[As Nathan and Kristin talk in her office]
After Kristin and Nathan went into her office, Lucas tried again, "Morgan, I know you're at peace where you are, but I need you. Here. Now." Lucas deliberately put as much pain into his voice as he could.
It worked. A very faint wrinkle formed between her closed eyes. It smoothed away but Lucas had seen it. He had a chance, but he had to keep pressing.
Pausing a moment to get the real pain under control and marshal his strength, Lucas went on, "Elise I'm hurt, you have to help me." He let his voice break at the end.
This time she seemed to wince. She wasn't waking up but at least she could hear him on some level. Morgan always responded to his voice even when she was in the grip of a terrible nightmare or under heavy sedation. For her this was a nightmare, she was trapped in a memory. Which one he had no way of knowing.
Her walls were strong but Lucas knew where the doors were. Almost like a computer he knew how to hack Morgan's psyche. He would have to be rested though to make the attempt. He was just too weak to go on. Lucas had been fighting to keep his eyes open and mind focused since Bridger and Westphalen had gone into her office. At least he knew it might work when he was stronger.
A single tear rolled down his cheek. Why did fate keep sending them such pain? He had thought they had found a sanctuary here on seaQuest. Tracing with a trembling hand down the new marks on her arms, Lucas reached for Morgan's hand and entwined their fingers so she would know he was there for her. This time he wouldn't let her go.
Once before she had attempted suicide, seeing it as a final option after the 'incident'. The doctors at the hospital tried to help her developed a more stable personality to better cope. Lucas was certain their 'fix' was only a Band-Aid. He was right. When pushed hard enough, Morgan would slip into this 'coma' as a way to cope with the pain. This was the second time that she had used it to escape. The first time had been at the hospital. He had hoped that she wouldn't attempt suicide again. It must have been everything that they had gone through at the facility. By forgiving her for what she had to do, he had hoped to avert this.
His plan of attack formulated, Lucas let his mind rest. As the warmth took him away again, he began to dream of that summer seven years ago when they first met.
[Flashback- seven years ago]
"Mr. Wolenczak you're going to have to wait out here," the nurse urged Lawrence. "We're doing everything we can."
"But my boy tried to kill himself!" Lawrence growled out. "I have to be with him!"
"Sir, the best thing you can do for now is wait for the doctor to come out and tell you what they found."
"I've donated millions to this hospital. I will not be kept waiting by some nurse. Get me the doctor, now!" Lawrence ordered.
Backing off, the nurse left the enraged man to check back with the doctors. If his caring had been genuine, she would have gotten him in somehow. It was all a sham. Mr. Wolenczak just didn't want the boy to tell anyone that he had had help falling down those stairs. In her opinion, it would have been better if the boy had no parents at all. She had seen the fresh bruises on his shoulders in the shape of hands. That plus the evidence of past abuse, would have her on the phone to protective services if this had been just any child.
Last year, Lucas had been checked in for broken ribs he had gotten while 'skating'. The doctor on duty had tried to make a report and been fired. The staff had been told that his harassment of the Wolenczak's could have resulted in the removal of funding that Lawrence provided the hospital. Let anything threaten their precious 'funding' and the hospital would have do anything to take the threat away. One little boy meant nothing to them so long as the money kept flowing in. And she had a mortgage and two children to provide for. She couldn't lose her job. Maybe there was a way to protect Lucas for a little while. Quickly planning her next steps, she called to the psych. unit. Mr. Wolenczak had unwittingly provided the perfect cover.
"Yes, this is the emergency room. After Ortho. gets done with him, we need a psyche. consult on a nine year old boy who tried to commit suicide by throwing himself down some stairs."
Once they had him, psyche. could keep him for the duration of his medical stay. If Mr. Wolenczak fought them on this, they could argue that his money had paid for the best medical care available to help the boy. And help him they would. There was nothing he could do to stop them without making more of a fuss.
Heartened to know she had done what she could, she walked into the E.R. and told the doctor that Mr. Wolenczak wanted to see him immediately. They wheeled Lucas past her as the doctor stormed off the talk to Lawrence. He looked so fragile and small on the gurney. The compound fracture of his femur would have to be pinned back together by Ortho. She reached out, squeezed his hand and prayed *Lord watch out for this child. He needs an angel to watch over him.* Letting go of his hand they took him through the double doors and down the hall to the elevator that would take him to surgery. She hoped she had helped.
[Flashback- seven years ago]
"Lucas you're going to have to participate in sessions if you want to get better." The psychiatrist sounded so reasonable.
The first week, he had been in such pain from his leg that he had told them about the abuse. Nothing had happened. They treated him like he was making the whole thing up so he wouldn't have to face his 'suicide attempt'.
Knowing they wouldn't be any help, Lucas had closed off. Why participate in this farce if it wasn't going to get him away from home? He had been looking for something since his ribs had been broken that could get him away from home. The last thing he had found that looked promising was a new submarine that was being suggested as a research vessel. If he could somehow get his degrees quickly enough, he could work on his father to get him assigned to it one way or another. So long as 'Daddy' thought it was his own idea, it might work.
This afternoon they had tried to get him to go to group sessions to interact with other kids that had attempted suicide. The carrot was getting his laptop back and some internex access. He had agreed reluctantly. Since he hadn't really done this to himself, how could these other kids help him?
It was a disaster. There were only five of them there. The 12 year old twins were crazy. They finished each others sentences and acted like they were one person. They talked about God talking to them and telling them they should come home. The only other boy was 17. He was there because he had tried to kill his parents and himself in a house fire. He kept muttering about dancing with the flames.
Lucas wrote those three of as being too far gone to even talk to. That left the quiet brunette. She seemed to be about 16. She had a cast on her arm but otherwise looked normal.
Working his way awkwardly over to the chairs beside her, "Is this seat taken?"
Startled, she looked up and almost flinched before saying, "No, but I don't want any company."
Ignoring her, he sat down and put the crutches to the side. Turning to her, "So what are you in for?" he said attempting to break the ice.
Rolling her eyes at him, she said, "What do you think, Einstein? I tried to check myself out of this hell hole." As she was saying this, she held out her arm that wasn't in the cast. Lucas could see the fresh cut down her forearm. It was held together by a line of stitches that trailed up her arm like a railroad track.
"Sorry," he responded. "I didn't know."
Sighing, she said, "No. I'm sorry. My name is Morgan. At least that's what everybody here calls me."
"My name is Lucas." Extending his hand to shake hers. "It's nice to meet you."
"Kid, what's your angle?" She stared down at my hand as if she couldn't remember the last time someone had offered her their hand.
"They said I had to participate, if I wanted to get my computer back. I'm not crazy, but I will be soon if I can't get online," he wagged his fingers at her, lifted one eye brow and looked at her through his bangs with a devilish glint in his eyes.
"Einstein, you're already there."
"Lucas" he corrected her.
"Whatever."
This had some potential. Before they could continue, the session was over and the nurses were herding them back to their rooms. Picking up his crutches, Lucas levered himself out of the chair and started off. Tossing over his shoulder, "Same time, same place, tomorrow?" He saw her shrug in answer before he turned and left the room.
[Still Flashback]
As he was escorted to his room, Lucas saw one of the nurses almost herding Morgan into the room across from his.
"Looks like we're neighbors," he said.
"Just don't come looking for a cup of sugar," she tartly replied.
"Don't worry. I won't," he shot back.
As he settled into bed, Lucas thought again that this had possibilities.
The next morning was the start of a couple of tense days, but Lucas kept at it so he could keep his computer and access to the 'net. It was almost as fun just to try to get a rise out of Morgan. But every time he got too personal, she would withdraw. If he kept the conversation on 'safe' topics, she actually wasn't so bad to talk to. They discovered that they actually shared similar tastes in music and books. It gave them something to talk about during the afternoon sessions. Lucas and Morgan even got to the point where they would go to lunch together.
A few times, it had looked like Morgan would hide a smile if he could keep up with her offbeat sense of humor. Morgan got a wicked delight out of calling him 'Einstein'. The more he protested the worse she got. She had caught him taking one of his finals that had been postponed when he was hospitalized. When she saw the topic was applied theory in artificial intelligence; a topic certainly beyond most nine year olds, he had reluctantly confirmed that he was a certified genius.
"Beat's being a certified nut," she said.
"Peanut or cashew?" he asked with a straight face.
Morgan groaned at the bad pun as she tossed the roll from her lunch at him. Lucas could see she was struggling not to laugh out loud.
That breakthrough saw them spending more time together. That's when Lucas found out that Morgan had a 'private' morning session with the doctors. She usually came back quiet and withdrawn, looking as she had the first day he saw her. If Lucas tried to get her to talk to him, she would be extra surly until she had put whatever had happened in session behind her. They would eat lunch together, then go to group.
One afternoon, Morgan came back extremely pale and shaken from her session.
"What's wrong?" Lucas asked, concern evident in his voice.
"It's nothing!" she snapped at him.
Lucas tried to joke her out of this mood, but every attempt fell flat. Even the bad puns weren't working. Morgan became even more withdrawn as the day wore on.
That evening as Lucas was getting ready for bed, he heard her shower start. He could hear muffled crying from her room. It was too faint to attract the notice of the nurses. Lucas had heard it enough times in the past to recognize it however much she tried to cover it.
Every time he had pushed his father too far and gotten 'corrected' for it, his mom would disappear up to her room and do the same thing. She wouldn't interfere with his father's treatment of him. He had learned not to count on her to protect him. He had wished that she would come to him afterwards, but she never did.
Lucas was torn. Should he go to her or give her some space? Bitter experience as his guide, he stayed in his room.
The shower finally stopped. Lucas could hear her getting ready for bed. Settling back into the pillows, Lucas tried to go to sleep. But, tension kept him up. He wondered what had happened in her session that had so upset her. Vowing to dig into this tomorrow, Lucas turned to his side and again tried to get to sleep.
Long after the floor had quieted for the night, Lucas was still awake. A soft noise drew his attention. Had he imagined it? No, there it was again. Struggling to get out of bed and collect his crutches, Lucas tried to quietly make his way over to Morgan's room.
Entering her room, He could see pain pinching her face and she was flinching from invisible blows. A shudder wreaked her body and a very faint whimper escaped her.
Carefully, Lucas made his way over to the side of her bed. Hesitantly, he stretched out one hand. Barely had he touched her shoulder, when she twisted to the side and angrily snarled, "I won't let you hurt Anne!"
Shocked, Lucas pulled his hand back. She was fairly quivering in rage.
"Morgan. It's me. Lucas." It didn't seem to penetrate. Was she even awake?
Wishing he knew what was going through her mind, Lucas tried again, "Morgan. Wake up," he touched her hand. As if reaching for a life preserver, her hand clutched his. Her fierce grip took him by surprise.
"Anne?" she whispered.
"No. It's Lucas," he tried again to get through to her.
She took in a deep breath. Lucas saw her wake up. She kept her hold on his hand. With her other hand, Morgan pushed her sweat soaked bangs off her forehead. She looked like she had gone ten rounds in a boxing ring and lost. She released a sigh that seemed to drain off a bit of the tension that had earlier quivered through her like lightning.
"Tell me about it," he urged as she released his hand.
Pulling away mentally and physically, she said, "Lucas you don't want to go there." Slowly she got out of bed and filled a glass with water in the bathroom. Returning, she held onto it with both hands. Looking into it as if it held the secrets of the universe, she started to take sips from it.
"Morgan, I know I'm just a kid but I've been there too. I can relate. My father did this to me." Lucas pointed to his leg.
"Lucas, it never would have happened if I had been there. Nobody should hit a child for any reason." The total conviction in her voice convinced Lucas she meant it. "Even telling me that doesn't change the fact you can't have been where I've gone." Noticing the fatigue that pulled at him from standing to long, Morgan said, "Sit down before you fall down."
Grateful to rest his leg, Lucas sat on the edge of her bed. He watched her pace back and forth trying to bleed off the adrenaline that held her in its grip.
Knowing that to push her for answers now could turn her away from him, Lucas backed off. Wishing someone had been there for him, he decided to satisfy his curiosity tomorrow on the 'net. He could always find the answers to anything there.
Morgan finished her water in one large gulp. Setting the glass on the table beside the bed, she crawled back into bed.
"Go back to bed Lucas. I'll be ok now. Thank you for not asking any questions."
Deciding he had done what he could, Lucas made his way back to his room. Starting to plan his attack tomorrow on her files, sleep slowly claimed him.
[Still Flashback]
In the morning, Morgan was late for breakfast. He worried that she wasn’t going to show because of what had happened the night before.
Suddenly the door flew open and Morgan rushed in. With a little wave his way, she stood in line to get breakfast.
“Sorry, I’m late but the nurse stopped me to say my morning sessions were canceled for the next two days,” she said as she sat down with her tray.
Lucas was glad that she wasn’t mad at him. He had come to like her. She treated him as a person; not a just a brain, Lawrence Wolenczak’s son, or a kid. The only problem would be that he couldn’t hunt for any information if she was with him. He knew that he wasn’t there by choice. Maybe the same thing had happened to Morgan. Maybe someone had hurt her. He was curious to see if her file could clear up any of his questions.
As the day went on he had fun because she was in a good mood. Even the staff took note of her attitude. The staff had worried at first that Morgan and Lucas wouldn't get along because of the age difference. But instead of being bad for them, it was almost as if she had adopted him as a little brother. There was still a boundary that they didn't cross, histories that couldn't be shared. However, if Lucas was pushed by anyone on staff, she would step in to protect him like a lioness with her cub.
This lighter more playful side of Morgan made him even more curious about what happened in the morning sessions that caused her to be so defensive. It had to somehow be connected to her nightmare last night.
Finally about an hour before lunch, Lucas couldn’t contain his curiosity any longer, like an itch that he just had to scratch. “Morgan, I need to work on a special project for about an hour. Ok?”
Morgan snorted in disbelief. *An hour? Yeah right. More like two or three, * she thought to herself. She knew how involved he got with his ‘special projects’. Most of the time he acted like a normal kid, but then something would capture his imagination and his brain would go into overdrive trying to solve it.
She had barely been able to pry him away from his computer the last time he had declared he had a special project. “Ok, one hour then, just promise that I get the afternoon.”
“Promise!” he said.
Clearly thrilled that she had agreed, Lucas got to work at his computer as Morgan settled in and started to read a book. A voice broke her concentration.
“Lunch time,” announced the floor nurse.
Morgan closed the book and saw that the hour was almost up. She went over to Lucas and stood in front of him. She knew how he hated people looking over his shoulder when he was at the computer. “Lunch, Lucas,” pitching her voice so he knew he had to respond.
“In a minute,” he replied as if by rote. He hadn’t even looked up.
Morgan knew he would work through lunch if she let him. Deciding to give him another fifteen minutes, Morgan went to collect two trays for them and sat down across from him.
If Morgan knew what he was doing, she wouldn’t have given him those fifteen minutes.
Lucas had started the hour confident that he would find the information easily and quickly. It hadn’t worked that way. He had seen her last name on the charts, but there was no record of a Morgan Smith in any public database. Frustrated that he couldn’t find the information, Lucas kept digging.
He hacked into the medical database for the hospital. Still nothing. Not discouraged, Lucas realized that maybe Smith wasn’t her real last name. Why would someone go to this much trouble to hide a patient? He expanded the search to any mention of a Morgan at the hospital. After eliminating staff, there was still one file that looked promising. Lucas tried to access it but it had several layers of security. Nothing he couldn't get past, but why would this file have any encoding at all beyond the normal security he had already bypassed to get in?
Vaguely, he heard a voice that demanded an answer. “In a minute” he said automatically. As the last of the blocks dissolved Lucas realized he had reached pay dirt. It was a file of the notes from the private sessions. Lucas quickly scanned it for anything useful. What he found stunned him.
The doctors had been trying to make her remember her past. Morgan wasn’t even her real name. When she had woken up after the suicide attempt, she had called herself Morgan. The file seemed to suggest that she had another name. The notes went on that she was suffering from amnesia or a psychotic break. One doctor on the team had even theorized that Morgan was schizophrenic, because her personality was radically different. There was an interview with one of her foster families. *Foster family?* She had never mentioned that. Looking at it Lucas became puzzled. It described a quiet, withdrawn kid. Sensitive and gentle. More of a bookworm than anything else. This was not his Morgan. Morgan was strong, forceful, and sure of herself. They couldn't be talking about the same person.
Seeing an further attachment note, Lucas pulled it up and saw two photos. One was of a nine year old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. He had never seen her before. It was eerie but Lucas would have sworn she was his sister, if he wasn’t an only child. It was labeled ‘Anne’. O.K. that solved one question. Focusing on the other, he was shocked to see Morgan. The picture was labeled ‘Elise’.
Looking up from the screen, Lucas said, “Elise?”
Morgan’s head snapped up. “Where did you hear that name?!” she demanded.
“It’s in your file.”
A red haze covered Morgan's mind. Her heartbeat was suddenly the only thing she could hear. *He knows. He knows.* Panic swamped her mind. “You had not no right to look into my file.” Anger quivered through her body. "Someone will be alerted by your search!"
“I only wanted to…” he tried to defend his actions.
The stormy look on her face convinced him this was bad. Very bad. He watched as she visibly worked to rein in her anger. “If I had wanted you to know, I would have told you. You had no business looking into things that don't concern you." She said in a very controlled and tight voice.
"I can help you," Lucas broke in.
"Nobody can help me." Maybe if he was still offering to help, he hadn't seen the whole file. "I can't trust you, however much I might want to. Trust always leads to betrayal. Like now. I trusted you not to go looking for this."
"I never promised I wouldn't look. You don't have to trust everybody, but you can't live without trusting someone, sometime." Lucas's belief shone in his eyes.
"Who do you trust, Einstein?" Morgan asked harshly. She had gleaned that he had a bad home life. Certainly he had learned the harsh lessons in life like she had. Trust no one. Ever.
"I trust you, Morgan." Absolute sincerity rang through his voice. "You've never told them about the times I went on the 'net when I should have been doing my finals. You've never pushed me about my dad."
That stopped her cold. So little effort on her part had made him think she was trustworthy. It had been a game more than anything. Could he get around the staff? Why get him in trouble? It would have served no purpose. What had she done to be saddled with this child and his foolish ideas. There was no way she was going to burden a nine year old with her history, no matter how smart he was. There just wasn't any way that he could understand, no matter how adult he seemed at times. He didn't even see the similarity. If she hadn't pushed him about his home life, she had expected him to respect it and return the favor.
Besides, I don’t want to remember that time of my life.” She said with finality in her voice.
“You remember what happened?” his voice had raised with his shock. The records had indicated that Morgan didn’t have any memory before waking up in the hospital.
“Lucas don’t announce it to the whole world,” she hissed at him. Leaning in to indicate he should talk softer if he was even foolish enough to pursue it, "Leave it alone, Lucas."
"But I want to help," he implored. "Are you hiding from someone or something?"
"What can you offer me? Promises? Sweetness and light? The less you know about that part of my life the safer you'll be."
He just stared at her with a hurt look in his eyes that she wouldn't let him help.
She couldn't go on tearing at him. It was like kicking a puppy. He reminded her of Anne. In a deep part of her heart, a tiny door opened. Maybe if she gave him a bit he would back off. Taking a deep breath and releasing the anger she had been holding on to, she said, “Yes. I don’t feel attached to them. It’s like they’re someone else’s memories, but I remember everything from age eight to this minute.”
“Why don’t you just tell the doctors you remember everything?”
“Einstein I don’t want anyone to know what really happened the night I was brought here. I’d rather play dumb than be locked up for life. They can’t know the truth.” She hoped that would satisfy his curiosity, but she hadn't counted on his stubbornness.
Asking the other question that her answers had raised, Lucas went on, “How can you not feel ‘attached’ to your memories?”
“Lucas,” she used his name to emphasize her point. “It’s over. Promise me you'll let it go.”
“Why is there a picture with the name Elise on it?” he asked still troubled by it all. "I can't promise to forget what I've found. I need to know what happened.
With a sigh, Morgan moved her chair around next to Lucas’s. “I knew you couldn’t leave this alone. Alright. This is just between the two of us. It can go no farther. Promise.”
“I promise,” he swore.
Morgan could see the confusion on his face. “I’m not Elise.”
“But…”
“Do you know anything about split personalities?” she interrupted him. She wondered if a nine year old could really understand what she was about to reveal.
“Yes, of course. Psychology was one of my required courses in college. You’re talking about schizophrenia.” Realization dawned in his eyes, but also disbelief. “You’re not crazy!”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I am.” Well, he hadn't fallen apart by hearing this much, maybe she could trust him a bit more no matter how much it countered her instincts. Looking around to make sure they weren’t being listened to, Morgan continued, “I won’t be a victim like Elise was. She couldn’t fight back. I can. Something broke inside her that night. The first thing I truly experienced for myself was looking out of her eyes and seeing a monster. She retreated from the danger. I did what had to be done, but I couldn’t stay in control. Elise came back to something from her worst nightmare and attempted suicide. So long as I stay in control, it won’t happen again.”
Lucas couldn’t keep quiet any longer, “But what if you can’t stay in control?”
“The doctors aren’t just trying to get me to remember. They have also been building psychological barriers with drugs and hypnosis to make sure I don’t do it again. I’ve been trying to put my own twist on their plans, but I don’t know how successful I’ve been. I haven't let them know that I can direct the sessions. The hypnotism and drugs don't have the full effect the doctors planned on. I don't know why, but it's handy. I figure with enough stress, I’ll just shut down like your computer.” She reached over and flipped off the power to his monitor to make her point.
Lucas stared at the blank screen for a moment, trying to absorb it all. Looking up, the questions just tumbled out one on top the other, “What will be enough stress to do that? What precisely do you mean by shut down? Why on earth would you let them do that to you?”
“Lucas, I don’t want Elise to come back. She was an excellent student and model foster child, but she had no direction, no backbone. I’m stronger and better able to cope.”
Glancing down at her wrists, she went on, “I don’t really know what they’ve chosen as a trigger or the exact effect it will have. It’s worth it, if it will stop her from doing this again. They were pushing yesterday. That’s why I had the nightmare last night.”
“If you can’t talk about it with the doctors, will you at least talk to me about it?” Lucas asked.
“You’re so young but sometimes you act like you’ve seen it all. OK. Tomorrow Lucas. It’s not something I really want to remember. Give me some time to get it all sorted out so it will make sense.”
“It’s a deal. I’m going to hold you to that promise.” Lucas held out his hand so they could shake on it. His actions were so adult.
“Oh, we’ve gone way past that,” impulsively leaning forward Morgan hugged Lucas.
It shocked him. He froze up not knowing how to react. He was glad she was opening up to him, but uncomfortable with her forwardness.
Sensing his discomfort, Morgan pulled back. She released her hold. A question was in her eyes.
The Wolenzcak’s didn’t hug. Ever. The only time his father did touch him was to hit him. Of course, Lucas had seen other people hug, at college and on vids, but he had never been on the receiving end of one. It confused him.
“Boundaries, huh?” she finally asked.
“It’s OK,” Lucas said. Struggling against an inner barrier Lucas leaned forward and hugged Morgan. He shocked both of them with his action.
*Why couldn’t we have met before this for both our sakes? * Morgan thought.
Suddenly choked up, she pulled back with a laugh that too easily could turn into crying.
“Enough of this. Eat your lunch Lucas.” Morgan pushed his tray towards him.
*I pray he’ll still talk to me after I tell him about the incident. *
Morgan’s prayer would be ignored, because fate had other trials in store for them.
[Still Flashback]
In the morning, Morgan was late for breakfast again. Lucas thought, *Maybe I pushed too hard yesterday. * He didn't have long to worry about it though.
Almost in repeat of the day before the door flew open and Morgan rushed in. This time she looked like a thundercloud ready to strike anyone that dared to come too close. She bypassed the line and stalked over to the table Lucas was at.
"Those stupid doctors! They can never make up their minds. The nurse said that the session was back on for today," she said as she threw herself into the chair beside him. "I have to show up in fifteen minutes."
"Morgan, it's O.K.. We can talk this afternoon." Lucas wanted her to know that he knew it wasn't a delaying tactic on her part to avoid him.
"I just wish that I didn't have to go through this farce anymore. I'm getting tired of jumping through their hoops and telling them what they want to hear."
"Morgan, I'm stuck here for the next month at least, because of my leg. You can't go. You'd leave me with the Spook Squad?" he asked with a nod in the direction of the other three patients in their ward.
"No, Lucas. I would never leave you alone with them. They're just too weird. I wouldn't even leave you alone with the staff if I didn't have to." Snagging his hand in hers, she gave it a squeeze as she said, "Thank you for understanding. I had it all planned out, what I was going to say, how you'd react. Everything. And now this!" frustration practically screamed from every part of her body.
"Morgan, calm down. I'm not in any hurry. I can wait now that I know you will tell me eventually. Get a move on before they come looking for you." He patted her hand that held his to let her know he supported her but wouldn't push.
"You're right again Einstein." She let his hand go and got up to leave. "I'll meet you here for lunch. Save me a tray. Nothing will interrupt us this afternoon."
Lucas watched her as she left. At the door, she half turned around and waved good-bye to him.
*Maybe after she tells me her story, I'll tell her mine, * Lucas contemplated. He made his way back to his room and settled in for the morning.
Booting up the computer, Lucas started a more intensive search into Morgan's background. He didn't want to be surprised by anything she told him. He set his computer alarm to stop him right before lunch so he wouldn't get caught up in his search.
Sometime later while he was hacking into yet another database trying to find any information, an odd feeling made him look up suddenly. It was an hour before lunch. Morgan had been gone for about three hours. *What was going on? * Lucas turned off the computer. He got up to investigate.
Looking to the left and the right at his doorway, he didn't see anything suspicious. Some gut feeling pulled him to the left. At the end of the hall, he turned left again, deciding not to go towards the cafeteria. The double doors at this end of the hall stood like silent sentinels. He had never come down this way before. Something still pulled at him.
His crutches made a soft noise on the linoleum. *Where was everybody? * As he approached the doors, Lucas could see that there was a security box beside them. When he reached it, he saw it was a simple electronic keypad. He pulled off the case and studied the wires for a moment. Crossing the green and yellow wires, the doors opened.
Sounds crashed over him, when the doors opened. It was a medium sized room filled with a lot of people and machines. Nurses and doctors were rushing around and equipment noises added to the confusion. Amid all this was Morgan. She was unconscious and hooked up to various machines and monitors. Everybody and everything seemed to hover around her bed.
"Doctor, respiration is unchanged at 6 and pulse is still 40," a nurse called out.
Lucas didn't have a degree in medicine, but knew this sounded bad.
"Doctor, her B/P is crashing. 60 over 33!" another tech stated urgently.
"Damn it! I told you we were pushing her too hard," one doctor said as he turned on one of the others. "Now look what you've done."
*What had they done? * raged Lucas. If they had hurt Morgan, he would make them pay. He tried to see if she was hurt. As he got closer to the bed, someone spotted him.
"What's the kid doing here?"
That did it. All motion stopped. Everyone turned to him. Trapped by his leg, he couldn't get away fast enough. A doctor grabbed him and hauled him out of the room.
"You didn't see anything. You shouldn't be sticking your nose into other people's business." As they rounded the corner back to Lucas's room, he could see a nurse was by his door.
"Make sure he doesn't leave his room this time," the doctor ordered the nurse. He turned to go back down the hall.
"Tell me what's going on!" Lucas yelled after the doctor. Getting no response, he turned on the nurse and repeated his question.
"Now don't you worry about Morgan. Everyone is working to make sure she'll be fine." The nurse sounded just a bit off and she couldn't meet his eyes as she said it. She settled him in bed and left with his crutches.
Lucas could get around without them. It was painful, but it could be done. But for now, he would let them think he was helpless. Even though that was the farthest thing from reality as he booted up his computer.
*What are they keeping from me? * he thought. Lucas set to work. If they wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know, he would find out for himself. Even at nine, there were very few people that could match Lucas's skill at the computer.
For the next three days, Lucas searched for answers. Without a last name it was very hard, but Lucas could be as tenacious as a bulldog when he wanted to. Lucas used the session notes and the names of every doctor that had signed off on anything for her. Maybe there would be a clue hidden in there somewhere.
Every time the nurses and doctors came to him, he only had two questions. "What happened to Morgan?" and "When can I see her?" For those three days, they wouldn't answer him and he wouldn't interact anymore with them at that point. For group, they would come and get him, He went but didn't participate. Lucas would snag a bit to eat at the mealtimes. He could be as stubborn as need be until he got his answers.
Every so often they would check on what he was doing. Lucas programmed the computer to relay his homework if anyone was watching. *Let them chew on that! *
He had finished the last of his finals a week ago, when they first gave him back his computer. Officially, he was getting started on his M.A. work. Lucas limited his time to searching only during the day and only after he had set up the false trail of homework. He didn't want them to become suspicious. Even so, they tried to take the computer away. He had almost tracked down a possible lead. One of the reports had been forwarded to someone at the UEO. It didn't make any sense. What interest could the UEO have in Morgan?
Lucas didn't leave his bed that entire day in protest. He wouldn't even eat. Threats to put him on an IV didn't alter his focus either. Worried because Lucas was the son of one of their largest contributors, the doctors tried to contact Lawrence all day. Finally, they got through at the end of the day.
Listening to the doctors explain the situation with half of his attention, Lawrence snapped at them, "So long as he's working on his degree and not compromising his health, let him keep the computer," He was eager to get back to whatever he was working on. Taking the time away from it to deal with a "Lucas Problem" made him angry that the boy couldn't behave even in a hospital.
Reluctantly, the doctors brought back his computer. Lucas sat up and smiled at them. Switching on the computer, he asked, "What happened to Morgan?" and "When can I see her?" then added when he got no answer, "Can I get something to eat?"
Relieved that at least he wasn't ignoring them anymore, the doctor told the orderly, "Get him something from the cafeteria."
"But doctor, it's closed for the evening," argued the orderly.
"If you can't perform your job you can be replaced," threatened the doctor.
The orderly hurried off to get Lucas something to eat.
Now that he was alone with Lucas, the doctor leaned in , "Mind your own business, kid. She's a lost cause."
Alarmed, because he had been able to read more of the case note history but nothing about what was going on with her currently, Lucas asked, "Why do you call her a lost cause?"
"She's been in a coma since that morning. She hasn't responded to any of our attempts to wake her up. She has as little brain activity as a mushroom." He wouldn't go into details. Even knowing Lucas was a genius didn't stop the doctor from relaying the information in a manner even a child could understand. "No medicines have been able to wake her up." Almost to himself the doctor went on, "Unfortunately, we can't use more radical techniques so long as the UEO is keeping tabs on her." Disappointment laced the doctor's voice.
Curiosity piqued Lucas's interest. Maybe he could make this work for him. "If you can't get her to wake up, can I try? At least let me see her and talk to her."
Why was this kid so concerned about her? The doctor thought about it. The best doctors had already given it a shot with no results, why not let the kid try? Maybe then he would see it was hopeless.
"All right. It's worth a try. Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock report to the room you saw her in before." The doctor said as he turned to leave.
Lucas was exhausted, but could barely get settled that night. The orderly brought him the snack he had requested and the crutches he hadn't and left. His mind replayed the conversation with the doctor. There was something that nagged at him. *What was it? * His mind finally pulled it out. *The UEO was keeping tabs on Morgan? * He was too tired to track it down tonight. Even if he wasn't, they would definitely see the activity if he used the computer tonight. He couldn't compromise his link to the information that might get them out of this situation.
At least they promised him access to Morgan tomorrow. She looked like the only one that could answer his questions about her past. It would be just like cracking a computer security code. He just had to look at it like a hack job. Only this time it would be on a person, not a machine. He couldn't fail. Failure wasn't an option in his mind. On that thought, Lucas fell asleep.