It's finally done! I think I've tied up all loose ends and dealt with everything I needed to. Thankyou to everyone who has been giving me feedback through the process. Much appreciated.

Chapter Fifteen

"Don't you think you've had enough of faking it? I mean, the pretty nurses I understand, but seriously, isn't it about time you told them the truth? There's nothing wrong with you!"

Lucas grinned across at Ben, but declined to answer immediately.

The matching grin on Ben's face only slipped slightly before he stood up. "So, have you spoken with your father yet?"

It was always a sensitive question and especially so under the current circumstances.

"Yeah. The captain finally got hold of him yesterday. Their project has been quarantined, but he said as soon as they're allowed out he's coming to see me."

Ben smiled back at him. "Good to hear. Listen, I've gotta report for my shift. I'll come back later though."

"Sure. Maybe they might have kicked me out by then."

"Good luck with Beckman today."

Lucas tried to keep a neutral face, but Ben could read the emotion behind it anyway. He reached out a hand and clamped it down on Lucas' shoulder. "You'll be fine. Nobody believes you had anything to do with it."

Logic told him Ben was right, but a murky cloud still hung over his head. "Yeah, I know."

He watched Ben's retreating back before slowly sliding back down into the bed. The truth was he was still in need of the pain meds that Kristin insisted he take. He knew he was a long way from being discharged, but being able to joke as though things were normal made him feel significantly better.

Now he just needed to face the UEO investigators. Somehow, knowing that he had to be assumed innocent until proven guilty, really didn't help very much. He barely had time to close his eyes before he heard footsteps coming his way. He wished he could just keep his eyes closed and pretend they weren't there, but he heard the captain's voice before they arrived.

Bridger walked into the medbay flanked by a youngish man and a woman whose age he couldn't hope to guess. He'd always found Asian women seemed to age really well and were often older than they looked. If he'd been pressed on it, he might have guessed she was around fifty, mainly because of her style of clothing.

As if by magic, Kristin had simultaneously appeared from her office and she swooped in ahead of them. She placed herself between Lucas and the incoming group and it was all the captain could do to smother a smile.

"Doctor, this is the UEO investigators who are assigned to get a statement from Lucas. Is he up to it today?"

Lucas wanted them to go away, but he knew it was something he needed to get over and done with. "I'm fine, Captain."

Kristin swung around to face him. "I will be the judge of that." She turned back towards the two UEO representatives and held out a hand. "Kristin Westphalen."

"This is Dennis Beckman and Jess Chua." Bridger looked over towards Lucas. "Are you sure you're up to this?"

"Yep. Best I'm gonna be."

The captain noted the tone in the flippant comment and glanced back at Kristin. She didn't let him down.

"I'm putting some rules in place here. Lucas will be allowed to stop at any point he needs to rest. I am not going anywhere until you are done. And lastly, if I say it's time to stop, then it's time to stop."

"Understood, Doctor. We are just anxious to resolve this issue for the family's sake as well as the colony as a whole. Lucas' statement is the last major part of our investigation that's still outstanding."

Bridger pulled two chairs up to the side of the bed and then stepped back out of the way. There was no way he was going anywhere either, but he'd been told in no uncertain terms that just because he was there as a legal necessity for an interview with a minor, that didn't mean he could have any input.

He moved around to stand beside Kristin. Beckman didn't waste any time getting to the point. "Lucas, can you tell me what happened the night of Samuel Aroro's death?"

"I had been invited to go and have dinner with Samuel and Micah. Apparently it was Mrs Berriman's night off so we were going out for something to eat. I was in Micah's room with him when I heard this noise. It sounded like pistol shots, but that just seemed too weird so I went out to find out what it was. Micah ran out ahead of me and he … … he …" Lucas squeezed his eyes shut as the image slammed into his mind.

"Take your time," Beckman knew what was coming, but he needed it on record.

"Micah was in the middle of the room and Samuel was slumped across the lounge."

When Lucas didn't speak further, Beckman prompted him. "What happened then?"

"I grabbed Micah and ran."

"Didn't you check to see if Samuel was still alive?"

Lucas shook his head forcefully. "He was dead! When somebody's brain tissue is lying beside them it's kinda obvious CPR isn't going to help."

Kristin looked over at the monitor and noted his vitals had all jumped. Nothing dangerous though, so she stayed put and kept a close eye on it.

"So where were you taking Micah when you left the room?"

"I wasn't really taking him anywhere. I just wanted to get him out of the room. Once we were outside I wondered if the person responsible could still be around. I figured I needed to get him someplace safe."

"So when you left the Aroro family quarters you weren't planning to remove Micah from the colony?"

"No! That happened later. When they started shooting at us!"

"Who was shooting at you?" Jess leaned forward in her chair. "And do you know why they were shooting?"

"Colony guards I guess. I didn't exactly stop and wait to find out!"

"So once you had decided to leave the colony, why did you take Micah to Node Three? Why not return to the seaQuest?"

Bridger inwardly cringed as Lucas answered that one. "Because the seaQuest was gone."

"But you could have radioed them, couldn't you?"

Lucas shook his head. "No, the Stinger has a limited range and the seaQuest was well out of range. And besides, I didn't know who was tracking me and I didn't want to let them know where I was."

Beckman continued on the line of inquiry, trying to piece all the details together. "So, I understand you have friends at the Node. Why not stay there and call the seaQuest from there?"

Lucas looked across at the captain. He knew others had been asking that same question. "You have to understand … I was being shot at … I intercepted a radio transmission saying that Micah was dead and they were going to blast me out of the water! Somebody was lying and I had no idea who I could trust. I just knew I could get Micah to a safe place and the Node was my best chance."

Chua leaned forward again. "That still doesn't explain why you didn't stay there?"

"I didn't want to take the risk of calling Nick by radio and letting any of them know where I was. I also knew that if Nick or Julianna saw me they'd try to make me stay. I had to get back to the colony."

"Why? If they were shooting at you and trying to destroy your vessel why would you want to go back?"

"I found some information." Lucas closed his eyes and sucked in a slow breath.

Kristin quickly moved over to the bed. "Are you all right? Do you need a rest?"

He looked back at her and shook his head. "No. I want to finish this."

While she didn't object, she also didn't move away.

Beckman nodded towards him. "Keep going Lucas. What information did you find?

"Odd inventory items. Files that were seemingly misfiled but actually weren't. I realised somebody was hiding something, but I didn't know who, or what. Then one day I found an internex connection. The captain told me there wasn't one on the colony but there quite clearly was. I asked Samuel about it and the next day Daniel turned up in the Control Room. He was furious and he told me to stay out of things that were none of my business."

Bridger looked across at Kristin. That was like waving a red rag at a bull!

Beckman just smiled slightly. "I'm guessing you didn't though."

Lucas looked vaguely guilty as he looked up at the captain. "Well, I knew something was wrong so I kept digging. That's when I found the information about the cinnabar. Somebody was talking to a mining company called Zalco so I asked Samuel about it. He said he would look into it."

"And did he come back to you with anything?"

"No. That night he was dead! I got him killed." The last words came out in a whisper, but they all heard it anyway.

Bridger moved across the space before Beckman could stop him. "No Lucas, you didn't do anything of the sort!"

"Captain, need I remind you that you are here as an observer only?"

Bridger glared at him, but kept his mouth shut. He sat down on the bed and half expected Beckman would tell him to move. Instead the man turned back to focus on Lucas.

"So you didn't know who was in contact with Zalco?"

"No, but I knew what they were planning. Some idiot was planning to mine cinnabar this close to a colony. I had to warn them."

"Warn who?"

"The people of Hope Colony."

"What exactly were you planning to do?"

"Planning?" Lucas laughed harshly at the idea. "I wasn't planning anything. I got shot, remember? I just knew I didn't have time to sit around and wait for the seaQuest to come back. Once they released mercury into the water it would be too late."

The two investigators looked at each other and a silent agreement passed between them. Beckman stepped forward towards the bed.

"Lucas, everything you have just told us supports the information we have already gathered. In fact, Samuel made note of this information as well and apparently he confronted his brother Daniel about his contact with Zalco Minerals."

"When?"

"The afternoon of his death."

Lucas closed his eyes and tried to squeeze out the guilt that bombarded him.

Beckman continued on. "We have more than enough evidence to charge Daniel Aroro with his brother's murder and your kidnapping, Captain. Mark Pederson will be facing charges as well; just as soon as we determine the extent of his involvement. We believe there may have been others involved and we are still digging."

"So what about the charges against Lucas?"

"They have all been proven baseless and I am recommending they be dropped."

Kristin reached out to hug him, but Lucas didn't move. "It doesn't bring him back."

Beckman nodded but declined to answer. After years in his job he had seen far too many situations like this. Victims were still victims and the best he could hope to do was make sure the guilty were held accountable.

"I'll be working through the formalities today, Lucas. I'll let you know as soon as we are done."

Lucas just nodded as the captain escorted the two investigators out of the room.

The effort of relaying the story, combined with the emotion was beginning to take its toll. Lucas felt himself sinking back against the pillow. He cringed at the pain that rolled down his side. As Kristin quickly moved in to administer a dose of painkillers Lucas grabbed at her arm.

"So that's it? It's back to business as usual from here?"

"Lucas, they've just exonerated you from a murder charge! Isn't that enough?"

He stared at her in frustration. "What happens to Micah? I mean the kid lost his mother and now he's lost his father and uncle. So no! It's not enough that I'm off the hook." He flinched as the pain intensified across his abdomen and Kristin reached out to calm him.

She sat down on the bed and took hold of his hand. "You need to settle down, Lucas. I know you are worried about Micah and God knows he's been through too much, but as I understand it, Liza Berriman has asked if he can go to live with her and her husband. She has been onboard with Micah and they have been making arrangements for him already."

"Has he started talking yet?"

"Not yet. He was in shock when I first examined him. Totally understandable given what had happened to him. But with care and support he will be all right. From what I understand, she has been caring for him since his mother died. She loves him like a son."

While she was talking she could feel Lucas gripping her hand against the pain. As he started to relax she could feel the intensity of his grip loosening slightly. She was waiting for the pain meds to start to take effect and finally she could see it in his eyes.

She reached out to touch his cheek and his eyelids began to droop. "You need to sleep."

"Mmm, guess so," he nodded slowly.

She stayed seated well past when he had obviously drifted off. She shuddered to think where Micah would be if Lucas had not been there. Would he have been another casualty in the whole awful mess?

Nick dropped his bag on the floor by the door and wandered into the Medbay. He could see that Julianna had already beaten him there. He hesitated about interrupting the conversation going on across the room, but he was too slow making a decision. Before he could make a quiet exit he was spotted.

"Wolfman!"

For a while there he had wondered if he would ever hear Lucas call him that again. "Franky, when are they gonna let you out of prison?" He grinned at his friend as he walked across the room, but underneath the joke was serious concern.

"Well the warder says another few days at least. But I might get time off for good behaviour."

"You've better not let Kristin hear you say that or you'll never get out of here!" Doctor Levin smiled at his patient as moved back around the bed. He knew when it was time to get out of the way and he happily walked off to allow the trio of teenagers to say goodbye in private.

Nick chose not to comment on the fact that Julianna was sitting on the bed and holding tight to Lucas' hand. For his part Lucas still looked tired and it seemed to be an effort to stay sitting upright. "Our ride is about set to leave."

She just nodded at him, but made no effort to move.

Nick reached out a hand towards Lucas and the two of them locked hands in a handshake known only to them. "Next time you wanna come visit, can you make it a little less dramatic?"

Lucas smiled at his friend. "I'll try." The smile quickly faded as his thoughts turned serious. "Thanks for taking care of Micah."

"No problem. Take it easy." Nick turned back to Julianna and nudged her arm. "We have to go."

"Yep."

Nick waited for her to move, but she just looked at him.

"Oh, um … yeah. I'll wait for you outside." He turned and headed for the door, but he could hear Julianna trying not to laugh.

She turned back to see Lucas watching her closely. He sagged back against the pillows and tried to keep the pain from showing on his face. She tried to smile, but the intensity of the last few days was still taking its toll. She twined her fingers around his and felt the warmth of his hand in hers.

"I have to go," she whispered.

Lucas chewed his lip as he watched her face. "I'm sorry … for scaring you."

There didn't seem to be an appropriate answer to that. Instead she leaned in towards him. She could feel his breath on her face and she hesitated. The last time she had kissed him was at the Sanger Institute and that hadn't gone as planned. Now he was attached to medical monitoring equipment and she was acutely aware he was still in pain.

Lucas squeezed her hand and lifted his head towards her. He closed his eyes as his lips brushed against hers.

From the far side of the room Levin looked up as he heard the monitor beep faster. He vaguely remembered the intensity of a teenage romance and he couldn't help but smile.

"Are you ready?"

Bridger looked across the room as Lucas tried to pull on a shoe without twisting his body too much. He pulled a face as the movement made him tense up.

"Almost."

"Do you want a hand with that?"

Lucas looked at his shoe and sighed. "It's a long time since I needed someone to tie my laces."

Bridger leaned down in front of the teenager and picked up the other shoe. "Lucas, you may have been discharged, but it's going to take time for you to be back up to speed. Now, give me your foot."

Lucas reluctantly stuck out his foot while the captain slid his shoe on. Quickly tying both laces he couldn't help but empathise with Lucas' frustration. He stood up and just managed to stop himself from holding out a hand. There was no point adding insult to injury. Instead he watched as Lucas tentatively stood up. He knew Kristin was still medicating him and it was going to be quite some time before she stopped.

"OK, the shuttle is waiting for us."

The short hop across to the colony was something Ben could have done with his eyes closed, but this time he was especially conscious of the currents. He tried to dock as smoothly as possible and he watched closely as Lucas stood up to leave the shuttle. He hated watching the normally larger-than-life teenager still having trouble with even the simplest things. He briefly wondered how they had managed to get Westphalen to sign off on this.

As Lucas walked out through the docking hatch he felt a momentary fear that he didn't want to be returning there after all. He tried to block out the anxiety that was rising in his mind, but he couldn't keep out the images that came unbidden. He felt the captain's steadying hand on his elbow and slowly began to move forward again.

With the seaQuest having finished up their duties at the colony it was time for them to leave. Despite serious misgivings about returning to the place of his nightmares, Lucas knew he needed to see for himself. As he moved out into the colony's launch bay he glanced around the room. The last time he was there he had rigged a false alarm and barely escaped in one piece.

He didn't notice Liza Berriman had entered the room behind him until he felt a hand tugging at his. He looked down to see Micah staring up at him. Lucas slowly dropped down to his knees in front of the child. Micah only hesitated for a moment before flinging his arms around the teenager's neck. In spite of the pain, Lucas wrapped his arms around him. Micah whispered something in his ear and Lucas broke out in a grin.

"Well let's go and get some then." He awkwardly stood up and grabbed hold of Micah's hand. "Show me the way!"

The captain looked at him and smiled. "Where are we going?"

"Apparently Mrs Berriman made us cake."

Bridger turned to look at the woman standing beside him. "He's talking?"

"A little." She gestured towards the door. "I think we'd better go, Captain. You can't keep a starving child waiting."

A/N After all that's happened I really didn't know where to wrap this up, but this seemed as good a place as any. I hope you've enjoyed coming along for the ride. See you next time on the adventures of seaQuest!