Chapter 33
Lex stretched under the covers, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. She glanced briefly at the digital clock on the wall and was surprised to find she'd slept for over six hours. Tossing back the blankets, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed, rising to a sitting position.
Lex's hand flew to her startled throat when she found her father sitting in a chair a few feet away.
"It's only me," he said gruffly.
Lex reached out and flipped the switch for the lights. "What are you doing here?"
Hudson raised his face, a light smile on his sad lips. "I used to do this when you were little, remember?"
His eyes lost focus as he traveled back in time. "When I would get into dock after midnight, sometimes it would be three or four in the morning by the time I'd get home. I'd tip-toe into your room to watch and wait until you'd wake up."
His sad smile widened. "You'd shriek, jump out of bed and throw yourself at me, you were so excited. I'd almost choke, you'd be hugging me so hard."
Lex felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she looked at the wistfulness in his eyes. "I remember that."
Then his expression hardened. "I should have known what your mother was doing."
"How? You weren't home to see it and mother wouldn't have said anything. Besides, what would you have done with me? Drag me along with you on tours? The Navy's got rules about that."
"Then I'd have quit and raised you properly!"
Lex shook her head with a small grin. "You and I both know that would have driven you over the edge. The Navy is who you are; it's your life."
"And it destroyed yours!" Hudson exclaimed loudly.
"Is that what you think?"
Hudson burst out of his chair and started pacing angrily. "Because of my 'life', I neglected you, and you were forced to run away to save yourself, living on the streets, turning to a life of crime to survive. And what you had to endure at the hands of your mother ..."
Lex jumped off the bed, planting herself in his path. "That was her fault, not yours. And my life wasn't destroyed. Yes, I lived on the streets, but I survived. And yes, I was a thief, but in the long run, it helped me."
"How?" Hudson asked bitterly.
"It taught me valuable skills which I use now to save people, like you do. And it was thanks to my thievery that I got caught all those years ago by SeaQuest and met Lucas. He showed me that there was more to life than living from one day to the next."
Lex reached up and placed her hands on his crossed arms. "It was because of those skills that I was recruited for the Viper Team, and because I WAS on the team, I'm here now. How can that be a bad thing?"
Hudson looked at her hands and then into her eyes. "How can you be so positive about this?"
Lex gave him a gentle smile. "Because for years I lived with the pain of thinking my hero was ashamed of me and I had to hide the dirty secret of mom in my heart. But now that secret is out, and it didn't destroy me like I thought it would. The best part was finding out I was wrong about you."
"I'm no hero, Lex," Hudson said gruffly as he uncrossed his arms.
"In my eyes you are. Doesn't that count?"
Hudson's jaw spasmed as he looked at her. Then he gathered her in his arms, crushing her to him. "I'm so sorry, Lex."
"I know," she replied, hugging him back tightly, "and it's okay now. Let's not talk about this anymore. Only the good stuff."
Hudson tightened his hold briefly before reluctantly letting her go. "We start fresh?"
"Yeah," Lex grinned. For the first time in years, she saw her father smile.
"Uh, Captain?" O'Neill's voice floated into the room from the intercom.
"What is it, Mr. O'Neill?"
"There's an urgent call coming in from UEO Headquarters. It's a level seven, sir."
"I'm on my way." Hudson replied curtly, striding from the room.
"What's level seven?" Lex asked as she raced to keep up with him.
"Messages from headquarters are ranked by importance ranging from level one, which is not very urgent, all the way up to a global crisis."
"And what level is that?"
Hudson paused while waiting for the bridge doors to open. "Level seven."
Lex's heart sank as she followed him inside and saw the looks of concern upon the faces of the crew. Once again she couldn't shake the feeling that something really bad was about to happen.
Lex stretched under the covers, rubbing the sleep away from her eyes. She glanced briefly at the digital clock on the wall and was surprised to find she'd slept for over six hours. Tossing back the blankets, she threw her legs over the edge of the bed, rising to a sitting position.
Lex's hand flew to her startled throat when she found her father sitting in a chair a few feet away.
"It's only me," he said gruffly.
Lex reached out and flipped the switch for the lights. "What are you doing here?"
Hudson raised his face, a light smile on his sad lips. "I used to do this when you were little, remember?"
His eyes lost focus as he traveled back in time. "When I would get into dock after midnight, sometimes it would be three or four in the morning by the time I'd get home. I'd tip-toe into your room to watch and wait until you'd wake up."
His sad smile widened. "You'd shriek, jump out of bed and throw yourself at me, you were so excited. I'd almost choke, you'd be hugging me so hard."
Lex felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she looked at the wistfulness in his eyes. "I remember that."
Then his expression hardened. "I should have known what your mother was doing."
"How? You weren't home to see it and mother wouldn't have said anything. Besides, what would you have done with me? Drag me along with you on tours? The Navy's got rules about that."
"Then I'd have quit and raised you properly!"
Lex shook her head with a small grin. "You and I both know that would have driven you over the edge. The Navy is who you are; it's your life."
"And it destroyed yours!" Hudson exclaimed loudly.
"Is that what you think?"
Hudson burst out of his chair and started pacing angrily. "Because of my 'life', I neglected you, and you were forced to run away to save yourself, living on the streets, turning to a life of crime to survive. And what you had to endure at the hands of your mother ..."
Lex jumped off the bed, planting herself in his path. "That was her fault, not yours. And my life wasn't destroyed. Yes, I lived on the streets, but I survived. And yes, I was a thief, but in the long run, it helped me."
"How?" Hudson asked bitterly.
"It taught me valuable skills which I use now to save people, like you do. And it was thanks to my thievery that I got caught all those years ago by SeaQuest and met Lucas. He showed me that there was more to life than living from one day to the next."
Lex reached up and placed her hands on his crossed arms. "It was because of those skills that I was recruited for the Viper Team, and because I WAS on the team, I'm here now. How can that be a bad thing?"
Hudson looked at her hands and then into her eyes. "How can you be so positive about this?"
Lex gave him a gentle smile. "Because for years I lived with the pain of thinking my hero was ashamed of me and I had to hide the dirty secret of mom in my heart. But now that secret is out, and it didn't destroy me like I thought it would. The best part was finding out I was wrong about you."
"I'm no hero, Lex," Hudson said gruffly as he uncrossed his arms.
"In my eyes you are. Doesn't that count?"
Hudson's jaw spasmed as he looked at her. Then he gathered her in his arms, crushing her to him. "I'm so sorry, Lex."
"I know," she replied, hugging him back tightly, "and it's okay now. Let's not talk about this anymore. Only the good stuff."
Hudson tightened his hold briefly before reluctantly letting her go. "We start fresh?"
"Yeah," Lex grinned. For the first time in years, she saw her father smile.
"Uh, Captain?" O'Neill's voice floated into the room from the intercom.
"What is it, Mr. O'Neill?"
"There's an urgent call coming in from UEO Headquarters. It's a level seven, sir."
"I'm on my way." Hudson replied curtly, striding from the room.
"What's level seven?" Lex asked as she raced to keep up with him.
"Messages from headquarters are ranked by importance ranging from level one, which is not very urgent, all the way up to a global crisis."
"And what level is that?"
Hudson paused while waiting for the bridge doors to open. "Level seven."
Lex's heart sank as she followed him inside and saw the looks of concern upon the faces of the crew. Once again she couldn't shake the feeling that something really bad was about to happen.