Chapter Two

Several hours later, Jeff slowly opened his eyes. For a moment he was disoriented, having no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there. He finally remembered he was in Bonga Bonga, and realized he must've fallen asleep out there by the pool. Penny obviously hadn't wakened him, opting instead to give him a blanket and leave him be. He rose to his feet, folded the blanket and carried it inside to his room. Once there, he washed his face and ran his fingers through his hair, taking stock of himself in the mirror as he did so.

For the first time in his life, what he saw staring back at him wasn't the man he'd grown accustomed to. Taken aback by his own appearance, Jeff thought he looked old. He toweled his face dry and grimaced as another headache hit him full force. Popping four aspirins, he ran the faucet and cupped water in his hands from it to his mouth to wash them down. Turning the light off, he padded over to the bed, pulled the covers back, and lay down. All he wanted was for the pain to go away. Within minutes, he had drifted into a restless sleep.

"Hello John, how are you?"

"I'm good. This is a pleasant surprise. What's up?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

"How do you mean?"

"Your father arrived last night. John, he's not himself. He barely spoke to me, and when he did, his answers were short. In addition, he looks rather worn, as though he hasn't been sleeping well."

"I kind of noticed that too over the past week or so."

"Have you any idea what's causing this?"

"No, Penny, not really."

Penny tapped her finger on the desk. "He mentioned he's been having headaches. When I pressed him about it, he said they were probably related to tension. Do you know from whence this tension might be coming?"

John shrugged and looked suddenly uncomfortable. "I guess the land lovers have been at each other's throats lately. Maybe that's it?"

"At each other's throats? In what way?"

John shrugged again. "I don't know all the details, but from what I understand, Gordo and Al weren't on speaking terms for a while, and now it's Scott and Virg."

"Scott and Virgil not on speaking terms? You must be joking."

"I know, I never thought I'd see the day. But last night, Alan told me they still aren't talking."

"Hm. I see this requires more investigation."

"Watch it, Penny. Al says Virg's temper is over the top these days."

"Now don't you worry about that. I'll speak with you soon, John. Thank you."

"No problem. Thunderbird 5 out."

"It looks like my next target should be Virgil Tracy," Penny said as she tapped open a line to Tracy Island. She wasn't surprised when Scott answered the call. "Hello, Scott, how are you?"

"Hi, Penelope. I'm good. How are things in Australia?"

"Australia is fine, but since I have you here, I'd like to ask you about your father."

"What about him? Is he okay?"

"No, he's not. He's having headaches and he's not himself. I understand there's been some tension at home recently?"

Scott looked away. Having to answer to Lady Penelope felt strangely like having to answer to your mother when you'd been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. "I guess so."

"Scott, what's been happening? I don't mean to pry, but it's important to your father's well-being."

"We've all been getting on each others' nerves."

"I can imagine. Living so closely and working together so much can't always be easy. How are...you and Virgil getting along?"

A thunder cloud passed over Scott's face and settled in. His reply was brusque. "We're not."

"What's happened? You two have always been inseparable."

"Not anymore, Penny. I'm sorry, I have to go. I have things to do."

Penny nodded. She knew she'd be getting no more from Jeff's oldest son right now. "Very well. I shall speak with you soon. Goodbye, Scott."

"Bye, Penny," he replied as he cut transmission.

Frowning, Penelope was about to open another line in an attempt to locate Virgil when a gruff voice startled her.

"Morning, Penny."

She whirled around to find Jeff standing before her, looking none the better after a full night's sleep. Or perhaps he hadn't had a full night's sleep, and that was the problem. She rose gracefully to her feet, approached him, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "Good morning, Jeff. Are you up for some breakfast?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

"Let's head for the kitchen. Parker's been hard at work this morning. Poor thing, I should've brought Lil with us. At least it would've kept him occupied." She was more than pleased when Jeff chuckled.

Breakfast was amiable. Jeff was able to keep up the small talk, and seemed almost to be himself. But he wasn't quite, and Penny honed in on the fact that from time to time a look of pain would wash across his face. He must still be having his headaches, she reasoned.

"Are you up for a walk around the ranch? I'd like to show you the new lambs we've recently birthed."

"Okay, that sounds good. Just let me get my walking shoes on."

"Very well. I shall meet you back here shortly."

Jeff nodded and left for his room while Penny helped Parker clear the dishes. After a few moments in thought, she finally spoke. "We shall be going for a walk around the ranch and are not to be disturbed."

"Right. See you la'er, m'lady."

Penny headed for her room and changed into a pair of jeans, a pink blouse and hiking boots. Half an hour later she reentered the kitchen to find Jeff seated at the small table with his head down. She laid a hand on his shoulder. "Jeff, are you certain you're up for this?"

Raising his head, he forced a smile and nodded. "Sure thing, Penny. I'd like to see what you've done with this place since last time I was here. Let's go."

She studied him for a moment, smiling as she reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "All right, then. Off we go."

"Can I talk to you?"

"About what?"

"You know what, Virg."

"No, Scott. No more talking. You've done quite enough of that."

"Virg, please. We have to fix this. If not for our sake, then for Dad's?"

That got Virgil's attention. "Dad's? What do you mean?"

"Penny called a little while ago. She's worried about him."

"Why?"

"Haven't you noticed he hasn't looked like himself in a while?"

"Guess so. What's that got to do with us?"

"Gordo thinks we're stressing him out. And Penny said he's having headaches."

"I'm not the one who..." Virgil's voice trailed off as his anger rose. "Goddamn you, Scott, don't you dare try to use Dad as an excuse for me to forgive you."

"I'm not using him for anything, Virg! I apologized, what more do you want?"

"Your apology isn't enough anymore. For years you've done whatever you damn well pleased without consequence. I'm sick and tired of it, Scott. I'm sick and tired of you!"

As Virgil stormed out of the Recreation Room, Scott shook his head. Would Virgil ever forgive him for what he had done? It had been an accident, but that didn't seem to matter to Virgil. And what about their father? If his sons' behavior was indeed at the root of his stress, and Scott couldn't make things right between him and Virgil, how would that affect their dad? How would it affect all of them?

"I have to fix this," he said, toying with a pool cue. "I just have to!" He took a shot and sunk the 8 ball into a side pocket. "Question is, how?"

Penny and Jeff had been enjoying the sights and sounds of her ranch for over an hour. They'd watched as the new little lambs had struggled to their feet, sharing laughter and stories, and almost making Penelope forget there was anything at all the matter with her friend. They'd just crossed to the far side of the pasture when a sudden loud bleating caught their attention. It was coming from over the rise to their left.

"What's that about?"

"I'm not certain."

The sound of hooves hitting the ground combined with frantic bleating came nearer and nearer until at last a line of sheep appeared at the top of the rise and thundered toward them.

"Oh, my," Penny breathed.

"It's a stampede!" Jeff exclaimed, grabbing hold of Penny's hand. "Come on!"

They ran for the fence as hundreds of sheep pounded in their direction. Jeff lifted Penny off the ground with the intention of hoisting her over the fence, but a stab of pain pierced his skull and he cried out, dropping her to the ground.

"Jeff!" Nearer and nearer came the sheep as Jeff fell to his knees, head between his hands. He groaned in agony as Penny scrambled to her feet. "Jeff! Quickly, we must get out of here!"

But Jeff didn't even hear her. The sheep were almost upon them. "Jeff! Jeff, come on!" she cried, grabbing his arm and hauling him to his feet. But it was too late. Penny gave a very unladylike scream and covered her face with her hands.

That scream finally jolted Jeff out of his misery enough to realize that within seconds, he and Penny would be trampled. A surge of adrenaline rushed through his body. The only thing he could think of was going up. It was the only way to escape the herd. He squeezed his eyes closed and just wished that they could go up. He grabbed one of Penny's hands. Go up. Go up go up go up.

Bracing himself for impact, it took a handful of seconds for Jeff to realize there wouldn't be one. He could hear the sheep racing past and wondered where the hell they were and how they'd escaped. When he opened his eyes, it all became clear.

Jeff and Penelope were hovering six feet above the ground.

"Holy-!" Jeff exclaimed as the last of the herd passed beneath them. With that, Jeff and Penny dropped to the ground, oofing and grunting as they hit the grass. Jeff shook his head in confusion.

Very much in shock, Penny crawled over to him and just clung to his arm, mindful of the bruise she would surely have on her rump when all was said and done. For long moments, neither of them spoke. Finally, Penny whispered, "How did you do that?"

"Me? I didn't do anything."

"Well, I certainly didn't cause us to fly."

"Fly?"

"You closed your eyes and kept repeating the words, 'go up'. Then all of a sudden there we were, floating above the ground just as the sheep passed beneath us."

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. His head was absolutely killing him. The pounding wouldn't go away. The last thing he saw was Penny's large, blue eyes staring into his own.

"Jeff?"

He swooned, caught himself with one hand on the fence post, and closed his eyes.

"Jeff?" she repeated, her voice rising in pitch.

What...Penny...help...help me..." he whispered.

With that, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward right onto her chest.

"Jeff! Gods, Jeff!" Raising her watch to her face, she cried out, "Parker! Get FAB One out here immediately!" She began stroking her unconscious companion's hair, rocking back and forth as she cradled him in her arms. "Jeff, everything will be all right. Don't worry. I'll take care of you." She closed her eyes as one thought repeated over and over in her mind. Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay.