Baby's Blue Eyes
Chapter 4
By Kiddo
*IN LOVING MEMORY OF JONATHAN BRANDIS*
Disclaimer:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Captain Bridger, Darwin, Lawrence Wolenczak and all the others don't belong to me. I have no rights to them.
A special thanks goes to my beta-reader Jackie and to Sara, Grace and Simon for their Reviews.
Feedback is always welcome.
***************************************************************************
Lucas's eyes were wide and he looked shocked and afraid at Lawrence. They had never had a good relationship in the past, they had often argued or ignored each other. But the blond boy had never expected such a reaction. It never had mattered how bad their relationship was, Lawrence had never hit him before. It was as though the last bit of respect he had for his "father" had been destroyed. Lucas was shocked and touched the left side of his face with a trembling hand.
"Don't look at me like that! This is your own fault!" Dr. Wolenczak looked at his gold watch. "I have to go now. I expect you to be gone when I come back. You can spend your shore leave where you want, as long as it's not here! I don't need you in my life. I came to an end with your mother a long time ago. And now I'm doing the same with you. I don't want to see you again. Don't come back." He had said the last words very calm and coldly. He left the kitchen, grabbed his keys, and left the house.
**************
Lucas was frozen for a few minutes; had Lawrence really said what he thought he had said?
Suddenly the teenager ran upstairs and threw himself on his bed. Tears were running down his face. It felt like the world was coming to an end. He missed the seaQuest and Bridger more strongly than he ever had before.
**************
Some time later, the boy stood up and went to the bathroom that was attached to his room. He looked in the mirror. The part of his face where the slap had hit him was red.
After some time he looked away from the mirror and splashed some cold water on his teary face. Then he went downstairs, stopped before the Vid-phone and dialled the number of the seaQuest. Tim O'Neill was the one who answered him.
"Hi Tim, can you please put the call through to Bridger?"
"No problem, just a second."
"Thanks."
A few minutes later the face of the captain appeared on the screen. "Hi kiddo, how are you? Did you arrive safely?"
Lucas nodded in response. "I just wanted to tell you that I will be coming back to the seaQuest this evening."
Nathan Bridger had known from the second he saw the blond teenager that something was really wrong. The left side of his face was a little bit too red to be natural and the boy looked like he had been crying. Captain Bridger decided not to mention it for now. That could wait until he could speak with the boy face to face. If Lawrence had done something to Lucas, the famous scientist would come to regret it, and pay for it. The teenager was too important to him, he couldn't let it show that he could tell something bad had happened. "Alright Lucas, see you this evening."
"Yes, bye." The computer genius closed the Vid-phone connection. He was glad that the Captain hadn't asked questions about his coming back early. But he was sure that Bridger would ask later. The captain was a person who wanted answers; he wouldn't let this go. But the weird thing was, that Bridger often knew what he was feeling and when he needed him. That came close to scaring!
The blond teenager turned on the phone again and dialled for a taxi. He took his bag, searched the room for a second, and grabbed some things to take with him. After that, he left the house.
************
Later in the evening, Lucas was back on the seaQuest, in his cabin. The boy sat on his bed, with a photo in his hands. He looked at it. It was a photo of his mother and him. He was lost in his thoughts.
After some time, a knock came at the door.
The teenager looked up. "It's open!"
Captain Bridger walked into the young genius's cabin. "Hey kiddo, how are you doing?"
"Fine... why do you ask?"
Nathan Bridger sat next to the boy and turned his face to the teenager. "You don't look so fine. Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucas thought about the offer for a moment. He knew that he needed to talk about this whole thing with someone and the captain was the perfect person. He would listen to him without condemning him. "You know that I got a letter from my mother?"
Nathan nodded. "Yes."
"In it... she told me that my father isn't - isn't my biological father. And because of that, I had to go home. I asked Lawrence about it and he told me that it was true. But he wouldn't tell me the name of my real father. I even looked at my birth certificate. But there was nothing there, no name. I want know his name. I don't expect anything from him, I just want to know who he is and maybe have a chance to met him."
Captain Bridger nodded. He never would have expected such a story. He knew that Lucas looked very different from Dr. Wolenczak and assumed his looks came from his mother. But he had always thought that the teenager had gotten his incredible intelligence from Lawrence. Dr. Wolenczak was a very famous scientist; he had made a name for himself around the whole world. And nobody could deny that Lucas was a genius. "I can understand very well that you want to know who your father is. Is there anybody else who could tell you? Maybe a close friend of your mother?"
The teenager shook his head. "I can't think of anyone. Mum wrote that even my biological father doesn't know that I exist. She never told him about me. In our family, it was very important how we looked to the public. We had to act like the perfect family; problems had to be kept a secret. Lawrence wanted to look like the perfect scientist and man in the public eye. Nothing that could change that was allowed." Lucas made a face with these last two sentences.
Nathan was aware that the boy was trying to hold back his emotions. But like always, he could read it in the teenager's eyes. Lucas had learned to show no emotions on his face. His face could be a totally blank mask and he could smile when he was sad, but his blue eyes had never acquired this talent. Someone who didn't know the boy wouldn't see this, but those who knew him well and looked closely at him could read the expression in his eyes. For Captain Bridger, Lucas's eyes were like an open book.
The teenager looked at the object in his hands.
Nathan followed the boy's gaze. "What is this?"
Lucas gave the captain the picture. "This is a photo of me and my mother. I was 8 years old. Shortly after this was taken, the doctors diagnosed her illness."
Bridger was paralysed. This couldn't be true.
*****************
To Be Continuied...
Written 2002 / Translated 2004
*****************
Info:
Any guesses what Bridger is thinking???
Chapter 4
By Kiddo
*IN LOVING MEMORY OF JONATHAN BRANDIS*
Disclaimer:
SeaQuest, Lucas Wolenczak, Captain Bridger, Darwin, Lawrence Wolenczak and all the others don't belong to me. I have no rights to them.
A special thanks goes to my beta-reader Jackie and to Sara, Grace and Simon for their Reviews.
Feedback is always welcome.
***************************************************************************
Lucas's eyes were wide and he looked shocked and afraid at Lawrence. They had never had a good relationship in the past, they had often argued or ignored each other. But the blond boy had never expected such a reaction. It never had mattered how bad their relationship was, Lawrence had never hit him before. It was as though the last bit of respect he had for his "father" had been destroyed. Lucas was shocked and touched the left side of his face with a trembling hand.
"Don't look at me like that! This is your own fault!" Dr. Wolenczak looked at his gold watch. "I have to go now. I expect you to be gone when I come back. You can spend your shore leave where you want, as long as it's not here! I don't need you in my life. I came to an end with your mother a long time ago. And now I'm doing the same with you. I don't want to see you again. Don't come back." He had said the last words very calm and coldly. He left the kitchen, grabbed his keys, and left the house.
**************
Lucas was frozen for a few minutes; had Lawrence really said what he thought he had said?
Suddenly the teenager ran upstairs and threw himself on his bed. Tears were running down his face. It felt like the world was coming to an end. He missed the seaQuest and Bridger more strongly than he ever had before.
**************
Some time later, the boy stood up and went to the bathroom that was attached to his room. He looked in the mirror. The part of his face where the slap had hit him was red.
After some time he looked away from the mirror and splashed some cold water on his teary face. Then he went downstairs, stopped before the Vid-phone and dialled the number of the seaQuest. Tim O'Neill was the one who answered him.
"Hi Tim, can you please put the call through to Bridger?"
"No problem, just a second."
"Thanks."
A few minutes later the face of the captain appeared on the screen. "Hi kiddo, how are you? Did you arrive safely?"
Lucas nodded in response. "I just wanted to tell you that I will be coming back to the seaQuest this evening."
Nathan Bridger had known from the second he saw the blond teenager that something was really wrong. The left side of his face was a little bit too red to be natural and the boy looked like he had been crying. Captain Bridger decided not to mention it for now. That could wait until he could speak with the boy face to face. If Lawrence had done something to Lucas, the famous scientist would come to regret it, and pay for it. The teenager was too important to him, he couldn't let it show that he could tell something bad had happened. "Alright Lucas, see you this evening."
"Yes, bye." The computer genius closed the Vid-phone connection. He was glad that the Captain hadn't asked questions about his coming back early. But he was sure that Bridger would ask later. The captain was a person who wanted answers; he wouldn't let this go. But the weird thing was, that Bridger often knew what he was feeling and when he needed him. That came close to scaring!
The blond teenager turned on the phone again and dialled for a taxi. He took his bag, searched the room for a second, and grabbed some things to take with him. After that, he left the house.
************
Later in the evening, Lucas was back on the seaQuest, in his cabin. The boy sat on his bed, with a photo in his hands. He looked at it. It was a photo of his mother and him. He was lost in his thoughts.
After some time, a knock came at the door.
The teenager looked up. "It's open!"
Captain Bridger walked into the young genius's cabin. "Hey kiddo, how are you doing?"
"Fine... why do you ask?"
Nathan Bridger sat next to the boy and turned his face to the teenager. "You don't look so fine. Do you want to talk about it?"
Lucas thought about the offer for a moment. He knew that he needed to talk about this whole thing with someone and the captain was the perfect person. He would listen to him without condemning him. "You know that I got a letter from my mother?"
Nathan nodded. "Yes."
"In it... she told me that my father isn't - isn't my biological father. And because of that, I had to go home. I asked Lawrence about it and he told me that it was true. But he wouldn't tell me the name of my real father. I even looked at my birth certificate. But there was nothing there, no name. I want know his name. I don't expect anything from him, I just want to know who he is and maybe have a chance to met him."
Captain Bridger nodded. He never would have expected such a story. He knew that Lucas looked very different from Dr. Wolenczak and assumed his looks came from his mother. But he had always thought that the teenager had gotten his incredible intelligence from Lawrence. Dr. Wolenczak was a very famous scientist; he had made a name for himself around the whole world. And nobody could deny that Lucas was a genius. "I can understand very well that you want to know who your father is. Is there anybody else who could tell you? Maybe a close friend of your mother?"
The teenager shook his head. "I can't think of anyone. Mum wrote that even my biological father doesn't know that I exist. She never told him about me. In our family, it was very important how we looked to the public. We had to act like the perfect family; problems had to be kept a secret. Lawrence wanted to look like the perfect scientist and man in the public eye. Nothing that could change that was allowed." Lucas made a face with these last two sentences.
Nathan was aware that the boy was trying to hold back his emotions. But like always, he could read it in the teenager's eyes. Lucas had learned to show no emotions on his face. His face could be a totally blank mask and he could smile when he was sad, but his blue eyes had never acquired this talent. Someone who didn't know the boy wouldn't see this, but those who knew him well and looked closely at him could read the expression in his eyes. For Captain Bridger, Lucas's eyes were like an open book.
The teenager looked at the object in his hands.
Nathan followed the boy's gaze. "What is this?"
Lucas gave the captain the picture. "This is a photo of me and my mother. I was 8 years old. Shortly after this was taken, the doctors diagnosed her illness."
Bridger was paralysed. This couldn't be true.
*****************
To Be Continuied...
Written 2002 / Translated 2004
*****************
Info:
Any guesses what Bridger is thinking???