Thunderbirds – Babysitting Duty
By Allyson
(A/N – Gerry Anderson owns all the characters from Thunderbirds, not me.)
Virgil was laid up in bed with a bout of the flu, stopping him from going out on rescue missions for the past couple of days. Though the sickness had passed, he still had a fever and suffered from bouts of dizziness. Today, he was being baby-sat by Gordon. Alan had called earlier that morning from Thunderbird Five to inform them of a new rescue. A Russian space shuttle had been hit by a meteor and the crew needed saving. Jeff Tracy had sent John, Scott and Brains up in Thunderbird Three to help them, while he monitored operations from his office. Their Grandma and Tin-Tin had gone to the mainland to get some needed supplies and were due home soon.
Gordon came bustling into Virgil's bedroom, disturbing his dozing brother with the noise he was making. In his arms, Gordon was carrying various pairs of shoes that he'd found scattered around the house. He dropped the shoes with a clatter onto the floor next to the bed.
"In case you need me," explained Gordon, at Virgil's raised eyebrow. "If you need anything just throw a shoe at he wall and I'll hear you. Get some sleep."
Virgil was asleep before Gordon had even left the room.
"Charming," the ginger-hair lad muttered to himself, before leaving his brother's bedroom door wide open as he left.
Going to his room next door, Gordon settled down on his bed and attempted to patch up a tear in an old diving suit. Half an hour later, his fingers nearly stuck to the suit with glue and the tear annoyingly larger, Gordon was ready to burn the garment when he heard a thunk against the wall behind him. Growling under his breath and kicking the diving suit across the room, Gordon went to see what Virgil wanted.
"Hey, V, you okay?" he asked, as he entered his brother's room.
He frowned when he saw his older brother's red face and fever-bright eyes peeking out from under the mountain of blankets.
"Can I have a glass of water, please?" Virgil rasped.
"Sure, stay put," said Gordon, quickly running out of the room and heading for the kitchen.
Grabbing a glass of water, Gordon paused to grab an open box of crackers before making his way back up the stairs. Nearing his brother's room, Gordon heard a crash from inside before one of Tin-Tin's high-heels narrowly whipped passed his nose it flew through the doorway.
"I'm going as quickly as I-"
Gordon's voice halted in shock at the sight in front of him.
"I fell," Virgil told him, unnecessarily, eyes blinking in surprise, as he tried to untangle his blanket prison.
Rushing to his brother's side, Gordon set aside the water and crackers and helped to pull his brother into a sitting position on the floor. Virgil weakly leaned against his younger brother, closing his eyes as a wave of dizziness passed over him.
"I'm okay," murmured Virgil, quietly, though Gordon didn't know if it was for his benefit or his brother was trying to reassure himself.
"Let's get you back into bed," suggested Gordon.
"Not yet," replied Virgil, through gritted teeth.
Gordon noticed Virgil's pasty expression and helped him sip some of the water he'd brought him. He couldn't help but grin when he caught Virgil fussing with one of the discarded blankets so that it partly covered Gordon as well. Gordon didn't want to hurt his brother's feelings by saying it was too hot to have a blanket in the middle of summer.
"Feeling a bit better?" Gordon asked, after Virgil had drunk half the glass of water.
Virgil nodded, his head lolling back against the side of the bed. He chuckled to himself.
"I remember our roles being reversed when you were younger," he told Gordon. "You and Alan were always close. If Alan came down with an illness, then you'd come down with it a week later, or vice versa. Al didn't care who looked after him as long as he was fussed over. You though, you were fussy. You only wanted to be with Grandma or me."
Gordon grinned. "Well, you always told such good stories."
"You drove Scott and John mad," remembered Virgil, shivering slightly.
"Well, their bedside care wasn't up to my standards," replied Gordon, cheekily.
Virgil laughed as his throat ached. "You mean they didn't sneak toys and cookies to you," he contradicted him.
"At least you knew the unwritten Tracy Law," Gordon nodded, mock-seriously.
Noticing that his brother was shivering, Gordon grabbed him by the arm and helped to drag Virgil unsteadily to his feet.
"Back to bed with you," Gordon told him. "It would be just my luck if you caught a chill with a ninety-degree fever."
"Stop exaggerating," scolded Virgil, as he gratefully collapsed back onto his bed.
Gordon propped pillows and blankets around his brother, creating a mini fort.
"Don't want you falling out of bed again," grinned Gordon.
Virgil swatted him lightly on the arm, half-heartedly.
Dragging the rolling swivel chair to the side of the bed, Gordon sat down and propped his feet up on the bed. Virgil gave him a curious look.
"I'm bored. You're going to keep me company," Gordon told him. Grabbing the box of crackers from off the floor, he offered it to his brother. "Cracker? Might make you feel better."
Reluctantly, Virgil took one and slowly ate it. His expression perked up slightly when he realized he wasn't going to be sick. He helped himself to another one.
"D'you know something, Virg?" commented Gordon, pretending to look interested in the contents of the cracker box. "When you're ill, the house is awfully quiet."
Virgil frowned at his brother. "I think you've got me mixed up with you and Alan." He reached out to place the back of his hand against Gordon's forehead. "You don't seem to have a fever."
Gordon chuckled and swatted his brother's hand away. "Hey, Alan's the noisiest," he protested. "No, I meant you don't play the piano when you're ill."
"Does it make that much of a difference?" asked Virgil, curiously, blinking drowsily.
Gordon looked surprised at Virgil's response. "Sure it does! Without your piano playing, I have to wake Grandma up in the morning so that she can make me her special pancakes that she loves to make. Yesterday, I had to resort to playing Chinese Chopsticks on your piano so that John knew what a piano sounded like."
Virgil rolled his eyes. "John knows what a piano sounds like. He can download music in the space station to listen to."
"It's not the same," protested Gordon, with a pout.
With a laboured sigh, Virgil slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, propping a pillow behind his back to keep him upright. He pointed with one hand in the vague direction of the shelf behind his brother's head. Gordon's eyes lit up when he realized he was being asked to pass over a small portable keyboard. Without seeming to realize what he was doing, Virgil's fingers ran up and down the scales a couple of times.
"Any requests?" Virgil smiled, already knowing his brother's response.
The sound of Thunderbird Three returning interrupted Gordon before he had a chance to open his mouth. As soon as the window stopped reverberating, Gordon replied, "Mom's song."
"Okay, but you'll have to help me as I'm not up to full strength," Virgil told him, biting back a grin at Gordon's eager expression. He knew that was the real reason for Gordon's request. Taking Gordon's nearest hand, he positioned his fingers over the required keys. "Every time I point to you, press these notes as many times as I tell you."
Gordon's expression was already scrunched up with concentration even though Virgil hadn't begun playing yet.
"Ready, Maestro?" Virgil teased, coughing down a laugh.
Gordon nodded and slowly, Virgil began to play the lively tune with his younger brother's help.
Both brothers were so intent on playing the keyboard that they didn't hear Scott's growl as he tripped over Tin-Tin's discarded shoe in the hallway or notice that they suddenly had company standing in the open doorway.
"See? Gordon promised you'd hear Virgil play the piano again before you had to go back to Thunderbird Five," Scott said, relieved to see Virgil looking better than he had that morning.
John smiled as he leaned against the door frame. "Now, this feels like home," he agreed, relaxing for the first time since arriving at the island.
Gordon smirked as he heard his older brother's remark. His mission to help look after Virgil and John had worked like clockwork. Sometimes it was hard work being one of the youngest in the family but it was always worth it.
The End.