Disclaimer – I own nothing.
To Helen Williams(Guest) – Thank you so much for your review! My sister and Mom are both nurses, my sister works in the operating room. I get a lot of my medical information from them. Alan's recovery will be starting in this chapter.
To Dierengek01 – Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you are enjoying this story and don't have much a problem with torture. I was a little nervous that I might have been going to far. Hope you continue to enjoy the story.
To Sueemm – Thank you so much for your review! So glad you are enjoying the story and hope you continue to like the rest of it!
To MajaTerese03 – Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you are liking the story and enjoy my writing! If the notifications are still continuing to be a problem, you should probably contact the help site and see if they can fix it. Hope you like this new chapter!
To Mimimum – Thank you so much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! Your question will be answered in this chapter. Hope you like it!
To code92hopeful – Thank you so much for your review! Though I do enjoy torturing characters, I know that desperation to have them rescued, so I try not to draw it out longer than necessary. I'm glad you are enjoying the story! Hope you like the rest of it!
To Stormyskies89 – Thank you so much for your review! Yeah, it's going to take a while for Alan to recover from everything. Hope you like the rest of the story!
To Guest – Thank you so much for your review! Glad you are enjoying the story! Here's the next chapter.
AN – And I'm back! And so is John, Virgil, and Gordon! Sorry this chapter was a little later than usual, I've been a bit busy. Reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome!
Enjoy!
The minute Jeff contacted the island to let them know that Alan had been found and was being brought to the hospital, John, Virgil, and Gordon immediately rushed to Washington as fast as they could. Even when they arrived at the hospital, they ran through the parking lot at top speed. They would've run through every hallway on every floor of the hospital to find their youngest brother, but luckily, their father was waiting for them near the entrance.
"Dad! How's Alan?" Gordon asked, running up to his father, his older brothers right on his tail.
"Is he okay?" Virgil asked over top of Gordon.
"Where's Alan?" John questioned before Virgil could even finish speaking. Jeff then made a gesture with his hands, telling them to quiet down.
"Alan's in surgery right now. The doctor was optimistic, but we don't know the extent of his condition yet." Jeff explained, but the worried look in his eyes didn't do anything to calm down his three sons.
"What about the Hood? Did the FBI get him?" John wondered, hating the idea that the man who had caused their family, especially the youngest member so much pain was still free. Jeff nodded.
"Yes. He, Mullion, and Transom were all arrested and are being dealt with. Penny is also having some MI6 agents flying over to help out with them. Come on, we can talk more in the private waiting room the hospital staff set up for us." Jeff told them, then started walking towards the elevators with his sons following him.
When the elevator stopped at one of the top floors, they all got off and continued following their father to the waiting room. As soon as they got there, they saw Scott sitting on one of the sofas that filled the room. There was also a mini fridge and a cot in the room, but not much else. The minute the door was closed, the three newcomers turned to face their father.
"Did the doctors say anything else about Alan?" Virgil directed the question to their Dad. Before Jeff could respond though, Scott spoke up.
"He has a broken wrist, and they think a few broken fingers. He had also been stabbed in his hand, and all of his fingernails on his left hand were ripped off." Scott's voice sounded a mix of exhaustion and horror, like he was still struggling to process what the medics had all said in the ambulance and what he had seen for himself.
If he had been looking at his younger brother's faces, he would've seen the complete fear and horror his revelation had just caused them, but he didn't. He was staring at the ground, unaware of exactly what he said and how he said it. Gordon and Virgil stared at the oldest sibling while John actually went over and sat down beside Scott.
"Allie's tough. He'll be alright." John directed his assurance to Scott, though he did also look at his other two brothers, trying to assure them as well.
When the brunette didn't respond, John put his hand on Scott's shoulder, effectively getting his attention. Scott looked around the room, finally seeming to notice who was now in the room and what he had just said. Seeing the terrified looks on Virgil's and Gordon's faces, he immediately apologized.
"Sorry, I'm sorry. John's right, Alan will be okay. The paramedics and the doctors didn't seem overly worried." Scott said earnestly, trying to make up for what he told them. Gordon didn't look to convinced, but Virgil seemed to be thinking it over.
Being the medic of the family, Virgil thought about the injuries Scott had listed. A broken wrist and broken fingers were considered easy and simple surgeries, though it depended on what kind of a break they were dealing with and how exactly it was caused. Like, if a bullet had broken the bone and got stuck inside, that surgery would take longer then if someone fell and the bone just need to be put back in place. It would also depend if metal plates had to be inserted or not.
Missing fingernails wouldn't even need surgery, unless something got stuck in one of the fingers and had to be taken out. Or if there was an infection that needed to be drained, but that would be dealt with antibiotics and an IV hook up to drain it. A stab wound in the hand however, would depend which part of the hand it entered, if there was a major vein or artery hit, or if it had hit and broke a bone. As Virgil listed all of the scenarios in his head, he quickly did the math then turned to face Jeff.
"How long as he been in surgery?" Virgil asked his Dad, knowing roughly how long it would take it to fix Alan's injuries. If it was longer than what it should be, then he knew that there were other injuries or issues that they didn't know about yet.
Jeff glanced down at his watch before answering, "About, four and a half hours."
That settled it. There was definitely something else that was happening with his youngest brother. However, there wasn't anything any of them good do right now but wait. So Virgil went over and sat down on the sofa beside the one John and Scott were sitting on. Gordon followed in suit while their Dad sat down in the chair beside the door, waiting for a doctor or nurse to come in and let them know what was going on with Alan.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
It wasn't long after John, Virgil, and Gordon had arrived at the hospital, no more than half an hour, when the door to the waiting room opened and a middle-aged woman with brown hair pulled into a bun and wearing scrubs came inside.
"Mr. Tracy?" She said as everyone looked at her. Jeff came to stand in front of her and she lifted her hand to shake the Tracy patriarch's as she introduced herself, "I'm Dr. Alyse Davis. I'm the doctor taking care of your son."
"How is he? Is he going to be okay?" Jeff immediately demanded with a worried filled tone.
She smiled sympathetically, then glanced at the sofas in the room as she said, "Why don't we sit down?"
Though the worry and fear the five Tracy family members were feeling was growing with every passing second, they all sat down on the sofas that were in the waiting room, instinctively leaning forward so they could hear the doctor clearly. Dr. Davis waited until they were settled before she spoke.
"First off, your son is stable and will make a complete recovery." The sighs of relief were clear and audible. Again, she waited, this time for the family to process what she just told them, then continued, "His left wrist was broken, along with his index and middle fingers on his right hand. Five of his ribs were also broken, two on his right side, three on his left, and his kneecap is cracked. We have set the broken bones, put a cast on his wrist, metal splints on his fingers and wrapped his ribs. He will have to wear a brace on his knee while his kneecap heals, and he will have to do some physical therapy for his wrist, but he will heal from that."
"We also, of course, removed the knife from his left hand. Luckily, it didn't hit any bones, but since the knife went right through and his wrist is broken, he's going to have to be very careful with that hand. His fingernails will grow back, though it will take a couple of weeks during which, again, he will have to be careful and not get them caught in anything and keep them covered. He also has a concussion due to several punches to the head and will need lots of rest." Dr. Davis explained, trying to stress that despite how terrible it was to hear of how injured the young teenager was and knowing the reason why, that he would ultimately be okay.
With every injury Alyse listed, she could see the faces of her patient's family become paler and paler, despite her assurance that Alan would make a complete recovery. While she wished she could end her list now, she had four more things to add.
"Alan also has developed an infection due to the knife in his hand. It doesn't appear to be extremely serious, but he does have a fever and we are keeping him in observation until it clears up. Now, the drugs that he had been injected with appear to have already left his system. I talked to the doctors who were in charge of the lab that they were taken from and they confirm that it shouldn't have any long term affects. He is also malnourished and dehydrated, but we are taking care of that through an IV until he wakes up and can eat and drink himself. I know this sounds like a lot, but I have full confidence that your son will make a complete recovery." The doctor finally finished.
The Tracy men were still struggling to come to terms with everything Alan had apparently gone through and still was going through when Dr. Davis asked them if they wanted to see the teenager. In somewhat of a stunned daze, the family followed her towards a hospital room that had an armed FBI agent standing outside, making sure that no one threat would make its way into the room. Jeff quickly explained his presence to his sons before they went inside.
As each and every member entered the room, they were all stunned at how small and fragile and hurt Alan looked lying on the hospital bed. It was harder for John, Virgil, and Gordon since they hadn't seen their little brother in the warehouse, all bloody and tied to a metal chair with a knife sticking out of his hand, but the sight of him in a hospital bed, unconscious, pale skin but with red cheeks, and tubes sticking out of his arms was still hard for Jeff and Scott.
Slowly, the five Tracy's moved to surround the bed. For a moment, they stood in silence before Jeff pulled a chair that was sitting against the wall over to the bed and sat down, gently laying his hand over Alan's right hand. Since there was an IV in that hand, Jeff didn't dare grip it, just in case he accidentally dislodged the needle or hurt his son.
"When will he wake up?" Gordon asked the doctor, looking at her over his shoulder. He hoped the answer was soon. The sight of his little brother, so full of life and light, energetic and fun now unconscious and still, unnerved him. His partner in crime was never so still.
Dr. Davis, who had been standing by the door then came over to them and said, "He will most likely float in and out of consciousness for the next couple of days. He is sleeping through the sedative we gave him before we brought him in for surgery, and the painkillers he's on are also somewhat keeping him under. Due to his fever though, he most likely won't be fully aware of what's going on. As soon as the infection and fever are gone, we'll slowly start weaning him off the pain meds, and then we will be able to release him."
All the conscious Tracy's nodded, letting her know that they heard her, but didn't say anything.
"The waiting room you were in before is all yours if any of you want to get some sleep but don't want to leave the hospital." Dr. Davis informed them.
"Thank you doctor." Jeff replied. With a promise to check in later, she left the family alone while she went back to work.
For the rest of the night, the five Tracy members all took their spots around the room, mostly around the bed where the sixth and youngest member was currently lying, still fast asleep. Well, unconscious was more like it. Scott was sitting in a chair on the other side of Alan's bed, John was standing against the window, looking at the bed, Virgil was sitting in a chair near the foot of the bed while Gordon actually sat on the bed by Alan's feet, arms wrapped around his legs. They waited in silence for any sign of Alan waking up, but when the sun started to rise, Jeff looked at his other sons. They were all still awake, but from the looks of it, it wouldn't be long before they finally succumbed to exhaustion.
He knew he was exhausted, and he knew Scott was too. The last four days, they would spend their days at the FBI, early mornings and late nights, trying to find Alan. And when they did finally go to the hotel, neither of them got much sleep. It was almost impossible to get any rest while consumed with the knowledge that Alan was being held hostage by the Hood. From the dark circles under John's, Virgil's, and Gordon's eyes, and the yawns that they tried to cover, it wasn't any easier to get any sleep at Tracy Island.
"You boys should go get some sleep. It's been a long couple of days, and they aren't going to be getting any shorter any time soon. You all need your rest." Jeff stated, looking at his sons.
"You're one to talk Dad. You're probably more tired than the rest of us." Scott pointed out.
"Still, you boys need some sleep. Why don't you all go to the waiting room and get a couple of hours of sleep?" Jeff suggested. With everything that happened and was happening with Alan, the last thing he need was his other sons getting sick from exhaustion.
"Dad, if anyone should be getting any sleep, it should be you and Scott. You two are the ones who have been the most busy. We didn't get any calls for rescues or anything, we have more energy than you." John replied. He didn't mention that his two younger brothers that were on the island with him didn't get much sleep, but despite that, they hadn't been burning off energy like their oldest brother and their father.
"I'm not leaving." Scott declared, shooting John a small glare before turning his gaze back to Alan. Logically, he knew that his immediate younger brother was right and that he had a point, but there was no way he was leaving his baby brother alone. Not until Alan himself woke up and told them that he was okay.
As if the youngest somehow knew what the oldest was thinking, everyone in the room heard a small groan coming from the figure laying in the bed. Immediately, all attention turned to the teenager who was now slowly moving his head.
"Alan? Allie, can you open your eyes?" Jeff asked gently. He lifted his hand and went to lay it on his baby's head, but the minute he touched Alan, the blonde was turning his head away, almost like he was flinching. Jeff immediately stopped, stunned at his son's reaction.
"Sprout, are you awake?" Scott wondered. Alan's only answer was a quiet moan and the turning of his head away from Scott, just like he had done with his father only moments earlier. Then, he fell silent and his breathing evened out again. He had fallen back asleep.
With a sigh, Jeff leaned back in his chair and resumed his watch on his youngest son, as did his other sons. He didn't bring up their earlier conversation of sleep as he now knew that with Alan's near-waking up, they wouldn't be leaving, just in case he did fully wake up. The father still believed that his four oldest sons should get some sleep, but for now, he wouldn't push it. For now, they just sat and waited.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Like Dr. Davis said, Alan drifted in and out of consciousness. There would be times he would move his head or one of his hands, he'd groan, sometimes he'd mumble incoherently. Every now and then he'd open his eyes, but he never responded to their voices when they tried to get his attention. The times when his eyes did open, they were completely dazed with fever, clearly telling them that he wasn't aware of what was going on. At least, not fully.
Dr. Davis assured them that it was normal, as he still had a high fever and was on the painkillers and antibiotics, but they still worried every time he pulled away from them when he was awake. Luckily though, his fever was going down and the doctor said that his infection was starting to clear up. It wouldn't be long before he become coherent.
During this time, the family moved in shifts. At least two or three of them would be in the hospital room with Alan while the rest was either getting some sleep in the waiting room, or getting food, or contacting the island and keeping them up to date. Fermat and Tin-Tin both wanted to come see their friend but their parents, and Jeff told them no. They didn't want the two other teenagers to see Alan in the hospital looking so vulnerable and they weren't sure of how Alan would react when he woke up with a huge group of people around him. So just his family stayed with him for now while IR was put out of commission until the teenager recovered.
Five days after Alan was rescued, Scott, Gordon, and Virgil were in the room with Alan while John was getting some sleep and their Dad was making some calls. He wanted to keep up to date with what was going on with the Hood and how the FBI and MI6 were going to proceed given that he now had more charges brought against him and what to tell the press since Alan's kidnapping was made public. Only Virgil and Gordon were awake in the room though.
Scott had fallen asleep the chair by Alan's bed only about an hour after he came in. It was his turn to get some sleep last night, but they knew he probably only got an hour or two, three at most. Being the oldest sibling had that effect on a person. They were more responsible in personality (usually), and felt that need to take care of the younger siblings much more strongly than the others would. And given that Scott had spent his early teenagers years to young adulthood being a pseudo parent, he felt the responsibility of a parent mixed in with his oldest brother responsibility, especially when is came to Alan, as he was the youngest and the one that Scott practically raised after their mother's death.
Knowing that their older brother needed some sleep, Virgil and Gordon kept quiet so they wouldn't wake him. They were both happy to see him getting some rest, even if it wasn't in the most comfortable position. From the way Scott's head was lying on his shoulder, they both knew he would have a painful crick in his neck when he woke up. Neither of them spoke, both using Scott's sleeping form as an excuse. Ever since their fight five days ago, they barely said a word to each other, though they both wanted too. They just didn't know what to say.
Eventually, it was Gordon who broke the silence. Everyone who knew him knew he wasn't a fan of silence, nor was he a fan of sitting around doing nothing. That fact that he was doing both and had been for three days was really starting to get to him.
"Virg, I'm sorry, about what I said. For calling you a robot and saying you didn't care. I was just, freaked out, and upset you weren't freaking out. I keep forgetting that you're not usually one to freak out. You react differently." Gordon said, his head slightly bowed in shame. Admitting he was wrong and apologizing, especially when it was sincere, wasn't something he was overly fond of doing.
"I know. It's okay. I'm sorry too, for getting so mad." Virgil replied, putting his arm around the redhead's shoulders.
"You had every right to be mad." Gordon easily excused the medic's behavior. With how he had been acting and with what he said, he deserved to get yelled at. The two didn't say anything for a moment, easily going back into the silence they were in before, though a much less awkward one.
"It's about d*mn time." The two jumped at the sound of Scott's voice. They looked over and saw his blue eyes cracking open as he gave them a half smile.
He hadn't really fallen asleep, though he had been close when he heard his younger brothers talking. He was fully aware that they hadn't been on speaking terms since they had their fight and he was grateful that they finally got their heads back on straight. Gordon opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, a low groan coming from the figure on the bed caught their attention.
Alan was turning his head a little before he opened his baby blue eyes. This time however, they were far more alert than they had been any other time, though there was still some confusion in them. Scott immediately laid his hand on Alan's arm, just above his cast while Gordon went over to the blonde's other side and Virgil went to go get their Dad, John, and the doctor.
"Alan? Can you hear me?" Scott asked, hoping that since one of the nurses had told them that his fever had gone down considerably that he was fully awake and alert this time.
Alan slowly turned his head, seeing Scott sitting beside him. Very slowly, he nodded. He regretted it though when he felt his head start to throb in protest to the movement. He closed his eyes instinctively, but they flew open when he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he jerked it away, his thoughts whispering, don't let them touch, it will hurt, touching causes pain.
A part of Alan knew that his thoughts were wrong. He remembered that it was because of the drug Transom had given him, that it was just some terrible hallucinations, but that part of him wasn't in control. What was in control, was the fear and determination that had taken over while he was with the Hood. And that part of him was saying, don't say anything and don't let them touch you.
Alan could see Scott's face take on a worried and confused expression before he lowered his hand onto his lap instead. But the door to the room flew open before he could say anything about it. Suddenly, his Dad was there, right by Scott, though closer to the bed. Then John, though he walked around to the other side of the bed. Then Virgil, then a lady that Alan didn't recognize, wearing a white lab coat over top a pair of dark blue scrubs. Alan tensed when he saw her.
"Hello Alan, nice to see you awake and alert." The lady, whom Alan assumed was a doctor, said with a bright smile. Alan didn't relax though.
"My name is Dr. Alyse Davis. I'm the one who operated on you to help you get better." She explained, quickly spotting the tension in her patient's body and the guarded expression in his eyes.
"Now, I just need to ask you a few questions, if that's alright." Alan waited for her questions, but soon realized that she was waiting for permission. Again, very slowly, Alan nodded, giving her permission to ask.
"What is your full name?" Dr. Davis asked. Don't say anything, the voice inside Alan's head reminded him, though now he was confused. This question didn't seem so bad, like could hurt anyone. Besides, his family was here, surely they would've told her what his name was. What was the harm in answering her?
"Alan Shepherd Tracy." Alan's voice was little more than a croak, most likely because of dryness and disuse.
Then, the was a cup in front of him. Alan's eyes followed the hand that was holding it to see Virgil standing by his head on his right side. The teenager lifted his head and took a few sips, before lowering it back down on the pillow.
"Better?" Dr. Davis wondered. She had been about to go grab the cup of water herself when one of Jeff Tracy's sons beat her to it. She waited until she saw Alan nod before she resumed her asking her questions.
"Do you know who just gave you a drink of water?" She made the questions fairly simple. The only reason she was asking was to see how much Alan's concussion was affecting him and his memory. After three days of rest, she was hoping it would be a lot better than if he had been alert enough for her to ask on the day he arrived. Alan gave her the same look as before when she asked for his name. A look that seemed to say, why are you asking me that.
But just like before, he answered, "Virgil, my brother."
After asking a few more simple questions, Alyse decided to move on to a more challenging one, "Do you remember what happened to you?"
Alan stared hard at here, immediately tensing up again. He had somewhat relaxed over the last few minutes, but now he most definitely was not. Alyse knew that meant he at least remembered some of it. She waited for an answer, but Alan didn't speak again. He turned his head away, then gave a small nod that she could barely see.
"It's alright Alan. You're safe now. Why don't you get some more rest and we can talk later, when you're feeling better?" Dr. Davis suggested. The blonde again, kept silent, but this time, he didn't even nod. She couldn't blame him though.
It wasn't the first time she had taken care of an adolescent who had been abused and just like the rest of them, he did not want to talk about any of it whatsoever. Just as she turned to talk to the boy's father, she saw one of the brothers, Scott, she believed, put his hand on Alan's shoulder. Alan however, immediately shrugged it off and curled up more, getting a little further away from him. Then he closed his eyes and fell back asleep.
"What's going on with him?" Jeff demanded in a quiet tone, so not to disturb his youngest. Over the last few days, Alan had somewhat turned away from anyone who tried to comfort him, but they figured it was the result of the fever and drugs, trapping him in memories of being beaten. Now that he was awake and knew that he was safe, none of them really understood why he was still turning them away.
"Unfortunately Mr. Tracy, it's to be expected and probably will happen for a while. Even though Alan had only been held hostage for a few days, he spent those days being beaten and tortured. It appears he is still in that mindset and most likely well be for a while. I know you all want to comfort him, but you should take it slow on the touching, at least, until he feels more comfortable and safe." Dr. Davis explained. Jeff nodded as he turned to look back at Alan, who had fallen asleep yet again.
As the doctor left the room, Jeff moved to sit on the edge of the bed. While he understood what Dr. Davis had told him, it didn't mean it was easy to hear or process. The fact that his baby had gone through so much pain and abuse that he expected to be hurt from his own family, and all in only four days was painful.
"This really isn't going to be an easy fix at all, is it?" Gordon wondered from his spot at the foot of the bed. He already knew the answer, but he was hoping that he was wrong. When he saw his Dad shake his head, Gordon sighed and moved to sit on one of the chairs that was sitting against the wall. Nobody else said anything. They just sat and waited, wanting to be there for the Alan when he woke up again.
AN- Sorry if this chapter is a little bad. I had an original plan for this chapter, but when I started writing, I realized that there was more that I wanted to put in it and tried my best to fit it all in. Hope you guys all like it though. See you next time!