Disclaimer: We still don't own them.

A/N: Our sincerest apologies for the delay in updating but between work, Lissysue feeling a bit under the weather, and of course, time differences, we couldn't help it. Oh, and a we wanted to thank LMB for being our inspiration for the last chapter concerning Scott and coffee. Mattie, thank you for helping us with a portion of this update, love ya. Lissysue85 and sam1

Chapter 4

With a quick flip of several switches, Jeff made sure that Three was on Auto Pilot again, and ran for medical room where he'd left his son and Brains. Alan looked at the monitor and couldn't believe what he was seeing.

The colour rapidly drained out of Scott's face. "What's wrong with John?"

Suddenly, Jeff's voice came over the radio, "Brains, what the hell happened?"

"I-I-I just l-leaned over to c-ch-monitor his IV f-fl-fluids."

Jeff stared down at John who was struggling against the straps securing him to the bed. Kneeling down next to him, he spoke in a calm tone. "John, calm down, Son. It's okay, you're safe, no one is going to hurt you."

John suddenly turned his head and looked at his father. "Why did you leave me up there? Why did you forget about me? What did I do?"

"What the hell is he talking about Alan?" demanded Scott. Scott's anger abated slightly when he saw the ashen face of his baby brother. He seemed frozen just staring at nothing. "Alan!" He got no response so he tried again. "Alan! Alan, come on look at me." Slowly, Alan turned his head to look at his big brother. "Allie, do you know what John is talking about?" he asked gently. Alan just shook his head saying nothing.

"We didn't leave you, John. We came up as soon as you missed your check-in call." Jeff, tentatively, placed his hand on John's arm. "Son, we'd never leave you."

"But you did, you left me up there, you forgot about me." His hands clenched and twisted the blanket that covered him. His voice dropped to a whisper, "You forgot me because you..." His eyes widened in fright but Jeff didn't see what his son did. He couldn't nor could he understand. "Nonononono...I'm good. My...please leave me alone...Dad, make it go away...NO, I don't like the cold." Pulling against the straps, John's panic intensified to the point Brains was afraid that he'd hurt himself...

Stepping past Jeff, he pushed a light sedative into the IV port. "I-I'm sorry, Mr. T-Tr-Tracy but I was a-af-worried that he'd h-hurt himself." Jeff barely nodded as he watched the sedative begin to take effect.

Slowly, John's hands unclenched and the panicked expression smoothed out until he was staring up at his father quietly. "You came to get me?"

Alan pressed the necessary buttons to take back control of Thunderbird 3. He needed to be doing something or his mind would continue to haunt him with his brother's words. Trying to find different tasks to do while piloting the huge rocket ship, Alan hoped that Scott would leave him alone for now.

Tortured by his brother's words, Scott began to pace. What had happened to make his brother so panicked? He had never heard so much fear in John's voice. What was triggering such screams of terror? Remembering the heart-wrenching scream, Scott felt his own heartbreak as there had been nothing he could do. From what little he knew, he could only assume that John was pretty much locked in his mind. The fever had to be producing a fear-inducing delirium of which there would be no escape for John until his fever came down.

Virgil and Gordon sat on their father's desk, watching Scott pace. It was one of those rare times that Gordon wasn't in a jovial mood. His worry for his big brother was almost tangible as Virgil well knew. He was sitting next to the red-haired prankster and could feel the anxiety and worry coming off of him in waves.

"Scott, what's going on? Why would John ever feel that way?" His next question froze in his throat at the look his eldest brother was giving him.

"Do I look like I have the answers to your damn questions?" Scott snapped, angrily.

Sliding from the desk, Virgil stepped up to Scott. "Hey, don't take your anger out on him. All he did was ask a couple of questions. Questions that I, myself, have."

Side-stepping Virgil, Scott walked over to the window and gazed out across the island. "I'm as much in the dark about this whole situation as you are," he then turned back round to face them, adding, "I don't know why John was saying those things and I wish I did."

Gordon unable to stand the tension anymore walked out of the room and headed towards the silo for Thunderbird 3. He knew they weren't due to land for a while yet but he needed to be elsewhere. He knew that a lot of his brother's ramblings would have been down to his fever driven state but there had to be some part of him that actually believed they would leave him up there all alone. Gordon had arrived at the Silo now and without even realizing it, had been pacing the floor like Scott.

At the thought of his older brother, Gordon stopped pacing. He knew that however hard this was for him, it would be even harder for his big brother. He couldn't help the slight chuckle that followed that thought as he knew as well as the rest of his brothers that Scott seemed to be driven to protect his baby brothers no matter what or how old they were. He had been doing it ever since they were little and that protection had increased when their mother had died. If he didn't know better, he would have thought that Scott had promised their mother that he'd always look after them for her. He had to admit though, that Scott did a good job at looking after them. Even if each of them had teased him on more than one occasion. And even more often, each of them had gotten a little upset with the way he seemed to smother them when he was really worried.

Laughing, he thought of John, "Sorry, big brother, but the biggest brother is going to be a constant shadow for you for a long time."