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General POV
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Following Dr. Andreessen into a large room, Jeff and Brains looked around. The room was stocked with different types of equipment, and boxes. Dr. Andreessen directed the two men towards the sink and directed them on how to wash their hands to a hospital standard. Jeff pushed up the sleeves of his Tracy Enterprises polo shirt, before stepping up to the sink. After both dads had washed their hands, Dr. Andreessen helped them put on surgical gloves and gave them scrubs to put on over their clothing.
"I apologize for this. But because of hospital policy, I must make absolutely sure that you two are both properly sterile before entering their hospital room. It would not do for your sons to contract an infection." Brains and Jeff nodded at the doctor before they looked at each other chuckling. The scrubs may have been one size fits all, but they certainly didn't fit either man. For Jeff they were correct in leg length, but he wound up tucking the top in to the waist band of his scrub pants, because the top was really long. As for Brains the pants were really long and so was the top.
"Also here are some shoe covers. I will put them on you two…since you are already wearing your gloves. Please have a seat." Jeff grinned slightly at being treated like a small child. The last time he had needed anybody to help him do anything with his shoes; it had been his dad helping him learn to tie his shoestrings when he was five. But the doctor was following hospital protocol. He had to assist the two men in properly dressing in the scrubs. When Jeff and Brains stood up, Jeff gazed over at the clock. They had been preparing for the last 15 minutes.
"Okay. I do believe you are ready. Now I will give you two masks to wear, but I must ask you to refrain from removing them." Jeff and Brains nodded, before following the doctor out of the supply room. Looking around, Jeff noticed his older sons were nowhere to be seen. Following the doctor, Jeff and Brains walked past the family waiting room, and Jeff noticed his sons talking animatedly through the window. It however appeared that his sons didn't recognize him with the scrubs and mask on, because they didn't bat an eye at him.
"Do y-you think they s-s-recognized us Jeff?" Brains spoke quietly. His stuttering had calmed down, and Jeff figured it was nerves allowing him to speak slower. Jeff chuckled before pausing behind the doctor. Dr. Andreessen stood in front of a door, and was inputting a code to unlock the door. A soft beep was heard before the doctor entered the room. He motioned to Jeff and Brains to enter, and he closed the door behind them.
"Jeff, Alan is over there" Dr. Andreessen pointed in the general direction of a cordoned off bed. The curtain had been drawn, and Jeff glanced over his shoulder at the doctor. The doctor must have sensed Jeff's question and he spoke up before Jeff could voice it. "I drew the curtain surrounding your son and Fermat, primarily to offer the boys privacy when they could see you two."
Jeff nodded, and gulped before following the doctor over to Alan's section of the room. Brains had already slipped behind Fermat's curtain and Jeff was nervous about seeing Alan. Would Alan still be mad over the argument he and Jeff had the night of the fire? Sucking in a breath, Jeff slipped in behind the curtain surrounding his son's bed.
"I am going to leave the room, please ring the nurse's station button on the controller when you are ready to leave. I will go let Hiram know also." Jeff nodded at the doctor. Turning slowly he got an up close look at his baby boy. Alan was lying in bed, with his eyes closed. He appeared to be sleeping, but Jeff didn't care. He pulled up the chair that had been left for him by the doctor and sat down. The chair creaked slightly, and Alan opened his blue eyes.
"Hi dad." Alan croaked out a whisper, his throat still sore from the smoke inhalation. Jeff thought that to hear his baby boy speak no matter how rough his voice was, was a beautiful thing. Tears rapidly gathered in his eyes, and Jeff struggled to keep them from overflowing.
"Alan…hey baby." Jeff stood slightly and leaned forward placing a gentle kiss on his son's forehead. As he pulled away Alan lifted his unbroken arm and hooked his dad around the neck, pulling him down for a hug. It was this action that caused the floodgates to open, and before Jeff or Alan knew it both were crying in each other's arms.
"Daddy…I was so scared." Alan whispered quietly so as to not strain his already sore throat. Jeff reached up and gently wiped the tears from Alan's face with his gloved thumb. For a 14 year old boy who normally called his dad "father" to suddenly change the name to daddy, he must have been more than scared.
"I know you were baby. But you are safe now. You are here and you are alive. That is all that matters." Jeff gently placed a finger under his son's chin and lifted his face so that their eyes met. Being careful, Jeff leaned forward and gave his son the hug he had wanted to give since the argument.
Gently pressing Alan's head into his shoulder, Jeff allowed himself to heave a sigh. To be able to hold his baby boy in his arms was something he didn't want to take for granted. Alan was his baby, and was the last thing that had been a connection to his beloved Lucy. When the fire happened, and Alan and Fermat were unable to be located, Jeff thought his heart had simply stopped. Unintentionally, Jeff tightened his hold over Alan's back and immediately released his hold when the boy drew in a sharp breath.
"Ow dad, be careful please. My back is sore from the dressing change." Jeff pulled away from Alan apologizing for causing his son any pain. "It's okay dad. Just don't pat me between my shoulder blades. I have a particularly bad burn there" Jeff nodded, before sitting in comfortable silence with his son in his arms. The quiet father observed his youngest son, and took notice of the lack of clothing on the youth.
"Allie, where is your hospital gown?" Jeff took notice of the blush covering his youngest son's face. Alan cleared his throat gently before speaking. His voice didn't croak, but it certainly didn't feel good speaking.
"It's around my waist. Dr. Andreessen said that with the burns, it would be unbearable to wear any clothing right now and suggested that I drape it over my legs so that I would be decent in case I got any visitors. Are you mad?" Jeff shook his head, before running a gloved finger along his son's warm cheek.
"No Alan. I couldn't be mad. The doctor is just trying to make things comfortable for you." Alan gazed at his dad and even though he wore a mask, the boy could see his dad was smiling. This in turn made Alan manage a smile.
"I love you dad. And…I'm sorry." Alan began to worry his lip and tore his eyes away from his dad's before staring enraptured at his blanketed lap. Jeff's eyes widened at his son's apology.
"What are you apologizing for?" Jeff hooked his finger under Alan's chin again and lifted his head to see tears welling up in his son's sapphire blue eyes.
"For disconnecting the call during your lecture." The tears overflowed from Alan's eyes and Jeff found that to wipe them away only made Alan cry harder. Cupping Alan's cheek, Jeff leaned forward and placed his forehead against his son's. Jeff gently scratched the back of Alan's head, the action offering comfort to the distraught boy.
"Don't apologize for that Allie. You had every right to do it. Granted I wasn't happy about being cut off, but if it prevented the argument from getting worse then it is okay. But Allie, I am sorry too. I should a listened to your side of the story first rather than side with your headmaster right off the bat." Alan nodded and moved his head to rest on his dad's strong shoulder. Jeff resumed the gentle scratching of Alan's head, but slowed his motions when Alan yawned. "Do you mind…telling me in your own words what the note consisted of? I just want to know what the gist of the argument was and who you were arguing with." Alan pulled away from his dad, and looked him straight in the eyes.
Alan had given the appearance that he was going to fib and say something along the lines of 'I don't want to talk about it'. Jeff however had different plans. He knew how to get the information out of his youngest son…the only problem was that Alan might be a bit annoyed. Jeff took his chances…he raised an eyebrow before gazing long and hard at Alan and before long Alan sighed and had decided to inform his dad on the matter of the headmaster's phone call.
"The guy I was arguing with is named Robert Flynn. He was mad, because a group I was with won first place while he took third in a dumb competition that we were forced to take part in." Jeff raised an eyebrow again at his young son's statement. Alan blushed before going on with his explanation. "He wrote a note and passed it to me in class, saying that I had paid the judges to let my group win. I told him he didn't know what he was talking about, and then he started issuing threats at me."
"What kind of threats son?" Jeff felt his heart rate climb slightly. What types of threats had been issued towards his son?
"At first they were just 'watch your back' threats, but when I wrote back that I was not going to take being threatened…he started threatening to beat me up when I was alone. We had been going at it for several days and then the threats escalated to death threats. It was around that time that I basically told him to go to Hell, and a teacher intercepted the note." Alan trailed off. He refused to look his dad in the eye, and Jeff wanted nothing more than to hold his son tightly. The thought that the fire had maybe been intentional crossed his mind.
"What did the headmaster and this Robert Flynn do?" Jeff could feel irritation building…had the headmaster passed off the death threats issued to his son?
"The headmaster read the note that the teacher intercepted from me and Robert, then gave the both of us detention. He informed us that our parents would be hearing about the incident and ordered us to our dorms. I left first, and Robert soon followed." Alan refused to look his dad in the eyes. Jeff's breath caught in his throat. Alan bit his lip before going on. "I made a quick stop to the restroom down the hall from the headmaster's office, and Robert followed me in and told me himself that if I didn't want to die that I would give him what was rightfully his. I ordered him to leave me alone and when I turned my back to use the facilities he grabbed me by the shoulders before dragging me into one of the stalls. He hit me a couple times in the stomach and I fought back. After he kneed me in the stomach, he shoved my head into the toilet."
"Why didn't you go straight to the headmaster after you got beat up?" Jeff was confused…but more than anything he was angry. The headmaster had not said anything about Alan being beaten up.
"I did. He refused to listen. All he saw was a student whose head was dripping wet and no visible bruises. Robert had been smart when he attacked me. He made sure not to hit me with his fists…he used his knees and his feet mostly. He hit me in places that would not be obviously bruised like my back, stomach and chest. Fermat found me shortly after the fight and walked back to the dorms with me. I told him what happened, and he insisted that I tell you. But…I had a feeling you wouldn't hear me out." Jeff felt like crying. He hadn't heard his son when he tried to tell him. Fermat hadn't been in the room at the time, per Alan's request of privacy in discussing things with his dad.
"I'm sorry son. I should have listened to you. I had wondered why you were dripping wet when you answered my call…but I figured you had just got out of the shower." Now that Jeff thought about his statement and the call…Alan had still been in uniform when he answered Jeff's call. Jeff closed his eyes and groaned…Alan had in fact been beaten up and he had failed as a father to make sure his son was okay then.
"It's okay dad. I wasn't exactly forthcoming in admitting that I had been beaten up either." Alan gazed up slightly to gauge his dad's emotions. Cobalt blue eyes met sapphire blue eyes and an understanding seemed to be reached.
"Did anything else happen after our argument?" Jeff inhaled slightly…he wanted his son to know that now he was all ears. He would listen to what his son had to say.
"Yeah, Robert confronted me after dinner outside the dorms. He asked if I was ready to admit blame and tell the judges that my group cheated, but he quickly became angry when I refused. Needless to say I didn't get to keep my dinner for very long." At Jeff's raised eyebrow, Alan sighed. "He kneed me in the gut again after wrestling me to the ground and caused me to throw up my dinner; and while I was on my knees leaning into the bushes, he issued another death threat. I retired to bed shortly after I threw up, hoping the pain would stop. When I woke up, the room was on fire and Fermat was dragging me to the bathroom and shoving me into the shower." Alan's eyes misted at the memory of the fire. As tears slowly made their way down Alan's cheeks, Jeff was quick to wipe them away and comfort his son.
"It's okay…don't cry. I'm here. You are safe now. Nobody can hurt you again." Jeff gently pulled his son into his arms and rocked him slightly. Alan cried in relief that he was alive, to be able to apologize to his dad for the argument, to tell him he loved him and to tell him about the threats. Alan lifted his unbroken arm and gingerly wrapped it around his dad's back. He buried his face into his dad's chest and tried to combat sleep. Jeff gently ran his fingers through Alan's hair, trying to relax his son enough so that he might sleep.
As Jeff sat and comforted his son again, he also took comfort that his son had forgiven him for his jumping to conclusions. Jeff heard a door open, and the curtain pulled back slightly to reveal Dr. Andreessen carrying a bag of clear fluids and a syringe. The doctor smiled at seeing the half asleep teenager in his dad's arms.
"I'm sorry. It is time for Alan's pain medication and a new bag of antibiotics for his IV. Don't mind me; I will be out of your hair shortly." When Jeff nodded at the doctor, acknowledging that he heard him the doctor went about exchanging the empty bag of fluids for a fresh bag, and injected a shot into a port for Alan's IV. As soon as he was finished Jeff nodded at him again, before returning his attention to his youngest son.
"Tired Allie?" Jeff gently scratched the back of Alan's head and grinned when the boy shivered slightly. Alan had always shivered when a sensitive spot at the base of his skull was scratched…Gordon had joked that if Alan was a dog that would be the spot to make him scratch at the air. Jeff frowned slightly when Alan shook his head.
"Please don't leave me dad. I don't want the nightmares to come back." Gazing up at his dad, Jeff was able to see that Alan's blue eyes shone with a fear that Jeff had not seen since the family lived in Kansas. The last time he had seen that kind of fear, he had found Virgil and Gordon hiding with Alan in the broom closet after a tornado touched down. Jeff reflected on that day and what happened.
*Flashback*
Scott and John were staying the night at a friend's house and Jeff was at work when the younger three got home from school. A strong tornado touched down before the tornado siren went off. From what Virgil and Gordon said they were in the kitchen doing homework, and Alan was napping in the living room. When the power had gone out, Virgil noticed how close the funnel cloud was and grabbed his two younger brothers before slipping into the broom closet.
Jeff had been terrified when the siren had gone off then. Virgil had called only an hour before to say he and his younger brothers were home. As soon as the all clear had been given, Jeff rushed home to find the roof metal had been peeled open like a can of sardines. Checking the storm cellar first, Jeff had cried when he couldn't find his boys. He had rushed into the house and found a bunch of debris from the ceiling on the floor. Gazing upwards he could see the slightly cloudy sky. Searching frantically, he thought his heart would stop beating when he heard three sobs come from the broom closet. Prying the door open he found his three youngest sons huddled together crying. He had never been so happy to see them with nary a scratch, but it broke Jeff's heart to see the fear in his son's eyes especially in the then five year old Alan. The boy looked so much like his mother except for the eyes.
*End Flashback*
To see the mounting fear in his eyes is what made Jeff decide to go about purchasing the island…no matter how long it took. But to see the same level of fear in Alan's eyes now was unsettling. Jeff continued the gentle scratching of the back of Alan's head, and convinced the boy to lie back in his bed.
"Why don't you lie down for a bit baby? You might feel better after a nap, and I will be here to wake you should a nightmare happen." Alan gazed into his father's blue eyes much like his own and nodded, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. Jeff sat by and kept a watch over his youngest son, and after an hour Alan began to stir.
"Hey son, how'd you sleep?" Jeff murmured to his barely awake son, and bleary blue eyes opened before closing quickly. Blinking several times to allow his eyes to adjust to the mild lighting, Alan released a soft yawn before answering his father's question.
"Better than I did last night, I can say that much is certain." Alan and Jeff sat in companionable silence for a few moments. The two couldn't help but to chuckle when Alan's stomach growled quietly.
"Well, it's nice to hear you are hungry." Jeff ran his fingers through Alan's blonde hair before settling on scratching at the base of Alan's skull again. When the boy shivered much like how he had earlier, Jeff couldn't help but to smile. He had missed spending time like this with his youngest son. Granted, he shouldn't be spending time with his son at a hospital…it should be back at home. Most of the time, they were either arguing, or he and his older sons were on a rescue while Alan remained on the island or Alan was in school in a different time zone.
"Dad?" Jeff slowed his ministrations at the base of Alan's head in favor of glancing at the young teenager. Alan was slightly reclined in his bed, craning his neck so he could look at his dad without dislodging the comforting strokes to the base of his skull. His blue eyes were relaxed but concern was evident in his sapphire blue orbs.
"Yes son? Are you feeling okay?" Jeff moved his hand from the back of Alan's head to gently stroke Alan's cheek. The boy's face felt warm, but Jeff didn't know if it was a fever or if it was heat that had been retained from racing through the school fire. Jeff hoped it was just nothing, but a nagging voice in the back of his mind told him he should bring it up to Alan's doctor.
"How are you and the guys holding up?" Jeff's eyes widened. It was not like Alan to make his concerns known. Sure the boy had a caring heart, but the boy on occasions viewed the love he had for his family as a weakness. Jeff grinned lightly before leaning forward to speak with his son.
"We're doing okay son. Your brothers and I have been so worried." Alan gazed at his dad as he spoke. Biting his lip, Alan focused again on his dad. The man's gentle blue eyes glowed with love and relief, but Alan could clearly see the worry and fear that screamed out to him.
"How bad?" Alan managed to croak his question out, his throat felt parched, but he didn't have anything to drink. Alan watched his dad's eyebrows knit together in confusion at his question. Hoping he wouldn't have to repeat himself, Alan gazed into his father's eyes trying to convey the words he felt unable to speak to him.
Jeff sighed. He understood what his son was trying to ask him, but he was afraid to say it out loud. It would make it real, too real in fact. The truth was that Alan had been on life support for the first 24 hours of his stay in the hospital, primarily because his airway was so raw from being burned. Then there was the fact that to assist Alan with breathing, the doctor had kept him on a ventilator for an additional 7 hours or until he got out of surgery. Alan had to have his broken arm repaired and required 8 pins and 1 plate. Jeff didn't know how to say that for three days, he had been convinced that his baby boy was lost to him. The family had not been told anything on Alan's condition for those three days. Only after Alan had been transferred to this private room in the burn unit had they been told anything. Jeff shook off the feelings that were consuming his thoughts. Breathing deeply through his nose to try to stop the tears, Jeff began to speak.
"It was really bad Allie. I…I was afraid; afraid…that I had lost you. For three days…I hadn't heard whether…whether you were alive…or dead." Jeff whispered the last two words. His voice cracked, and Jeff concentrated on not crying again. He had to be strong for his youngest son. Sniffling, Jeff gazed at his youngest just to see that Alan was in the same boat as himself. Alan leaned up slightly and wrapped his unbroken arm around Jeff's neck again, pulling him to sit on the bed rather than stand beside it.
"I'm sorry daddy. I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for causing you so much worry!" Alan's voice cracked as he whispered brokenly into his father's shoulder. Jeff could feel the quivering in his son's shoulders. It became obvious that the boy was crying and in order to hide his tears…had embraced his father. Jeff returned the embrace, pausing to check if he was near any of Alan's burns before patting the boy gently on the back.
"It's okay son. Please don't cry. You're safe now. You are in my arms, and I won't let go." Jeff murmured to his son, willing himself not to break down and cry in his son's arms for a second time in one day.
"But…what if…" Jeff silenced his son's words with a finger to his mouth. He didn't want to hear the words 'what if I hadn't been saved' that echoed in his head spoken by his son.
"But nothing…you are safe now. You are alive and you will make a full recovery." Jeff pulled back from his gentle but firm hug with his son and ran his thumb under Alan's eyes, chasing away his tears. Alan's sad face slowly became a soft smiling one, and Jeff smiled too even though he knew Alan couldn't see from behind his mask. Jeff changed the subject in order to alleviate his youngest son's tears and fears. "So, are you ready to see your brothers? I know they probably want to make sure you are okay. It's been a little over an hour since I saw them last and they are probably busting at the seams." The change of topic seemed to brighten Alan's mood.
"Yeah, I wish I could talk to them though. I want to hear their voices again. But mostly I want to have them close by." Jeff ruffled Alan's hair gently, before reaching around Alan and pressing the button to page Dr. Andreessen at the nurse's station.
"Well, just give it time son. The doctor only allowed me and Brains to visit if we came in cognito…or didn't you notice the funny wardrobe your old man is sporting?" Jeff motioned down at his recently acquired wardrobe and Alan bubbled with laughter at the sight.
"What are you wearing?" Jeff smiled at Alan's incredulous tone of voice. It lifted Jeff's spirits to hear his son laugh again. Three days…it had been far too long to have not heard anything from his son. Jeff took pleasure in his situation. It was okay if he was the brunt of the humor…anything to see and hear his son laugh or smile again.
"I am wearing scrubs. The hospital had a policy that I had to wear this attire if I was to visit you. Trust me; it is well worth it looking like a clown." Jeff smiled when his youngest son continued to laugh. It had appeared that Alan had been so distraught earlier that he had failed to notice his dad's wardrobe.
"That's a good look for you dad. I think you should wear it more often." Alan managed to get his laughter under control briefly…but his laughter reignited when Dr. Andreessen came walking in.
"Okay Jeff…I will pretend I didn't just hear that insult to doctors everywhere. Something about scrubs making us look like clowns?" Jeff shrugged his shoulders while crossing his eyes at his son Alan. The action made by Jeff coupled with Dr. Andreessen's words succeeded in making Alan lose his composure and laugh again. While Alan was otherwise distracted, Jeff turned to the doctor to speak with him.
"Alan would like to see his brothers, if that is okay." Jeff worried his lip. He didn't want to make his youngest son uncomfortable if he left, but he didn't want to hog all the time with his son when his brothers were probably just dying to see Alan was okay…for the most part.
"Sure…I can go get them. But they will have to remain in the hall." Jeff nodded his head at the doctor's words. He knew he was probably pushing it, but he hoped the doctor would hear his request and grant it.
"Would it be permissible if I allowed Alan to talk to his brother's on my cell phone? I would keep it in my pocket but have it on speaker phone, so Alan wouldn't come into contact with it." The doctor closed his eyes as if in deep thought. Jeff hoped that the doctor granted the request. It might offer Alan some comfort if he could actually talk to his brothers.
"Technically I am not supposed to allow it, but Alan is on antibiotics to ward off any secondary infections. I don't suppose there would be any harm. But he is not permitted to touch the phone. As long as you keep it on you, I will allow it." Jeff's face broke into a wide smile. The doctor could see how happy he had just made the father even beyond the mask.
"I will." Jeff gazed over at Alan. The boy was still trying to get his laughter under control. Jeff was wondering why Alan seemed to have uncontrollable laughter…then he remembered that the doctor had come in an hour prior to give Alan some pain medicine.
"Well then. I will go get your sons, but do you want me to tell them of the phone call or do you wish to surprise them? After all it is the Christmas holiday soon." The doctor stepped away from the boy and his dad.
"I think you should leave it a surprise. But please, could you knock on the door when they are outside. Also…what did you give Alan? He has never laughed this much before." Jeff raised an eyebrow when Alan lost his composure again and began laughing yet again.
"I gave him some Oxycodone. Laughter is not usually a prevalent side effect, but it has been known to happen on some occasions." The doctor and Jeff both watched as Alan struggled to get his laughter under control again, before managing to succeed.
The doctor shook his head in amusement at Alan. Before he left Dr. Andreessen couldn't resist asking Alan a not so serious question…in truth it was a dumb joke Dr. McNulty had told him and Dr. Andreessen wanted to see if Alan laughed at it or keep his composure. If he laughed then it just proved that Alan was drunk on the pain meds…however if he didn't laugh then it just proved that Alan just felt like laughing earlier.
"Okay Alan. I have a question I want to ask you. Care to answer it for me?" Dr. Andreessen hated this joke. Dr. McNulty had told it to him and some of their coworkers, and he thought it was hilarious…Dr. Andreessen though just cringed at the thought. He had always claimed that he had been born without a sense of humor.
"Okay Doc. Shoot." Alan had a serious look on his face, and smiled earnestly at his physician.
"Can you tell me why you shouldn't try to write with a broken pencil?" Dr. Andreessen asked the question with a total straight face to gauge Alan's reaction. Alan lie in bed and just shot the doctor a perplexed look.
"I don't know…Why shouldn't you try writing with a broken pencil?" Alan asked the question back to the doctor. Confusion was clearly written all over his face. Jeff raised an eyebrow at the interaction. 'What is the doctor doing?'
"Because it is pointless." The reaction that the doctor received from Alan was one like he thought would happen. At first it had appeared that Alan wouldn't laugh, and then he cracked a smile. Slowly laughter bubbled up from Alan's chest and before either Jeff or Dr. Andreessen knew it, Alan was again struggling to breath with uncontrollable laughter. Thankfully the oxygen mask he wore, supplied him with air to breath. Jeff turned to look at the doctor, but his eyes widened when he noticed the door to Alan's hospital room shutting.
"Oh you are so lucky Alan is otherwise distracted." Jeff mumbled under his breath, a smile on his face at seeing his youngest son change from strong laughter to giggles. Jeff shook his head as he soon began laughing as well. Alan's laughter could be infectious at times, and right now Jeff owed it to his son and himself to relax and laugh.