Welcome Home
Non-Canon Ages – Scott -20, John -19, Virgil - 16, Gordon - 13, Alan – 8 ½ - 9
Scott sat on a plane, tapping his finger anxiously as he stared out the window, the patchwork quilt of land below earmarking the many places where houses had acre upon acre of farm land. Checking his watch, Scott exhaled sharply. Couldn't it be time for his layover flight yet? Seriously? He was waiting to meet up with one of his younger brothers and he couldn't wait to see him. It'd been almost a year since he'd seen any of his family. But like him, one of his little brothers was away also and was returning to Kansas also mainly for a special birthday surprise.
"Excuse me? Mr. Soldier?" Scott found himself drawn out of his thoughts by a tugging on his olive drab uniform. Looking over, Scott was met with a little girl with golden blond hair that so closely resembled his baby brother's hair. She had them done up in identical pigtails, the ringlets trailing over her shoulders slightly. When she smiled at him, she was missing her two front teeth.
"Hmm?" Scott hummed in response with a small bemused smile on his face.
"Are you going home?" The little girl had a smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and peppering her cheeks like Pippi Longstocking and she smiled at Scott.
"Kind of. Where are you going little missy?" Scott asked as he leaned to whisper so he wouldn't disturb the woman nursing her infant in the seat next to the little girl. He assumed she was the girl's mom and perhaps the baby was her little brother or sister. The woman had asked Scott earlier if he minded her nursing her baby and Scott had said no, purposefully gazing out the window so the woman would know he wasn't trying to sneak a peek.
"We're going to see my daddy! He's in Ha-Ha…um…Mom? Where we goin' again?" The little girl turned to the woman, confirming for Scott that she was the woman's daughter and the baby was her little brother or sister.
"Hawaii darling. Your daddy is stationed in Oahu." The woman looked up from where she was gazing at the little person hidden beneath the blanket. She smiled at Scott, confirming for Scott that she was most definitely the girl's mother. They shared near identical blonde hair and gosh what blue eyes they had. Both mother and daughter had blue eyes as deep blue as the ocean and they reminded Scott of his baby brother again. His immediate younger brother was also a blonde with blue eyes, but his blonde hair was almost platinum and his eyes were more ice blue than oceanic blue. "Hi, I'm Whitney. It's a pleasure to meet you…"
"Scott." Scott introduced himself. He failed to shake Whitney's hands because for one she had her hands full and two…he had just gotten over a cold and hadn't felt like making human contact in case of being re-infected again.
"Scott. So, what's your status? Home for good or are you back for some shore leave?" Whitney asked as she patted the baby's back.
"Oh, some shore leave. I was given permission by my Commander to take some leave and return to the states." Scott replied, a small smile on his face as he thought of the surprise he and his younger brother had in mind. They'd already talked to the powers that be and got the permission they needed to execute their surprise.
"How long if you don't mind my asking?" Whitney shifted away, most likely to pull her shirt back up and burp the now squirming infant in her arms.
"I'm back for two weeks. Then I have to go back to my post. Good ol' Bahrain." Scott said with a wink. "Of course my father doesn't know I'm back yet and I don't intend on him finding out for a while. I'll be staying with my grandma for a few days until my father comes to visit.
"Oh?" Whitney asked as she burped the infant on her shoulder.
"Yeah, he thinks I'm coming home next month…but I would have missed a special someone's birthday and that just about broke his heart. Poor guy was pretty upset at the thought of not seeing me again for another month." Scott replied quietly.
"You dad is probably a wonderful man." Whitney said with a warm smile. "Tell him I said I hope he has a happy birthday."
"Oh, his birthday won't be for a few more months. I was talking about one of my younger brothers." Scott said with a blush, realizing the way he'd said it made it sound like his father was upset at not seeing him for his birthday. He didn't think to phrase it that it would be one of his little brothers that had actually whined until he was blue in the face at the thought of not seeing his big brother for his birthday. The kid always was sensitive and got upset easy. It broke Scott's heart when he'd been on the phone and heard said brother begin begging and whining when it'd come out that Scott couldn't return for his birthday. In fact Scott's entire platoon had heard the kid begin begging and bargaining since he had the phone set to speaker and each of them felt for Scott's little brother. Scott hadn't meant to make him feel bad, but he had to do it in case his Commander refused the paperwork for shore leave that Scott filed for this occasion.
"How many younger brothers do you have?" The little girl asked.
"I have four, but one of them is still just a little guy. He's probably about the same age if not a year older than you little missy." Scott said.
"My name is Sara." The little girl smiled at Scott.
"Sara. Well you see, I have a baby brother and he's about eight and a half years old. He's still just a little guy. I'm twelve years older than him and he and I are really incredibly close." Scott said with a warm smile as he thought of his baby brother.
Before having enlisted in the Air Force, he'd been back home working on raising his younger brothers. His dad was away most of the time for work and working on sobering up since the death of Scott and his younger brother's mother so many years earlier. It tore at Scott's heart when he'd made the decision to leave his baby brother with his grandmother, Jeff having so many work commitments that it'd likely get CPS called on him for leaving Alan alone all the time…it was either leave Alan with their grandmother in Kansas or hire a nanny – one that would live with Jeff and Alan full time and care for Alan 24/7. Scott couldn't hire some unknown to care and watch out for his baby brother, but he'd decided to attempt to make a name for himself in the Air Force. John couldn't watch Alan. He was away with NASA for a special college program , Virgil was doing an elite jump start program through a boarding school in Massachusetts while Gordon had chosen a boarding school in California for its swimming program. That left little Alan alone with a nanny or by himself and that just didn't sit right with Scott.
"How close are you and your brother Mr. Soldier?" Sara asked with fascination.
"Well, we're pretty close. I practically raised him. I was there when he was born, I got to help my parents out with helping him learn to walk, talk, teethe, potty training, riding a bike. "Scott replied warmly, happy to be thinking of the easier life than before when his mother died. Life had been so much simpler then. Happier. His brothers didn't cry so much when mom was mentioned, their dad didn't drink so much or storm out of the house when mom was mentioned. Life was just…simpler.
"What's your brother's name?" Sara asked. "The little one you keep talking about?"
"His name is Alan. I call him Allie, or Allie-bear. He's a cute little munchkin." Scott said before he fished his wallet from his pocket and pulled out a picture of him and Alan at his celebration for the completion of boot camp back when he was eighteen. He was holding Alan on his back in a piggy back carry like a proud older brother and both Alan and Scott were beaming at the camera, picture taken most likely by either grandma or John since his dad had been in Southeast Asia on business at the time of his graduation. "Want to know a secret?"
"What?"
"I'm his birthday present this year. I got some shore leave and I'm going to surprise him at school. His teacher and principal know I'm coming to visit, so does my grandma…but my baby brother has no idea that I'll be showing up at his school on his birthday." Scott said with a whisper, acting like anyone else besides Whitney and Sara would get the news to Alan and ruin the surprise.
"That's so nice of you to do that for your brother." Whitney said with a huge grin. "I'm sure he'll be very pleased to see you again."
"I sure hope so, I haven't seen him for a year and a half and before I went into the air force he and I were like this." Scott held up his index and middle finger and twisted them together to show that he and Alan were practically joined at the hip before his departure into the air force. The last time Scott really saw and spent time with Alan was the day he'd dropped Alan off with their grandmother. Their dad was away in New York and when Scott asked if he could keep an eye on Alan, their dad had answered in a distracted voice that he would and Scott tested whether or not their dad would watch Alan. He'd gone to his friend's apartment across the street from where they had been temporarily living and watched from his friend's bedroom window that their dad had left before Alan woke up and when Alan called him at breakfast time, Scott purposely ignored the call.
Scott had been mad that their dad hadn't left Alan's bowl of cereal or his fruit loops in an easy to access spot. Alan had called again at lunch, leaving a message that he was hungry and bored. When Scott called him back, Alan mentioned he never ate breakfast or lunch because nobody was there to fix it for him and he couldn't reach the cereal on the top of the refrigerator. Scott just about blew a gasket when Alan mentioned standing on a chair to try to get his cereal. He hurried right over and found Alan standing on the edge of the counter having scrabbled up to a higher surface in order to reach his cereal that was pushed back on the top of the refrigerator, on his tippy toes, arm outstretched and balancing precariously over the edge. One little slip and Alan would likely fall and break his arm or his leg…or worse, his neck. Scott swooped in and caught Alan just as he started to slip and he'd set him on the floor where he'd be safe.
He'd promptly fixed Alan some food and watched as his then six year old kid brother inhaled it like he hadn't been fed in days. He wondered if during the time he would be in the air force basic training if Alan would be left to starve by their dad or if he'd be treated like he was a kid of Jefferson Tracy, he grimaced at the thought that Alan could potentially be taken away from them if he wasn't treated properly and Scott was not willing to risk Alan being taken away. Thinking back on it now, Scott didn't think he could ever forget the near argument between him and his father over Alan's care.
'Jeff came in the front door, breathing in deeply as he put his briefcase on the floor by the coat rack. He'd had a long day at the office and he unfortunately didn't foresee it getting any easier, not with the merging his company was going through at present. It took him by surprise when he'd entered the lounge in search of his whiskey to find Scott sitting in his chair, arms folded with a stern medusa like glare aimed in his direction.
"Good evening Scott." Jeff said as he bypassed Scott, intention to reach his liquor cabinet so he could begin to unwind.
"It would be good for you father." Scott spat as he refused to meet his father's gaze.
Jeff paused as Scott's tone took him by surprise. Looking back at his son he tilted his head in question, which only served to make Scott angrier.
"Did you forget something today? Or better yet, should I ask…someone?" Scott asked tightly as he finally met his father's gaze, his own cobalt blue eyes shining dangerously.
Jeff paused as he tried to remember who Scott was referring to. Gordon didn't have any swim meets, nor did Virgil have any recitals and John all he had were his SATs to study for same as Scott…who was he forgetting? Did one of his sons have something important that had slipped Jeff's mind?
"Alan, father. Did you forget that I had plans to meet with a friend today to study for the SATs and couldn't fix Alan his breakfast neither could the other guys?" Scott revealed as he hunched his shoulders in question. "Where were you? I came home a little after noon to find Alan all alone. Poor boy's stomach thought his throat had been cut – he hadn't been given his breakfast and nobody thought to leave it accessible for him. He's six dad, he can't be left on his own!"
Jeff leaned his head back as he pinched the bridge of his nose while releasing a long suffering sigh.
"You're right son, I'm sorry." Jeff apologized, feeling like a heel for forgetting his own son.
"It's not me you should be apologizing to…it's Alan. If it wasn't for him calling me to ask when I was coming home, Alan might very well be in the hospital right now with a broken neck. I walked in the door and only barely managed to catch him when he fell off the counter." Scott relayed this afternoon's incident. Hungry kids would do just about anything for food.
"What was he doing on the counter?" Jeff asked in horror as he looked into the kitchen from where he stood in the lounge.
"Trying to reach his cereal, which someone had pushed to the very back of the refrigerator. Even I had a hard time reaching it." Scott said as he threaded his fingers through his hair.
"Where was John again?" Jeff asked, sure that one of his sons was supposed to be home with Alan today.
"He was meeting with his study partner at the library to study for his SATs. Dad, don't tell me you actually forgot that it was your morning to get Alan up and take him with you to the office." Scott couldn't believe his dad. It was written in bold red and black ink on his desk planner to take Alan to work with him today for bring your kid to work day. "How did you not notice your employees had little sticky people clinging to them all day?"
"Because they probably dropped them off at the daycare facility downstairs." Jeff replied, realizing his mistake. "I'm sorry."
"Like I said dad…I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. It should be Alan." Scott said as he looked at his dad scrutinizing the patriarch. "How can I be sure that you're going to keep an eye on Alan when I go into the Air Force if you forget a day to take your kid to work when you designated the day?"
"I'll hire a nanny to watch Alan." Jeff said as he contemplated going to make sure his youngest was tucked in and fast asleep.
"Dad, I'd really much rather we not." Scott said as nanny horror stories flitted through his head.
"Well like you said son, I can't exactly leave him alone by himself. He's six and I'd rather he stay with us unless you have a way to keep CPS from breathing down our necks for child neglect and endangerment." Jeff said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So what do you propose?"
"Grandma…she has plenty of free time to watch Alan. He loves going to visit her and she adores Alan…it'll be perfect. And we don't have to pay grandma but the cost to defray the expenses of raising a growing child." Scott said as the idea came to mind. It didn't matter that Jeff and grandma had had an argument a couple months back over Jeff's way of raising the kids without his wife by his side. Grandma wouldn't hang up on Scott, not when it concerned one of her precious grandsons. "Let me call grandma."'
That night after reminding Alan to take his nightly bath and getting him put to bed he'd called their grandma after his and his dad's argument, begging her to take Alan in. She'd agreed and Scott prepared their bags the next day. Alan had wondered why they were going to visit grandma, but didn't argue since he hadn't seen his grandma in months. Scott hadn't cared that his dad and grandma had had words, Jeff forbidding his kids from seeing their grandma until this moment. All he cared about was Alan's wellbeing and if keeping Alan with their grandma instead of their father's care was it then so be it.
The last time he'd seen Alan for more than a few hours was the day he'd dropped Aan off with their grandma. He'd gone in to help unpack Alan's backpack and the few boxes he'd packed of Alan's toys before going to lunch with Alan and their grandma. Just before dinner was when Scott told Alan that he would be living with their grandma permanently. He'd told Alan he was going away to join the air force and Alan cried at the thought of no longer living with his brother. Thinking back on it now, it brought a tear to Scott's eyes at that painful goodbye. For a few weeks after leaving Alan with their grandma, Scott called every day but Alan refused to talk to him. Their grandma fielded the calls, telling Scott how Alan had cried for a week straight after Scott left and that almost had Scott saying to hell with the air force and snatching up his baby brother before returning to New York…almost. However he knew the separation would be good for them, considering their dad's plan had been for Alan to go to a boarding school when he turned thirteen.
"When is your brother's birthday?" Whitney asked with a soft smile as she continued to look at the picture of Scott and Alan.
"In two days. The plan is for me to land in Texas where one of my other younger brothers will be landing after a flight in from Florida. He is doing a college internship at the Kennedy Space Station. We'll meet up and grab the rental car that our grandma rented for us and we'll drive from Texas over to Kansas and probably get there the day before. But then my brother and I will stay in a hotel room we've rented and then go to our baby brother's elementary school the following day and surprise him." Scott felt the excitement bubbling up in him and he couldn't wait to see John nor Alan. He hadn't seen either of his brothers but briefly after he'd finished basic training. And that was just a quick hello/goodbye as Scott received orders and had to go immediately.
Alan wasn't happy about it and neither was Scott but he just couldn't disobey orders. He'd only signed on for a few years, he'd be out of the service entirely by the time he was twenty-one. He'd have enough money saved up to maybe buy a house and then he'd get Alan from their grandma and Alan could live with him when he wasn't away at school. Both he and Alan had always dreamed of living somewhere full of trees and rolling hills and majestic mountains for miles. Personally, Scott wanted to buy a house somewhere in Montana preferably since both he and Alan enjoyed playing in the snow and Montana didn't get so much snow that it'd be insane. Maybe Idaho close to a ski resort. Despite their mother having died in an avalanche, neither Scott nor Alan could find it in themselves to dislike the snow. And Scott knew if he talked to his dad, the older man would allow it especially if Scott got a decent job to support himself and Alan, hopefully close to a private school where Alan could be a day student when he became of age to attend a boarding school.
"Well I hope you have fun." Whitney said as she rocked her baby lightly in her arms. Scott lost himself to his thoughts and what he had planned for his and his two brothers to do when they were reunited.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
When the flight landed, Scott was antsy as he waited to be let off the flight. As soon as he was given the go ahead, he'd bade farewell and safe travels to Whitney, Sara and the baby Jonas. As he exited the terminal he was surprised to see a familiar face. John stood holding a sign with Scott's name written in bold black ink and Scott strode forward before hugging his younger brother tightly.
"John! I can't believe it! What're you doing here?" Scott said as he hugged his brother firmly, glad to finally see his brother in person rather than through a web link.
"I gave my ticket away to someone in need of a flight and the airport moved me up so I could still arrive. They thanked me for what I did and moved me from second class to 1st." John said as he returned the hug to his older brother.
"Why'd you give your ticket away, weren't there any others available?" Scott asked, glad his brother was given a stand-by flight earlier than planned.
"It was a grandmother to be that got the call that her daughter was in labor early. She was frantic and was still on the phone with her daughter. When I heard them say they had no other tickets for the flight going that direction, which happened to be my layover flight before landing here, so I gave up my ticket so she could be there for her daughter." John replied. John and Scott understood the urgency for an early delivery of a baby considering the fact that their own baby brother Alan had been born five weeks premature. They all believed that was why he was still so small even for eight soon to be nine. "The grandmother to be started crying when she hugged me, thanking me for my sacrifice. I had grabbed my bag and prepared to leave and one of the managers stopped me and told me that they'd reviewed the next flight out and had given it to me a day early because there was no connecting flight. I was checking into the flight and boarding that plane within five minutes. So here I am."
"Oh John, it's so good to see you again." Scott said as he hugged his younger brother tightly.
"So what say we go and grab your bag and see about grabbing that rental and get on out of here?" John said as he motioned to his own luggage. "Personally I am starving, so if we can get some food before we go that'd be amazing."
Scott smiled at his younger brother but nodded before he grabbed his own luggage from the baggage claim. When they'd rented the car, they quickly stopped by a Wendy's and ordered a couple burgers and milkshakes; stuff their grandmother shuddered at because of it not being home cooked and ate their food on the drive out of Texas.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Scott shifted in his seat as he looked at the freeway signs that glowed with the street lamps. John was asleep in the passenger seat, had been asleep for a few hours now. Scott checked the GPS and nodded to himself as he saw the approaching exit. He'd been driving for about five hours now, and he was getting tired. Checking the GPS, Scott shook his head as he turned on his blinker. He had to stop for the night, he hadn't slept good on the flight over from Bahrain and was suffering from jet lag. He didn't want to wake John to drive, the kid had to be just as tired as Scott was. So Scott made the decision to pull in and stop for a few hours in a motel…something decent just for a few hours of shuteye.
When he pulled off the exit, Scott found a La Quinta and he'd pulled in to go see if they had any rooms available at short notice. Going in, Scott was thrilled to find that they had a few rooms available and he'd gone out to get John so they could go get some sleep in a bed before setting off after breakfast. They were making good time and only had about three more hours before they reached their grandmother's home which also happened to be their home. They'd lived with their grandmother not long after their mother died and their own family home had been sold to pay for the mortgage that had gone belly up.
Scott rousted John from his comfortable though awkward looking sleep and grabbed their bags from the trunk after parking. John followed slowly, while rubbing at his gritty sleep deprived eyes. It was only too soon when they made it up to their room and John barely made it into his pajamas before burrowing into his bed. Scott actually made the attempt to brush his teeth before crawling into his own pajamas and sitting on the edge of his bed. He called his grandmother's voicemail directly, determined not to let Alan know of his and John's impending arrival.
"Hey nana. It's just me calling, hope you remember your eldest grandson considering how long I've been away. Just wanted to let you know that we stopped for the night, I didn't want to fall asleep driving. We'll be on our way tomorrow morning after breakfast, we're about three hours out. I'll call tomorrow for a room at the local hotel for a night then we can execute operation surprise. Can't wait to see you and Alan, love you both and John sends his love but he's kind of asleep right now. Good night Nana."
Hanging up the phone, Scott sighed before he set the alarm to wake him up at 0800. Despite his need to stay on schedule, he couldn't see waking John at 0400 hours. Thus Scott's determination to sleep in a little. They both deserved it and Scott felt he was entitled to it, since joining the air force he had sacrificed his blessed sleeping in hours and the only time he was ever granted a lie in was god forbid when he was sick or injured.
Setting his cell phone on his bedside table, Scott crawled quite literally beneath his blankets before lying down. He fluffed his pillows some before he was comfortable enough to settle and before long Scott had turned out the soft light illuminating the room. He was soon closing his eyes to the sweet call of sleep.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
The following morning, Scott received the heart stopping call of a lifetime and he was tempted to forget all plans and go directly to the hospital. Alan had been on the bus when someone failed to stop for the stop sign and the bus was hit. Several of the children had been taken to the hospital after being knocked around a little. Alan had fallen down the stairs since he'd been the one getting on the bus and had broken his arm. Their grandmother had assured Scott and John that Alan was okay, but he'd be a little sore for a few days and his arm would be in a cast for at the very least six weeks. But other than that Alan wanted to go to school so the other kids could sign his cast.
Scott sighed as he hung up and directed a look at John. His younger brother looked mad that someone had been so careless to fail to stop for a school bus. But soon both brothers were up, dressed and were eating their breakfast obtained from continental breakfast. They talked between the two of them and decided to get Alan a get well gift. On their drive, they managed to locate a Toys R US. They went in and the both of them bought Alan a toy each for their little brother. After making their purchases, they continued on for their hometown and family home.
When they'd reached their small Kansas town, they were quick to stop by their grandmother's best friend who was like an aunt to them. Rhonda had orchestrated the entire surprise and Scott couldn't have been more thankful for the woman to offer up a warm bed and meal to he and John for the night. They owed her big time.
"Now you boys get on in here. Scott, you've got your dress uniform?" Rhonda asked as she took John's luggage from his hands.
"Yes ma'am. It's all cleaned and my shoes have been polished to shine." Scott replied as he closed the front door to Aunt Rhonda's house. "Have you heard any word on how Alan's doing?"
"He's been better, but the munchkin isn't one to let people keep him down. His arm may be broken but he takes a licking and keeps on ticking. That boy is Tracy to the fullest." Aunt Rhonda said as she kissed Scott's cheek before turning her affection on John. "Now you boys must be exhausted, please make yourselves at home."
Scott gladly took off his shoes and dropped thankfully on Aunt Rhonda's couch. He was tired, but he blamed that on the jet lag. He'd been flying for almost a day and a half to two days. Sinking into the couch, Scott swore he wouldn't get up from his nest until he'd gotten enough rest. It wasn't until Aunt Rhonda shook him lightly that he realized that he'd fallen asleep.
"Oh, 'm sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep." Scott said as he stretched with a satisfying pop in his neck.
"Don't be sorry son. You obviously needed the sleep." Rhonda replied as she sat on her coffee table. "I was just waking you up so you could get a bite of dinner before going to bed."
"Oh, okay. What's for dinner?" Scott asked as he stood up and stretched once more, hearing more of his bones pop and crack as he flexed some life back into them.
"Some of my crispy fried chicken, potato salad, corn on the cob and some apple cobbler for dessert." Rhonda said as she walked to the kitchen dwarfed by Scott's height. She'd never been as tall as the Tracy men, she stood about mid chest to most of the boys, except little Alan who was still quite small for his age.
"Ooh, I've missed your crispy fried chicken Aunt Rhonda." Scott said as he grabbed a plate and piled the food on. John was already sat at the table with a normal serving of food, while Scott had what appeared to be three helpings of dinner piled high on his plate.
"Well I'll say." John stated as he looked at the food his brother had piled on his plate. "You know I can't wait to see Allie's face tomorrow."
"Speaking of Allie, Aunt Rhonda…what caused the accident this morning?" Scott asked as he shoveled potato salad into his mouth about as fast as he could like it'd be taken from him if he didn't dig right in right away. "Was the person just not paying attention or what?"
"From what police are saying, it was a guy who was more focused on the radio stations than the road. He was going almost 45 miles per hour in a 30 mile per hour zone and it'd been a school bus pick up area. He wasn't hurt surprisingly, but a few of the kids were all shook up by the accident." Rhonda said as she looked outside her kitchen window…at the location where the accident occurred. She'd actually been the person who'd called police when she'd heard squealing tires and a loud boom when she was having her morning coffee that day. She'd gone outside to see what'd happened and saw the accident first hand.
"Where was Alan after the accident occurred?" John asked as he bit into a chicken drumstick.
"He'd fallen out of the buses' stairwell and was lying on the ground. He'd landed funny and broke his arm with the way he'd landed. I tried to keep him calm until paramedics arrived. Your grandmother had come right over when the sirens began hollering. The both of us went with Alan to the hospital, primarily because he wouldn't let either of us leave." Rhonda said as she took a sip of her water. "Poor boy was terrified and in a heck of a lot of pain."
"What is gonna happen to the driver that caused the accident?" Scott asked, angry that his baby brother was hurt because of a careless driver.
"His parents have pretty good insurance and he was a kid about Virgil's age, so he'll be fined and I have no doubt that his license will be revoked until he's either eighteen or twenty-one." Rhonda said before she picked up her empty plate to go get dessert and pass it around. "Scott, save some room for dessert!"
Scott looked down at the sixth chicken leg he'd grabbed and devoured instantly. He was still hungry, but Aunt Rhonda was right…he wanted to have some apple cobbler. "Alright Aunt Rhonda."
Rhonda walked into the dining room, placing a plate of apple cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream in front of the boys. "Dig in. There's more where that came from."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
The following morning found Scott standing in Aunt Rhonda's guest bathroom. He was buttoning the cufflinks on his dress uniform. He looked in the mirror and took a shaky breath. He wasn't nervous per se, but he was excited to see Alan. He hadn't seen his baby brother in a little over a year and to top it off it was Alan's ninth birthday. How could he not be excited and nervous?
"Scott! Are you almost ready to go? I want to take a shower before we go." John asked as he knocked on the bathroom door. When Scott opened the bathroom door, John let out a low whistle at the sight of his brother. "Wow, snappy outfit."
"Thanks…hurry up and take your shower. I don't want to be late for the assembly." Scott said as he exited the bathroom to let John enter.
"'Kay, I'll be quick. Ten minutes and we can go." John said before he shut the bathroom door.
Taking another quick breath, Scott headed downstairs to the kitchen where Aunt Rhonda was pouring three mugs of coffee. When Aunt Rhonda turned around, she smiled as her breath caught in her chest.
"Come here honey." Aunt Rhonda said as she held her arms out for a hug from Scott. The young air force soldier hugged the woman tenderly, exhaling a shaky breath as he let the nerves go. "It's okay to be nervous."
"I hope he's surprised." Scott said as he tried to shake off the nerves.
"You know he will be dear. He's missed you so much." Aunt Rhonda said as she straightened Scott's tie before handing him his cup of coffee. "I've already called the school and the principal knows you are in town and ready for the assembly."
"No pressure." Scott said as he shook to try and rid himself of the nerves. Blowing out a nervous breath, Scott glanced over his shoulder before checking his watch. "John's in the shower right now."
"You're okay. You've still got an hour before the assembly even begins." Aunt Rhonda said as she sat at the table, patting the seat beside her.
When John finally emerged from the shower, Scott had already downed four cups of coffee and was still a bundle of nerves. By the time John and Scott climbed in the car, Scott was shaking with nervous energy. He desperately wanted to see his baby brother.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Pulling in to the school parking lot, Scott could barely contain himself and he was more than fidgety.
"Would you calm down Scott? At the rate you're going you're going to have a stroke." John said as he climbed from the car, opening the back car door to grab the birthday balloons from Scott to Alan that Scott was going to give Alan in front of the school.
"I can't help it." Scott said as he took the balloons from John before tugging at his tie nervously. "How do I look?"
"Like an air force soldier. Scott, it's okay…calm down. Alan will be happier than all get out when he sees you." John said as he smiled at his big brother.
"He'll be happier than all get out when he sees us." Scott said as he tried to calm down. Exhaling deeply, Scott stood up straight before he gestured at John to follow him in the front entrance of the elementary school. Upon entering, Scott pressed himself against the wall when the halls were filled with the many children heading to the 'spelling bee' assembly. Once Scott and John got a chance they entered the office to get out of the fray of children flooding towards the gymnasium.
"Good morning, can I help you gentlemen?"
Scott and John both turned when they heard a matronly voice. Smiling at the woman, Scott offered his hand.
"Good morning ma'am, I'm Scott Tracy and this is my brother John. We're here for the assembly."
The woman shook Scott's then John's hands before she smiled at them both. "So you two must be the young men the principal said would be here to surprise a student?"
Scott looked shocked that someone knew the plan other than the principal and apparently the look on his face apparently told the secretary that he feared his plan was blown out of the water, but the secretary was quick to reassure.
"Don't worry, the principal and I are the only two who know what's going on." The secretary said before she stood to lead Scott and John through the hall and to the teacher's hall that would hide John and Scott while they initiated their plan to surprise Alan. "Everybody thinks there is a spelling bee today, we made sure to keep up the ruse."
Sighing more to himself, Scott straightened up again. He could still feel the nerves niggling in the back of his mind and he rolled his shoulders in hopes that it'd roll some of the stress off him. John, ever the pillar of Scott's support draped an arm over Scott's shoulder and smiled at the older brother. "Calm down."
Scott nodded at John's whisper and he smiled at the secretary when she gestured to one of the comfy couches. Going over, Scott sat down and stretched out his long legs. John joined him on the couch and they both relaxed.
"Can I get you boys anything while we wait for the spelling bee to begin?" The secretary asked as she fluttered around the room, tidying up this or that and restacking magazine in order by publishing date. John shook his head with a simple grin but Scott accepted a coffee. "Okay, I have to go make the announcement for the 4-6 grade to begin going to the gymnasium for the spelling bee…I'll be back in about 15 minutes then we can get you boys situated to watch the spelling bee.
"Ok ma'am." John and Scott replied before they settled down in their seats. Scott took a healthy sip from his Styrofoam cup before he looked at John.
"So John, how are we gonna do this?" Scott asked whilst settling his gaze on his brother.
"What do you mean?" John asked as he returned Scott's gaze.
"How do we surprise Alan? Are you gonna stand in the back of the gym and film him like you wanted to or are you gonna film from behind the curtain where we'll be hiding?" Scott asked as he tried to envision the gym at the school that he and each of his brothers attended in their youth.
"I don't know. I was thinking that I'd hide behind the curtain and film yours and Alan's reunion before I showed my ugly mug out there." John replied with a grin. "I mean it is you who Alan's been wanting to see more. You are his favorite brother after all."
"What gave you that idea?" Scott asked, hurt that John believed Alan liked him best over their other brothers.
"The kid was heartbroken at the thought of you missing his birthday…hello? He misses you and trust me, he watches the news in the morning with grandma so he knows about the soldiers that die out there every day and he knows about the terrorism. He's a smart kid, he worries for your safety. He's not as heartsick at me, Virgil or Gords missing his birthday because he knows we are safe at school or for me at the NASA center…but you he has no way of knowing if you'll be coming home. Every phone call for him is nerve wracking because he hopes it's you but fears it's your CO calling to say you were hurt or killed in action." John said as he looked away from Scott to look elsewhere.
"I…I didn't know." Scott murmured softly.
"Well now you do." John replied back before going silent when the PA system let out a chime sound indicating an incoming announcement.
"Attention students, would the fourth through sixth grade students please report to the gymnasium for this season's spelling bee?"
Scott and John looked at each other nervously. It was almost time.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Alan sat in the bleachers, head resting in his upturned palm while the rest of him just slouched miserably. He was sad. Today was his birthday and he hadn't gotten his morning phone call from his dad like he hoped he would and to top it off he missed his brothers. His grandma tried to make it better for him, she'd made him his chocolate smiley pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast…but it didn't make the ache or longing in his heart for his family lessen any.
"Welcome students to our districts 25th annual spelling bee. Please join me in welcoming our contestants to the stage." The principal said into the microphone before whipping a slip of paper from his pocket to read off the names of the contestants.
Scott and John both sat behind the curtain and watched from their vantage point as the principal called various students from the audience. They silently cheered when Alan's name was called and they both smiled sadly at the pitiful sight Alan made. His face carried bruises and his arm was wrapped in a grass green casting tape. Scott smiled proudly when Alan shook the principal's hand before claiming his seat in front of the student body.
Before long the last name was called and the spelling bee began.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
"Tristan, your word is warrior."
Scott took a deep breath. After this kid would be Scott's turn to come out. He'd have to wait until the cue though.
"Warrior, w-a-r-r-i-o-r…warrior." Tristan said before he looked to the vice president that was the judge.
"That young man is correct, you may go ahead and take your seat." The principal announced before picking up the paper that had the next word on it. "Alan, your word is…soldier."
Alan stood up and walked over to the microphone before he looked at the principle nervously.
"Soldier…s-o-l-d-i-e-r…soldier." Alan replied nervously as he swallowed deeply.
The principle looked at the vice president to see if the word was spelled correctly before smiling at Alan.
"Congratulations young man…before you take your seat though…come here."
Alan looked puzzled as he looked at his classmates before walking over to the principle. Coming to a stop in front of the principle, Alan looked up at the man. "Yes sir?"
"Alan, care to tell me why you made a face when I asked you to spell soldier?" The principle asked with a fond smile.
Alan looked sad before looking at the principle with puppy eyes.
"Because my brother is a soldier and I miss him." Alan replied sadly.
"From your writing assignments you have a couple brothers, which one is a soldier?" The principle asked before shooting a glance behind the curtain to nod at Scott who was waiting for the cue word.
"Scott is the soldier…my biggest brother." Alan replied.
"And where is Scott right now? Do you know?" The principle asked as he put a hand on Alan's shoulder, turning him towards the audience.
"No…all I know is the middle east…I don't know what base he's on." Alan looked ready to cry and that was Scott's cue to show himself.
"That's because I'm not on base Alan…I'm here for you. Surprise!" Scott spoke into the microphone before he stepped out from behind the curtain. Looking at Alan's back, Scott commanded him to turn around.
Alan who'd gone ram rod straight at the sound of his brother's voice spun on his heel when he heard Scott behind him. Scott crouched down and opened his arms, beckoning Alan to come to him for a hug. Alan's hands flew to his mouth to stifle the sob that threatened to come out and he shook his head in disbelief.
"It's really me Allie-bear, come give me a hug." Scott said as he blinked repeatedly to rid his eyes of the tears that threatened to fall.
Alan looked at his principle before he turned and ran across the gym floor, leaping into Scott's arms with a sob. Scott latched onto Alan, hefting his baby brother into his arms before he stood and shifted from foot to foot – swaying with Alan in his arms. Alan wrapped his legs around Scott's back, locking his ankles together before he readjusted his arms to hug Scott tighter.
"Happy birthday little buddy." Scott whispered into Alan's ear before kissing his temple. Alan sobbed openly in Scott's shoulder, happy to finally see his brother, relieved to know he was okay and back on American soil, grateful to have his big brother in his arms and ecstatic to have him back for his birthday.
Alan picked up his head to look at Scott and the older brother smiled before he rubbed his nose against Alan's in an Eskimo kiss. Alan gave a watery chuckle at that but returned the gesture. There were applause and whistles before Alan and Scott looked out to see the teachers and students clapping for Alan and Scott's reunion.
When the clapping subsided, John took that as his cue to step out and complete the birthday surprise for Alan.
Exiting from behind the curtain with balloon bouquet in hand, John tapped Alan on the shoulder until he looked up.
"John!" Alan yelled as he reached back and hugged John tightly. John handed the happy birthday balloon bouquet to Scott in exchange for Alan before he hugged his brother warmly. "I missed you too."
"I know you did, but guess what kiddo." John whispered softly.
"What?" Alan asked as he buried his face in John's shoulder.
"You've got Scott for the next week, but you've got me until you get sick of me." John replied with a watery smile as he kissed Alan on the forehead.
"Really?!" Alan squeaked.
"Yeah, I finished my program early and Scott gets to stay state side for another week before he has to finish the last 7 months of his tour." John said as he gathered Alan in his arms, giving him a quick but gentle squeeze.
"Will Scotty get done and come home in 7 months?" Alan asked as he sent John and Scott both a look.
"Why don't you ask him yourself kiddo?" John suggested before he passed Alan back over to Scott. The elder brother smiled as he hugged Alan once more.
"Are you gonna come home soon Scotty?" Alan asked as he looked at Scott with puppy eyes. Alan's smile revealed his dimples that stayed hidden most of the time when Scott nodded. "Really? You are?"
"I think so kiddo…I've been away from you and grandma for too long." Scott said before he pulled John into the hug.
Once they'd hugged it out, the principle gave Alan the okay to leave for the rest of the day to spend time with his brothers. Scott carried Alan on his back, showing his playful side and running at top speed, making Alan cling to him like a baby koala. Getting Alan situated in the car, Scott and John soon left, planning to spend Alan's birthday doing something fun. The kid deserved it, especially on his special day.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
The week passed by entirely too fast for Alan and before long, Grandma, John and Alan were seeing Scott off at the airport. Scott was dressed in his air force fatigues and was preparing to board the plane that'd take him back overseas, back to Bahrain and back to the sand and heat that would be his home for the next seven months.
Standing at the gate, Scott turned back and waved sadly at Alan. The kid though wearing his brave face showed Scott how scared he truly was at the thought of Scott not returning home. Scott put on his own mask and offered Alan a cocky smirk before he turned to board the plane. He didn't see the tears gathering in Alan's eyes, nor John putting a strong yet gentle hand on Alan's shoulder to squeeze and lend support.
For the next seven months, Alan would wait for Scott's biweekly phone call, to tell and reassure him that he'd soon be home and in his arms again. Alan went through the motions of daily living, but no matter how brave or strong Alan acted or made himself out to be, anyone could see that he was still a scared child and that he was afraid for someone he loved. When the time finally came, Alan was a bundle of nerves and he could barely sit still through breakfast. Grandma threatened to make Alan put his nose in the corner if Alan didn't calm himself, but she knew that Alan was just too excited to sit still.
Once they were in the car, Alan kept an eye on the clock during the drive. He counted the seconds and could barely contain himself once they'd reached the airport. If it wasn't for grandma's sharp instruction and John climbing quickly from the car, Alan would have run into the airport to wait anxiously for Scott's plane to arrive. John held Alan's hand tightly and had to jog to keep up with Alan who was running as fast as he could. Grandma smiled and shooed John and Alan along, she wasn't a frail old woman, she could make it into the airport without problem.
Once they as a family gathered at the gate, they waited eagerly for the plane to land. Many people were gathering, some holding signs; others holding flags and there were crying parents and children gathered in mass. An announcement echoed through the airport that the plane they were gathered for had landed and everyone began murmuring excitedly.
Alan stood watching shaking with anxiety and excitement. Seeing one of the distant doors slide open…Alan sucked in an excited breath. Slowly men and women walked through the door and waves of olive drab continued flooding in. The noise level increased dramatically as mothers, fathers, grandmothers, wives and children were reunited with their soldiers. Cries of 'mommy', 'daddy', 'brothers', 'sisters' and the like was heard…but Alan waited with baited breath for his soldier, his hero, his brother. He was waiting for his Scotty, that's all he wanted now more than ever.
Like Moses parting the Red Sea, the throngs of soldiers parted to let one of the last of the soldiers that returned from battle out into the airport terminal. Everything muted in Alan's world. No longer did he hear the joyous cries of those reunited with their soldiers, nor did he hear the desperately heartbroken cries of those that would no longer see their soldiers alive. No, he only had eyes and ears for his brother, his Scotty and he was there. Seeing the tell-tale shine of tears glistening in Scott's eyes, Alan looked up at his grandma and John before he got their nods of approval. The removal of John's hand from his shoulder was the final greenlight he needed before he took off like a shot and sprinted to Scott who by this time had knelt down, arms wide open and wore a smile that fought to outshine the gleam of the sun.
"Scotty!" Alan yelled just as he reached Scott. Doing a running leap, Alan latched onto Scott and swore he'd never let go. Scott stood up and spun Alan around, happier than he'd been on Alan's birthday at being able to see his baby brother and hold him in his arms once more. Burying his face in Alan's hair, Scott kissed his baby brother on the temple, before running his fingers through Alan's hair. He'd missed this, more than anything. Holding Alan in his arms was the greatest feeling in his opinion. Rubbing his knuckles against his eyes, Scott wiped away any remnants of tears that lingered. He was a soldier, soldiers didn't cry. "I missed you."
"I know, I missed you too buddy." Scott replied softly before he turned to smile at John and grandma. Accepting hugs from them, Scott asked if they could get out of there and go home. Swift nods and smiles acknowledged that Scott was tired and probably wanted nothing more than to crawl into a nice, fluffy, warm bed and just go to sleep. "I'm home now though."
After gathering his duffle from the bag collection, Scott, John, Grandma and Alan all left the airport, grateful to get out of the din of reuniting families and go back home, together as a family. Once they'd reached home, they went out into the back where Rhonda and her son had set up a barbeque fit for a king. It was a small welcome home party, just Rhonda and her son, Grandma, John and Alan were present…but that's all Scott really needed. He didn't need the fanfare of a large party to announce that he'd made it back home safely after his tour in Bahrain, just like how he didn't need the fanfare of acknowledgement to announce that he'd be retiring from the Air Force after being involved since he was eighteen.
At almost twenty-one years old he felt it was time to retire and settle down. He'd given his family enough heart attacks and didn't want to risk it any longer. He had a good thing going and he'd saved enough money during his time in the Air Force to maybe settle down, rent a place and focus on raising Alan as he should be raised, not relying on his grandmother to raise her grandson when she deserved the opportunity to enjoy grandmother hood, not take on another son because her son was too focused on building his empire to notice his youngest was right there. But he could focus on that later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy the feast that Aunt Rhonda and her son Peter were fixing as a welcome home dinner.
When dinner and dessert had been thoroughly enjoyed, Scott who felt like he'd pop if he ate anymore chose to take his little brother up to his room and get him ready for bed. The little dude could barely keep his eyes open and Scott just wanted to spend time with his baby brother – just the two of them right now. After gently commanding Alan to climb onto his back, Scott carried Alan up the stairs. After getting Alan dressed and ready for bed, Scott laid on his side beside Alan on the bed. Just like was tradition for them, Scott recited the words he knew by heart of the story Alan had loved to hear as a bedtime story since the night Scott came up with it.
"Once upon a time, in a land far away lived a lonely little prince. Alan was his name and he loved all those in his kingdom. Men and women, boys and girls from near and far came to him for guidance. Although Prince Alan loved those in his kingdom, he was still lonely. Prince Alan was the youngest of his brothers. The older princes were away on business often and never had time for the young prince, until one day Prince Alan's fairy godmother came to him one night as he lay crying himself to sleep."
Alan watched Scott, blue eyes seemingly glowing in the darkness of the room as Scott spun the tale that had grown a life of its own over the years.
'"What is the matter young prince?" Prince Alan's fairy godmother asked as she ran her thumb across his cheek. "Why do you cry so?" '
The young prince replied through his tears to his fairy godmother. "Fairy godmother, I'm lonely…I miss my brothers and don't have a friend to call my own…what am I to do?"
Prince Alan's fairy godmother was silent for a few moments as she pondered over a way to help her young prince. Placing a gentle hand on his brow, she whispered a spell over him, one that would give him the ability to make a friend he desired. Kissing his brow gently, Prince Alan's fairy godmother vanished into the night, leaving the young prince to sleep.'
Scott continued the story until he reached the part which Alan always fell asleep at. Gazing down at his baby brother, Scott smiled at the sleepy eyed look he got from his brother. Running a hand over his head, Scott leaned down and rubbed his nose against Alan's. "Do you want me to finish the story or are you ready to close those peepers and get some sleep?"
Alan was silent as he thought slowly over whether or not he wanted to go to sleep and save the story for another time or to continue it and try to stay awake. He'd already had an eventful day and he was tired, even more so since he hadn't really slept much the night before. Looking at Scott, Alan told him he was tired and wanted to go to bed. Scott tucked the blankets snuggly around his baby brother, before turning off his little brother's bedside lamp.
"Good night kiddo, I love you and I missed you." Scott whispered as he crouched beside Alan's bed.
"Love you to Scotty and I missed you more." Alan whispered back. "G'night."
"Good night buddy." Scott replied again before tucking the blankets around Alan one more time as he stood. Going to the door, Scott prepared to exit but stopped at the small voice that spoke up. "What is it kiddo?"
Alan was silent for a few minutes and Scott began to wonder if he'd imagined it, when he heard it again. What his baby brother said warmed his heart and made him proud to be Alan's big brother.
"Welcome home Scotty."
"It's good to be home kiddo…now go to sleep." Scott replied before he stepped out the door. Heaving a sigh, Scott glanced over his shoulder with a lopsided grin. In Scott's eyes, home was anywhere Alan was. Even if god forbids they lived on the street, homeless shelter, halfway house…anywhere Alan was Scott would consider to be home.
END
AN: Happy Memorial day to everyone and thank you to all those in the military fighting currently or wars passed. This is an edit to the original story and I hope you'll enjoy this a little more than the other edit.
Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010