Disclaimer:  Don't own them, never will.  Just borrowing them for my own entertainment, and making absolutely no profit doing it.  Enjoy!

Too Young

Chapter Six

Lawrence Calls

At his sink, Nathan splashed cold water on his face, trying to wake himself up.  He ran his wet hands through his hair, then combed it down and straightened his wrinkled uniform.  He had fallen asleep in it.  Checking his chronometer, he realized that he had three more minutes before Lt. O'Neill would transfer the call.  He paged Kristen.

"Dr. Westphalen here."

"It's Nathan.  How is he?"

"Still asleep.  Ben and Miguel are here, but they are behaving themselves for once.  They are just sitting with him."

"Kristen, Bill will be calling me back in a few minutes.  I asked Lt. O'Neill to hold the call…."

            "Whatever for?"

            "Bill…..and …Dr. Wolenczak want to talk with me."

            "Oh, Nathan…"
            "Yes.  I'm not ready for this.  I don't have the slightest idea of how to handle it."

            "I do not know what to tell you, but keep the conversation civil for Lucas' sake.  We still need to discuss our medical findings with him."

            "I know…"  The vidlink tone sounded.  "Kristen, it's Bill.  I'll come to Med Bay when we're done.  I still have a few hours free before my shift."

            She nodded as he closed the channel.

            "Captain."

            "Yes, Lieutenant.  Patch it through to my quarters."

            Nathan stood at attention in front of the vidlink, hands clenched tightly behind him.  He would control his temper..'just keep telling yourself that old man.' He thought wryly.

            The image of Acting Secretary-General Noyce appeared..and—Lawrence Wolenczak was seated to his right. 

            "Hello, Bill, Dr. Wolenczak."

            "Hello, Nathan."  Bill greeted him, too cheery for this early in the morning, Nathan thought.  Lawrence just nodded.

            Nathan studied him.  Lucas was obviously this man's son. The eyebrows, the shape of the eyes and the high cheekbones--Lawrence had passed these features on to his son.  His eyes were brown, however, and he hid his feelings well.  When Nathan looked into Lucas' eyes, he almost always knew what the boy was thinking or feeling.  If 'the eyes were the windows to the soul', Lucas' eyes displayed a soul filled with excitement, and the joy and awe of discovery.  His father's eyes, however, revealed nothing.  Bill's voice drew his attention.

            "Nathan, you look tired." 

            "To what do I owe the pleasure of this call?  What's on your mind, Secretary Noyce?

            Bill smiled at the formality.  Two could play this game.  "Captain, I wanted to give you your new assignment.  You need to proceed to Pearl immediately and pick us up.  There is a…"

            "Wait.  Wait.  We just received our orders.  We are already underway to the Black Ridge farming community to assist them in…"

            "I know."  Bill interrupted.  "I've changed your orders.  Dr. Wolenczak and I need a ride to World Power.  He is also taking Lucas off your hands indefinitely—World Power's security system has had two serious breeches, and Lucas will be invaluable to the facility as it sets up a new system.  It takes a hacker.."

            "To stop a hacker.  Yes, I'm familiar with the saying, Bill, but Lucas is a vital member of my crew."

            Dr. Wolenczak spoke for the first time.  "Lucas is my son.  I will remove him from seaQuest when I see fit."  Nathan leaned forward. 'Hold your temper, old man.' He reminded himself.  Lawrence noted his hesitation for what it was, or perhaps he was studying Nathan's eyes as well…

            Dr. Wolenczak's eyes were now cold.  His voice rose slightly in impatience.  "I am…grateful you have found a use for him, Captain, but I have need of him now, so please see that he is informed."

            "Don't you want to speak to him yourself?"

            "There is no need.  My son will do as I tell him."

            Bill had caught the undercurrent of a power struggle between the two men, and he tried to ease the tension.  "Nathan…it will take us several hours to reach the World Power plant from Pearl once you pick us up.  We'll have time to discuss this in greater detail along the way."

            "Bill…I need to speak with you—privately, please."

            "Captain Bridger.  If this concerns my son, I should be included in…"

            Nathan's eyes narrowed.  '…keep your temper..' "Doctor.  I am most anxious to speak with you about your son.  However, I do need to speak to Secretary Noyce now……alone."

            Bill looked over at Dr. Wolenczak.  "Will you excuse us Lawrence?"

            For a moment, Nathan thought that Dr. Wolenczak would refuse to leave.  Then the Doctor smiled without warmth and rose to his feet.  "I look forward to speaking with you also, Captain."  His voice, disdainful and arrogant, hung like a miasma in the silence as they waited for him to exit.

            "Captain Bridger!  Nathan!!  What are you doing?  Don't insult him, or you may never see Lucas on seaQuest again.  He may just decide…"

            Nathan slammed both hands down on his desk and Bill stopped, shocked.

            "Bill!  His son is lying in Med Bay sedated!  I was up half the night with Dr. Westphalen counting whip scars on that poor boy's back and…"

            "WHAT?  Is he all right?  What happened?  Why didn't you discuss this with Lawr…"

            "BE QUIET!!"  Nathan roared, he was venting all his frustration, anxiety, and grief at his best friend.  He couldn't seem to stop himself.

            "I…I….Nathan---"  Bill looked so wounded that Nathan felt immediate remorse.  This was not Bill's fault.

            "Bill…I am sorry…Please just listen…please listen to me to the end and don't interrupt…please."

            Bill closed his still-open mouth, sat back, and waited.

            "Lucas has been having nightmares…disturbing, harrowing dreams.  The senior staff and I witnessed one when Lucas fell asleep before a staff meeting.  The other took place a few hours ago in Med Bay.  To make a long story short, Kristen and I suspect that Wolenczak has been abusing…abuses his son.  Lucas has multiple healed fractures—over seventy—showed up on his x-rays, Bill!  Over seventy!  Put that together with what he says during these nightmares…and the scars on his back…Lawrence Wolenczak will not take Lucas off this ship!"

            "Have you asked Lucas about…this?"

            "No, he hasn't slept much in the last twenty-four hours—originally, we were just concerned about him working too hard, and the wound on his arm.."

            "What happened to his arm?"

            "Simple accident.  His right arm needed stitches, and then he didn't show up the next day to get them checked.  Kristen started looking for him---tracking him down revealed all he'd been up to…."

            "And all this information came from that?"

            "Yes.  Kristen and I witnessed his latest nightmare in Med Bay.  Bill, he was so terrified…so terrified that Kristen sedated him.  She conducted an exam early this morning, and, well, you know what we found."

            "Is he awake now?"

            "No.  I checked with Kristen right before you called back."

            Bill's face was pale, his eyes slightly red, and as he spoke, his voice betrayed him.  "Look…Nathan.  I'll stall Lawrence for a while.  Take your time getting here.  Talk to Lucas and see what you can find out from him.  But we will need you to be here by tomorrow morning at the very latest.  Dr. Wolenczak has a schedule to keep with visitors from the Confederated areas, and as acting Secretary-General.."

            "You get to baby sit."

            "Exactly.  Nathan…I'm sorry.  If I'd had any idea.."

            "I know, Bill."

            "Tell Lucas….well, tell him he can count on me if he needs anything.  I really like the kid, and I think that he is twice the scientist his father will ever be.  I'd like to see him stay on seaQuest."

            "Thanks, Bill.  And again….I'm sorry I yelled at you.  I know you are not the one at fault here."

            Bill waved him off.  "Call me tonight with an update, Nathan."

            "I will."  Nathan closed the vidlink, and as he did so, he realized that his palms were sweating. 'Way to control your temper, old man', he thought as he left his cabin for Med Bay.

Nathan squeezed through the Mag Lev doors as soon as they began to open.  He could hear Lucas screaming.  In Med Bay, Kristen barked orders to Miguel and Ben, who were trying to restrain the teen.  She waved Nathan forward to help. 

Miguel lay on top of Lucas' legs, holding tightly to his feet.  Lucas still managed to scissor his lower legs in an effort to break free.

Ben's hands held Lucas' wrists pinned to the bed, and Kristen was trying to hang onto his shoulders to keep him from hurting himself or one of them.

"What…what should I do?"

"Nathan!  Thank God—he went from deeply asleep to this.  He has been screaming for.."  She glanced at the wall. "…two minutes now.  He has yelled for you a few times.  I'm surprised that half the crew isn't standing at the door."

Lucas screamed and bucked upward, tearing one hand free from Ben' grasp.  Nathan held the boy's chest down to the bed, and Ben recaptured the boy's hand. 

"Lucas!  LUCAS!  It's Captain Bridger.  Wake up…you're safe…wake up.."

Lucas thrashed on the bed, his head whipping from side to side.  He was wet with perspiration, and he had his eyes tightly shut.  "CAPTAIN!!  HELP US!!"

"Lucas…oh kiddo, I'm right here."  Nathan's soft voice seemed to work better than his shouting had.  Lucas' body relaxed slightly; he was muttering now, his eyes fluttering open.  Tears began to leak out and run down to the pillow under his head.

"…Captain…we're here…God, its so cold….we're stuck in here, and the room's filling up with water, th..there's no where to go!…Captain!"  Although his eyes were now mostly open, Lucas' gaze was unfocused and distant.  "Captain!  Help us! It's so c..c..cold…so c..c..cold  p..p..please h..hurry."

Kristen's horrified eyes met Nathan's.  She knew what he was dreaming about, and she could see that same knowledge reflected in Nathan's eyes.  Two weeks ago, Lucas was the guest of the then Secretary-General Andrea Dre, at the Middle Americas Undersea Resort.  He, along with the heads of the ten confederations, ended up in a hidden sunken room under the resort.  Nathan had rescued them all, and exposed Secretary Dre as a traitor, but by the time Nathan got to them, the room was mostly flooded.

"Lucas…look at me…look at us…you're on seaQuest…you're safe.." Nathan clasped his hands to Lucas' cheeks, holding his head steady and trying to capture his gaze. 

He looked briefly at the others.  "Let go of him…I think he's about awake."

He turned back to find Lucas looking at him, his eyes large and luminescent with unshed tears.  "Captain? Wh…where?

Nathan held the boy's hand and said gently, "You're here in Med Bay.  You were dreaming."

Lucas blinked.  He looked around, puzzled, then embarrassed as he saw Ben and Miguel's twin expressions of concern.  "I..I'm sorry…I..I.. mean.."

"Lucas, you did nothing wrong.  You've had another bad dream, and we are all concerned about you."

"I..I'm fine now, Captain."

Lucas withdrew his hand from Nathan's and sat up.  He ran his hand through his hair, lifting the sweaty strands away from his forehead, then quickly swiped a hand across his eyes.  He started to stand.

"Don't you even think of leaving that bed, young man.  You have had a high fever, and until I am sure that you are fully recovered, you will stay here."  Kristen said firmly.

Lucas rolled his eyes and leaned back against the pillow.  He wanted to get away and be by himself; he shuddered involuntarily in reaction to the too fresh memory of being trapped, and then rubbed his wrists absently.  'It was just a dream', he told himself firmly, 'get over it already'.  He looked up as Ben touched his arm.

"Lucas.." Ben said tentatively, "..I didn't hurt you, did I?  When I held you down?  I..I was afraid that you would…"

"You had to hold me down?  What..why..?"  Lucas looked at them, startled.  He remembered dreaming, of course.  In his dream, the panic of the others as the room began to fill with water..President Che's kindness to him, holding him when Captain Bridger began to cut through the ceiling.  He'd still been burned by the sparks falling from the laser cutter, but he probably would have been killed by the falling circle of the ceiling if Che hadn't acted and pulled him back.  He had frozen in place when the circle appeared above him.  It looked like..like…the rim of the well.  He closed his eyes and shook his head.  He was ashamed to realize that he was shaking, and he couldn't control it.  He was shivering, and he couldn't seem to catch his breath.  As if from a great distance he heard Dr. Westphalen.

"Lucas…Lucas look at me."

He met her worried gaze and then looked down.  He couldn't stop shaking.  He tried, but he couldn't stop.  Why couldn't he stop?

"Miguel, Ben, bring me those blankets.  Nathan, sit next to him and help him put his head between his knees.  He's going into shock."

He felt the Captain push his head down, felt the blankets over his shoulders, and was absolutely mortified when he began to cry, softly at first, but then more audibly.  Thoughts chased each other like rabbits through his head.  'What must they think of me. What kind of person gets this wrecked over a dream, for god's sake? Lucas, get your self under control.  You can handle this, you need to handle this, and you need to handle it alone.  If they find out….'

His determination crumbled so easily.  All it took was Captain Bridger's hand on his back and his strong, steady voice.  "It's all right..whatever is bothering you…it's O.K.  I want you to…need you to talk to me, to us.  Lucas, we want to help you; can't you understand how much we want to help you?  How much we all care about you?"

Nathan had been gently rubbing the boy's back when he felt him begin to cry.  He had no idea how to help him, and he felt incredibly guilty after hearing this particular dream.  He had rescued Lucas and the others, but then he hadn't followed up with the boy afterward.  Honestly, he'd had his own nightmares about that day, dreams where things had turned out much differently, and Dre had succeeded in killing them all.  Dreams where he cut open the ceiling only to see their lifeless bodies floating below him.

He hadn't wanted to think about that day, nor talk about it, but Lucas had lived through that, and he'd never taken the time to see if he was O.K.  He pulled the boy into a hug.  Lucas was stiff for a moment, and then he relaxed in his arms.  He was crying harder now, trying to talk, and Nathan had to strain to hear him.  "I…I was so scared…there was no way out…no way to climb out…and all the water, kept falling…so cold…"

Nathan hugged him tighter.  He looked over the boy's head and met Ben's eyes; they were full of anguish.  Miguel was trying unsuccessfully to hide his tears, and Kristen had her hand on his arm, patting him, tears running down her cheeks. 

As he rubbed Lucas' back, Nathan remembered the rescue.  Lucas had let everyone climb up ahead of him.  By the time the last two or three delegates ascended the rope, the water was so deep that everyone was floating or treading water.  Lucas waited until the end, and by the time he got to the top, his face was tight with exhaustion, teeth chattering, lips bluish-purple.  But he had smiled at Nathan and said shakily, "..T…th..th..thank you..C..C…Cap. I k..k..knew y..y..you'd c..c.c..come."  Nathan had noted Lucas' silence when they confronted Dre, and how withdrawn he was on the shuttle back to seaQuest.  He had dismissed it then as tiredness. 'Big mistake, Captain.'  He thought bitterly.

For two weeks, Lucas had relived that day in dreams, and it could have been avoided...he could have at the very least insisted that Lucas discuss it with a counselor.  He realized, with shame, that he'd encouraged Bill to make such counseling available to the delegates, but had been oblivious to Lucas' need to come to terms with the kidnapping.  Kristen read his thoughts.

"Why…why didn't I get someone to talk with him about this?  Kristen…he's been dreaming…this"

"I know."

He could tell by her expression that she shared his guilt.

Lucas' breath was hitching in his throat, and he wiped his face with his left sleeve.  "I..I'll be all right.  I…I.."

"You aren't 'all right'.  Your nightmares are getting more frequent and more violent.  You need to talk to someone about what is really bothering you."  Kristen had cupped Lucas' chin in her hand and lifted his face so he was looking at her.  "You are reacting to the kidnapping of two weeks ago, you are reliving it, you were reliving it in this dream anyway, but you are also dreaming about…other things.  Your father, a well, and…rats.   Lucas, it is time for some truth between us.  You need to tell us…the entire truth about what brought you to seaQuest."

She turned her gaze to Nathan.  "It is time for even harsh truths to be told."

To be continued