Picture This

Warnings and disclaimers: See chapter 1
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Lucas didn’t receive a bed on the cardiac unit until late in the afternoon. One extra bed was put in the room and Karen agreed that the two of them should take turns sleeping. Brooke, Peyton and even Tim had shown up along with other members of the team and what Nathan referred to as Lucas’s posse which consisted of Mouth, Junk and Skilz. Whitey of course was there. For Lucas and Nathan, he was sort of a father figure and something about him being around was reassuring. Dan had peeked his head in but didn’t stay. Nathan was sort of amused at how uncomfortable his dad was in situations like these. He saw a lot of his father in himself. He reflected on how he’d avoided his feelings for Lucas, masking them in anger. He promised himself no matter what, he’d be truthful with Lucas and face whatever future they had together. This latest incident only steeled his determination to do just that.

By evening, they’d both succumbed to hunger and Nathan left to gather food from the cafeteria for both of them. Karen had said it made no sense for both of them to sit up and insisted Nathan get some sleep. He knew she wasn’t taking no for an answer so he moved to the adjacent bed, removing only his shoes and jacket and lay down thinking there was no way he could sleep. When he opened his eyes it was to a flurry of activity. Det. Wilcox was there along with two uniformed officers. Nathan was still groggy but terror gripped his mind when he focused in and realized what was being said.

“He’s escaped,” was what he heard.

Nathan was up in seconds demanding to know how that could happen.

“His injuries weren’t extensive,” the detective said, trying to calm Nathan down. “During a change of shift, he managed to slip out unnoticed.”

“How could your men be so incompetent? He’s a murderer for godsake,” Karen nearly screamed.

“I know Mrs...I mean Miss Roe, and those responsible will be dealt with but right now we are stationing a man outside your son’s room and a search is being made of the building and the grounds. He couldn’t have gotten very far.”

Unfortunately Lucas’s first lucid moments since his abduction was to the news that his abductor had escaped.

“Mom, what’s going on,” his voice called from the far side of the room.

Det. Wilcox followed Karen and Nathan all the way inside while an officer stood guard at the door.

“Is it true?” Lucas asked groggily. “Is he still out there?”

Nathan sat by his side and took his hand. At that moment he wanted to pull his older brother into his arms and reassure him that all would be well. He settled for squeezing his hand and comforting Lucas with words of encouragement.

“He was injured. He won’t get far.”

Detective Wilcox asked Lucas if he was up to answering some question. He agreed.

“Son, tell me everything that you remember.”

Some of it was still sketchy in Lucas’s mind. At one point he asked tearfully, “Was I...did he rape me?”

Nathan held on and put his fears to rest immediately. “No, he didn’t. They checked.”

“He was touching me and telling me we were going to be together forever. I think he killed that kid.”

Lucas recounted the ride, the spiked coffee and Derek’s attempt to flag down a different car after hearing information about his car on the police scanner he had. He recalled the long walk through the woods and Derek having a black bag with tape and robe. It was the sound of the approaching motorcycle from a far off that caused him to abandon Lucas. Nathan instantly felt glad he had purchased the stupid thing.

Lucas paused from time to time struggling to put the pieces of what happened together. He remembered being groped and kissed. He asked a several more times if they were sure he wasn’t raped. “Nathan, mom, you’d tell me if I was?”

Karen’s eyes filled with tears as she tried to reassure her son that he hadn’t been violated in that way. It broke her heart to hear him tell of the terror he endured at Derek’s hands. She silently blamed herself for not trying to find out more about him before letting her son befriend the older man. She was usually so cautious when it came to Lucas. It was another hours of so before the detective left. He’d ordered a man outside Peyton and Jake’s house as well.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” the weary detective promised once again before leaving and shutting the door behind him.

“Get some rest,” Nathan said to Karen. “I’ll sit up with him.”

As much as she wanted to stay up, she felt her whole body giving in to exhaustion. She changed places with Nathan, kicking off her shoes and climbing into the warm bed. Nathan pulled the curtain and pulled his chair close to Lucas’s bedside. Karen listened as Nathan spoke soothing words to his brother. There was more to their relationship than met the eye. She was certain of it. Nathan’s own actions today more than proved it but there were other telltale signs as well. Karen pondered them as she fell asleep. She’d deal with Nathan and Lucas at a later date. Right now she found comfort in knowing one other person cared for her son as much as she did; maybe even more.