Chapter 15
Keith shook his head, trying to clear it. The ragged gash he'd sustained, stumbling out a long forgotten tunnel, was bleeding less profusely. He sighed, tightened the bandage around it. "Might need a couple of stitches."
His own way had led him out of the caverns, down onto the beach. Leave it to Dan to find the kids, if they were up there. He'd scour the smaller tunnels that dead ended in a scrambling criss cross of exits. It was hard enough, a veteran of the caves, to remember which way to turn.
He thumbed on his walkie talkie. Threw it down in disgust.
"Ah! Still dead." His guess-little brother hadn't checked to see if these things were supplied with spare power packs. They'd just been something good to have...laying around, Dan had said. Well, they weren't the latest technology, but, then again, who'd thought they'd ever need to use them?
He discarded an empty water bottle, sighed and tucked into his increasingly heavy pack.
"Lucas, where the heck are you?"
Keith wasn't overly worried. The kids were pretty responsible. Haley and Lucas should be okay...maybe trapped somewhere. The stinging of his leg blotted out most of his earlier fear.
Karen didn't know, thank heaven. She'd had more than her share of troubles as of late. Lucas seemed to be causing his mom a lot of worry..."He'd better not be playing the hero," Keith thought, crunching an empty candy bar wrapper in his fist. That boy. No matter what, he had this instinctive protective urge, whatever people called it, and it was getting him into an awful lot of hot water. Keith promised himself he'd give the boy a good talking to when he caught up with him.
"Can't take this, Luke. My old heart can't take this."
The slight uphill rise on the beach looked like a mountain. He groaned and shuffled toward it.[]
Dan heaved, Nathan took a tighter grip with both of his dad's arms around him. Up...over the sheer edge-onto solid ground.
"Nathan!"
The elder Scott pressed his son close. Arms burning, exhausted, encircled in a fierce embrace.
"What about Lucas?" Nathan's voice was hoarse. He knelt at the tip of the ledge, shaded his eyes as the sun reappeared.
"He let go." Dan pinned him with his gaze. "I didn't drop him. I didn't, son."
"But were you going to, Dad? Or me? What were you going to do?"
"That's unfair. Nathan, I know you're upset. We both are. But there was nothing I could do."
"Dad, he came after me. Me. I didn't use my head, it was my fault."
"Son, don't tear yourself up. There's no need. Lucas did what he did so there wouldn't be any blame."
"The hero, as usual." Nathan felt moisture on his face. Dan looked away, embarrassed.
"I hate you. Hate you!"
Pushing his father aside. Tripping, running into the comforting dark of the cave. He wiped his arm across his eyes, unable to stop the sudden flow of tears. He knew that it was shock, a combination of stress and fatigue most anyone would break under. Guilt washed over him, crushing with it's intensity. Past actions resurfaced to accuse him, maybe he saw them for the first time in all their petty jealousness.
"Oh, God. What will Haley say?"[]
"Dang birds."
Keith swung a water sanded staff at a peculiarly aggressive seagull. It kept flapping just over his head, and whenever he thought he was finally rid of it, the looming shadow in front of him proved otherwise.
"Quit following me! I can see you!" Keith sighed as the shadow in front of him moved away, turned to pinpoint the retreating bird with his eyes. "Good! Go do whatever birds do."
Normally, he was not this disgruntled. Keith was usually an affable fellow...unless you crossed him, slighted his shop, Karen or Lucas. Or were named Dan.
Something caught his attention-bright colors, patched against the dark, grim backdrop of the cave. He strained, trying to see-figures. Human figures. Red-Dan had been wearing a red shirt. Blue..oh, God, Lucas wore a lot of blue...white...he stared, tried to separate the forms.
One fell. It was too quick to focus on, but it wasn't good. He ripped off his pack, threw it down, scattering the contents everywhere. Tore off his jacket, shoes, waded out into the breakers, head down, kicking furiously.
Lucas could swim. Dan could...trust him to excel at anything that even smelled of athleticism. He knew Nathan must...ah...where had that tiny speck fallen? He forced his head above the waves, steeling himself for someone stretched out on the rocks.
Into the clusters of stone. They dotted this part of the shore almost a quarter mile out. Which was why this particular stretch of beach was always deserted-even from trespassers. It was on government land, and not a recreational park by any means.
He broke again, for air...there was nothing to guide him. Nothing. And the force of a fall that high, if you landed just right...by some miracle...might not kill you. But it was ten to one that you wouldn't be knocked out by it.
Seconds were slipping away...Keith splashed into a circlet of rocks...
"Come up, " he urged. There was no way he was going to find a person out here, especially if they sank...
"Hey! Anybody out there? You hear me?"
His stomach was clenched in a deep, gnawing fear he'd never felt before. Opening his mouth to shout again...cold breakers slammed into the boulders, the backwash pulled him farther out, choking his cries. Wind lashed, icy...
"I'm not giving up!" he was screaming at the elements, inside. "You're going to let me find him!"[]
Nathan stumbled blindly through the tunnel, back the way they-they'd come. He had to get down there. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But he had to go. Dan was still standing on the precipice, face a frozen mask, letting him go.
Keith's head shot to the surface. There was nothing here. Maybe the current had already carried the person out...
Desperation gave him newfound strength. Battling the waves. He pushed into the third cluster of rocks, saw him...
Nausea almost overcame him...
A ragged blue shirt, battering against stone.
He snatched at it, held it with a shaking hand. No sign of Lucas...[]
"Nathan! Wait up! You're going to hurt yourself. Nathan!"
He could tell his dad was upset. The voice echoing off the tunnel walls wasn't one he'd ever heard before. It was roughened, a broken quality about it that made him hesitate.
"Son, slow down."
Nathan shrugged Dan's restraining hand off, but adjusted his wild flight to his dad's more cautious pace. And Dan had a light...
"I'm going down there."
"Okay." Dan was quiet. "I'll take you. Stay tight."[]
Keith shook his hair back, gasping for air. Dived down again...clutched at a handful of ocean growth.
"Lucas!" The word exploded from him, a trail of bubbles...still in it's downward spiral, tumbling, Lucas's body...farther out than Keith had thought possible. He kicked down, took a firm hold, rose to the surface...
Land was too far away. He headed for the flattest rock, trying to keep his nephew's head above water.
Struggled onto it, heaving Lucas up, checking for a pulse, pressing down on his chest..."one, two, three! Come on!"
Repeating it, over and over. "Come on!"
Movement...a deep shudder, Lucas coughing...Keith tried to catch his breath, waited. Lucas coughed up more water. Opened his eyes. Keith wasn't sure he saw him.
"Lucas, take it easy. Easy." He gently pushed him back down. "It's Keith. It's Keith. Now, take it slow. You hear me?"
A weak nod.
"Okay, Lucas. listen to me. You hurt anywhere? Does anything hurt?"
Understanding began to dawn. "Nothing feels broken." He tried to curl onto his side, but Keith stopped him. "Let's make sure, okay? It'd be a miracle if nothing's cracked."
"It's not." Lucas was trying to reassure him, even in his half dazed state. "Just hurts..."
"Impact." Keith shook his head. "I think you're one lucky kid."
Lucas smiled weakly, touched his rescuer's arm. "Was worried about you..."
"Lucas Scott, if you don't try to curb some of that heroism, it's going to get you killed." Keith saw his nephew's eyelids flutter, swallowed. "Enough time for that later on. You're right. You're right."
He shrugged out of a sodden shirt. It was better than nothing. Put it around Lucas's shoulders, peered up into the darkening sky.
"Nathan?"
Lucas sat up beside him.
Keith smiled. "I think they're okay. And anyways..."
He hesitated as Lucas wrapped a cold arm about him..both of them, dripping wet...on the middle of a rock, surrounded by water. The cuckoo gulls flapping close by. He didn't bother to shoo them away.
"We must look like a couple of crazies. And I want to know what happened up there...what's been happening, these last couple of days."
Lucas opened his mouth, but he shushed him with a squeeze. "Save it, okay? We're freezing our tails off, and I need to get you to a doctor."
"I'm okay-"
"Hey, I need to see one, so just accompany me, alright?"
Lucas nodded. He wondered how long it'd take to get a boat out here. As long as Dan and Nathan made it down ...
He started to ask about Peyton and Haley, but Keith didn't look much better than he felt, so he held his peace.
He knew nothing would stop him, and he had the feeling Nathan, either, if they really put their minds to it.
Savored that tiny look of respect he'd glimpsed on Dan's face.
Little did he know, the part where Dan came face to face with the knowledge that "Karen's Son" was more a Scott than himself...or his son.[]
Keith shook his head, trying to clear it. The ragged gash he'd sustained, stumbling out a long forgotten tunnel, was bleeding less profusely. He sighed, tightened the bandage around it. "Might need a couple of stitches."
His own way had led him out of the caverns, down onto the beach. Leave it to Dan to find the kids, if they were up there. He'd scour the smaller tunnels that dead ended in a scrambling criss cross of exits. It was hard enough, a veteran of the caves, to remember which way to turn.
He thumbed on his walkie talkie. Threw it down in disgust.
"Ah! Still dead." His guess-little brother hadn't checked to see if these things were supplied with spare power packs. They'd just been something good to have...laying around, Dan had said. Well, they weren't the latest technology, but, then again, who'd thought they'd ever need to use them?
He discarded an empty water bottle, sighed and tucked into his increasingly heavy pack.
"Lucas, where the heck are you?"
Keith wasn't overly worried. The kids were pretty responsible. Haley and Lucas should be okay...maybe trapped somewhere. The stinging of his leg blotted out most of his earlier fear.
Karen didn't know, thank heaven. She'd had more than her share of troubles as of late. Lucas seemed to be causing his mom a lot of worry..."He'd better not be playing the hero," Keith thought, crunching an empty candy bar wrapper in his fist. That boy. No matter what, he had this instinctive protective urge, whatever people called it, and it was getting him into an awful lot of hot water. Keith promised himself he'd give the boy a good talking to when he caught up with him.
"Can't take this, Luke. My old heart can't take this."
The slight uphill rise on the beach looked like a mountain. He groaned and shuffled toward it.[]
Dan heaved, Nathan took a tighter grip with both of his dad's arms around him. Up...over the sheer edge-onto solid ground.
"Nathan!"
The elder Scott pressed his son close. Arms burning, exhausted, encircled in a fierce embrace.
"What about Lucas?" Nathan's voice was hoarse. He knelt at the tip of the ledge, shaded his eyes as the sun reappeared.
"He let go." Dan pinned him with his gaze. "I didn't drop him. I didn't, son."
"But were you going to, Dad? Or me? What were you going to do?"
"That's unfair. Nathan, I know you're upset. We both are. But there was nothing I could do."
"Dad, he came after me. Me. I didn't use my head, it was my fault."
"Son, don't tear yourself up. There's no need. Lucas did what he did so there wouldn't be any blame."
"The hero, as usual." Nathan felt moisture on his face. Dan looked away, embarrassed.
"I hate you. Hate you!"
Pushing his father aside. Tripping, running into the comforting dark of the cave. He wiped his arm across his eyes, unable to stop the sudden flow of tears. He knew that it was shock, a combination of stress and fatigue most anyone would break under. Guilt washed over him, crushing with it's intensity. Past actions resurfaced to accuse him, maybe he saw them for the first time in all their petty jealousness.
"Oh, God. What will Haley say?"[]
"Dang birds."
Keith swung a water sanded staff at a peculiarly aggressive seagull. It kept flapping just over his head, and whenever he thought he was finally rid of it, the looming shadow in front of him proved otherwise.
"Quit following me! I can see you!" Keith sighed as the shadow in front of him moved away, turned to pinpoint the retreating bird with his eyes. "Good! Go do whatever birds do."
Normally, he was not this disgruntled. Keith was usually an affable fellow...unless you crossed him, slighted his shop, Karen or Lucas. Or were named Dan.
Something caught his attention-bright colors, patched against the dark, grim backdrop of the cave. He strained, trying to see-figures. Human figures. Red-Dan had been wearing a red shirt. Blue..oh, God, Lucas wore a lot of blue...white...he stared, tried to separate the forms.
One fell. It was too quick to focus on, but it wasn't good. He ripped off his pack, threw it down, scattering the contents everywhere. Tore off his jacket, shoes, waded out into the breakers, head down, kicking furiously.
Lucas could swim. Dan could...trust him to excel at anything that even smelled of athleticism. He knew Nathan must...ah...where had that tiny speck fallen? He forced his head above the waves, steeling himself for someone stretched out on the rocks.
Into the clusters of stone. They dotted this part of the shore almost a quarter mile out. Which was why this particular stretch of beach was always deserted-even from trespassers. It was on government land, and not a recreational park by any means.
He broke again, for air...there was nothing to guide him. Nothing. And the force of a fall that high, if you landed just right...by some miracle...might not kill you. But it was ten to one that you wouldn't be knocked out by it.
Seconds were slipping away...Keith splashed into a circlet of rocks...
"Come up, " he urged. There was no way he was going to find a person out here, especially if they sank...
"Hey! Anybody out there? You hear me?"
His stomach was clenched in a deep, gnawing fear he'd never felt before. Opening his mouth to shout again...cold breakers slammed into the boulders, the backwash pulled him farther out, choking his cries. Wind lashed, icy...
"I'm not giving up!" he was screaming at the elements, inside. "You're going to let me find him!"[]
Nathan stumbled blindly through the tunnel, back the way they-they'd come. He had to get down there. He didn't know how. He didn't know why. But he had to go. Dan was still standing on the precipice, face a frozen mask, letting him go.
Keith's head shot to the surface. There was nothing here. Maybe the current had already carried the person out...
Desperation gave him newfound strength. Battling the waves. He pushed into the third cluster of rocks, saw him...
Nausea almost overcame him...
A ragged blue shirt, battering against stone.
He snatched at it, held it with a shaking hand. No sign of Lucas...[]
"Nathan! Wait up! You're going to hurt yourself. Nathan!"
He could tell his dad was upset. The voice echoing off the tunnel walls wasn't one he'd ever heard before. It was roughened, a broken quality about it that made him hesitate.
"Son, slow down."
Nathan shrugged Dan's restraining hand off, but adjusted his wild flight to his dad's more cautious pace. And Dan had a light...
"I'm going down there."
"Okay." Dan was quiet. "I'll take you. Stay tight."[]
Keith shook his hair back, gasping for air. Dived down again...clutched at a handful of ocean growth.
"Lucas!" The word exploded from him, a trail of bubbles...still in it's downward spiral, tumbling, Lucas's body...farther out than Keith had thought possible. He kicked down, took a firm hold, rose to the surface...
Land was too far away. He headed for the flattest rock, trying to keep his nephew's head above water.
Struggled onto it, heaving Lucas up, checking for a pulse, pressing down on his chest..."one, two, three! Come on!"
Repeating it, over and over. "Come on!"
Movement...a deep shudder, Lucas coughing...Keith tried to catch his breath, waited. Lucas coughed up more water. Opened his eyes. Keith wasn't sure he saw him.
"Lucas, take it easy. Easy." He gently pushed him back down. "It's Keith. It's Keith. Now, take it slow. You hear me?"
A weak nod.
"Okay, Lucas. listen to me. You hurt anywhere? Does anything hurt?"
Understanding began to dawn. "Nothing feels broken." He tried to curl onto his side, but Keith stopped him. "Let's make sure, okay? It'd be a miracle if nothing's cracked."
"It's not." Lucas was trying to reassure him, even in his half dazed state. "Just hurts..."
"Impact." Keith shook his head. "I think you're one lucky kid."
Lucas smiled weakly, touched his rescuer's arm. "Was worried about you..."
"Lucas Scott, if you don't try to curb some of that heroism, it's going to get you killed." Keith saw his nephew's eyelids flutter, swallowed. "Enough time for that later on. You're right. You're right."
He shrugged out of a sodden shirt. It was better than nothing. Put it around Lucas's shoulders, peered up into the darkening sky.
"Nathan?"
Lucas sat up beside him.
Keith smiled. "I think they're okay. And anyways..."
He hesitated as Lucas wrapped a cold arm about him..both of them, dripping wet...on the middle of a rock, surrounded by water. The cuckoo gulls flapping close by. He didn't bother to shoo them away.
"We must look like a couple of crazies. And I want to know what happened up there...what's been happening, these last couple of days."
Lucas opened his mouth, but he shushed him with a squeeze. "Save it, okay? We're freezing our tails off, and I need to get you to a doctor."
"I'm okay-"
"Hey, I need to see one, so just accompany me, alright?"
Lucas nodded. He wondered how long it'd take to get a boat out here. As long as Dan and Nathan made it down ...
He started to ask about Peyton and Haley, but Keith didn't look much better than he felt, so he held his peace.
He knew nothing would stop him, and he had the feeling Nathan, either, if they really put their minds to it.
Savored that tiny look of respect he'd glimpsed on Dan's face.
Little did he know, the part where Dan came face to face with the knowledge that "Karen's Son" was more a Scott than himself...or his son.[]
