Disclaimer: I still don't own the Thunderbirds and still wish that I did.
A/N: Thanks to all my readers and to the best beta in the world, Sam1. Sorry for the long delay. I'll try to post much sooner next time. Now sit back and ENJOY, because there is definitely more to come.
CHAPTER 14
Doc was in the process of pushing meds into John's arm, when the door suddenly flew open and a flushed, panicked nurse burst in. "Doc Steven, you're needed in ICU, STAT," the nurse said, gasping. "The patient is thrashing about and his vitals are fluctuating like crazy. Nurse Jenkins and the patient's brother along with some other nurses and orderlies are trying to hold him down. Nurse Jenkins said she needs you immediately." Breathless, the nurse leaned against the wall.
Jeff and Doc immediately tensed and Jeff started for the door to run back to Scott. Alan and Gordon both looked torn then seemed to come to a silent decision as Gordon went to follow Jeff to the door.
Doc looked at the nurse, then back at John, not really knowing what he was going to do as he was the only doctor on the floor for the moment. His mind raced but seeing as how John's vitals all seemed to be stable for the moment he made the decision to get back to Scott. Just as he straightened after taking the needle from John's arm, the blond man gasped loudly before sitting straight up. He immediately jerked at the IV and other monitor wires, discarding them and freeing himself.
Everyone reacted at the same time and reached to hold him down, but he was very agitated and fought them off. Eventually, Jeff reached over and took John's face in his hands and forced him to look at him. "John," he said in his commanding voice, "look at me, Son. Look at me. It's okay. You're okay, just calm down."
John seemed to calm a bit and Doc started to make for the door to head to Scott's room, when he heard John's panicked voice cry out his brother's name.
"Scott," John cried. His gaze darted frantically around the room. "Where's Scotty? I have to find Scotty. Oh my God, Dad, I have to get back to Scotty. He's hurt and I have to protect him from that thing!"
Jeff was about to tell John to take it easy, when he was shoved backwards. John flung himself from the bed and ran for the door. He almost took Doc to the ground as he barreled past him and flew through the door and ran down the hallway towards Scott's room. Alan and Gordon had already gone after him and the others followed once they had recovered their balance. Each of them not sure what was happening, but knowing that they needed to get to Scott's room as soon as possible.
John rushed into Scott's room followed by the others. In his haste, he nearly knocked down a little, old lady who was standing just inside the door. He blindly reached to steady her, but his eyes were solely focused on his big brother and the blood that stained the sheets and his mouth.
"Sorry," John mumbled. He walked towards the bed unaware that he pushed a nurse out of his way. His gaze shifted from Scott then up to Virgil before shifting again to their fallen brother. Reaching over to stroke the side of Scott's cheek with a finger, he heard Virgil and the head nurse telling Doc and the others what happened.
Doc immediately started checking Scott's vitals before checking Scott's throat in case of any damage that may have been done. Doc wasn't sure where the blood had come from, but knew that it was a bad sign and that at some point Scott had truly been in distress. Jeff, Alan, Gordon, and Virgil watched from the foot of the bed, while John continued pleading for Scott to wake up.
The sight of their normally calm brother so distressed was unusual and more than a little upsetting for them. Jeff started forward to try to comfort John, but was stopped at the sight of the old woman reaching him first and embracing him. He then looked down as he felt his own hand gently gripped in a tiny one and Summer's dark head lean against his side.
John didn't pay them any mind to the nurses or anyone else in the room. His entire focus was on Scott's face, willing him to wake up, but knowing that he wouldn't. Suddenly, he jumped as a hand settled on his arm and he could feel someone standing very close to him. Tears streamed down his face unchecked while his body trembled with emotion. It wasn't until he was turned and pulled into a warm embrace did he feel anything. Gentle fingers stroked through the hair at his nape and a comforting hand rubbed small circles on his back as he struggled to calm himself.
"It is okay, Mr. Tracy," the old woman said to Jeff as he reached for John with his free hand. "He just needs a moment to gather himself. He has been through a harrowing experience and he will be fine in a few moments."
Unsure of just who the old woman comforting his son was, Jeff belatedly realized that the initial panic he felt had dissipated. It was as if the woman's presence was a soothing balm to the worried Tracys. As much as he wanted – and needed – to comfort John, he wasn't sure if his touch was what John needed. "I'm sorry, but who are you and how did you get in here?" Jeff asked. The woman just kept up her calming ministrations that slowly eased John's anxiety and tears.
The old woman didn't answer right away, but Jeff felt a slight tug on his hand and looked down into Summer's face. "She's my grandma, Evening Dove," Summer explained as Jeff knelt down on one knee so she wasn't straining to look at him. "She won't hurt Johnny so you don't have to worry."
Smiling, Jeff gently hugged Summer's small frame. "I don't know why but I'm not worried, little one," Jeff said, releasing her from the gentle hug. "I can see that she's taking very good care of Johnny." Then looking over at Evening Dove, Jeff smiled and mouthed a silent "thank you" as she smiled back at him and continued to soothe John.
After a few more moments, John pulled back from her and looked around. The confusion he felt was clearly written on his face. "How did I get here? Didn't I go to that other room for a nap?" Slightly embarrassed, he turned to Scott and placed a hand on his chest. He felt the steady beat of Scott's heart and was reassured that his big brother was still alive. His gaze focused on Scott's face, searching for any signs of distress. His focus was so tunneled that he didn't notice Virgil's approach.
"Are you okay, John?" Virgil asked. He reached out a hand to steady John when he started.
"Yeah," John sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "I'm fine."
Sensitive brown eyes studied the blond man. "You have a huge bruise around your throat," Virgil said as he leaned over to examine the dark marks that showed above the collar of his brother's shirt. "How did you get those?"
Perplexed, John looked up at his brother as he absently touched his hand to his throat. "I-I'm not sure. I don't remember," he whispered frowning in concentration only to jump as he felt a hand gently lay upon his shoulder.
"Easy, Son," Jeff said as he turned John to face him. "Did someone hurt you, Johnny? Is that why you're so jumpy, Son?"
Virgil had continued to look at the bruising and Doc Steven had come over to examine them also when Jeff pulled John to him. John opened his mouth to say something but never made it as he suddenly grabbed his head and dropped to his knees, crying out.
Jeff caught John in his arms and cradled him to his chest as John thrashed in his arms. "No, no, no, no, no," John repeated over and over as he clutched at his blond hair and started to hyperventilate. "I have to go back. It'll get Scotty unless I go back. I have to protect Scotty."
Evening Dove came forward and knelt down in front of Jeff and placed a hand on John's heaving chest above his heart. "Shh, Stargazer," she said as she soothingly brushed his hair from his face. Then she looked up at Jeff and the others in the room. "He was not ready to come back from the Shadowlands. This is why he is in such pain and confusion," she explained.
"I don't understand," Virgil said as he and Doc tried to pull John's hands from his hair. "What do you mean, the Shadowlands, and what do you mean he wasn't ready to come back?"
"The Shadowlands are the lands between this life and the next. They are a place where some people go to before being allowed to move on from this life. Your Scotty is in the Shadowlands and your little Stargazer here is a Dream walker like my granddaughter," Evening Dove explained. "You see, there are some among us that are capable of walking the Shadowlands and helping the ones that are there move forward into the next life or help them stay in this one. The people who are there are either fighting to stay in this life or move on to the next, but they all must pass specific tests to be deemed worthy or either."
Looking down at John who had calmed and was clinging to his father's shirt, Evening Dove continued to explain as everyone else watched her closely. "Your Stargazer was in the Shadowlands when you woke him. He wasn't aware that he had this gift and the transition back into reality from the Dreamscape he was in is difficult until he learns to control it. My Summer and I will help him if he wishes to learn. I must warn you now that he has been to the Shadowlands, what lies there will always have a link to him. There is great evil there and I believe that he and his brother have been touched by it.
"Okay," Gordon said as he moved closer to Evening Dove's side. "So if what you're saying is true, then my brother can cross over into another plane of existence and that Scott is there also."
"Yes," Evening Dove confirmed, looking over at Gordon while Jeff and the others in the room looked at him in shock.
"Is that why Summer has such a calming effect on Scotty?" Virgil asked.
"Yes, Sir," Summer said before her grandmother could answer. "I've been in the Shadowlands with Scotty since he was in the accident I've been trying to help him get back to you."
Doc looked at Summer and asked, "Is that the reason that it is sometimes hard to wake you up and why it was so difficult to wake up John a few minutes ago?"
"Yes sir," Summer said as she went over and sat down next to Scott and reached for his hand. "It usually takes a few minutes to get back, unless I'm forced back like you did to Johnny. That hurts when you do that, by the way," she said as she looked at Doc.
"I have another question," Gordon said. "Why are there bruises on John's neck and is there something in the Shadowlands that is making Scott's vitals go all crazy?"
Looking at Gordon, Evening Dove locked her dark eyes with his as she spoke. "Scott is badly injured and his life is hanging by a thread. He is fighting with everything he has to get back to you, but as I said before. There is great evil in the Shadowlands. Evil that will stop at nothing to take him and trap him there forever. Every injury inflicted on him in the Shadowlands, he will experience here as well. Your Stargazer saved your oldest brother's life. Had John not dream walked and stopped what was happening I assure you, Scott would have died."
Suddenly John sat up and clasped his Dad's hand. "I have to go back," he said in a panic filled voice. "I have to go back now. Scotty's hurt and he can't fight that thing. I have to go back. Please, Dad, I have to go back. I have to help Scotty. That thing will kill him and take him from us and I can't lose Scotty. Please, help me, Dad. Please… Please…Oh God, please," John begged; his pleas became more and more desperate.
"Shh, Johnny," Jeff said as he reached to pull his son back into his arms. "It's okay. We'll figure something out."
John pushed away and scooted backwards until his back hit the wall as the words started to fall from his lips and run together as he shook with each word. "It choked him and beat him and bit and tore at him like he was a bone for a rabid dog and Scotty was bleeding and he couldn't breathe and I knocked that thing off of him and we fought and it started choking me and I grabbed the knife that Scotty had made and I stabbed it as hard as I could, but I couldn't breathe, and oh God, Scotty was bleeding from his mouth and his neck and I had to tear my shirt so that I could stop the blood, and then I tried to keep him warm, but, Dad, he was so cold and I didn't want to leave him to make a fire because I was worried that thing would come back and…and.." John finally paused to take a breath.
"Stargazer," Evening Dove said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "your Scotty is fine. He is sleeping peacefully and is in no danger. You will know when he needs you again and you will be there to help him. You need to rest for now, little one. My Summer will watch over your Scotty and make certain he is safe. She is very powerful and she's linked to your brother's fate. My granddaughter will not allow anything to hurt him. I promise."
Looking at the room, John nodded as he visibly tried to calm his shaking body. "Okay, but I want to stay in here. I don't want to go back down the hallway."
"That can be arranged," Doc said as Alan went and sat next to John and pulled him into his arms, squeezing him tightly.
"I got scared, Johnny," Alan admitted as he buried his face in his brother's neck. "When you wouldn't wake up, I thought we had lost you, too, and I don't want you to do that again, okay?"
"I'm sorry, Alan. I didn't mean to scare you and I'll try not to do that again, I promise," John said as the exhaustion took hold and he closed his eyes and rested his blond head on the blond head of his baby brother.
It wasn't long before John was completely asleep and Jeff lifted him up and placed him on a cot that Doc Steven had moved into the far corner of the room. Jeff sat next to John for a few more moments before brushing his hair from his son's face and walking back to the other side of the room.
"Okay, I understand what you said about the Shadowlands and everything, but there's something that I've been wanting to ask you," Jeff said as he stopped in front of Evening Dove.
"How did you know that John was a stargazer?" Virgil asked suddenly and received a frown from his Dad.
"Yeah," Gordon said as he stood next to Virgil. "I've been wondering that myself."
Smiling, Evening Dove glanced over at Summer who had started to giggle. Then she looked back at the Tracy men in front of her and replied. "I know that about him because his spirit guide told me."
"Spirit guide?" Jeff asked as he cocked his head slightly.
"Yes," Evening Dove replied. "All your boys have strong spirit guides that watch over them. Even you, Mr. Tracy. There is one that is more powerful that watches over you all surrounding you with love."
No one said a word for a few moments, but stood there as the room suddenly filled with the sweet scent of lilac and lavender. Then Jeff walked over to Scott's side, sat in the chair. Lifting his son's bandaged hand to his lips he closed his eyes and whispered as he drew the scent he knew so well into his lungs, "My Lucy."