Title: Gentle Rain
Warm Rain Series
Part Three
Author: Gumnut
20-21 Jan 2019
Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS
Rating: Teen
Summary: Sometimes it is so gentle, you don't realise it is happening.
Word count: 2522
Spoilers & warnings: Virgil/Kayo, OC, spoilers for Warm Rain up to this point in the timeline.
Timeline: Six months after 'The Proposal', almost a sequel.
Author's note: This is for scribbles97 . Thank you to all my wonderful readers and supporters who continue to help me create more and more stories. I'm having the time of my life, you guys are wonderful :D
Disclaimer: Mine? You've got to be kidding. Money? Don't have any, don't bother.
-o-o-o-
"Doctor Harris..uh..."
His face had shuttered the moment he realised he wasn't alone and she oddly missed the openness he had displayed while speaking with his brother. He had very expressive eyes and they had said so much about the relationship between the two men.
Her voice was quiet. "I apologise for intruding on your privacy, Mr Tracy." She swallowed. "Please make sure you continue to follow the diet your doctor has supplied you with. Your body needs the nutrients." She should obviously back out of what was turning out to be an embarrassing situation for the both of them. She hardly knew this man or his brother, and she had just witnessed a very private conversation. Kayo had been willing to allow her to contact him to check on his recovery. She doubted she would approve of such an invasion of privacy.
"Scott." He was sitting up a little straighter. "Call me Scott."
She blinked. "Em."
And another odd silence descended.
He was hard to read. Before, when Virgil had been in the room, his eyes had said everything. From anger to frustration to fondness. The men had argued, but there had been depth to that argument. They had understood each other perfectly. The darker haired brother so obviously sincere when he offered Scott whatever he could provide and the layers of meaning in Scott's apology spoke of a long history of such arguments..
Now, the man may as well have been Vulcan. Every movement of his face was considered, every wrinkle precisely aimed. The smile was gone, and in its stead lay a controlled calm.
This wasn't Scott Tracy. This was the Commander of International Rescue.
Well, she could handle that.
"I just wanted to check on your progress. Make sure you hadn't undone any of my hard work."
"Well, be reassured, Doctor, I'm back in one piece and well on the way to recovery."
Her title rather than her name. He was formalising, attempting to push her away from things she should never have seen. She should respect that.
She should.
"How long ago was Virgil injured?"
That shook him. "Why do you ask?"
"He's favouring his right side."
His eyes widened, his concern directing immediately to his brother. "Six months."
"Severity?"
"Severe." Reluctant to reveal details, of course. Didn't matter, she could make a good guess just by observing the man.
"How many ribs broken?"
Those blue eyes narrowed. "Almost all down his right side."
She winced internally. Bloody hell. "Has he had any follow up recently?"
"He should have. I'll speak to him."
With that expression on his face, she had no doubt he would. She may find herself apologising to Virgil in the near future. "Make sure he gets checked out. The ribs could still be vulnerable to strain depending on the original injury." Hell, the man had been shifting brickwork while strapped into a metal skeleton. She would check him out herself if she got the chance.
"Thank you." And his eyes were suddenly open to her. "For everything. I have no doubt, I could have died in that hole if you hadn't been there."
She smiled just slightly at him. "I was just returning the favour."
He frowned. "Have you been rescued before?"
She had to admit the question took her off guard and she was forced to look away for just a second. "Uh, no, no I haven't. I was referring to the world at large. We all owe you and your brothers more than we can ever repay."
It was his turn to look away and, to her surprise, he even flushed a little. "Someone needs to do it."
"Yes, but you stepped up."
"It was our father's project."
Yes, everyone knew about the great Jeff Tracy. "But it is you and your brothers who are on the front line."
"As I said, someone has to do it." He took in a breath and tilted his head. "Enough about me, you obviously know a great deal already, yet I know very little about you."
Well, she guessed she had asked for that. "What would you like to know?"
He shrugged. "Where are you from?"
"I'm Australian. Grew up south of here, in Margaret River. You?"
"Kansas. And various other places." He raised an eyebrow. "Occupation?"
"Doctor, but you knew that. Speciality, orthopaedic surgery." And she saw the light bulb click above his head. "And yes, that is why I noticed your brother's injury." She smiled. "And you?"
"Pilot." She saw it in his eyes. "And rescue operative, with a little Air Force on the side."
"You make it sound like fast food."
To her surprise, he grinned. "Oh, it's fast alright."
"I gather you like things that go fast?"
"The faster the better."
"Uh-huh. Is a Lachie Dart fast enough for you?"
"An L-Dart? Oh, I got my hands on one of those back in training. Smart little craft." He frowned. "You flown?"
She snorted. "Uh, no, my Dad was in the Australian Air Force. He was the Leader of a squadron of L-Darts. Loved them and let us know repeatedly. Made for a plane filled childhood."
"I can relate to that. Though on top of the planes came space." She saw his mind drift back, his expression kind of sad.
"So you come by it honestly?"
"Oh, yes." The sadness was hovering, but he appeared to shake himself. "What about you? Brothers? Sisters?"
She hesitated. "No, just me." She didn't want to go there and definitely not with this man.
His frown returned. "No one at all?" The concept appeared completely foreign to him.
"Oh, I have an uncle in the States, but I haven't seen him for years." She shrugged. "I have myself and my friends. I'm happy."
"That is good to hear." He suddenly frowned. "Why are you still in the hospital?" And he was obviously trying to think back. "What exactly were your injuries?"
Off screen she clenched a fist. "There were a few complications, but I'm fine." She was fine, really.
He stared at her as if trying to pry the information from her expression. She held her ground. She did not want to face his pity or his horror at what had happened to her. It had been her choice, not his.
It was obvious he knew she wasn't telling him something. "If there is anything I can do, let me know." He paused, his eyes intensely blue. "I owe you one."
There was no answer to that. The man was a billionaire, but she wouldn't ask him for anything. Except...
"Okay, I'll ask you for one thing."
His eyes widened as if he hadn't expected her to take him up on it so readily. "What?"
"You get bored here, you ping me."
His eyes narrowed.
She sighed. Being a celebrity must suck big time. "I'm not looking for your secrets. I'm not going to sell you out to the press. Get Kayo to check me out, I promise. You can have my credit card to hold for ransom, if you like. I just want to make sure you are okay. And besides, you're not the only bored person in this hospital. I can only read so much, and the holoreception here is clunky."
Those blue eyes looked away for a moment considering. They flashed back at her. "Agreed."
She smiled just a little. "Thank you."
"No, thank you." A pause. "And I hope you get well soon." Still suspicious.
"I'm planning on it." She had the irrational urge to reach out and touch his face. "Now rest, Scott."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, Doctor."
"It's Em. Or I will start calling you Commander."
"Yes, Em."
She smirked. "Now you're talking. Rest. I'll speak to you soon."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I have no doubt that the moment you wake up next, boredom will set in immediately."
"You don't know me that well."
"I don't have to. You are predictable."
"What?"
She laughed. "Go and rest. I've got a nurse nagging me. Speak to you soon." The expression on his face was worth the risk of never speaking to him again as she cut the signal. The blank screen left an empty space.
She looked up at Kayo. "Thank you so much for allowing this."
A hand landed gently on her upper arm. "Not a problem." She appeared thoughtful. "Now tell me more about Virgil favouring his right side."
-o-o-o-
Virgil threw himself into the elevator and leant against the wall. It took him a moment to realise that, yes, he had to press a button to make the machinery move. A sigh and he hit the residential level button with a thump.
Mountain rescues were unnerving. This hadn't been the first one since his accident, but it had been at a similar height with similar land features, and he had spent the entire mission expecting the mountain to fall on him.
He screwed his eyes shut and let his head drop back against the metal wall as the elevator rose. He was aching again. Everything had healed, but it continued to remind him that yes, he had ripped his side open and done some serious damage and no, he wasn't completely one hundred percent and probably never would be again.
He hated it. It cramped his style.
The car slid to a smooth stop and the engineer in the back of his mind admired Brains' design as he always did.
The doors slid open to reveal Kayo standing with her hands on her hips. She was still wearing that summer dress he so adored. The material hugged her figure in just the right places, soft and feminine. God, she was so beautiful.
And she was frowning.
Uh oh.
"What have I done?" His tired mind tried to flip back through recent events, landed in snow and got stuck. "No, actually, don't tell me yet. I need a shower first." He pushed himself off the wall and held back a groan.
"How long has it been hurting?"
He froze. "What?"
"Your injury."
He let his shoulders sag. "Never stopped." A sigh. "It's fine. I can handle it." He forced himself to straighten and moved to step past her.
Her hand on his chest stopped him, her left hand reaching up to cup his cheek. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Despite himself, he leant into her touch. "It's nothing, love, I promise. A little ache is all."
The hand on his chest slipped under the right side of his rib cage and pressed.
He flinched away with an indrawn breath.
Damn.
"Tell me that again, Virgil."
He closed his eyes. "Okay, perhaps I over did it in Perth."
"Uh huh."
"What was I supposed to do. You were under a building. Scott was under a building. I-" He stopped. "Can I have my shower now?"
She stood up on her toes and kissed him fully on his lips, her arms going around his neck and drawing him in close. He went willingly. "You can, but I'm coming with you."
He hummed approval, kissing the corner of her mouth, her cheekbone and her mouth yet again.
"But don't get your hopes up. I'm planning to examine exactly what you've done to yourself and then you're going to sleep."
"Yes, ma'am." Perhaps he could persuade her otherwise. But another twinge from his side had him sagging again. Who was he kidding?
Her hand brushed his cheek again. "C'mon, love." She took his hand and led him to their rooms. She stood over him as he shed his uniform, and ran the shower to the perfect temperature. She frowned as her eyes caught sight of his rib cage, but she didn't say anything further, simply pushing him gently towards the spray.
She left him there and honestly he was grateful, closing his eyes and letting the warmth soak into him. Soap and a clean, shampoo in his hair, the warmth seeping into his bones, his tired muscles. He let himself lean against the tiles and closed his eyes. Take the moment.
Snow rained around him and he flinched.
Damn.
He shoved his face in the spray, rubbed his eyes and turned off the water.
Kay was standing with his towel.
God, she knew how to be silent.
Cotton was wrapped around him and she dried him off, gently against his injured side.
The injury was still a road map of red lines and smudges all down his ribcage. The scar tissue pulled and was thick in places where he had re-injured the road rash from years before. His skin had not been forgiving with the second injury. It puckered and it pained, but he had grown used to it, figuring that it was the price he had to pay for surviving.
Her fingers traced over the lines, passing over numb spots where the nerves had been destroyed only to tingle where they were still active. He shivered.
She lifted his arm up and examined the lines on its underside. Seeing it all in the stark bathroom light impressed him as to how much of a mess he had made of himself and the unsightliness of the result. Her green eyes were intense as she stared at his scars. A sudden sense of shame washed over him.
But Kay was sensitive to his mood and looked up at him, frowning. "What?"
"Nothing."
The frown deepened.
So he leant down and kissed it away. "I'm okay."
Her hand landed on his left shoulder and gently pushed him back upright. "No, you are not. Why didn't you tell me?" And there was the crux of the matter, he hadn't shared important information with her.
"I didn't think it was important."
Okay, wrong thing to say. "My god, Virgil, in what possible way could your health not be important?"
"I didn't think it was anything worth worrying about."
She turned her back on him, flinging her hands into the air. "Oh, for the love of-" She cut herself off, her shoulders stilling for a moment. He suddenly both wished he could see her face, and was glad he could not.
When she did turn around her expression was once again calm. "I will arrange for you to see a specialist in the morning. Tonight, you will go to bed and rest. No rescues." She held up her hand as he opened his mouth. "God damn it, Virgil, if I have to wake up Scott to make it an order, I'm going to let him rain hell down on you for not telling him about this, too. Then you can feel guilty for stressing him out while he is injured."
He shut his mouth.
So much for not important.
And then she was drawing him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "I'm sorry." The words fell out of his mouth, even though he knew her response.
"Don't be sorry, just don't do it again." Her voice was muffled up against his chest, her breath warm on his skin. He closed his eyes.
-o-o-o-
End Part Three
