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

Too Young

Chapter Thirteen

Counseling Session

The next time Lucas woke up, Mike sat by the bed.  He was reading the release and medication information; the doctor had just been in, and he had checked the chart and Lucas' vitals.  Everything looked good, so he O.K.'d Lucas' release for that afternoon.

Mike had finally gotten hold of Lawrence's secretary, and he had said he would relay Mike's message about what happened to Lucas over Thanksgiving Break.  Mike had no confidence that Lawrence would actually respond.  He hadn't cared to take him over Thanksgiving, would he care what happened to him now?

Mike sighed, and then looked up as he noticed Lucas shift in the bed.  He smiled at the boy.

"Good morning, Lucas.  How are you today?  You feeling better?"

His voice rose hopefully at the end.  Lucas had been in a lot of pain yesterday and last night, and he was so stubborn about asking for help to get more comfortable or to even accept regular pain medication.  Consequently, he hadn't slept as well as he could have.  Anne told him all this before she left.  She had held Lucas' hand most of the night, and she looked exhausted this morning.  Mike knew that they all were having a hard time accepting what had happened to the boy.

Lucas smiled shyly at him.  "Hey Mike.  Am I getting out of here soon?"

At Mike's nod, Lucas said eagerly.  "When?  Today?"

"Yep.  But there are conditions, kid."  Mike looked at him with a mock stern expression, shaking the stack of discharge papers in front of his face.

Lucas laughed, and then clutched his stomach, his face twisting.

"Hey…Take it easy.  Sorry about that."  Mike's voice was soft and apologetic.

Lucas nodded and closed his eyes for a minute.  He took a deep breath, shuddering a little on the exhale.

"It's O.K., Mike.  It feels….manageable today."

"Manageable, huh?"  Mike smiled sadly.  "How many times have you had to 'manage' pain, Lucas?"

The boy flushed and looked down, picking at the sheet over him.

"Lucas, Anne and I care about you.  We never want to see you hurt again.  I need to let you know that I finally did get a hold of your father's office.  I didn't talk directly to Lawrence, though."

Lucas looked up at Mike's disgusted tone of voice.  "He's….really busy, Mike."

"No way, kid.  Don't make one more excuse for him.  What's more important than his son?"  Mike sighed explosively at the look on Lucas' face.  He was mad at himself for not controlling his words.  Lucas did not need to hear this—it's not like the kid didn't already have these thoughts.  He was painfully aware of where he fell in his father's list of priorities.  He didn't need Mike to remind him.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Lucas."  He continued more softly.  "I just…I guess I'm angry right now."

Lucas shifted again, sitting up further.  He appreciated Mike's concern, but he really didn't want to talk about his dad.  He changed the subject.

"Mike, when are you springing me?  When do I get to leave?"
"After lunch, Anne is coming to pick us up.  The doctor wants to see your reaction to one more meal before he lets you out."

Lucas looked at the clock.  It was 11:30, almost lunchtime.  He wasn't hungry, but he would eat to leave.  He had had his fill of hospitals.

By 1:30, the doctor was convinced that Lucas' stomach was digesting his lunch normally, so he went over the medications with Mike and Anne again and waved farewell to Lucas.

"I never never want to see you for this again."  Were his parting words.  His smile softened the stern tone, and he patted Lucas' arm before he left.

Lucas was quiet on the ride back to the house.  Anne and Mike let him be.  The still wanted him to willingly accept the idea of counseling.  Jenny had done her best to convince him, but Lucas was not swayed.  Anne had suggested that they let the subject alone for a day or two to let Lucas settle back into the routine of his classes.

At dinner that night, the table conversation was strained, with long periods of silence.  Lucas kept his eyes on his plate, and didn't eat much.  Mike could tell that he was in some pain, but mostly, he thought that the kid was embarrassed.  He didn't know how to handle having all the others know about his past.  Everyone had tried to draw him out, but he had responded with headshakes or monosyllabic answers.  Eventually, even Jenny gave up. 

All the kids kept shooting glances at the bowed blond head.  They wanted to help, but, for now, he had shut them out.

Jenny's eyes pleaded silently for Mike or Anne to do something.  Anne finally got up and began to clear the table.  Lucas excused himself and went to his room.  When he had rounded the stairwell on the second floor, Viktor whispered.  "What am I going to do about this?  What can I say to him?"

Anne shook her head in exasperation.  "I don't know what to tell you, Vic.  I think that all of us need to keep treating him normally, and eventually, he'll snap out of this."

Mike nodded.  "Good advice.  Now, is anyone up for a game of Monopoly?"

At midnight, Mike called it quits.  Viktor and Mark declared themselves the winners.  They had amassed the most houses and hotels.  Jenny had been acting as the banker, and she was amused at their bragging.  As she sorted out the denominations, she thought about Lucas.  He had gone to sleep right after dinner.  Mike had checked on him when the dishes were done, and he had reported back to them all that Lucas was sound asleep.

Viktor headed into his room, still arguing with Mark as to who really won the game.  Mark shushed him when he opened his door.

"Don't wake him, Vic.  He needs his sleep.  See ya at breakfast."

Viktor nodded and shut the door quietly.  He didn't bother turning on the light.  There was plenty of ambient light from the full moon.  He walked over to Lucas' bed and looked down at him.  The kid was curled on his side.  Viktor was always amazed at how young he looked when he slept.  Lucas had a wary, knowing look on his face most of the waking hours, but when he slept, or relaxed in games or play, that cautious expression fell away, and he looked like the little kid he really was.  Younger even.  He was too young to be here.  Viktor pulled his blankets up and tucked them around his roommate.

"Sleep well, buddy."  He whispered, and then got ready for bed himself.

A storm kicked up the leaves on the walkway outside.  As Viktor got into bed, he could hear the dry leaves rustle and shift clearly.  He thought that he could also smell the rain that was coming.  It looked like he'd have to wear a coat tomorrow as he went around to his classes.  He yawned and stretched his legs to the bottom of the bed, listening to Lucas' soft exhales, and then closed his eyes.  Right before he went to sleep, he thought that he heard the soft tapping of rain on the roof.

Lucas' loud screams woke not only Viktor, but also the boys down the hall.  Viktor has just untangled himself from his sheets, his heart slamming in his chest, when the door crashed open, and Mark and Tyler rushed in.  Lightning flashed at the window and reflected its blinding light in a square on the far wall.  Tympani rolls of thunder followed on the heels of the flash.  The rainstorm had arrived in full force, and rain now beat against the window and the roof above them.  The trees whipped against the second floor below them and the screech of wood rubbing against wood further set the agitated boys' nerves on edge.

Lucas was on the floor, still thrashing wildly.  Vic reached him first, and tried to avoid the flailing arms and legs.

"LUCAS!"  Mark yelled, and grabbed the boy's shoulders, shaking him lightly to wake him.  Tyler put his hand on Viktor's back and pointed to the small red stain on the white bandage on Lucas' abdomen.

"I think that he's broken some stitches.  We've got to get him to settle down or he'll hurt himself worse."

"Shall I get Mike?  Or Anne?"

"Let's wait a sec.  He's waking up."

Mark released the boy's shoulders as soon as Lucas' eyes opened.  He looked up at the ring of concerned faces.  He felt sick.  His stomach hurt and he was wet and shaking.  Seeing this, Tyler pulled the blanket off Lucas' bed to cover him.  Mark started to spread it out, then stopped.

"Wait, Tyler.  This is wet."

Victor still knelt next to Lucas, who was shaking more violently now.  The boy was crying, but trying hard to hide it.  He'd turned his face away from them.  His hands were pressing on his stomach and he was sweating heavily.  Vic was getting a little worried.

"Need a blanket here.  Now, guys."  Vic whispered tensely.  When they didn't respond and he saw that they were both staring up at the ceiling, Vic let his own eyes travel up the wall and stop at an irregular discoloration.  Water dripped from a large, dark stain above Lucas' bed.  It was raining in their room.

"Guys!"  Now Mark met his eyes.  "Get the covers off my bed.  Come on.  Move it, he's shaking."

Tyler and Mark scrambled and Lucas got covered quickly.  Viktor helped him to sit up, wincing himself at how cold Lucas' skin was.  He rubbed his back.

"Th..Th…thanks…" Lucas' words stuttered out between the chills shaking his body.

Mark and Tyler squatted down next to the roommates.  "Lucas—let's get you dried off.  I think that you got rained on, kid."

Tyler added. "Sounds like you had a bad dream, too?"

Lucas nodded, clutching the blankets more tightly around him.

Vic hesitated, and then said.  "You want to talk about it?  We'll listen."

Lucas glanced up briefly at them and then his eyes went back to studying the floor.  Mark didn't like the way he flinched at every thunder crack.  He was warming up, but he was still shaking, and his features were drawn.  It reminded Mark of how he looked that first day in the hospital.

Lucas took a deep breath and tried to still his trembling.  Why had he dreamed about that?  He hadn't thought about the well in a long time, and he hadn't dreamed about it in over a year.  He did not want to talk about it.  These guys already knew way too much about his family problems.

He was gaining control of his emotions and was pleased to see that his shaking was less noticeable.  Lucas looked up again and was touched to see the three worried faces above him.

"I'm—O.K.,  I, I, don't remember the whole dream."  He couldn't control the shudder that shook him. "I…can't talk about it.  Thanks, though."

Unsure of how to respond, Mark and Tyler looked at each other and then moved to their comfort zone—medical issues.  "Let us check out your stitches.  Your wound is weeping some.  Probably happened when you fell out of bed."

While Mark was talking, Tyler had gently pried Lucas' fingers off the blanket and took a look at the bandage.  He carefully peeled the tape from one side and folded the stained pad back.  Mark's fingers joined in and probed the surgical incision.  It was red around the right edge and the skin had pulled away from the last two stitches.  The bleeding had stopped, but there was blood on the skin.  It was drying and the area around it wasn't hot or inflamed.

"You'll be O.K.  You just unraveled a little."  Tyler joked weakly.  He did get a small answering smile from Lucas.

They helped him up and into Viktor's bed.  While Mark and Tyler had Lucas occupied, Vic had moved the kid's bed out from under the dripping ceiling.  He placed the trashcan from the bathroom under the leak, and had brought some towels in to sop up the water in Lucas' mattress.

When he finished, he turned to the others gathered at his bed.  Mark was holding Lucas' hand as Tyler carefully tucked him in.  Lucas had closed his eyes, but Mark shook his head at Viktor's questioning gaze.  The kid was too stiff to be asleep.

Viktor sighed.  He was really tired and wanted nothing more that to crawl in his bed and sleep.  But it looked like he'd be up awhile.  He sat on the edge of the bed and took Lucas' other hand.  The boy shifted toward him.  "There's no reason for all of us to be up."  Vic whispered. 

"You sure?"  Mark queried.  He was still a little worried about the kid.  He wished that Lucas would just open up and talk to them.

Vic nodded and motioned them to shut the door when they left.

Lucas' eyes flicked open quickly and then closed again. 

"Yeah.  They're gone now.  Sure wish you'd talk to me, roomie."  He could feel Lucas tense up, squeezing his hand involuntarily.

"Viktor…I'm sorry.  I can't.  Not yet.  I'm sorry."  Lucas whispered this, his eyes still closed, and Vic saw a tear roll down one pale cheek.

Vic patted his hand awkwardly.  He didn't want to upset Lucas further, so he just nudged the younger boy over a little, and lay down beside him, pulling the bedspread over himself.  He began to talk softly, telling a long folktale that had been a regular nighttime request of his two young brothers back home in St. Petersburg.  It was quite a while before Viktor felt Lucas' hand totally relax in his.  The boy's breathing was regular and soft, and Viktor let his voice trail to silence.   He closed his own eyes and slipped into sleep, hoping his presence would keep Lucas' nightmares at bay.

Lucas was up, dressed, and gone by the time Viktor dragged himself downstairs.  He barely made the late breakfast time, and stoically tolerated Mike's reprimand for his tardiness.  God. He was so, so tired.

At dinner that night, Lucas was a bit more animated, talking with Jenny about the new SLAC government contract for UEO research.  He didn't look too worse for wear for having an interrupted night's sleep, Viktor thought sourly.  Vic hoped Lucas would sleep soundly.  He, Mark, and Tyler had decided that they'd have to tell Mike and Anne if it happened again.  Lucas needed to talk to someone about what was bothering him.

Viktor sat straight up in bed.  Lucas' screams galvanized him and he was moving even before he was totally awake.  He grabbed Lucas in time to keep him on his bed, but Lucas was thrashing violently.  His face was twisted, and Viktor realized that he was yelling words tonight.  When the meaning registered on his overtired mind, he was repulsed and horrified.  Vic closed his eyes in pain at Lucas' heart wrenching cries.  "NO!  No, dad…DON'T!  It hurts…no..no..please, daddy.  You're hurting me."

Viktor turned, still holding onto Lucas, when he heard Mark's gasp and Tyler's whispered. "Oh no.  Not again."

Mark disappeared and they heard his footfalls thumping down the stairs.  Mike and Anne needed to know what was going on. 

Tyler helped Vic hold Lucas down.  They couldn't seem to wake him up, and they couldn't let him hurt himself.  Vic raised his eyebrows in surprise at how strong the kid was, but he was panicked, and maybe that was giving him more strength.

Lucas groaned and twisted under their hands.  He was trapped in his dream.  Trapped in the well.  He had to make it to the top, but he kept falling back.  He could hear his father laughing, and he pleaded to be let out, pleaded for his father's help.

"Help…let me out!  Dad, please…"  His voice rose to a scream and then he began weeping, still trying to wrench his hands away from the two boys holding him.

They could now hear the rapid approach of the Norris's.

Mike rushed to the bed.  He stopped short, shocked at Lucas' terror.  Anne went around him and sat down beside the boy.  She took his face in her hands, and then laid her cheek next to his, whispering softly in his ear.  "Lucas.  It's Anne.  Mike's here too.  You are safe.  Wake up honey.  Come on, baby.  Wake up for me."

Mike knelt next to the bed, and listened to his wife repeat her whispered pleas.  Lucas was still now, and Viktor and Tyler released him, relieved to see his eyes flutter open.

"Anne." He whispered hoarsely.  He'd screamed so long that he'd strained his voice.  His hands came up and covered Anne's.  She was still holding his head still, a hand on each cheek.  She felt his tears.  He had been crying in his sleep.  It tore at her heart to see this boy suffering.  She helped him to sit up and then pulled him into a hug, and rocked him.  He was still crying, and he laid his head on her shoulder.  She hugged him more tightly, rubbing his back.  She could feel his breath hitch as he tried to stop his tears.  He was shaking so hard that the bed was moving, rocking against the wall.

Mike watched Mark, Viktor, and Tyler go down the hall.  Viktor would sleep in their room for the rest of the night.  When their door closed, Mike came back and sat beside Anne and Lucas.  "Lucas.  Are you all right?"

Lucas raised his head and nodded jerkily.  His shivering was beginning to ease, and Anne let him slip from her arms.

"You need to talk to us, Lucas.  What's this about?  Mark said that this is the second night in a row, and this one was worse than last night's—talk to me, buddy."

Lucas was studying his hands intently.  Mike reached over and raised his head, cupping his chin.  "This isn't an option, Lucas.  You've got to talk about what's bothering you."  Mike was saddened to see the fear present in the boy's wide blue eyes.  Lucas shook his hand free and stood up quickly, hugging himself.   He had nearly stopped shivering.  Anne put a hand on his arm to keep him from leaving.

"Lucas.  Mike is right.  You're not O.K., you're not getting better, and you're not communicating with us.  Can't you tell us what this is about?"

"It's just a nightmare!"  Lucas shook off her hand.

"All right.  Tomorrow morning, I am scheduling a counseling session for you.."

"I don't need counseling!"  I just need to be left alone!"  Lucas' voice was rising.

"Calm down.  You need to realize that you don't have a choice—you are either in counseling when Katherine calls us back, or she will see this as an unsafe place for you to be…"
"NO!! No.  I don't want to leave!"  Lucas had backed himself into a corner, and he was trembling again.

"Lucas…" Anne's voice was soft and she approached him slowly, as if he were a hurt creature ready to bolt if she moved too suddenly.  "Lucas, please cooperate with us.  We are trying to help you.  We…we love you, Lucas."

His hand reached for her outstretched one and then she pulled him close and held him.  "Lucas?"

"I have no choice."  He said quietly.

"No."

"Can I stay here?  Do…you still…want me?"

"Oh, yes."

"All right."  He straightened and pulled back slightly from Anne's arms.  "I'll go."

Andrew was smiling in greeting as he opened his office door.  Lucas stood quietly next to Mike, his hands jammed into his pockets.

"Hello, Michael!"  Andrew pulled on Mike's outstretched hand and clapped him on the back in a warm welcome.  He looked over at the boy.  "You must be Lucas."  Andrew's eyes twinkled as his grin increased in size.  "Come in. Come in.  Welcome." 

Lucas hesitated, wiping his shoes an unnecessarily long time.  His eyes darted nervous glances around the room.

'He looks like he's planning his escape.' Mike thought gloomily.

"Hello…"  Lucas had made it into the room now and had taken Andrew's hand.  He shook it twice, and then dropped it like a used Kleenex.

'Oh, boy.  This should be interesting.' Mike mused, and shot Lucas a warning glare.

Lucas grimaced and lowered his eyes.  His face revealed that the message had been received and understood.  He'd better behave for this session or Mike would have a very unpleasant chore for him tonight.  From Mike's glare, Lucas thought that he'd be especially creative in assigning punishment this time.

For the remainder of this first meeting, Lucas was icily polite, answering Andrew's questions as quickly and succinctly as possible.  For his part, Andrew never lost his kindly manner nor his gentle smile.  When he ushered them out at the end of the hour, he asked Mike to stay for a moment.

"Lucas, wait for me in the car, please."  Lucas nodded as he caught the keys, his jaw so tight that Mike could see the individual muscles working under the skin.  Mike watched him exit, and then turned and offered Andrew an apologetic shrug.  "Sorry, Andrew.  I thought that he'd be more cooperative."

"Michael—that's not why I asked you to stay.  Well, I guess that is part of the reason.  I wanted to ask you what you thought about me sharing my past with Lucas.  I believe I can reach him if I tell him my story.   He wants to talk, Michael, but he is so afraid.  I can see it in his eyes."

Mike nodded thoughtfully.  He'd seen Lucas' fear as well.

"I recognize that particular look, Michael.  I've seen it before, many times."

Mike was curious.  "Where, Andrew?  Where have you seen it before?"

"In me own mirror, Michael my lad."

To be continued…

Chapter 14   Andrew's Story