Disclaimer: How I wish the boys were mine. But nope; they belong to someone else.
Thank you all for reading. You won't believe how much I enjoy it to see that you like it! A huge thanks to my beta Darkflame's Pyre.
Hi guys, its Pyre here. I'd just like to apologise for the delay in getting this back to thunderbird5, my uni this year has been crazy hectic, and I've not had the time to update my own Thunderbirds story, let alone get around to editing this one. TB5 is determined to keep me as her beta, however, so I shall do my best in future to get her chapters back as soon as possible.
Jess didn't have to search to far for John. Rather, he found her. Turning a corner, he found her hopping backwards on her crutches as she came around the same one. John smiled down at her.
"What, why are you smiling like that John? Guess you guys always smile like that to melt a girls heart huh?"
Reaching out, John placed a hand on Jess' shoulder. "Well, today you are going to be stuck with me and Virgil, Gordon had taken Sherry out with him for the day and..." Seeing Jess' face go pale as he mentioned Sherry's name, John felt something twist in his gut. "Jess, did something happen? Look at me Jess."
Gently lifting Jessica's face when she looked down and away, he gave her a soft smile. " You know, I won't bite. If I sound harsh or anything you don't have to feel that you're the cause of it all."
Shaking her head and blinking away the sudden onslaught of tears, Jess gave a shaky smile. "I know, it's just, I went to fetch Sherry after I had gotten up... and then I found a recorder on her bed, and accidentally switched it on, and so I heard this horrible recording and..."
John helped the girl turn around swiftly and helped her hobble back down the hall toward the dining room where the rest of the family was seated.
As soon as everyone were seated at the table John looked at them significantly, and then looked at Jess. "What's this about Sherry and a recorder?"
Clearly not wanting his mother to get upset, Jeff answered, raising his eyebrows at his son, which John knew was a signal to wait until Grandma wasn't in the room. "Everything is sorted John, but I want you and Virgil in my office after breakfast."
Looking to where Virgil was silently watching him from his spot at the table, John could see that he to didn't know what was going on. What ever it was John knew that his Dad didn't want his Grandma to get upset over it. Placing a reassuring hand on Jess' shoulder as he helped the anxious girl to her seat, John nodded.
##
In the Moyla jungle, Sherry tried to crawl out from under Gordon who was now lying on top of her. "Get off of me Gordon!" She grunted, shoving him away. "You're crushing me!"
Getting off of Sherry, Gordon pulled her to him and held her close in a tight grip. "Where were you going to end it all Sherry and above all, why?"
Shocked that her brother had magically worked out what she'd been thinking, Sherry stopped trying to get away from Gordon and silently sat there slumped against him. She hadn't expected someone to find the recorder so soon... "Well, I... I just... want to disappear forever. I thought about one of the cliffs around here... "
Letting her head rest against Gordon's chest, Sherry thought about what to say next. "Gordon... you got to walk again, I'll never see the light of day. Not now, not ever." She sniffed, tears clogging her throat.
Letting Sherry's arms go and putting his own around her in turn, Gordon rocked her gently. "True," He said softly. "However, even if I am walking again, Sherry, I'm reminded of my accident every time my back acts up, there's no way for me to forget it or to pretend that it never happened. Do you know why I'm still here, why I never ended it all like I had planned?" Hugging Sherry a bit harder, swallowing hard, Gordon went on. "It's because of you, Squirt. John and Virgil, and Scott, and the rest of our family." Pushing Sherry away from him, Gordon looked at her and saw silent tears running down his sister's face. Brushing them away Gordon asked. "Sherry, do you have any idea what your death would do to the rest of us?"
Shaking her head Sherry looked down. "No, what would it do?"
Lifting Sherry's face again Gordon answered. "First off, we would all be crying to the heavens and blame ourselves. John would fall apart for sure, you re his best friend and his shadow. Since you were little you've followed him everywhere and not once did he tell you to leave him alone. You're the only one he can really relate to and you're the only one who understands him out of all of us. Secondly, John would yell at us in every language knows for letting you out of our sights, and I don't want to be near him when he does that, he scares me shitless when he starts yelling."
Seeing Sherry give him a watery smile Gordon grinned. "Hey, it's true. Promise me something Sherry? Promise me that you won't try something like this again?""
At the feeling of her brother touching her hand Sherry turned it over and took his hand in hers. Hope burgeoned in his chest as she started to speak. "Okay, I won't go down that line and yes, I'll talk to John about it as long as it isn't a shrink."
Grinning even more Gordon pulled Sherry to him again and hugged her tight. "Okay, remember that when your down or frustrated, just come to one of us and yell, talk or what ever you want to get rid of it. But Sherry, if you need it, you will see a 'shrink' as you called it, there's no shame in getting help from other places if you need it, okay?" Feeling Sherry shake with laughter suddenly, an absolute opposite to what she'd clearly been feeling only a few minutes before, Gordon asked, "What, why are you laughing at me?"
Pushing herself away from her brother Sherry smiled. "Just thinking about the languages I could use when I yell at one of you."
Shaking his head, Gordon got up and helped Sherry to her feet. "Come on, lets go back to the boat, I have something to show you."
Holding his sister's arm as Sherry silently followed him, Gordon knew that she was wondering what he wanted to show her. He grinned. He knew she was going to like this.
##
After breakfast, John and Virgil made their way to Jeff's office. Why Scott and Alan hadn't been asked to go to the office as well, they didn't know. Each man finding a chair to sit on, John and Virgil waited for their father, slightly impatiently.
##
As soon as the door was closed Jeff walked over to his desk and sat down in his own chair. Sliding the recorder which was retrieved from his daughter's bedroom over the desk toward John, Jeff watched as he picked it up. "I want you and Virgil to listen to the last recording on this John, then we can decide what we need to do about it."
Frowning as his middle son switched the recorder on and hit play on the last track, Jeff watched as John and Virgil listened to Sherry's upset words. From where Jeff was sitting he saw John's face go white, and Virgil clench his hands together. The contents had alarmed him, and Jeff wondered if John would fall over or start talking. He would never know with his middle blonde child.
When the recording was done, John shakily placed the recorder down on the desk in front of him. "Did... Did Gordon find her?"
"I don't actually know, John." He said heavily. "Your brother was meant to message me when he had, but he hasn't made contact yet." Turning to the monitor on his desk once again, Jeff keyed Gordon's watch once more, hoping that he had found Sherry by now and that she was still alive. He wouldn't be able to bear it if his youngest child was gone. He just couldn't even think that she was anything but.
##
When Gordon and Sherry made it back to where they had left the boat, Sherry heard the playful sounds of dolphins somewhere out to sea. Stopping when her brother stopped walking Sherry smiled widely, her heart lighter than the morning. "Is that dolphins I hear Gordon?"
Helping Sherry back into the boat, Gordon turned in the direction in which the dolphins were making a racket. "Yup, they came to say hi to you and to take you for a swim." He smirked, overwhelmed that his sister seemed to be alright so far.
Untying the boat, Gordon watched as Sherry made her way back to her seat. Jumping into the boat himself as it was caught by the waves, Gordon remembered the bag that Tin-Tin had given him before they had left. Walking over to it, keeping his balance in the rocking vessel, he got Sherry's swimsuit out along with her watch. Walking to where Sherry was now listening to the dolphins, Gordon placed the items on her lap, watching as Sherry grabbed at them instinctively as they started to slide off. "Tin-Tin packed some clothes for us and the watch you're holding on to belongs to you."
Sherry had grabbed at the clothes on her lap and found her hand closing around something hard as well. She smiled when Gordon told her that it was her watch. Holding the watch out to him, Sherry asked. "Why is this watch so different from yours?"
Taking Sherry's left arm and fastening the watch around it, Gordon looked at it, a small smile on his lips. "Well, our watches will change to this new design soon, you're lucky to have the first one. From what I've heard from Brains, these new watches have a stronger face, since we all always manage to break the glass somehow. This new watch can project images or just show it on the screen. From what I can see on yours, you might have some extra functions on your watch like voice recognition, talking watch and so on. Hang on a minute, it came with a manual."
Walking back to the bag Gordon found the slip of paper and read it before adding, "It also has a sensor that vibrates when you've got it at the level of your face. That's so cool, wish we had that!"
Gordon watched as Sherry felt around the watch and found that the buttons were still the same and that the watch itself felt a bit bigger. His sister grinned up at him. "Now I have two watches, a Braille talking watch that I got from John and a IR watch that's the latest!"
Walking over to his own seat, Gordon started the boat and headed out to where the dolphins were playing. "Your watch also has a bio scanner and GPS like the old watches."
As they listened to the waves crashing against the boat as they went toward the dolphins, Sherry spoke quietly. "Is my watch active?"
Stopping near the dolphins, about ten feet from the pod, Gordon took Sherry's left arm and looked at the watch now strapped to her wrist. "Well, it's showing the time and that it's fully charged, so let me see..." Pressing a few buttons, Gordon jumped when the watched informed him in a loud, electronic female's voice that it was now activating. He grinned wildly. "Guess we had to activate it." Hearing his sister laugh at him Gordon realised that she'd known that the watch would talk on every button he pressed. As Sherry pressed the buttons, he recalled Brains saying that when the buttons was pressed really fast, the voice wouldn't talk, which was a good thing, because then she wouldn't give herself away if she was in danger.
Getting up from her seat, Gordon watched as Sherry took her swimsuit with her and went over to the tiny on-boat bathroom to change. When the door clicked shut behind her, he heard the watch inform her that it was now activated.
Turning to watch the dolphins, Gordon couldn't help but smile to himself, his sister was back to normal for now and at least she knew that they were there for her when ever she needed them. Sherry was smiling for now but Gordon knew that she needed to talk to John at least, before she would really be okay.
His watch started to vibrate again. Lifting it up to his face, Gordon saw that it was the island calling him. "Gordon here."
Jeff smiled at him, and Gordon knew that his father had realized instantly that he had found Sherry and stopped her from doing something dangerous. "Gordon," He said in relief. "Where are you and Sherry?"
Gordon turned the watch slightly so Jeff could see the seascape behind him. "We're out in the inlet with the dolphins Dad, there's quite a few of them."
Jeff's head turned a bit, and Gordon saw John and Virgil come around the desk to get him in view. He waved to his siblings as Jeff asked, "How is your sister now Gordon?"
Looking away from his watch, Gordon looked to where Sherry had gone into the bathroom. "Well, Sherry's getting dressed to go and have a swim with the dolphins. She's okay for now." He said quietly. "I spoke to her and got her to promise that she'll talk to one of us if she feels frustrated or something. I would like it if she could maybe have some time alone with John though..."
Seeing John watching him from his father's left side, Gordon winked at him and then he cringed when he saw Virgil on his father's other side. The big guy looked like he had aged a few years. Gordon frowned. "Hey Virgil, you okay? Sherry didn't do anything, she had been walking around in the jungle when I found her. She's a bit scraped up, but otherwise she's alright."
Nodding his head Virgil spoke softly. "I should have been able to notice a change in Sherry, I mean I'm the one who looks after everyone in a medical crisis, and yet I missed the signs."
Gordon couldn't help but laugh when John ended up smacking his arm against the desk as his watched vibrated twice. Gordon was glad that it wasn't John's right arm because then they would have heard some colorful words from him. He knew it was still painful.
Looking down John saw a message flashing on his watch screen telling him that his watch was now linked to Sherry's watch. Clearly confused John looked at Gordon on the monitor. "Does Sherry have a watch? "
Nodding his head Gordon answered. "Yup, it's a cool watch John, one I wish I had. Guess we would be getting a message from her watch soon if Thunderbird Five didn't fry herself up there. "
Smiling when John glared at him, Gordon looked to the bathroom again and saw Sherry coming out. "Well, Sherry's done and the dolphins aren't going to wait forever. We'll be back on the island before dinner, promise. Bye."
Cutting the link before John or anyone else could say something, Gordon turned around and watched Sherry as she went over to the side of the boat. "Just wait a minute Sherry, I want to get the camera and then we'll see if the dolphins would be interested in some fish."
Sitting down on the side of the boat with her back against the railing Sherry waited for Gordon to get the camera, he saw her listening intently as he moved about but then he jumped as his watch vibrated twice. Sherry heard it. "Why's your watch doing that?"
Looking down at his watch Gordon saw a message flashing at him saying that Sherry's watch was now connected to him too. "Well, we all should have gotten the message at once, but with Thunderbird Five on the slow side of things, we're all getting the message one by one telling us that yours is connected to us. When we first got our watches the same happened. Alan should be activating his watch to at some point; I think Tin-Tin has hers already."
Finding the camera and taking a photo of his sister sitting on the bench near the side of the boat, Gordon got some fish out of the cooler for the dolphins, and watched as they splashed about when they saw what he had in his hands for them. Walking over to the side of the boat, Gordon handed Sherry a fish and watched her as she felt it, making a face. "Don't worry, it's dead." He told her in amusement. "Hold it over the side of the boat and see if one of the dolphins will take it from you."
Holding the fish over the side as her brother had said, Sherry gave a yelp when a cold nose nudged the fish out of her hands. Gordon grinned. There was a high pitched sound, and then the dolphin came back and nudged Sherry's hand again for more. "Look Gordon," His sister grinned. "He wants more, or is it a she?"
Looking at the tag on the dolphin, Gordon went to his seat and came back with a little scanner. Scanning the tag Gordon smiled. "This dolphin's name is Flipper like the one in that one movie, it's a boy."
Putting the scanner down again, Gordon took Sherry's hand and helped her up. Opening the side gate used for when he and his brothers went out to do some diving, Gordon helped Sherry to sit down on the side and watched carefully as the dolphins swam up and down the length of the boat. You ready to swim with them? They won't bite, I promise you that." He said softly, they're very gentle animals."
Putting her hand out to where the dolphins were, Sherry felt a bit scared, she knew that Gordon wouldn't let anything happen to her, that he'd protect her if they did bite. "Um, I think so, I'm just..."
Before Sherry could finish one of the dolphins jumped up out of the water and somehow nudged Sherry off the side of the boat. Gordon tried to grab for her, but he missed and his sister fell in with a loud splash.
"Sherry!"
##
Giving a loud yelp as she felt herself weightless for a moment, she fell into the water with a scream. Panicking as she tried to get her bearings, Sherry felt a dolphin brush past her arms and then one of them swam between her legs, giving her something to push herself out of the water. Blindly putting her hands down in front of her, Sherry managed to find a fin and held onto it.
Before she knew it Sherry was taken for a ride around the boat and then found herself taking a dive with the dolphin, barely able to hang on. A bit frightened despite her brother's reassurances, she could hear the clicking sounds they were making. As she finally managed to time her breaths with the mammal's, she was relieved to hear Gordon calling out to Flipper, he must be the one she was sitting on...
When the dolphin stopped at the boat again and she grabbed wildly for something to grab onto, Sherry felt the dolphin swim out from between her legs and wondered how the poor dolphin could swim like that. Turning her head to Gordon as her brother grabbed her wrists and held them to the edge of the boat, Sherry smiled as she felt the dolphins swim around her. "Gordon!" She gasped, "How did Flipper swim with me on his back like that!?"
Hearing her brother taking another photo of her and the dolphins and giving some of them some fish, Sherry listened hard as Gordon said. Only he'll know how he did that. Put your hand out again and see who'll take you next, hold on to the fin and let the dolphin swim without you ending up on it's back this time, if you can. I'll be right here, alright?"
Doing as she was told, her heart beating wildly, Sherry found herself another fin and held on tight. This time she felt like a racing boat. She didn't know if Flipper was the one dragging her around or one of his friends, but she was loving it!
Thinking back to what she almost did, Sherry then realized that if Gordon hadn't found her, she would never have had the chance to swim with the dolphins.
Hearing a sudden splash somewhere behind her Sherry realized that one of the dolphins had nudged Gordon off the boat too. For about ten minutes or so Sherry hitched a ride on a few of the dolphins, surprised at her own courage, and when they stopped at the boat again Gordon helped her back onto the boat, Sherry felt so happy, she could burst.
Leaning over the railings again Sherry touched the noses of the dolphins as they jumped up to say goodbye and listened to them, grinning widely as they swam away. "Gordon?" She asked softly, "Do they know that I'm blind?"
Having gone to get Sherry a towel Gordon came back to and as he placed it around his sister said, "First off, I think Tin-Tin's going to kill the both of us because we didn't put on sunscreen - I've just realised - and yes, Sherry, animals are pretty special in that they know that you aren't normal. They'll likely remember you the next time they get to see you and Jess."
Sherry rubbed herself dry and went off to the bathroom to get dressed again. When she came back, Gordon went to get dressed himself. Walking over to the table where she knew the cupboard would be with their food, Sherry opened the basket and unpacked their lunch. She felt like she could eat everything she could get her hands on, the sea had made her so hungry.
When Gordon came out of the bathroom he found that Sherry had set out lunch already. "Guess your really hungry huh?" He grinned. "I thought you might be."
Sitting down Gordon and Sherry enjoyed some sandwiches and the rest of their breakfast which they hadn't eaten that morning. Sherry couldn't thank him enough.
##
Back on the island, John and Virgil found themselves looking at a blank screen as Gordon suddenly disconnected. Turning to their father, they waited for his instructions.
Rubbing at his eyes Jeff looked at Virgil and John. He sighed. "Well, even though Gordon has spoken to Sherry about what she wanted to do, I would like it if you two could keep an eye on her and Jess as well, who knows how what she discovered this morning is affecting her. John, I want you to talk to Sherry and see what else she might be hiding, just don't let your other side run away with you okay? The last thing we need is a fall out between you two again. Virgil, just look after Sherry whenever she needs help from you okay? Don't be too much of a mother hen and hopefully she'll talk to you. Leave Scott to me and Alan as well, I'll talk to your brothers. You may go now."
##
Jess had found herself left alone after breakfast and so she wandered into the kitchen again, only for Grandma to make her sit at the table. "Don't worry about helping Jess, you have to rest that leg of yours and resting it is what you'll do. No two words about it."
Jess had hardly heard a word Grandma Ruth said though, the only thing that she could hear was the words of her friend's recording, spinning around in her head. Letting her head rest on the table Jess wondered if it had been a good idea to come to the island...
Jess must have dozed off because the next thing she knew, she found herself on one of the couches, her leg elevated and a light blanket covering her. Opening her eyes, Jess found two blue ones staring at her from another couch. Sitting up slowly, grimacing as her leg throbbed, Jess found that the two eyes belonged to Alan. "Um, hi Alan..." She said awkwardly. She wondered why Alan was with her and not with Tin-Tin. "Is something wrong?"
Combing his hands through his hair, Alan sighed. "No, nothing's wrong. Tin-Tin will be here soon and then we can play some video games in the games room or we could play snap or something here in the lounge if you want? Grandma doesn't want you walking on that leg too much."
Looking down at his hands, which were now resting on his lap Alan asked suddenly. "Jess, what's up with Scott? I mean, while you were taking a nap he was pacing up and down the hall like a caged animal. Did something happen?" He bit his lip. "Where's Gordon and Sherry, and why are John and Virgil in Dad's office without Scott?"
Jess couldn't help but feel horrible, even if none of this was her doing. "Well, um, I'm not sure if I should tell you or not... I mean, your dad might do it better..."
Tin-Tin chose that moment to walk into the lounge and when she saw Alan asked, "Hey Al, do you want to go down to the beach with me for a bit?"
Alan was about to tell Tin-Tin that the younger girl couldn't walk right now, when they three of them spotted John and Virgil coming down the hall. "Okay, I just want to ask John if he'll stay with Jess, I mean it wouldn't be fair to leave her here alone..."
Walking into the lounge, Virgil came over to Jess and checked the cast around her leg getting a shy smile from Jess in return. John couldn't get away with not getting checked over himself and sighed when Virgil made him sit on a chair and had a hold of his arm. Watching Alan and Tin-Tin leave silently, without his brothers noticing, Jess couldn't help but giggle when Virgil started to fuss around John. Seeing John looking at her with a funny look on his face, Jess threw her hands up into the air, worry for Sherry suddenly overwhelming her again. "What? I didn't do anything... Did I?"
Sitting down next to John, Virgil looked at Jess carefuly. "Jess, we should've told you immediately, but Sherry's safe now, Gordon's got her. Don't feel bad about this; we've been through this once, and we'll get through this again. She's fine." He promised.
Looking at Virgil from where she was sitting, Jess couldn't help but ask. "So if I'm not the one to blame, what will happen with Sherry now that you found out about her plans?"
John looked at her gently. "When Gordon and Sherry return, I'll have a talk with Sherry and sort her out. Jess, I know that your not used to the Tracy family yet, but we always find some way to help each other, even if we have to do things the hard way."
Blinking a few times Jess asked. "Does Sherry really hate me John, I mean, I know that she doesn't like it to have someone like me teach her stuff..." Tears suddenly prickled at her eyes and she wiped them away, not wanting the men to see her cry.
Getting up from where he was sitting John sat himself down nest to Jess and when she looked at him, he gently hugged her to his side, allowing her to put her head against his chest. Sherry doesn't hate you, she's just a hardhead, and she's scared. It's not you, I promise."
Getting up and walking past John and Jess, Virgil grinned and patted John on his head. "Oh my dear Jess, Sherry's like John, both of them are hardheads. I'm just off to get some drinks, you look like you need one, Jess."
Jess felt safe and as she found herself relaxing against John, she knew why Sherry loved her brothers so much; they made her feel safe and their love for her was so strong that they would do anything to protect her from harm. She felt the same way about her sisters at home. Jess found herself listening to John's heartbeat, and before she knew it she had fallen asleep once more.
##
Walking out of his office Jeff found Scott waiting for him. "Scott, come with me." He said.
Walking down the hall with Scott following silently behind him, Jeff went out of a side door and straight into the garden. Finding a bench to sit on, Jeff waited for Scott to sit down. As Scott reluctantly settled, concerned by his son's quiet, Jeff began to talk.
"I've spoken to John and Virgil about the recording on Sherry's recorder. We've also spoken to Gordon, his got her with him and he's spoken to her as well. When they return here John will take Sherry with him and try to find out if she's hiding something else from us too. It's not your fault, Scott."
Jumping up from where he was sitting Scott kicked at a stone sending it flying into a fish pond. "Why didn't I see it Dad!?" He burst out angrily. "I mean, I should have seen the signs. I'm her big brother for heavens sakes! How did I not notice!?"
Grabbing Scott's hand when he tried to walk past him again, Jeff made him sit once more and held his wrists to prevent him from jumping up again. "No one knew Scott, no one knew that Sherry wasn't coping as well. She hid it too carefully."
Letting his head down, Scott sighed. "Gordon and I knew, John knew too. I found Sherry on the beach last night and she told me Dad; she told me that she couldn't cope. I shouldn't have asked Gordon to take her out to sea. If Jessica hadn't found that recorder and told me about it, who knows what would have happened today?"
Combing the hand that wasn't holding Scott's now shaking arm, Jeff sighed again. "You lot are making me feel old... Scott, we can't see everything that's about to happen, you couldn't have known that Sherry was going to do something like that. If there's one person who would have known about her plans, it would have been John, and believe me, he would have stopped her before she could have gone through with it. Gordon was fast enough to stop her and to get her to listen to him, and now it's up to the rest of us to show her that she's not helpless, that we love her no matter what and that she's still the Sherry we all know and love."
Looking up as a sudden distant noise from the beach ahead caught their attention, Jeff smiled when he heard Tin-Tin and Alan yelp as their watches vibrated along with Scott's and his own. Looking up in the sky, where he knew Thunderbird Five was located, Jeff knew that he had to get the station back up and running.
Getting up, Jeff took Scott with him, and walked him back to the villa, his arm around his son's shoulder. "I think you should go up to Five tomorrow along with Brains and Gordon and see if you can bring anything of John and Sherry's things down, and we'll see if we can salvage what's left. John won't like to be stuck down here while you do it, but I'm not letting him up there until he's able to use his arm properly again.
As they walked down the hall to the lounge, Scott asked, much more calmly and easily than before, "When did you Give Tin-Tin and Alan their watches?"
Smiling, Jeff answered. "I didn't, Brains gave them to them. The rest of you boys will be getting your own new ones tomorrow. It's a new model that won't get smashed as easily as the ones we're using now. These are much stronger and it would take something as heavy as Thunderbird Two to crush them, I'd think."
Scott grinned at him.
##
After lunch Sherry sat in her seat, while Gordon guided the boat back toward Tracy Island. She knew that once they got home, John would be the first one to get his hands on her, she didn't know if he was angry at her or not. She didn't even know if Jess was still around there. She'd been pretty awful to her friend that morning, after all.
When Tracy island came into view Gordon radioed in to let everyone know that they were almost home, and Sherry's stomach dropped. She was nervous of what they were all going to say.
##
In the villa Jess had once again woken up, and realized that John had fallen asleep next to her. How they hadn't fallen off the couch yet she didn't know, but she was all stiff and sore, especially her leg. Shifting a bit, Jess nearly fell off when John moved and she felt embarrassed. "John, are you awake?"
Sitting up slowly, John helped Jess to sit up too. "Yes, I'm awake. Did you have a good nap? Looks like that meds Virgil has you on really have a way of putting you out like a light."
Blushing, Jess couldn't think of something to say. and that made it worse. Looking around her, Jess frowned as she suddenly realised that she couldn't find her crutches. Seeing Virgil walking toward her she saw that he was holding her crutches, and so she held her hands out for them.
Walking over Virgil gave them to Jess and she felt his gaze on her back, as wordlessly, she got up and hobbled away.
##
Looking at where John was also watching Jess depart, Virgil smacked him around the head. "Shame on you Johnny, poor girl."
As the radio came to life and Gordon's announcement of the adventurers' return came over the airwaves, John got up stiffly, stretching out the kinks. "I didn't do anything Virgil, Jess passed out and so I stayed with her and fell asleep myself. Nothing to it."
John wasn't mad at Virgil; Virgil could hear it in his brother's voice, so he just smirked. Following John out of the lounge and down to the boathouse to meet their siblings at the dock, Virgil hoped that John wouldn't forget what their father had asked of him. It was going to be an interesting afternoon, that was for sure.