Disclaimer: Um, still don't own them but borrowing them for my own amusement.

A/N: A huge thank you is in order for shadowwolf919 for sending a plot bunny to me after reading Espial and suggesting a follow-up story about Gordon and the young man in the wheelchair. Enjoy!-sam1

A Matter of Kinship

"Oh my gawd! It's him, it's Gordon Tracy!

"Isn't he gorgeous? Get outta my way, I saw him first!"

"GORDON, I LOVE YOU!" A small swarm of hormonally charged teenaged girls made a mad dash for the newest Olympic Gold Medalist much to the amusement of his father and brothers who were trying to get to him. However, a young man in a wheelchair caught Gordon's eye just as the girls reached him. In the flurry of activity from the girls, Gordon temporarily lost sight of the young man.

"Excuse me, please." Gordon politely pushed his way past the girls until he was able to see the young man again and greeted him. "Hello." Awestruck, the young man looked up at him.

"Um, hi," he muttered nervously. His hand playing along the armrest of his wheelchair. "Congratulations, Mr. Tracy, you were awesome." Grinning widely, Gordon knelt down in front of him and offered his hand.

"Gordon, the name is Gordon. Mr. Tracy is my dad or my oldest brother Scott," he corrected, nodding in the direction of his family. "And you are?"

"Oh, my name is Nick. Nick Hunter," he replied, shaking Gordon's hand. He noticed the girls scowling in anger at him which only served to make him even more nervous and on edge. Three years ago, a car accident left him partially paralyzed and sentenced to a life dependant upon a wheelchair. Depression had been his constant companion until he heard Gordon Tracy's story. He had been amazed to find out that it had only been a year and a half since Gordon's hydrofoil accident. A horrific accident that had left him comatose, paralyzed, and with numerous broken bones but here he was an Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming. "Um, I think they want your attention." Pointing to the girls behind Gordon, he struggled to maintain his nerve.

"Yeah, I heard the attention they want but right now I'm talking to you," Gordon replied, shrugging his broad shoulders. "If you don't mind my asking, what happened?" Gordon's glance at the wheelchair wasn't one of pity but rather one of empathy. A look that clearly said that he remembered being confined to a wheelchair and dependant on others just to survive.

"A drunk driver ran a red light while speeding," Nick answered, softly. "My mom was driving and my little sister was in the backseat behind her." He swallowed hard before continuing, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "They died at the scene." Not quite sure what to say, Gordon opted to casually grip Nick's shoulder in understanding. "Until I heard your story, I didn't even have the desire to live. I just went through the motions. Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?" Gordon asked, perplexed. "You're a lot stronger than you believe, Nick, or else you'd have given up a long time ago. If memory serves me well, I remember feeling as if I had a choice to live or die while in the coma. I chose to live and overcome every challenge set before me. God knows it sucked a lot of the time but I had a cheering squad with me every hard step of the way."

"I have no one left," Nick muttered. "Mom and Zoe were the only family I had." Looking up at Gordon with a decidedly embarrassed expression. "Congratulations." With a quick glance to his right, he saw an opening so that he could leave before he embarrassed himself any further.

"Nick?" Gordon questioned, moving to block his way. Nick glanced up at him and waited to see what he had to say. "Here, take this and you can get in touch with me at any time. I may not be able to answer right away but I will respond." He held out a small business card he'd pulled from his wallet that had been tucked in his gym bag.

"Why would you want to talk to me?" Nick asked. "I'm just a nobody in a wheelchair."

"That's where you're wrong, Nick," Gordon answered. "I've been where you are and I don't know how I got through it without my family. I was given a second chance at life and I'd like to offer my support and friendship to you."

"But you don't know me," he countered.

"A dear friend of mine says that everything happens for a reason. Who's to say that we weren't destined to meet?" Gordon said. "You've got my email address if you need to talk or just want to blow off steam. Take care, Nick." With a quick pat on his shoulder, Gordon made his way through the crowd to where his brothers and father stood.

"Who was that, Gordy?" Scott asked. Gordon turned to look back at Nick before answering.

"That was me two years ago only without the support of my family," he answered.


"Hey Gordon, I wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I have to say, you have got to be nuts. Did you not see the babes who were checking you out? They were all but throwing themselves at you."

"My brothers always tell me I'm nuts so you may be onto something there. As for those babes, you must have missed a tiny older lady that my brothers stood around. If she would have seen me flirting with those girls, the fly swatter she carries would have found its way to my legs."

"Hmm, fly swatter, tiny older woman. Would she by chance be your grandmother?"

"Yep, how'd you guess?"

"My grams was the same way. I swear her favorite pastime was swatting my sister and I."

"Hate to run, Nick, but sounds like there's a family pow-wow in my dad's office. TTYL."

"No problem. TTYL."