"I'm so sorry baby sister. It's my job to protect you and I failed."
Virgil is woken up slightly by his oldest brother speaking to Virginia. He listens trying to make sense of what he is saying but soon falls back to sleep when Scott goes silent. Virgil is fully awoken when Scott speaks again, he instantly becomes concerned. It is not words in particular that wake him up and concern him, but rather the sound. Scott sounds raspy, like he is getting sick again.
"Scott, are you ok?" He asks sleepily.
"What do you mean Virge?"
"I mean you sound like you are getting sick again and frankly you don't look to hot." Scott's eyes are glassy and his face is flushed. About a month ago he came down with a bad case pneumonia. We tried to treat him on the island, but ended up having to "employ" thunderbird two when his fever spiked over 104 and he lost consciousness. When this latest call went out he had barely been cleared for light duty, thus why Virginia was piloting thunderbird one. "Are you feeling ok Scott?"
"Virge I feel fine. Its Gina we need to worry about."
"No, Scott. You heard what the doctor said when they brought her in here. He said that once her lungs are healed enough they can take her off the vent, they managed to stop the internal bleeding, and her leg was not nearly as bad as they thought it was going to be. She is going to be fine, Scott. How about when dad gets back, or when Penny gets here with Alan we go down to emergency and get you checked out?"
"Virge, I'm Fine…"
"Don't lie to me Scott. A blind person can see that you are not only getting sick, but feeling sick as well. I don't know about you, but I don't want another hospital bed to sit next to later. Trust me Scott, Virginia is not going anywhere. The only things keeping her down now are the collapsed lungs and the blood loss. She is going to be fine."
"Fine, I'll go" Scott says unwillingly.
Around an hour of sitting in comfortable silence Jeff and Gordon come into the room.
"Hey boys, how is she?" Jeff asks.
"No change yet dad. How are things going with the cleanup and Thunderbird One?"
"We managed to get the ship uncovered but we will need to move it to a local hangar to conduct repairs. We have agents flying in to help with the repairs and guarding it… Remind me that when this mess is over to thank the locals somehow. They have been a real help with this situation and keeping it under wraps as much as possible."
"Will do dad" says Virgil. "Umm would you mind sitting with Gina for a while?"
"Of course not Virgil. Why what's up?"
"Virgil don't" Scott says.
"Dad I think all of this is making Scott sick again."
Scott lets out an exasperated breath and puts his head in his hands.
"Is that true Scott? Are you feeling sick again?" Jeff walks over and squats in front of Scott's chair and pulls his hands away from his face, and for the first time notices how he looks. He sees that Scott is pale, with a feverish pink in his cheeks and glassy eyes, accompanied by a miserable expression. "Come on Scooter, tell me."
Scott looks into his dad's eyes and begrudgingly nods. Jeff then turns to Virgil. "I'll stay with Gina. I want you to go with Scott and make sure he gets checked out down in emergency. We don't want to have a repeat of a month ago.
"Sure thing dad. Come on Scott."
As the two boys head downstairs Jeff takes a seat on Virginia's bed next to her right leg.
"Gina is your dad. Listen baby I need you to open those big brown eyes of yours. The doctors say you're going to be fine, but baby I need some reassurance. Please open those eyes for your old man." Jeff reaches down and picks up her hand. "Please baby. We all need you to. But mainly Scott. The stress from all of this is making him sick again. Please baby open your eyes."
