========================================================================== UNTITLED Erin McCullough ========================================================================== Timeline: SeaQuest DSV Author's E-Mail: eem@trib.com or jimmc@trib.com ========================================================================== AUTHOR'S NOTES: Here you go...I hope you all enjoy. Erin P.S. Any thoughts on a title?? DISCLAIMER: seaQuest DSV and it's characters are *NOT* mine (I know, isn't it awful?!) They belong to NBC, Universal Television, and the Sci-Fi Channel. I think they also are Steven Spielberg's... Anyway, once again, they're not mine. ARCHIVIST'S NOTE: At time of editing this story didn't have a title, so I just put 'untitiled; title instead of SeaQuest DSV as it was before. --Andy =========================== PART 1 ===================================== UNTITLED (was SEAQUEST DSV) PART 1 Captain Nathan Bridger sat down at the desk in his quarters to receive the incoming call. When he turned on the screen, he saw a very familiar face. It was his old friend and now somewhat his boss, Admiral Bill Noyce. "Hello, Nathan." "Hello, Bill." "Nathan, I know this probably isn't the best time to ask, but would you like to keep your eyes on another high school student?" "What do you mean?" "One of the greater L.A. high schools has an annual career month. Students choose a career and then spend one month pursuing it. One student said 'she' wanted to work on a submarine. We just couldn't say no!" "Why did you pick the seaQuest?" "I figured you could use some help since some of your crew is on vacation. Besides, I think young Mr. Wolenczak could use some company, and she asked to be on the seaQuest, directly. What do you say?" "Well, I suppose that it will be okay. She can bunk with Commander Hitchcock until we can get a room set up." "Very good! She will be arriving sometime today." "All right, goodbye." Bridger got up, went over to the shelf, and found the book he had been looking for when the call came. He looked at the picture next to Carol's. It was a picture of his niece, Natalie. Natalie had been named for Nathan, kind of. Lucas appeared in the doorway. "Captain, Dr. Westphalen is looking for you." "Thank you, Lucas." Lucas started out the door. "Wait! Go to the bridge and get Kreig, Hitchcock, Ortiz, O'Neill and Ford. Send them to the meeting room. Then go to the docking bay and get Crocker, and down to C-Deck and get Dr. Westphalen. Send them to the meeting room, too." "Yes, sir." As soon as Lucas left, Bridger looked back at the picture. "Nat, I miss you, so does Darwin." He headed for the meeting room. When he got there, everyone was seated. "Okay everyone, I have been informed that a student is coming to visit us for one month. Hitchcock?" "Yes, sir?" "You will be sharing your room with her. Is that all right?" "Yes, sir. It'll be nice to have someone to do 'girl stuff' with." "What, like put makeup on each other and talk about guys?" said Krieg sarcastically. Hitchcock glared at him. "Lucas, you will be assigned to show her around the boat and then come find me, so I can meet her. Then we'll have another a meeting so everyone can meet her. Got it?" "Got it!" "She will be arriving sometime today. If she needs help, I hope that you will do all in your power to help, understood?" Everyone nodded. "Also while you're playing tour guide, take her gear to Hitchcock's room." "Will do!" "Good! Everyone, back to work!" A little while later, while helping Dr. Westphalen find the medical purposes in different types of seaweed, Bridger got distracted. "Nathan? Nathan, are you all right?" "Yes, I'm sorry. I was just thinking of my niece whom I haven't seen in five years, since my wife died. Natalie used to visit Carol and me on the island every summer after Robert...well you know. We always had fun." "What happened?" "My brother, her father, and I had a fight and she wasn't allowed to visit me anymore." "That's very sad, what did you fight about?" "Well, I think that it was because Carol and I left after Robert died, but knowing my brother, it could have been that I didn't return one of his calls." "Interesting," Kristen said eyeing the microscope," but, we need to get this done for the Admiral." "Yes, you're right." A while later, he walked over to Darwin. "Darwin, do you remember Natalie?" "Yes." I must remind you that Darwin is only a dolphin. He talks because of a device that Lucas built. Crocker had just gotten word that the launch had arrived. He got on his transmitter. "Lucas!" Lucas was playing video games in his room. This was something he had been told not to do, but did it anyway. "Yeah?" "The launch is here!" "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." As the girl got off the launch, Lucas arrived. She came down the steps looking sort of confused. "Welcome to the seaQuest." Crocker stated. "Thanks! My name's Natalie, but you can call me Nat." she said smiling "Hi, I'm Lucas." "Nice to meet you." Crocker broke in, "Don't I know you?" "I don't think so." Suddenly, from behind them came a voice, "I do!" Everyone turned around and saw Nathan standing there. Nat's face lit up, and she ran to him. "I thought I recognized that voice." Nathan said smiling. He hugged Nat tight and then said, "Let me look at you. It's been what, five years?" "Just about!" Nat said happily. Lucas and Crocker looked at each other, then at Nathan and Nat, then back at each other with a blank look on their faces. "Chief, this is Natalie. Last time you saw her was at Robert's going away party." Putting a hand below his waist to show height, Crocker said, "Natalie?" looking at his hand, "That Natalie?" "Yes, that Natalie." "I missed something here." Lucas said with a expressionless look on his face. "This is my niece, Lucas." "Oh, so that would explain it." "What?" Nat asked. "Why you two look alike." Nat looked at Nathan, and Nathan said smiling, " You know, he's right. What are you doing here?" "Mom and I called Admiral Noyce and got his help." she said with a semi-worried look on her face. "What about..." "Don't worry!" she said hugging him tight. "Well, let's get moving! Lucas, show her to Hitchcock's quarters, then bring her to the meeting room, Got it?" "Yeah, yeah! Come on, Nat!" he said pointing down the hall. "Sure!" she said to Lucas. She turned around and said to Nathan, "He's cute!" "He's about your age." "Very funny!" "Get going." he said chuckling. Lucas showed Nat to Hitchcock's room, and then took her to the meeting room. They talked along the way. When they got to the meeting room, Nathan realized that Krieg wasn't there. "All right, where's Krieg?" No one answered. "Crocker, go check his room. See if you can find him." Crocker went out the door. "Natalie, come here, there is something I want to show you." He took out a picture of his wallet and showed it to her. "This one is of you, Darwin, and me. I remember when this one was taken. It was your first visit to the island. Your mom took this one, but your father hated it. I wish I knew what happened to make him become angry." "You mean... never mind." "What?" "Never mind, it was a stupid thought." Suddenly, the door opened. Crocker threw Krieg through the door. "It's nice of you to grace us with your presence." "I found him reading magazines and listening to hard rock with earphones." "Hey, I was resting!" "Yeah, just like he did at home! You couldn't get a minute's rest with him." "Hey, hey you two! You're not married anymore! Put it in the past!" "Sorry sir." said Hitchcock. "Now, everyone, this is Natalie, our supposed student. It just so happens that she is my niece. She and her mother called the admiral and got him to trick me." "Nice to meet you. I'm Commander Hitchcock, but you can call me Katie." "I'm pleased to meet you." "Going around the table, that's Ortiz, he's in the sonar department; Krieg, who's just that life of the party, as you might say; Crocker, who you know, kind of; Commander Ford, who's in the navigation department; Dr. Kristen Westphalen, who is the head of the Science Dept.; Lucas, whom you've already met, and Hitchcock, who's our head Engineer; and Mr. O'Neill, who's in translation. And of course me, whom you've known all your life." "Nice to meet you all." "Now, we should discuss jobs for you to do. Any suggestions?" "Well, I could use some help down in C-Deck with my project," said Dr. Westphalen. "I have to take apart, reprogram, and put back together the main computer, and I could really use an extra pair of hands." said Lucas. "Lucas just finished reprogramming the HR Probe. Maybe she'd like to try it out?" "Thank you, Hitchcock. Anything else?" No one answered. "Well Nat, it looks like you'll be busy." "Sounds like fun." "Well, I'm off to dinner. Anybody care to join me?" "We'll join you, Lucas. Hungry, Nat?" "Yes, very!" "How about it, Kristen? Can you spare a few minutes?" "Oh, why not!" The four headed toward the dining room talking to each other. After dinner, they all said good night, and went their separate ways. Kristen went back to C-Deck, Bridger went up to the bridge, and Lucas and Natalie headed for their rooms. Natalie's room was a few doors up from Lucas'. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can have breakfast." "Yeah, maybe. Well, thanks for showing me around. This place is great!" "There's a lot more to see!" "Oh, really." "Want to come in and play a video game?" "Not tonight, maybe tomorrow. I'm really bushed. I've had quite a day, you know, the trip and all." "Yeah well, see you tomorrow." "Night." She went in the room and Katie was sitting there. "So, how did you like you're first day here?" "I'm still amazed." "Yeah it's a big boat." "You've spent more time with Lucas, what's he like?" "He's really fun to be with. One of the first days here, he started up a video game, and let me play. We got in trouble with the big guy." "Oh, you mean Uncle Nathan?" "Uh, yeah." They talked for a little while, Nathan came in to say goodnight, and the girls turned in for the night. A few hours later, around one a.m., Natalie got up, crept out the door, and headed for C-Deck. Little did she know, that Lucas had heard her creep by, since his door was open. It normally wouldn't be open except for the fact that his A/C didn't work. The crew was trying to fix it. He got up, and followed her down the hall. When she got there, she tapped the edge of Darwin's tank twice. He came up and she sat down. "I could always come to you when I had a problem. Well bud, I've got a beauty. Dad was so upset when I told him I wanted to come. The only reason I told Uncle Nathan not to worry, was so he wouldn't get upset. If He probably thinks that the only reason I came was to make dad even madder at him. I love you both so much, but my dad said that if I came, it would only mean that I love you guys more. It's just not true! Uncle Nathan doesn't even know why dad is upset with him! I know that it wasn't Uncle Nathan's fault that Aunt Carol died the same time as Grandma. Dad said that Uncle Nathan should have been there for Grandma. He was so worried about losing Aunt Carol after losing Robert. I know that if you could talk, you'd help me." pausing, she continued, "Well, I'd better go in case someone comes by. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" As she came through the door, she saw Lucas sitting on the stairs. "How long have you been here?" "Long enough. I have to say, I understand how you feel." She sat down next to him. "How could you possibly understand how I feel?" "Trust me! I know how you feel! My parents were tired of me, so they dumped me here. I must say, I like this place a lot better than I would a foster home!" "Well you heard my problem, what do you think I should do?" "Tell him! It's the only way." "Are you serious?!" "Trust me! I'm dead serious." "All right, I'll tell him." "Don't rush it, take your time. I'll help if you want me to." "No! I can't have you do that." "I want to help, really." "That's nice of you "Not to rush you or anything, but we had better get back to our rooms. Crocker gets up about this time to make his rounds." They headed back to their rooms. When they got to her door, Lucas said, "Remember what I said!" "Okay, I'll tell him, soon." They stood in silence for about thirty seconds, and then Lucas leaned over and softly kissed her. "I better go now." Nat said then smiled. She snuck back inside and got into bed. As she fell asleep, she said, "Goodnight, Lucas." To Be Continued =========================== PART 2 ===================================== Okay...the original was 13 pages, so I cut it in half for your reading pleasure. Part 3 is about 60 pages (most of which are legal pad sized) and only 5 have been typed....it'll be a while. I'm going on vacation tomorrow...won't be back 'till Thursday night. I can't wait to see what comes over the line while I'm gone! (Good stories I hope :)) Anyway, here you go! ========================================================================== Untitled (Sea Quest DSV) Part 2 It was Nat's third week on the seaQuest. When Katie's alarm went off, she tried to hit it, so she wouldn't need to get up. Nat got up right away and said," Come on, what's the matter? Dream about Krieg?" "How'd you guess?" "Only seems obvious! Whenever my mom and dad fought, she'd have bad dreams about him." "You must have had it bad!" Katie said. "It was better when I was on the island with Darwin, Uncle Nathan, Robert, and Aunt Carol." "Did you have fun?" "All the time! It was great!" Nat sighed. "Well, I've got to get to my station before the Cap makes his rounds. What are you doing today?" "I'm helping Uncle Nathan, then Lucas, and Dr. Westphalen if there's time. But first, Lucas is taking me to breakfast. What do you recommend?" "Have the cold cereal. It's the best," Katie laughed. "Thanks." "No problem! So, do you like him or what?" "What's that supposed to mean?" Nat frowned. "Never mind. How would you like to go for a ride later?" "Yeah, sounds great!" Nat said with an excited look on her face. "Well, I've got to get going, so see you later!" "Bye!" Nat changed into her clothes for the day. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" Lucas came in and sat on her bed. He called to her, "Ready for the munchies?" "Oh, I suppose so!" Nat sighed as she came out of the bathroom. Lucas chuckled to himself. They left the room, and headed for the cafeteria. As they walked, Lucas said, "Did you think about what I said the other night? I think it was very good advice." "Yeah, I thought about it. I'll tell him later." "Well, the sooner the better." "Yeah." she said as she poked Lucas in the ribs and ran down the hall. "That's not nice!," he said as he ran after her. When they got to the cafeteria, Krieg, Crocker, Ortiz, and O'Neill were eating. "Hey, everybody!," said Lucas. "Hey!," they all said, not paying much attention to him. After breakfast, Nat and Lucas did more sightseeing, all the way to the bridge, which was where she needed to go, anyway. As they walked, Nat asked, "So, how does a genius like you get stuck on a boat like this? I mean, no one to do stuff with, just grownups." "My parents didn't know what was what, and they thought that it would be easier on them if I was out of the way," Lucas answered. "So I got dropped here. It's not so bad, though. I do have friends: the Cap; Krieg's okay, a little dingy, but okay; Crocker; the Doc has been a help, and Hitchcock's really nice. Sometimes it's fun to see her and Krieg fight. They act like they're still married. I think they're nuts. But seriously, the Cap's like another father. He's a little too protective, but it's better than what I had, if you know what I mean!" "Yeah." When they got to the MAG-LEV, Lucas said, "Well, I've got to go find Krieg. He owes me eight bucks and he's trying to worm out of paying up!" "Okay, I'll see you later." "Bye!", said Lucas as the door closed. When it stopped, Nat got off, and went onto the bridge. She hopped up the stairs, and strolled over to Darwin's tank. He was splashing around in the pool. She patted him and went to Katie's station. "What are you up to?", Katie asked "I need to talk to Uncle Nathan." "Well, there he is. Don't be to hard on the poor man." "Thanks, I will go very easy on him." Katie laughed at that one. Nat hopped down the few stairs and walked over to Commander Ford and Nathan. "Well, hello stranger!", said Nathan. "Hi, Natalie.", said Ford. "Well howdy, Commander!" Nat said as she hugged her uncle. "We need to talk!" she said looking at Nathan. "Okay, carry on, Commander." "Yes sir! See you later Natalie." "Bye!" As they left the bridge, Nathan said, "Sleep okay?" "Yeah, great. How about you?" "Well, about the same as usual." They had a fairly boring conversation on they way to Nathan's quarters. "What was it you wanted to talk about?" "Well, ... I want to talk to you about Dad." "I don't want to talk about him." Nathan pushed open his door and they went in. "I do! I can't watch you two ruin your life over it. I bet you don't even know why he's upset." "He's mad that Carol and I left after Robert died. He felt that we shouldn't have left the family like we did." "No! He's mad that you weren't there when Grandma died. I tried to get him to understand that if he had been in your place, he would have done the same thing. It's not your fault, it's no one's fault. I just want us all to be a family again!" "Let me get this straight, he's mad because I wasn't there when Mom died. Didn't he know Carol had died?" "Yes, but I think he figured that Grandma was more important. Besides, he knows that I am here. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry about it. Please just call him and talk it out. I don't care if you have to yell and scream! Just get it over with", she said, with tears in her eyes. "I don't know." Nathan looked away. "Please! Do it for me! Please!" Nathan looked at Natalie, and knew that he couldn't say no to her. He hugged her and asked, "What am I going to do with you?" About 45 seconds later, he stated, "All right, I'll call him. I may not say much. I can be as stubborn as he is! After all, we are brothers!" "I love you, Uncle Nathan," Natalie said softly. She stood up, gave Nathan one more hug,then stood up and headed for the door. She left the room and started down the hall. When she came to Lucas' door, she saw it was open. "Can I come in?" "Yeah, sure, Squirt! Did you tell him?" Lucas got up from his floor and met her just inside the door. "Yes, I hope it worked." "Is he going to call?" "I think so. I just hope my dad doesn't get hostile. Not that he can do much over the phone." "Well, whether it works or not, you gave it your best shot." he said as he gave Nat a half hug. She sat down on his bed, and Lucas sat next to her. "Thanks, Lucas." "For what?" "For everything! From right off, you've been so nice to me, you barely even know me." "No problem! If you are anything like your uncle, I already know you enough." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd better go. I should see if Dr. Westphalen needs my help with anything. Bye!" "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" he grinned. From the hall, came, "Very funny!" Lucas smiled to himself and went back to work. Nathan sat at his desk contimplating wether or not he should call David. He didn't want to let Nat down, but he also didn't want to put up with his brother. After 5 minutes, he decided to wait. Nat entered Sea-Deck to find Kristen talking sternly to Darwin. "Hey, Dar! What's happening?" "Nothing if he doesn't help me!" Dr. Westphalen screamed. "All right, Darwin! What did you do wrong?" "Play! No work!" "Dar, you have to help." She leaned down and added, "Tell you what. If you help Dr. Westphalen, I'll bring you a treat later." "Treat!" "If you do your work!" "Yes!" "Good!" said Nat. Walking over to Nat and giving her a squeeze, Dr Westphalen said, "I wish you could stay forever! I can never get him to work! How do you do it?" "It's not that hard, I guess. I think it's because I've known him for a almost two years. It's almost like he's got an alarm in his head, when he sees me coming, it tells him to listen up. Of course, I could be wrong!" "Well, maybe after a few weeks, he'll realize that I'm the boss down here," laughed Dr. Westphalen. "Don't worry, I'll talk to him before I leave. He will listen to me!" "You sound so sure of yourself." "I think I know Darwin." "Thanks!" Dr. Westphalen said. "No problem! I better run!" "Okay, have fun!" Kristen said as Nat ran out the door. "What a sweet girl," she said to herself. Nat was speedwalking down the hall by Nathan's room. When she got near his door, Nathan popped out and made her jump. "You scared me half to death!" she gasped. "You scared me, too!" Nathan said, holding his heart. "Why are you back so soon?" "I was going to see if Katie was hungry." Nat replied. "Oh, I just was going to tell you that I will call David. I just don't think that now is the best time." Nat nodded and Nathan walked with her to the bridge. Once there, Katie and Nat headed for some food, Jonathan tagged along, and Nathan talked to O'Neill. Soon, Ortiz joined in the conversation, then Krieg, then Crocker, then Dr. Westphalen. She had come up to give a supply order to Nathan. Soon, it was decided that they would throw Nat a going away party, since she was supposed to leave in three days. Nathan had O'Neill get on the intercom and call Lucas, Katie, and Ford to the Ward Room. Lucas had met up with Katie and Jonathan in the hall outside of the cafeteria to borrow Natalie. He figured that since Nat wasn't going to the meeting, that she might be able to help him out. Katie said she would give the message to Nathan. Lucas and Nat went back to his room, where the computer was...everywhere!!!!! "Could you please try and put some of it together for me. It's starting to drive me nuts!!!! I need to get some things done for Admiral Noyce, but I can't do that until the thing works!!!!" "I'll try." Lucas gave her a hug and replied, "Thanks." He left the room and Nat started working. In the Ward Room, once Lucas got there, the meeting began. "I was wondering if you would like to help me throw Nat a going away party?" "That's a wonderful idea, Nathan." Kristen replied. "I think it's a great idea, Captain." Katie said. "Count me in.", Ford stated. Nathan looked at Lucas, who answered, "Definetly." Everyone else agreed and plans were made for the party. Before everyone left the meeting, Nathan commented, "Remember, tomorrow night!!" Everyone nodded and left. Nathan walked with Lucas to his room, he had some things to get from Lucas' room. Once there, Lucas almost had a heart attack. His room was completely clean, his desk organized as well. "What's wrong, Lucas?!?" Lucas pointed to the floor and stated, "My computer was over here, and over there, and over here. Nat said she would try to put some of it together, but I never expected..." "Did I happen to mention that Nat has a thing for doing that?" "NO!!" Lucas said sarcasticaly. "Oh, calm down, it's not like you don't have other things to do. I need to get this stuff to Bill." He picked up the folders on the desk, and left the room. A little while later, Lucas went to find Natalie to thank her. She was in the cafeteria, eating dinner. He pulled up a chair and reached for her water. "Hey, thanks!" "You're welcome." Nat looked seriously bummed. Lucas moved over to sit next to her and asked, "What's wrong, Squirt?" "I was just coming to find you, Natalie." "Well, you found me." "Are you okay? Your face is bright red." "Yeah!" "Ready for that ride?" "Sure!" "Ride, what ride?" Lucas asked with a blank look on his face. TBC Part 2-B "None of your business, Lucas! It's girl stuff." "Darn, it's times like these when I wish I was a girl!" "Yes, and you'd be so cute," said Nat smiling at Katie and laughing. "Make all the jokes you want! But someday when you need me to crack a security code, I won't help." "Oh, yes you will." Katie replied. Lucas turned around and walked down the hall. "Someone's in love!" said Katie looking at Nat's expression. "How could you not be?" "Come on! We don't want to miss the bus." Down on the launch deck, they passed Nathan. "Where are you going?" "Out! Want to come?" Katie asked. "No, thank you. But I'll see you two soon, for dinner!" "Yes, sir! We will be back in 30 minutes, tops." "I'll be right there,." Natalie said to Katie. She ran after Bridger and when she caught up to him, she gave him a hug and said, "I love you, Uncle Nathan." "Well, I love you, too." "Can't wait to eat with you!" she smiled as she went around the corner. They got in the launch and buckled up. "Here's the deal, I'll drive us out into open water, and then you can take over, okay?" "Sure, but you have to help. I only got my driver's license a month and a half ago." "Well, congratulations! Have a car?" "No, not yet! My dad thinks I'm not ready for a car. My mom is ready to go and buy me one." "Well, my parents had disagreements all the time. I would climb on my roof to get away from them." "Hey, I do the exact same thing at home!" Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the radio went dead. *************************** Back on the seaQuest, Nathan, Lucas, Dr. Westphalen, and Krieg were all getting ready to leave on the next launch. They were heading to Port Richards, an underwater mining town. Divers there saw a small explosion and radioed for help. The launch was attacked, but the crews were close enough to rescue Katie and Natalie. The sea ambulance rushed them to the hospital corridor. The law enforcement officials notified the seaQuest and Nathan ordered emergency alert. When the launch got to the docking bay of Port Richards, one of the town doctors was waiting for them at the door. The four got off the launch, and met him. "I am Dr. Warren McCormick, main doctor here." "I am Dr. Kristen Westphalen. How are they?" "The woman has a broken arm and maybe a rib or two. The girl has a concussion." Nathan stopped in his tracks. "Is she going to be okay?" Nathan demanded. "Yes, with a few days supervision. Her family should be notified, though." "He's her uncle!" Lucas said. "Can I see her?" "Yes, they are in the same room. Down the hall, first door on the left. if you need me, my office is down the hall." "Thank you so much." said Kristen. Nathan hurried down the hall, and through the door. He stopped when he saw Nat lying in the bed. Katie was sitting next to her holding her hand. Katie looked up, and said, "She's strong, She'll make it." He sat down next to her, and just stared. "She's been going in and out. She'll be fine." "What happened? Are you okay?" "I'm fine. I don't know, we were talking, and suddenly, there was a flash, and next thing I know, we were here. They are trying to find out what happened. The people here lent me some clothes, and a girl gave me some for Nat. We can leave whenever." "Can I just be alone for a minute?" "Sure. I'll wait outside." "Tell Lucas she's okay. He begged me to let him come." "They really like each other. It's no wonder." "Ben's outside, he was really worried about you." "Thanks." She got up and left the room. Nathan took Nat's hand, and squeezed it tight. Katie entered the hall, closing the door behind her. "Katie! Are you okay?" Ben asked. "Yeah, Ben, I'm fine." she said as she gave him a half-hug. Kristen smiled. "H-how is she?" Lucas asked worriedly. Katie walked over to him. "She will be fine, Lucas. She just needs to rest, okay?" Looking back at Kristen and Ben, she said, "We'll be back." "Sure, we'll stay here with Bridger." said Ben. Katie and Lucas turned the corner, and Katie said, "Right before you got here, Natalie was awake and scared. I told her you and Bridger were coming soon, and she calmed down. She really likes you, Lucas. You're her best friend now. You know that, don't you?" "Yeah, I do. She scared me before, though." "How?" "She was down in the engine room, crying." "Why?" "She was worried that her dad would make her go home. She said she hated it up there, since her parents are always fighting. She didn't want to tell Bridger. I told her that he would listen, but Nat wouldn't bother him, because she felt that she had already dumped enough on him. When her dad finds out about this, she will surely have to go home." "What about her mom?" "She wants Nat to stay. She thinks Nat is a big help for Bridger, after his losses and all. I don't even want her to leave." "Nobody does! Everyone on the seaQuest loves her. She's changed everybody. Yesterday, she asked me about Ben and I told her I still like him, but I doubt he feels the same." "I happen to know for a fact, that he isn't over you." "How do you figure?" "Only Bridger and Westphalen were going to come, but Ben begged them to let us come. All I can say is that you should have seen him on the way down. He was going nuts." "Come on, wise guy! Let's go!" They walked back to Westphalen and Ben. Ben was staring at Katie's eyes, and she was watching him. She walked over to him and kissed him, hard. Just then, Nathan came out stunned. "What did I miss?" "It was a Kodak moment!" Lucas joked. Everyone stared at him. "Hey, my grandma used to say it all the time!" "Lucas, go on in." Nathan said as he pointed to the door. Lucas jumped between Katie and Ben, and went through the door. He walked over to Nat, and sat beside her. He took her hand, and she opened her eyes. "Oh, brother! What happened?" she said softly. "I'll bore you with the details later, okay?" "Has he told my dad?" "No. He's going to call when we get back to the seaQuest." "When can we leave?" "Just a sec, I'll ask." Lucas got up, went to the door and went out. Everyone was talking. "Excuse me?" Nothing happened. He whistled and said, "Excuse me!" He paused as they all looked at him. "What?" Ben asked, rudely. "Nat wants to know when she can go back to the boat." "She's up?!" Nathan asked. "Yes, and she wants to leave!" Nathan pushed past him, and into the room. "Nat? Hon, are you okay?" "Yes, I'm fine. Just that I feel like I hit a truck." "That's okay!" Nathan said, smiling. "You're going to be just fine, okay?" "Yeah." She tried to sit up. "No, you shouldn't sit up." "I want to go." "All right! I'll go see the doctor, but you rest until I get back. Understood?" "Yes, sir! Captain, sir!" she said as loud as she could. "What's the matter?" She was looking at Nathan. He had a sad look on his face. "Hey,Grumpy! How about a hug for your favorite niece?" "Sure!" he said smiling. "Not too hard!" she whispered to his ear, "Don't worry! I'll be okay." "I know you will. I'm just worried about your father." "Let me sit with you when you call. I'll set him straight. Besides, there are a few things I have to say to him." "All right, we'll call after dinner." Nathan was trying hard to hold back his tears. Kristen opened the door. "She can go anytime! I have their medicine, explicit instructions, and his number, just in case anything should come up." "Good! I need to see him for a moment, so can you help her to the docking bay, and I'll be with you soon," he said after he kissed Nat on the forehead. "Sure, Cap!" Lucas answered. Nathan headed down the hall and into Dr. McCormick's office. He looked up and saw Nathan standing there. "Can I help you?" "Do you have any ideas about what happened?" "We don't know! Some of us think that they were shot at by one of the local gangs. Almost fourteen civilians have been shot at in the past year. We can't catch them, but we keep trying. Who knows, maybe you'll catch them." "Believe me, I will!" Nathan said in a gruff voice. Outside, Nat and Lucas were talking, Ben and Katie were just sitting and sometimes kissing, and Kristen was reading a book. Back in his office, Dr. McCormick was writing on a piece of paper. "If anything comes up, call me," he said passing the paper over the desktop. "Don't forget to call her parents." "I won't, but her father might want her to go straight home." "That is out of the question for the time being," the doctor ordered. "I have given Dr. Westphalen the instructions." "Yes, she has them." Pausing for a minute, Nathan said, "Thank you for your care of my niece and commander, Doctor." "Just have them rest in quiet conditions, that's all I ask. And, maybe you can help us find the bad guys!" Nathan nodded and went out the door. Lucas was helping Nat walk down the hall, Kristen and Katie were talking, and Ben was behind Lucas. Nathan looked at Katie, then at Nat, and said, "Ready?" Lucas sat Nat down for a minute. "I can't wait!" Katie answered. Nat was asleep again. Nathan tapped her shoulder. "Quit nodding off!" he teased. "Sorry, I can't help it." "I know! Want to sit with me when I call your dad?" "Yeah, sure. But, maybe you shouldn't call yet." Nat said with a worried look on her face. "I have to, Nat! I don't want to, but I have to!" Nathan said, irritated at his anger. "I understand." she said with a half-smile. Nathan smiled back and went to the docking bay to get clearance to leave. "Let's sit you down, Natalie." Kristen said, leading her over to the nearest bench. "Thanks! Can I ask you something, Doc?" "Yes, go ahead." Kristen answered. "Do you like him? I mean, really?" "Yes, I do!" Kristen said laughing. "He's a very nice man. He's funny, he's caring, he treats us all very kindly, and he's just..nice." She leaned over and gave Nat a hug as Nathan came back. "Commander Ford is opening the sea doors, so, let's get moving," he said, smiling at Nat. "Lucas," Ben said, "Help me get our little friend up to the launch." "Sure, Ben!" They walked her to the door, helped her in, and sat her down. Nathan came in and sat next to her. Ben helped Katie up into the driver's seat, then went up himself. Kristen sat down and Lucas sat next to her. "Off we go!" Ben yelled down to them. Nathan put his arm around Nat, and looked at the floor. Lucas looked at Nat and sighed. "What's the matter?" Kristen whispered. "Nothing." Lucas paused. "It's just that I've got nobody." "What do you mean?" "Like Nat, she's got Bridger, but I've got nobody." "She's his only family left. Other than his brother, who hates him for something he had no control over. Anyway, you're with two hundred people that care about you; like me, Nathan, Katie, Jonathan. Even Ben cares about you!" "Well, he sure doesn't act like it." "It's probably hard for him to show affection. I mean, if you were put on a boat with your ex, and had to face her every day, you might not want to show it either. Get my point?" "Yeah, I get it." Katie came down and said, "We're about to dock." She sat down next to Lucas, and gave him a half-hug. "Well, it's going to be a long night." Nathan said. "How so?" Kristen asked. "We've got to take turns keeping this girl awake all night long. Until nine a.m. or so." "All right! Babysitting!" Lucas grinned. "I'm no baby! So there!" "He's just picking on you, Nat. You'll have to get used to it." "Commander!" "Sorry, Lucas." Katie said with a smirk on her face. Nat had leaned over on Nathan's shoulder, asleep. "Whoa!" Nathan said as he pulled her up. "Sorry, sorry! My head is killing me!" Nat said holding her head in her hands. "Here, take this. It should keep the swelling down." Kristen said as she pulled the bottle out of her pocket and took out the pill. She passed it over to Nat and watched her take it. Suddenly, Ben came out of nowhere and said, "We're docked!" He went over to the door, pushed the button, and went out. Nathan helped Nat out the door and down the stairs. "How are you feeling, Nat?" Crocker asked. "I'm okay. Thanks for asking." Nathan pushed her toward the communications room. "Where are we going?" "To call your father." "But..." "No buts! We're calling him, now!" he said with a firm tone in his voice. He sat her down, sat himself down, and punched in the number. The screen went from black to the view of an aztec decorated kitchen. A woman in her forties sat down at the counter. "Nathan? Is that you?" "Yes, Joyce, it's me." "Hey, mom!" Nat said in a scratchy voice. "Are you okay, hon?" "Yes, mom, I'm fine." "Oh, that's good!" she said smiling. "Is David around?" "Yes, he's working on his computer. Do you want to talk to him?" she said, frowning. "Both of you, actually." Natalie's mom hesitated. "Nathan, are you..." "Joyce, it's important, and David will listen to me." "Okay, I'll get him. Hold on a sec." She stood up and left the screen's view. A few minutes later, a man appeared. "Hello, David." Nathan said in a tight voice. Not even looking at him, David said, sarcastically, "Hello, Nathan. What's wrong? Getting tired of her already?" "Dad, just listen to him, okay?" "Natalie, Nathan, why is she there? I wouldn't have said, oh, never mind, she's probably brainwashed by now." Nathan rubbed his forehead and looked at Natalie. He thought about having her leave the room, but decided enough had happened to her because of misunderstandings and stubborn pride between the brothers. "David, I'd like to talk to you." "Fine, just say what you have to." "Thanks for your permission. First off, I want to get one thing straight! I know you're upset about me not being there for Mom, but, you have no reason to take it out on Nat and Joyce. If you're mad at me, you tell me, okay?" "I get it!" "I'm not done yet! You know perfectly well that I couldn't come. You knew how messed up I was after the whole ordeal with Robert. Then Carol! How could you expect me to handle it? Just forget about it, let it go? That's not the way to treat your brother. If you had a problem, you could have told me. You didn't have to hurt Nat by not letting her come visit me." He said, looking over at Nat, who had tears in her eyes. "Is that all? Did you just want to call to say that? I have better things to do than listen to your lame excuses!" "Dad!" Nat screamed, "You don't even want to listen to the important part, do you? I got shot at today. I have a terrible headache, and a very good friend of mine got hurt! Don't take it out on Uncle Nathan!" "Nat," Nathan interrupted. "No, I have to tell him." She said, looking at Nathan. She turned to the screen, "I'm not coming home until you stop fighting with Mom! I'm sick of it, I hate being put in the middle of all your fights! You need to apologize to Uncle Nathan for the way you have been treating him. He didn't do anything wrong! You have so many opinions, but don't let anyone else have a chance. Mom deserves to be treated better, and I can't watch you ruin your life like you've ruined mine!" She sat down holding her head. Nathan was shocked that she had been able to say all of that in her condition. "Natalie, I cannot allow you to talk to your father like that." Joyce shouted. David pointed at his wife and yelled, "See how your daughter treats me?" "I'm your daughter, too, Dad, or have you forgotten?" Natalie asked quietly. David stopped just as he was about to shut off the screen. Joyce wiped her eyes, and said, "Maybe you need to relax and think about what our daughter is telling us. Just admit it, David. We have been fighting for a long time. It has nothing to do with Natalie or Nathan. Your work has become your priority, and your life is out of control. Natalie is a young woman, David, and we have let her best years slip away by being selfish and thoughtless." Natalie's father looked down at his hands and gave in. "I wanted to be as successful like you, Nathan," David said. "I was the oldest and I was expected to be the smartest. I know Dad loved me, but he always had more to say to you. I wanted Mom to know I was there for her when you weren't, but all she wanted was for you to be there. I didn't want her to die, there was nothing I could do. I worked to forget, and the harder I worked, the better it was." Nathan whispered, "I couldn't do anything about Carol or Robert. It just seemed easier to stay on the island. Will you forgive me?" "Nathan, you don't deserve forgiveness, you deserve an apology. I've been a selfish jerk. Natalie, I do love you. I have seriously screwed up. If you can give me time, I'll try to make it up to you. What do you say?" Nathan looked at Natalie as she smiled in her sleep. "David, I'll send a message to Pearl Harbor to pick you and Joyce up tomorrow. Natalie is going to need some TLC," he said as he nudged Natalie to awaken her, "and we all need a vacation together!" "Well, I have a meeting at ...", David stopped and laughed to himself, "Oh, forget the meeting. They can do without me for a while. I'm sure Joyce hasn't packed in years." "Dad, I'm sorry I was rude to you, but I had to get out." Natalie said, waking up. "It's okay, I did deserve it. It made me realize I need to take a good look at my life and change some things." Her dad smiled. "You do what Nathan says until we get there, and we'll go from there." "Fine, now let me get some sleep!" Natalie yawned. Nathan grabbed her and laughed, "Oh, no, you won't! I'll talk to you two tomorrow. Right now I have my hands full!" He turned off the phone and led Natalie out the door toward Lucas' room. "Lucas, it's time for dinner with Sleepy." "Okay, Grumpy!" Nathan stopped, slowly turned and glared at Lucas. "What did you say, Dopey?" They began to laugh as Natalie said, "Sleepy's going to bed now." "OH, NO YOU DON'T!!" Nathan and Lucas shouted. THE END...for now :) ========================================================================== Let me know! jimmc@trib.com OR eem@trib.com (<----I got my own the other day!! :))