Part 19

World Power Hydroelectric Plant—Control centre

"Dr. Wolenczak, you have a call," said a petite brunette named Jordan.

Dr. Lawrence Wolenczak groaned inwardly. He didn't have time for such things at the present. He was much too busy to take calls. Besides, that was what secretaries were for.

"For heaven's sakes, Jordan, not now," he snapped in annoyance.

"Sir, it's Captain Bridger of SeaQuest."

Lawrence hesitated for a moment. He had heard about a commotion at Port Everglades involving SeaQuest. A few times he had stopped to wonder if his son was safe but had dismissed it as foolishness. The UEO was perfectly capable of handling themselves without him needing to waste his energy being concerned. He sighed irritably and opened his Video-link.

"Is my son alright, Captain?" queried Lawrence, eyeing Bridger sternly. Nathan could tell that the man was aggravated greatly by the interruption.

"Physically," began Nathan.

"Very good; glad to hear it. Tell him I'll call him next month," interrupted the man, raising his hand to end the link.

"However, Dr. Wolenczak, Lucas isn't doing well emotionally. He's been having night terrors, and he could use the support of his parents," insisted Nathan, attempting to get in as much information as he could before the link ended.

"He's a tough kid, Captain Bridger, and I'm sure you can handle things just fine. Like I told you before, if he misbehaves…"

"Damn it, Doctor, listen to me," reprimanded Nathan, his temper rising. Lawrence raised his eyebrows at the outburst, obviously not amused.

"No, Bridger, you listen to me! I don't have time for this. I sent Lucas to SeaQuest for a reason. Handle it." With those final words, the Video-link was dropped.

SeaQuest Med-bay

Nathan pounded his fist on the desk in Kristin's office. He stared at Kristin in disbelief.

"That arrogant son of…"

"Calm down, Nathan. Getting upset isn't going to change anything," Kristin wisely replied. Nathan sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily.

"His son has been through hell and back, and he's too busy to even find out what happened? Or see if he's alright? Damn it! That man is such an arrogant pig," retorted Nathan, his temper getting the best of him.

"That poor child," acknowledged Kristin softly. Kristin looked at Nathan closely and saw the fatigue on the man's face. He was beyond exhausted. She had already ordered Miguel and Jonathan to get some sleep, and Katie and Tim were finally resting as well. Kristin now just needed to convince Nathan to get some much needed rest. Plus, she wanted to check on Ben's condition too.

"Nathan, you really ought to get some sleep. Lucas is resting easy now and will most likely sleep for several hours. I haven't done many tests yet, but his injuries don't appear to be too extensive," Nathan groaned at her in annoyance.

"I'm fine, Kristin," insisted Nathan, stifling a yawn.

"No, you're not. You're clearly exhausted. What good are you going to be to Lucas if you pass out on him from exhaustion? Come now, doctor's orders. Now, shoo!" Kristin ordered firmly, attempting to pull him to his feet. Nathan rose to his feet and stretched. It was useless to argue with the woman.

"Alright, alright, I'm going," he stated and began to leave her office. "Kristin, when he wakes up, please message me right away," implored Nathan. Kristin nodded and smiled. She had every intention of letting Lucas sleep for as long as he would, but she also knew his sleep might be disturbed by night terrors. She was sure she would need Nathan's help soon enough. She would need a rested, patient man to help, not an exhausted one.

"I will, don't you worry. I have a whole battery of tests to run when he awakens, and I'm sure I'm going to need a little help getting him to cooperate." Nathan nodded in understanding and reluctantly left the room. He knew that Lucas was in good hands, but he was genuinely worried about the kid.

Several hours later, Nathan awoke with a start to hear his vid-link ringing loudly. He blinked his eyes as he attempted to force himself to wake up. He glanced at his watch, plopping his head back onto his pillow with a groan. 11:00. Was it AM or PM? He couldn't even remember what day it was let alone what time of day it was. He tapped the link, still half asleep. Kristin's worried face appeared.

"Kristin? Is everything ok?"

"Sorry to wake you, Nathan, but would you mind coming to Med-bay right now?" she inquired softly. Nathan sat up, flicking on the light over his bed.

"Lucas?"

"Please, Nathan," implored Kristin. Nathan nodded, swallowing any other questions he had.

"On my way," he replied and ended the link. Nathan quickly pulled on a fresh shirt and pants and rushed from the room. The look on Kristin's face troubled him immensely.

Nathan arrived at Med-bay to see Lucas being restrained by a security guard from Port Everglades. The guard was subduing the boy by holding his arms behind his back. It appeared to Nathan like it was being done quite harshly. Lucas was struggling to free himself, and Nathan felt his temper rise at the sight. Kristin looked alarmed and slightly disheveled.

"What the hell is going on?" demanded Nathan crossly.

"I'm trying to convince this man that Lucas is upset and did not mean to strike out at me," explained Kristin. Nathan strode over and stood in front of the guard.

"Let him go, NOW!" The guard remained fixed, restraining the teenager firmly. Lucas stared back defiantly.

"He attacked the doctor," explained the man. Nathan groaned and put his hands on his hips impatiently.

"I am Captain Bridger, and this is my boat. I said let the boy go," demanded Nathan again. The guard nodded hesitantly and released Lucas' arms. Lucas yanked his arms away and stood still, dropping his chin to his chest.

"Behave yourself, kid," warned the man gruffly and left the room. Nathan turned to look at Kristin, raising his brows in concern, and she waved her hand in annoyance.

"I'm fine, Nathan. Lucas had another nightmare," explained Kristin, walking across the room and looking at Lucas. She reached out and patted him on the arm compassionately. Lucas lifted his chin to look at her but remained silent. "I'll leave you two alone to talk," she replied and left the room without another word.

"You okay?" asked Nathan. Lucas nodded as he stuck his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall. "You're safe, Lucas. Clemens is in custody," assured Nathan. He glanced around to see the room vacant except for two sleeping patients. "How about we go sit in Kristin's office?" Lucas nodded and walked slowly towards the office. Nathan followed suit, closing the door and sitting on one of comfortable, padded chairs with a sigh. His head was still a little foggy from sleep, and he felt like he could use a strong cup of black coffee. Lucas leaned against the wall, crossing his arms and looking at his shoes.

"Do you want to talk about your dream?" Lucas shook his head, his bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. His emotions were raw.

"I'm sorry, Captain," mumbled Lucas solemnly. "It's all my fault. Clemens being on seaQuest is my fault. I told him where I was. I stole the stinger and arranged to meet with Nick," rambled the teenager. Nathan held up his hand.

"Okay, Okay, calm down, Lucas. We'll deal with all that later. For now, all I care about is how you're doing. That's all that matters to me right now, alright?" stated Nathan, reaching out to pat the teen on the knee. Lucas looked at him in disbelief, his eyes wide.

"Those dreams are haunting you, kiddo, and it doesn't seem like they're getting any better, are they? Talk to me," urged Nathan again. Lucas continued staring at the floor and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't get why you care. You should be pissed! I screwed up, Captain. Everything is a mess and it's all my fault! The World Bank, foreign affairs, SeaQuest," listed Lucas, his voice quivering. Nathan shook his head, sighing loudly.

"Lucas, none of that matters. You're what matters," insisted Nathan. "Listen, look at me," said Nathan. Lucas' gaze remained on his shoes. Nathan stood up grabbing Lucas' chin firmly, pulling it up so their eyes met. Nathan winced inwardly when he saw the bruises and petechiae on his cheeks. The hemorrhaging from Node Three hadn't even healed, and he could see new ones had formed in the kid's eyes. Nathan's heart ached for the young man. "Lucas, right now, all that matters to me is you, got it?" Lucas pulled his chin away with a groan and turned his back to Nathan.

"You don't understand," insisted Lucas. He kicked at the carpet and rubbed his hands on his pants nervously. "I should have told you right from the beginning, and none of this would have happened. Don't you see? Don't you get it? Clemens could have killed Julianna and you. He could have commandeered SeaQuest. He could," Lucas choked, trying to maintain his emotions. Nathan put a hand on his shoulder firmly, spinning him around and staring intensely in his eyes.

"Yes, Clemens could have done all that, but he didn't. He's in custody. Julianna is safe. I'm right here, and SeaQuest never left the dock. Lucas, listen to me,"

"NO!" shouted Lucas, his eyes flashing in anger. "You should be yelling at me. Stop being nice, damn it! I don't deserve it." Lucas' hands were balled up into fists and tears rolled down his cheeks. Nathan stared into the determined kid's face. He pulled the angry boy into his arms, embracing him tightly.

"Too damned bad, Lucas, because nice is what you get," Nathan replied, holding the kid close. Lucas stiffened at first and then relaxed into his chest.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," sobbed Lucas, his emotional dam bursting. His whole body convulsed as he sobbed into Nathans chest. Nathan held him firmly and stoked the back of his hair.

"It's okay, Kiddo, let it out," encouraged Nathan softly.

Lucas felt the tight embrace of Captain Bridger, and such a mix of emotions washed over him. The feelings of despair, anxiety, pain, fear and so many others overwhelmed him causing deep gut-wrenching sobs to radiate from him. Holding them back for so long had physically hurt his stomach and burned his throat. All the events of the day flooded his mind at once, and it was all he could do to keep himself steady. Gradually, his sobs dissipated, as his heart rate slowed. He had been terrified beyond words since he left the Node. No matter how hard he tried to cope with his emotions, he failed miserably. He simply could not handle it on his own. Every time he closed his eyes and tried to sleep, he was violently assaulted by his dreams. He couldn't escape from those dreams.

Lucas pushed himself away, wiping his eyes and nose with the back of his sleeve. Tears still rolled down his checks as he worked to gain control of his emotions. Nathan reached for a tissue box and handed it to him. Lucas gratefully took the box and grabbed a handful of tissues. "T-thanks," he hiccupped quietly. Nathan smiled at him and sat down. Lucas sat on the chair opposite Nathan and stared at his hands, trying to catch his breath after each hiccup.

"You ok?" inquired Nathan. Lucas nodded feeling somewhat embarrassed that he had essentially wailed like a baby on the captains' shoulder. A sudden feeling of exhaustion flooded over him as he leaned back in the chair.

"So, what do you see in those dreams?" Lucas blew his nose and sighed. He turned and looked at Captain Bridger with a pained look.

"You're not gonna give up are you?" Nathan smirked and shook his head.

"Nope."

Lucas leaned forward and put his head into his hands, running his hands through his hair. The dreams he had been having had been so real that sometimes he couldn't tell them from reality.

"Before I left for the Node, my dad called me," began Lucas, lifting his head and looking at Captain Bridger. "He called to tell me about his latest work related trip. I kinda lost it on him. I'm so tired of him pushing me aside. I didn't mean to lose my temper, but he started yelling at me, telling me I'm an ungrateful, spoiled brat. Adults are always putting their needs in terms that make my needs seem unimportant. I just blew up at him."

"You're not an ungrateful, spoiled brat, Lucas," stated Nathan. Lucas chuckled and leaned back in his chair.

"My father's pursuit of an empire that serves mankind is more important than my needs. Mine don't exist at all."

"Well, that explains your behaviour on the bridge the day before you left for the Node," commented Nathan, putting two and two together. Lucas nodded and licked his lips nervously.

"Yah, I'm sorry. Captain," replied Lucas. Nathan waved his hand in dismissal.

"You stood up for yourself, Lucas, and you got yourself a salary." Lucas smirked slightly as he swiped at some remaining tears on his face.

"I thought you'd be mad about what happened at the Node. I didn't want you to know about it. I thought you'd kick me off SeaQuest. Hiding it from you was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I keep having these dreams about Clemens strangling me. Sometimes, my dad was in the dream too. Sometimes you were. You and my dad both seemed happy that Clemens was…that he was," replied Lucas, stumbling over the words as a fresh batch of tears washed over his cheeks. Nathan reached out and patted Lucas' knee affectionately.

"Go on,"

"I was so pissed off at you when we were on the Island. Clemens was strangling me in my dream, and you did nothing to stop it. My dad said I was a disappointment. You…you," choked Lucas, feeling a rush of anger again. Nathan patted his knee sympathetically.

"That certainly helps me understand your behaviour on the island as well," replied Nathan gently. Lucas looked into Nathans eyes bravely.

"Kiddo, those are just dreams. They aren't real. It's your minds way of trying to make sense of what happened to you."

"Sometimes I can't figure out if I'm awake or if I'm dreaming, Captain. I think I'm losing my mind," mumbled Lucas, running his hand through his hair.

"I'm not gonna to lie to you, Lucas; it may get worse before it gets better. You have gone through some pretty traumatic experiences. This might make you angry, but Kristin wanted me to take you to see her therapist friend," began Nathan. Lucas sat up straight, his eyes flashing in anger. Nathan held up his hand quickly. "Relax; I don't even know what day it is right now, so I'm sure you've missed the appointment anyways. The point is talking with someone is a wise decision." Lucas signed loudly.

"How much trouble am I in, Captain?" whispered Lucas bravely. He looked intently in Nathans eyes.

Nathan looked into the teenager's blue eyes and smiled warmly.

"Kiddo, several weeks from now, you and I are going to have a chat about a few little broken rules and we're gonna come to an understanding. For now, all I want you to concern yourself with is getting some rest and recovering from all this. Don't borrow trouble. Leave the rest of it to the adults, okay?" Lucas nodded, blinking back more tears. "You're going to be okay, Lucas. I'm here, and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you!" stated Nathan with conviction.

Nathan reached out and patted Lucas on his cheek affectionately. "Your may feel like your dad's needs come before yours and you may be correct on that one. But your needs are important to me, Lucas. I'm here for you, kiddo. Do you hear me? I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere. Got that?" Lucas licked his lips and nodded.

"Good. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Let's find Kristin and get something to eat. How does that sound?" Lucas stood up and smiled at him.

"It's sounds great to me." Nathan patted the boy on the back and the two of them left the room together to find Kristin.