A SONG CAN TELL US SOMETHING
Chapter 2 - Family Portrait
By Kiddo
Information:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Nathan Bridger, Lawrence Wolenczak, and all the other things don't belong to me. I have no rights on them and am making no money with this story.
The song "Family Portrait" is written by Pink.
Feedback is always welcome.
A special THANKS goes to my Beta Jackie and angeleyes99110, Ihni, Teresa, niina, cc and Shi Nom for your Reviews for the first chapter.
***************************************************************************
*
Mama please stop cryin'
I can't stop the sound
Your pain is painful and it's
Tearing me down
*
After Captain Bridger got out of the car he had rented, he brushed his right hand over his uniform for the last time. Today was the last day of shoreleave for the SeaQuest crew.
But on their last day of their shoreleave, they couldn't do what the wanted. Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak, a famous scientist and one of SeaQuest's biggest financial supporters, was giving a party. Admiral Noyce had told the Senior Crew that their presence as representatives for the SeaQuest was necessary.
Captain Nathan Bridger had gone to his Senior Crew and they had decided to all go together to the party rather than separately. Nathan looked at the faces of his crew, they seemed about as happy to go to the party as he was. "Come one, some things are just included in the job." Bridger rang the bell at the door of the big villa.
A girl from the staff opened the door and let them inside.
*
I hear glasses breaking
As I sit up in my bed
I told God you didn't mean
Those nasty things you said
You fight about money
About me and my brother
And this I come home to
This is my shelter
*
The moment that Dr. Wolenczak, the owner of the villa, saw the Captain and his crew, he went straight to them. "Captain Bridger, it's great that you and your crew could come. I was worried that this meeting wouldn't happen, but Admiral Noyce was so nice to tell me that the SeaQuest crew had shoreleave and that you had time for the party." The scientist smiled widely.
Nathan Bridger smiled too. "Thanks for the invitation. We all are feeling so honored because of it!"
Dr. Wolenczak took the Captain with him and the rest of the crew spread out over the party. "Please come with me Captain Bridger, I want to introduce you to my wife." Said Lawrence gesturing to his wife.
Cynthia Wolenczak was a thin, pretty woman around 40. The most remarkable were her big blue eyes that looked icy and cold.
Cynthia and Captain Bridger made a bit of small talk and then Dr. Wolenczak talked with Nathan again. "Captain you have to meet my son." Wolenczak looked around in the big room. "If I just knew where the little rascal is." Lawrence gave the Captain a smile and tried a joke. "I'm sure you know how children are. Unless you tie them down to something, you always have to search for them. I'm glad that I have just one, I don't want to imagine how bad this is with more than one child. Oh I can see him. Come with me."
*
It ain't easy, growin' up in WW3
Never knowin' what love could be
You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me
Like is has done my family
*
Together with the Captain, the scientist walked to another part of the room. Dr. Wolenczak's son stood there talking with Admiral Noyce.
Lawrence tapped on his son's shoulder and the boy jerked around.
Captain Bridger looked directly in the big blue eyes of a blond teenager. Nathan was speechless, he knew the boy! This was Lucas! The boy who had run away from home for a reason he wouldn't tell and had slept in Bridger's hotel room.
Lucas was more shocked than the Captain. He had never expected and hoped to see Bridger again. He hadn't told his parents about Bridger, they didn't know that he knew this man and that he had given him a place to sleep. Would everything become public now?
*
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I'll promise I'll be better
Mommy I'll do anything
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I promise I'll be better
Daddy please don't leave
*
It didn't take long and the teenager was his old self again and smiled his typical 'nice to meet you' smile. He took a small quick look at his father and was glad when he saw that his father hadn't noticed anything.
Dr. Wolenczak made the introductions. "Captain Bridger this is my son Lucas. Lucas this is Captain Bridger. He is the Captain of the seaQuest."
Lucas gave Nathan his hand. "Nice to meet you Captain Bridger!"
Bridger was stuck for a moment, but then he smiled too and shook the teenager's hand. "Same here." It looked like the boy didn't want to let the others know that they had met before, so Nathan decided to play the boy's game.
*
Daddy please stop yelling
I can't stand the sound
Make mama stop cryin'
'Cause I need you around
My mama she loves you
No matter what she says is true
I know that she hurts you
But remember I love you too!
*
"Lucas has finished at Stanford this year," said Dr. Wolenczak.
Nathan looked first at the scientist and then at Lucas, surprised. "The college? I would think you're a bit young for that."
Lawrence nodded. "He is 14. The boy is a genius. I think it runs in the family, good genes always push through!" he said, laughing.
Bridger and Noyce laughed for a short time too, but Lucas was just able to give a small smile.
Dr. Wolenczak started a new discussion with Admiral Noyce that didn't included the other two people.
*
I ran away today, ran from the noise
Ran away (ran away)
Don't wanna go back to that place
But don't have no choice, no way
*
Captain Bridger took Lucas quietly to another part of the room.
When they were out of the earshot from the others, the teenager immediately spoke to Nathan. "Please, don't tell my parents that we have meet before."
"Why do you want to keep this a secret?" Bridger wanted to know. He didn't really expected an answer to his question. He had often thought about Lucas the last few days and he wanted to know the boy's problems, wanted to know what the boy was trying to hide.
The blond teen shook his head. "I can't tell you, but if you don't want me to get into any trouble, then please don't talk about this."
Bridger nodded. "Okay, I will not tell your parents anything."
Lucas looked relieved and brushed a lock of blond hair out of his face. "Thanks, why didn't you tell me that you are a captain, the captain of the seaQuest, no less?"
Nathan smiled. "I didn't think that it was so important. But you weren't exactly honest with me either. I thought your last name was Moore."
The boy looked away. "I'm sorry that I lied to you, although you were so friendly to me. But think about it, if I had told you who I really was, you would have phoned my parents."
Captain Bridger shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe yes, maybe no. I really don't know. Why had you run away from home?"
Lucas shook his head adamantly. "I can't tell you that!"
"Why not?"
"Because I can't!"
*
It ain't easy, growing' up in WW
Never known' what love could be
But I've seen, I don't want love to destroy me
Like it did my family
*
Dr. Wolenczak went over to Bridger and Lucas and spoke to the teenager. "Lucas, you can't keep the captain to yourself this whole time."
The boy looked at the ground. "Sorry sir, I just asked a few things about the submarine."
Nathan looked in the face of the scientist. "Your son hasn't kept me. I think, it's the other way around. It's nice to talk with him, he has a fresh spirit."
Lawrence Wolenczak looked at the captain and then at his son. "It's very nice of you to say that. But I'm afraid I have to kidnap my son, I have to talk with him about something important alone. Lucas, please come with me to the garden."
The teenager followed his father into the garden; they went as far away from the house as possible.
Captain Bridger observed the two Wolenczaks through the big windows. Even from this distance he could see that it wasn't a pleasant conversation for Lucas.
The boy looked at the ground and let his shoulders hang down. His father was the only one doing the talking. But after some time this changed, the teenager looked up, said something and shook his head.
It seemed that Dr. Wolenczak didn't like the reaction of his son and he started to talk with his hands too and throw them up into the air. Bridger could see that the teenager's body language was tense and that he was angry with his father. Nathan really wanted to know what they were talking about.
It looked like the two people in the garden were screaming at each other. Lucas stamped his foot on the ground.
Dr. Wolenczak looked like he wanted to throw himself on his son.
*
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I promise I'll be better
Mommy I'll do anything
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I'll promise I'll be better
Daddy please don't leave
*
Captain Bridger wasn't the only one who watched what was happening in the garden, a few other party guests looked outside too. When Mrs. Wolenczak realised that, she excused herself from the person she was talking to and went quickly into the garden to her husband and son.
She spoke a few words with them, and after this, she and her husband went back in the house. The party guests acted as if nothing had happened and started to talk again.
Lucas stayed a few more minutes in the garden, then he went back to the house too, but he didn't rejoin the guests. Nathan only needed to take a small look at the boy to see that the teenagers was fighting tears. The boy went straight to the stairs and disappeared. Just like, the captain thought, in his room.
*
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
Let's play pretend, let's act like it comes naturally
I don't wanna have to split the holidays
I don't want two addressed
I don't want a stepbrother anyway
And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name!
*
Time went by. Bridger's look fell on a family portrait which hung over the fireplace. It wasn't a photo, it was an old drawing. All the three people smiled happily in the drawing.
But it looked wrong to Bridger. It just looked like a show, just like something people would do to make a good impression on other people.
Nathan had seen the whole family together today, and they hadn't looked and acted like the family in the picture. The family in the drawing looked happy, but the family in the reality hadn't acted like this.
The whole family thing looked like an act to Bridger. He thought he had only seen the real Wolenczaks at one time that day, and that was during the argument in the garden.
*
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
We look pretty normal
Let's go back to that
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
Let's play pretend
Act like it goes naturally
*
Captain Bridger took a step closer to the fireplace. Over the fireplace stood a few pictures. In a few photos was Lucas. But the smile on the boy's face wasn't a real smile. The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Nathan thought about the time the teenager had helped him with his laptop computer. When he thought back on it, it seemed like the teen had been in an other world with the computer and was really happy. When Bridger now looked at the pictures he could say that the boy didn't look happy at all.
*
Mama'll be nicer
I'll be so much better
I'll tell my brother
I won't spill the milk at dinner
I'll be so much better
I'll do everything right
I'll be your little girl forever
I'll go to sleep at night
*
At midnight the crew of the seaQuest had to say goodbye because the tour would start early tomorrow and therefore they had to go.
Admiral Noyce stayed at the party. He and Dr. Wolenczak had gone in another room a long time ago to speak about something important.
*
Daddy don't leave. daddy don't leave
* Nathan Bridger went and got into his rented car. Before he started the car he looked back at the villa for the last time. In the upper floors of the villa there was only one room with the light on.
In this room he could easily see Lucas' silhouette. The teenager sat on the window-sill, his knees hugged to his chest with his arms around them and his head down on his knees.
Bridger captured this picture in his heart. Lucas looked like a needed a warm hug.
After some time the Captain looked away, started the car, and drove away.
END OF CHAPTER TWO
Chapter 2 - Family Portrait
By Kiddo
Information:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Nathan Bridger, Lawrence Wolenczak, and all the other things don't belong to me. I have no rights on them and am making no money with this story.
The song "Family Portrait" is written by Pink.
Feedback is always welcome.
A special THANKS goes to my Beta Jackie and angeleyes99110, Ihni, Teresa, niina, cc and Shi Nom for your Reviews for the first chapter.
***************************************************************************
*
Mama please stop cryin'
I can't stop the sound
Your pain is painful and it's
Tearing me down
*
After Captain Bridger got out of the car he had rented, he brushed his right hand over his uniform for the last time. Today was the last day of shoreleave for the SeaQuest crew.
But on their last day of their shoreleave, they couldn't do what the wanted. Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak, a famous scientist and one of SeaQuest's biggest financial supporters, was giving a party. Admiral Noyce had told the Senior Crew that their presence as representatives for the SeaQuest was necessary.
Captain Nathan Bridger had gone to his Senior Crew and they had decided to all go together to the party rather than separately. Nathan looked at the faces of his crew, they seemed about as happy to go to the party as he was. "Come one, some things are just included in the job." Bridger rang the bell at the door of the big villa.
A girl from the staff opened the door and let them inside.
*
I hear glasses breaking
As I sit up in my bed
I told God you didn't mean
Those nasty things you said
You fight about money
About me and my brother
And this I come home to
This is my shelter
*
The moment that Dr. Wolenczak, the owner of the villa, saw the Captain and his crew, he went straight to them. "Captain Bridger, it's great that you and your crew could come. I was worried that this meeting wouldn't happen, but Admiral Noyce was so nice to tell me that the SeaQuest crew had shoreleave and that you had time for the party." The scientist smiled widely.
Nathan Bridger smiled too. "Thanks for the invitation. We all are feeling so honored because of it!"
Dr. Wolenczak took the Captain with him and the rest of the crew spread out over the party. "Please come with me Captain Bridger, I want to introduce you to my wife." Said Lawrence gesturing to his wife.
Cynthia Wolenczak was a thin, pretty woman around 40. The most remarkable were her big blue eyes that looked icy and cold.
Cynthia and Captain Bridger made a bit of small talk and then Dr. Wolenczak talked with Nathan again. "Captain you have to meet my son." Wolenczak looked around in the big room. "If I just knew where the little rascal is." Lawrence gave the Captain a smile and tried a joke. "I'm sure you know how children are. Unless you tie them down to something, you always have to search for them. I'm glad that I have just one, I don't want to imagine how bad this is with more than one child. Oh I can see him. Come with me."
*
It ain't easy, growin' up in WW3
Never knowin' what love could be
You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me
Like is has done my family
*
Together with the Captain, the scientist walked to another part of the room. Dr. Wolenczak's son stood there talking with Admiral Noyce.
Lawrence tapped on his son's shoulder and the boy jerked around.
Captain Bridger looked directly in the big blue eyes of a blond teenager. Nathan was speechless, he knew the boy! This was Lucas! The boy who had run away from home for a reason he wouldn't tell and had slept in Bridger's hotel room.
Lucas was more shocked than the Captain. He had never expected and hoped to see Bridger again. He hadn't told his parents about Bridger, they didn't know that he knew this man and that he had given him a place to sleep. Would everything become public now?
*
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I'll promise I'll be better
Mommy I'll do anything
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I promise I'll be better
Daddy please don't leave
*
It didn't take long and the teenager was his old self again and smiled his typical 'nice to meet you' smile. He took a small quick look at his father and was glad when he saw that his father hadn't noticed anything.
Dr. Wolenczak made the introductions. "Captain Bridger this is my son Lucas. Lucas this is Captain Bridger. He is the Captain of the seaQuest."
Lucas gave Nathan his hand. "Nice to meet you Captain Bridger!"
Bridger was stuck for a moment, but then he smiled too and shook the teenager's hand. "Same here." It looked like the boy didn't want to let the others know that they had met before, so Nathan decided to play the boy's game.
*
Daddy please stop yelling
I can't stand the sound
Make mama stop cryin'
'Cause I need you around
My mama she loves you
No matter what she says is true
I know that she hurts you
But remember I love you too!
*
"Lucas has finished at Stanford this year," said Dr. Wolenczak.
Nathan looked first at the scientist and then at Lucas, surprised. "The college? I would think you're a bit young for that."
Lawrence nodded. "He is 14. The boy is a genius. I think it runs in the family, good genes always push through!" he said, laughing.
Bridger and Noyce laughed for a short time too, but Lucas was just able to give a small smile.
Dr. Wolenczak started a new discussion with Admiral Noyce that didn't included the other two people.
*
I ran away today, ran from the noise
Ran away (ran away)
Don't wanna go back to that place
But don't have no choice, no way
*
Captain Bridger took Lucas quietly to another part of the room.
When they were out of the earshot from the others, the teenager immediately spoke to Nathan. "Please, don't tell my parents that we have meet before."
"Why do you want to keep this a secret?" Bridger wanted to know. He didn't really expected an answer to his question. He had often thought about Lucas the last few days and he wanted to know the boy's problems, wanted to know what the boy was trying to hide.
The blond teen shook his head. "I can't tell you, but if you don't want me to get into any trouble, then please don't talk about this."
Bridger nodded. "Okay, I will not tell your parents anything."
Lucas looked relieved and brushed a lock of blond hair out of his face. "Thanks, why didn't you tell me that you are a captain, the captain of the seaQuest, no less?"
Nathan smiled. "I didn't think that it was so important. But you weren't exactly honest with me either. I thought your last name was Moore."
The boy looked away. "I'm sorry that I lied to you, although you were so friendly to me. But think about it, if I had told you who I really was, you would have phoned my parents."
Captain Bridger shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe yes, maybe no. I really don't know. Why had you run away from home?"
Lucas shook his head adamantly. "I can't tell you that!"
"Why not?"
"Because I can't!"
*
It ain't easy, growing' up in WW
Never known' what love could be
But I've seen, I don't want love to destroy me
Like it did my family
*
Dr. Wolenczak went over to Bridger and Lucas and spoke to the teenager. "Lucas, you can't keep the captain to yourself this whole time."
The boy looked at the ground. "Sorry sir, I just asked a few things about the submarine."
Nathan looked in the face of the scientist. "Your son hasn't kept me. I think, it's the other way around. It's nice to talk with him, he has a fresh spirit."
Lawrence Wolenczak looked at the captain and then at his son. "It's very nice of you to say that. But I'm afraid I have to kidnap my son, I have to talk with him about something important alone. Lucas, please come with me to the garden."
The teenager followed his father into the garden; they went as far away from the house as possible.
Captain Bridger observed the two Wolenczaks through the big windows. Even from this distance he could see that it wasn't a pleasant conversation for Lucas.
The boy looked at the ground and let his shoulders hang down. His father was the only one doing the talking. But after some time this changed, the teenager looked up, said something and shook his head.
It seemed that Dr. Wolenczak didn't like the reaction of his son and he started to talk with his hands too and throw them up into the air. Bridger could see that the teenager's body language was tense and that he was angry with his father. Nathan really wanted to know what they were talking about.
It looked like the two people in the garden were screaming at each other. Lucas stamped his foot on the ground.
Dr. Wolenczak looked like he wanted to throw himself on his son.
*
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I promise I'll be better
Mommy I'll do anything
Can we work it out
Can we be a family
I'll promise I'll be better
Daddy please don't leave
*
Captain Bridger wasn't the only one who watched what was happening in the garden, a few other party guests looked outside too. When Mrs. Wolenczak realised that, she excused herself from the person she was talking to and went quickly into the garden to her husband and son.
She spoke a few words with them, and after this, she and her husband went back in the house. The party guests acted as if nothing had happened and started to talk again.
Lucas stayed a few more minutes in the garden, then he went back to the house too, but he didn't rejoin the guests. Nathan only needed to take a small look at the boy to see that the teenagers was fighting tears. The boy went straight to the stairs and disappeared. Just like, the captain thought, in his room.
*
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
Let's play pretend, let's act like it comes naturally
I don't wanna have to split the holidays
I don't want two addressed
I don't want a stepbrother anyway
And I don't want my mom to have to change her last name!
*
Time went by. Bridger's look fell on a family portrait which hung over the fireplace. It wasn't a photo, it was an old drawing. All the three people smiled happily in the drawing.
But it looked wrong to Bridger. It just looked like a show, just like something people would do to make a good impression on other people.
Nathan had seen the whole family together today, and they hadn't looked and acted like the family in the picture. The family in the drawing looked happy, but the family in the reality hadn't acted like this.
The whole family thing looked like an act to Bridger. He thought he had only seen the real Wolenczaks at one time that day, and that was during the argument in the garden.
*
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
We look pretty normal
Let's go back to that
In our family portrait
We look pretty happy
Let's play pretend
Act like it goes naturally
*
Captain Bridger took a step closer to the fireplace. Over the fireplace stood a few pictures. In a few photos was Lucas. But the smile on the boy's face wasn't a real smile. The boy smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
Nathan thought about the time the teenager had helped him with his laptop computer. When he thought back on it, it seemed like the teen had been in an other world with the computer and was really happy. When Bridger now looked at the pictures he could say that the boy didn't look happy at all.
*
Mama'll be nicer
I'll be so much better
I'll tell my brother
I won't spill the milk at dinner
I'll be so much better
I'll do everything right
I'll be your little girl forever
I'll go to sleep at night
*
At midnight the crew of the seaQuest had to say goodbye because the tour would start early tomorrow and therefore they had to go.
Admiral Noyce stayed at the party. He and Dr. Wolenczak had gone in another room a long time ago to speak about something important.
*
Daddy don't leave. daddy don't leave
* Nathan Bridger went and got into his rented car. Before he started the car he looked back at the villa for the last time. In the upper floors of the villa there was only one room with the light on.
In this room he could easily see Lucas' silhouette. The teenager sat on the window-sill, his knees hugged to his chest with his arms around them and his head down on his knees.
Bridger captured this picture in his heart. Lucas looked like a needed a warm hug.
After some time the Captain looked away, started the car, and drove away.
END OF CHAPTER TWO