Chapter Three: Revelations

AN: Um, I kinda forgot about this. And then surprisingly enough there was a new review in my inbox. And I said, "Oh yeah!" And then I stared at my screen for 20 minutes trying to remember what I was doing with this story. And then I wrote this chapter. :op

Trust thyself only, and another shall not betray thee. –Thomas Fuller
Bridger paused at Sheila's door. Something had been not right with his daughter for the past couple of days. She tried to hide it, but she just wasn't as bubbly as she usually was. She acted fine around other people, but every time he caught her alone, her eyes had this distant, troubled look to them. Okay, so maybe he was overreacting just a bit; it wasn't that bad. But she was his daughter, and something was bothering her. He was determined to find out exactly what it was.

Bridger knocked on his daughter's door. "Just a sec!" he heard. Then a thump. Then an "Ow!" Then another thump. And another "Ow!" Then the door opened and Sheila stood in front of him rubbing her shin. "Oh, hey, Dad. Come on in. I was just catching up on some history stuff." She stood back to let him pass.

"What is that?" Bridger asked. On the floor in the middle of the room was a metal…contraption. That was the only word that came to mind. It had several arms, a computer screen, and some kind of input console. It also took up half the floor.

Sheila shrugged. "I dunno. Something Lucas was working on. He asked if he could work on it in here 'cause he didn't have any space in that black hole of a room he lives in. So I said okay, not realizing it was the same size as me." She rubbed her shin again and glared at it.

"What's he calling this one?" Bridger inquired.

" 'Thingamabob'. My idea. He doesn't have a real name for it yet." She laughed. "I told him I had to call it something when I was cursing it for being in the way."

"Yes, well, that's understandable." Bridger navigated around the mechanism to sit on Sheila's bed. "So how are things going?"

"Pretty good, I guess," Sheila answered. "I've been busy. School. Lucas. You know, the usual." She looked at Bridger curiously. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem a little, how do I put this? Distracted. Maybe upset? Is there anything wrong? I haven't seen you much this week. Are you avoiding me for some reason?" That came out a little whinier then he had intended.

"No, I'm fine. I've just been busy. I've been spending so much time trying to cheer Lucas up I've had to spend the rest of my time on schoolwork."

Aha, Bridger thought. He saw the 'Oh, crap, I shouldn't have said that' look in Sheila's eyes the moment she mentioned Lucas. "What's wrong with Lucas?"

"Any chance you'll forget I said that?" Sheila questioned hopefully.

"Not a chance."

Sheila sighed. "I really have to learn to not say everything that I am thinking." She paused, thinking. "I'm not sure I should tell you."

"This doesn't have anything to do with why he cancelled his shuttle for next weekend, does it?" Just a little more prodding… "Is he okay? Is whomever he was going to visit okay?"

"Oh, no, everyone's okay. No one's sick or anything like that," Sheila quickly reassured her father. Bridger could see her weakening. "Come on, honey, he thought. You don't want me to worry needlessly, do you?" Bingo.

"Okay, fine, but you can't say anything about it. Promise?"

Bridger nodded. "I promise."

"Okay, so, apparently Lucas was supposed to go see his mother, but she cancelled on him. I guess it's happened many times before. So he was upset and I decided to cheer him up." Sheila paused. "See, no big deal. Everyone's fine. I don't think Lucas is very upset anymore, I'm fine, everyone's fine."

"Mmmhmmm."

"Dad." There was no mistaking the warning in Sheila's voice.

"Yes?" Bridger replied innocently.

"I know you're planning something. Don't go and try to talk to Lucas about this. I don't think he'd be happy to know I told you."

Bridger stood up and headed for the door. "Honey, don't worry. I promise I won't." After closing the door, he continued to himself. "Talk to Lucas about it, that is."

Bridger pressed a button on the screen in front of him. The face of one of his communications officers appeared before him. "Put me through to Cynthia Wolenczak."

"Yes, sir," the ensign replied. The screen went blank for a moment and then Bridger was looking at a harried-looking secretary.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes, actually, I would like to speak with Cynthia Wolenczak."

"Well, she is quite busy at the moment. Can I take a message and have her get back to you at her earliest convenience?" Something in the mechanical way she said it made Bridger believe that was the only thing she had said all day long.

"It is really quite important that I speak to her immediately. I'm Captain Nathan Bridger of the SeaQuest. It's about her son, Lucas." Hopefully, a little name-throwing and the mention of Lucas would get him somewhere.

The secretary stared at him for a moment. Then she sighed. "Please hold." The screen went blank again for a few moments.

Bridger tapped his fingers on his desk while he waited. He glanced around his quarters, noticing a couple of boxes he still hadn't had the time to unpack. He really needed to do some decorating or something, too. The gray everywhere was starting to get to him.

"Whatever my son has done, punish him accordingly. I don't have time to deal with this." The voice of Lucas's mother snapped Bridger out of his thoughts.

"Actually, he hasn't done anything," Bridger replied, immediately on the defensive. "It's what you've done."

"What are you- oh, you mean canceling his visit? Well, I'm sorry that my schedule has changed and I'm going to be locked up in meetings all weekend, but if you think Lucas won't mind sitting around doing nothing, then of course he can come. I thought he would rather stay on the SeaQuest, where he has things he can do. I was really thing of him." Cynthia looked off to the side. "No, no, use the other one. Yes, I'm sure."

When Bridger was sure he had her attention again, he continued. "I think what Lucas would rather is to see his mother."

"Yes, well, that just won't be possible right now." Cynthia paused. "Look, Captain, I am not a bad mother. I'm just a busy mother. I would love to see Lucas. I miss him, whether you believe me or not. I plan on rescheduling his visit as soon as things calm down around here. And they won't calm down unless you let me get back to work."

Bridger gritted his teeth. "Thank you for your time." He pushed a button and the screen went blank. What a mother, he thought.

"Lucas, your mother would like to speak with you." Lucas looked up to see the slightly frazzled face of an ensign looking at him. Uh-oh, what now?

"Yeah, okay," he replied. The angry face of his mother replaced the ensign.

"What is wrong with you? How could you do that to me? Do you know how embarrassing it was to have him imply I was a bad mother just because I'm a little busy at the moment?"

Lucas stared at his mother in confusion. "Mom, who and what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Captain Bridger calling me and telling me I was a bad parent because I couldn't see you next weekend. Did you really have to go crying to him, Lucas?"

"But I didn't, Mom. I swear. I don't know –" Lucas stopped as he suddenly realized how Captain Bridger had found out. "I'll take care of it."

"You had better. I have to go. Goodbye." The screen went blank.

"Yeah, bye." Well, that's what he got for trusting people he barely knew. He got up from his desk. He had to find out what she was thinking when she went to her father. And he had to tell her he would never trust her again.