time he tried he drove the people he loved away, and damn it he did love the doc, just like the Cap. He couldn't stand to drive her away. He jumped up and raced up the stairs and to his room. The teen threw himself on his bed and just let the tears come that he had been hiding back for so many years.
The doctor didn't know what to think or do. Lucas had seemed so calm while talking to her and then suddenly erupted and ran up the stairs. She wasn't certain what had him the most upset, the memories he was dealing with or the fact that he was beginning to share them and it frightened him. Deciding she would try to find out she rose off the sofa and headed upstairs and toward her own room. Arriving she came in and quickly grabbed her medical bag off the table by the door, not knowing for sure what shape the young man would be in. Kristin came over to the door and lightly knocked. It was a good minute or two before she heard a light, "Yeah" come from inside. Squaring her shoulders she turned the knob and entered the room.