Gordon has his turn now.
To Bella Regazza, who is writing the wonderful 'XOXO Your Juliette' (and I hope will update soon!) the hospital bed scene is for you.
####
There's a running joke in this family that I have water in my blood. I can't recall who started it- dad, I think. But whenever I hear it my standard response is, "unlike Scott, who has whisky in his blood!" Cue laughter. Lots of it.
Scott doesn't have a drinking problem, we just pretend that he has. Oh, the mileage we get out of one little shot of Jameson after dinner. "Look out guys, the top's off!" "He's found the secret stash!" He grumbles and gives it the old "For Pete's sake" routine, but if we didn't pull his chain now and then he'd think there was something wrong.
Besides, he'd miss it.
The definition of cliché is something like, hackneyed expression or idea. Meaning done to all death and back a million times over. Yawn. So if I say Scott is my rock, you'll just be thinking "well, that means nothing. That's like saying you were 'devastated' when your favourite vase broke. It's an overcooked statement."
But in this case it's not. A rock is a pretty immoveable object in my humble opinion. When I was in the hospital, Scott planted himself like a rock at my bedside. "I wasn't gonna let you die now, was I kid?" He said in his typical 'what's the big deal' voice, like when he won't accept thanks from people he's saved.
But I know what that accident did to me. I know I was lucky to escape with my life. I've watched old footage of Donald Campbell and Bluebird enough times to know how different it could all have been.
So when I'm operating Thunderbird 4 in the inky depths of the ocean- and lemme tell you, those depths are inky- the pressure of all that water around me can sometimes make me feel just a little bit wary. Then all it takes is for Scott's voice to come through and it's like instant relief. Like he's in there with me. He knows what it's like. He knows what to say. He knows my secret fears, because he's there. He's always there. He's always been there. His eyes, his voice, his strength, his support, his gruff, good-natured acceptance of our ceaseless childish ribbing.
There was never a time in my life when there wasn't my eldest brother, with his tenacious courage, his dogged calm, his refusal to give up, his constant striving to do better- for himself, and for the people around him that he loves.
Water in my blood? Hell, I've got you in my blood, Scott Tracy. And you know what? Gordon Tracy is a damned better man for it.
