Thank you so much once again for all of the reviews and support, means the world.
Another day had passed. Brains hadn't reappeared from his lab and even John had not yet mastered the courage to go down to their friend. He knew they should try and say something to him, to reassure him that he wasn't to blame for the fact the antidote hadn't worked, but he found himself too reluctant to leave Virgil. None of them had moved since he had fallen into a deeper state of unconsciousness. Gordon had returned an hour later, red-eyed but quiet as he curled up on another bed, watching Virgil.
Grandma knew how they felt, she really did. She too found herself watching over her motionless grandson for hours on end, willing the young man to open his eyes, to give them some sign that he was alive in there other than the beeping of the machinery surrounding him. She was managing to distract herself by making sure the rest of her boys ate and got some sleep. The latter was a losing battle, especially against Jeff and Scott. They simply refused to get any rest. She was just glad Scott was beginning to pick at food again; at least it was a step in the right direction. Jeff was just surviving on coffee and the odd bite when his mother forced it into him. She had already had a hushed but heated debate with Kyrano about whether they should stop the caffeine fix, but the pair of them seemed to realise that would mean Jeff would just completely crash. Despite being worried about him, Grandma couldn't put her son through that, not until they knew for sure Virgil was going to be okay.
But now, however, things were different. It had been three days, and Grandma had had enough. If they weren't careful, more of the beds were going to be occupied. Grandma was not going to stand for it any longer. Her boys weren't the only ones terribly worried about Virgil; it was about time they realised that there were others who would watch over him whilst they went and got a little respite. She had told Kyrano to be in the infirmary in half an hour – hopefully a well planned entrance would back up her words - and so the old woman found herself outside the room. It was only now she noticed she still had her rolling pin in her hand, but she wasn't going to put it down now. Steeling herself, she let herself in.
She could have predicted the sight that greeted her. Gordon was rocking back on one chair, his feet balancing on the opposite bed as he stared at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. It had taken her a while to get through to her fourth grandson the day before, but he had finally calmed down and she was sure he would be the one to now hold his emotions in check. He had been provided with the release the rest of the family still desperately needed.
Jeff was once again in the seat next to Virgil's bed. Grandma was convinced her grandson was going to have holes burnt into him thanks to the weight of the stares from his father and oldest brother, for Scott was mirroring his father's position from the other side of the bed. Grandma cleared her throat meaningfully.
"Everything okay, Mom?" Jeff asked wearily, tearing his eyes away from his son for long enough to glance at his mother. Despite what she thought, he wasn't just sitting here. The last time he had left, Virgil's heart rate had dropped worryingly low again before they had pulled him back again. He wanted to be here at all times, especially since the events of the day before. He had been denied the chance to be with his son when Virgil had first slipped away at the rescue zone, he wasn't going to do it again.
"No, Jefferson, it is not. Gordon, feet down, now." In Grandma's mind, it was just a sign of how wrong things were that her fourth grandson did as he was told without arguing, instead turning to face her with a quizzical expression on his face. She was using the tone of voice that normally meant there would be no refusing her.
"What are you doing, Grandma?" Scott sounded as drained as his father. In Grandma's mind, no one should sound like that at his age, and it just made her more determined to do something about it.
"Where's John?"
"Right here." The astronaut had seen her enter the infirmary on his way up from Brains' lab. As with every other time he had gone down, he had got as far as the door, thought of Virgil's still face and all but bolted back up to the infirmary.
"Good. Now you are all here, you can all get out."
There was a moment of silence whilst her words sank in, before Gordon gave a slight snort of amusement. Grandma raised her eyebrows at him. "I'm not joking, young man. You've all been in here far too long. You need food, sleep and fresh air."
"You're right. Boys, you need a break. Go." No one moved, and Scott and John even went as far as trading amused looks. Finally, their father picked up on the atmosphere of the room and glanced up again, only to find himself looking up at his mother.
"I didn't just mean them," she said quietly, but her son shook his head adamantly.
"Well, I'm definitely staying for this," Gordon declared; the slightest sparkle in his eye. If that was all it took to get him looking more like himself, Grandma could have kicked herself for not doing this almost the second everyone got back to the island.
"Quiet, Gordon. Jeff, you need rest, you are going to make yourself ill if you don't."
"I'm not leaving him."
Her son's voice was soft and desperate. Normally, it was the type of voice that would have her backing down. But Ruth Tracy had sworn to herself that she was getting the boys out of this room, and that was what she planned to do.
"The rest of you, out."
"But Grandma..."
"I'm staying..."
"Not until..."
"Now!" For the first time since she had got there, Grandma was glad she had the rolling pin in her hand as she whacked it against the chair, causing a loud bang to echo around the room and for Gordon to almost fall off his chair in surprise, saved only by John's quick reactions. Looking at their startled faces, her expression softened. "Boys, your brother is not going to die just because you aren't in the room. I'm not saying to leave him alone: I'm staying and Kyrano wants to come up for a little while as well. I'm just saying go for a swim, a run, eat, sleep, anything. You have to do something to relieve the tension, or you are all going to..."
"Explode?" Gordon supplied, and for once, Grandma smiled at his interruption. She could tell from what he had said and the way he had said it that Gordon was beginning to come around to the idea. However, she knew the redhead well enough to know that no matter what he thought of the idea, he wouldn't be leaving until his brothers did.
"Yes, Gordon, explode. Scott, you haven't left apart from to go to the bathroom. You need fresh air. John, you've been running yourself ragged going between here and Brains, you need a break. And Gordon, you haven't been in the pool for three days, you need to stretch out your back."
"But..."
"Your grandmother is right, Scott." Despite expecting their father to join her in forcing his sons out, it was not Jeff who had spoken, instead a quiet voice coming from the doorway as Kyrano appeared there. Scott glared, knowing full well why his grandmother had asked the man to turn up when he had. She clearly had been expecting a fight, and after what had happened before, knew that Scott at least appreciated that Kyrano could literally throw them all out. He didn't want to back down, but looking around, saw that she had a point. John and Gordon looked terrible. Echoing her earlier thoughts, he knew they wouldn't leave unless he did.
"Don't do anything stupid," he muttered softly, running his hand through Virgil's hair and regretfully standing up. His brothers looked surprised, but, almost silently, the three of them scuffed from the room. Grandma watched them go, a twinkle in her eye.
"Stay by the door please, Kyrano."
"Why? They've gone," Jeff mumbled, letting his head rest in his hands. His mother smiled down at him.
"You really think that Scott would leave that easily? No, he's making sure the others go, and then he will try and get back in. Right, Jefferson, it's your turn now."
"No."
"You don't have a choice." Grandma softened when she caught sight of the haunted look in her son's eye. A look she had only seen once before. Perching on the edge of a chair she took his hands in hers, holding on tightly whilst letting her rolling pin rest on the edge on Virgil's bed. "Jeff, Virgil needs you. He is going to wake up, you'll see. And he doesn't need a father on the brink of falling apart when he does so. Just a few hours, please. Get some sleep. Then you can be back in here as if you had never left. Your other boys need you as well. You all need a break, Alan needs to come home. But the more you all decide to be stubborn, the longer your little boy is stuck up there alone."
She could tell by the way his shoulders suddenly stiffened that she had made a point he hadn't thought of. Grandma knew that simply telling Jeff to go was never going to work, and if she was honest, she herself had no desire to be leaving the room any time soon now that she was back in here. But if using his other sons against him was what it took, then that was the card she would play. A muffled thud and a curse caused the corner of her mouth to turn up. Scott was trying to get back in, but Kyrano simply overrode the door from inside. Grandma knew that now she had to push the matter with his father.
"Jeff, please. For the sake of your boys, if not yourself. For Virgil's sake, get some rest." She knew the second he accepted her argument, for he seemed to almost to shrink into himself, just another sign of how long he had been sitting in that chair. Grandma let go of his hands, stood up and drew her son to his feet. For a moment, she just held onto him, but eventually drew back, giving him a small nudge in the direction of the door. Scott had stopped his attempts to get back in and his grandmother could only hope he was finding some relief in something.
Kyrano stepped aside as Jeff stumbled in that direction, but the father didn't leave the room. Instead, he walked back over, pressing a kiss to Virgil's brow. "I'll be back, son," he whispered softly, before finally turning for the door again.
"A few hours only. And you swear..."
"If anything happens, I'll come and get you. Oh, and Jeff, dear?" Walking over, Grandma placed her rolling pin in his hand. "Put this in the kitchen for me?" For the first time in three days, she managed to get a ghost of a smile from him as he nodded, finally leaving.
As soon as he was gone, Grandma dropped into his chair, resuming his previous position as she stared at her grandson. Gently, she leant forward and stroked his hair back from his forehead, frowning at the fever he still seemed to have. It was almost as if Brains' supposed cure had done absolutely nothing other than stop his restless mutterings. That in itself was a blessing, for there was something that just caught on her heart at hearing him in so much distress.
"I'll make you some tea," Kyrano said softly, excusing himself from the room as he spoke. He clearly believed that neither Scott nor Jeff would try to get back in and wanted to give the old woman some space. He knew her previous attitude had just been a front to get her boys to move. Inside, she was hurting as much as the rest of them.
Grandma barely noticed him leaving. She sighed deeply, wondering how on earth they had got into this mess. For a moment, she just gazed at Virgil's still face, praying that her grandson was going to open his eyes.
"Now listen here, young man," she said softly, all her previous strength seeming to vanish now she was properly allowing herself to think about the situation. She should have realised that sitting in here on her own was not a good idea. Up until now, she had managed to avoid contemplating quite what could happen by battling against the rest of the household, making sure they were eating and sleeping properly. But now she had almost won in that respect, she didn't know how to react.
"You are to wake up and stop this silliness, you hear me? That's quite enough worrying you've put the family through..."
When Kyrano returned with a cup of tea ten minutes later, Grandma had managed to compose herself slightly. The two friends sat in silence, both thinking about the still figure that lay between them. Surely there had to be something they could do other than just wait and see if Brains came up with anything new?
Neither of them saw a finger twitch slightly.
TBTBTB
Scott had immediately taken to the beach when he realised that he wasn't going to be allowed back into the infirmary. Feet pounded out a punishing rhythm; slightly laboured breathing accompanied the thuds of footfalls. Scott barely even noticed the sand flicking up behind him as he ran.
He pushed his legs faster, relishing the feeling of the slight burn in his muscles. It didn't feel like it had been three days since he had last left the infirmary, time seemed to simply blend into a mass as they waited to see if Virgil was coming back to them or not. His grandmother had been wrong in the sense of not believing that Scott hadn't tried to get some rest. He had managed to snatch a few hours now and again when his body simply gave up, but some monitor always beeped, or he thought he felt Virgil shift, and his eyes would wrench open, terrified that something had happened to his brother whilst he was asleep.
The sheer frustration at not being able to do anything pushed Scott to a speed he knew was border-line dangerous, but he couldn't find it within himself to actually care. He had truly thought they were going to get somewhere the day before when John had announced something had been found and the whole family had watched Brains attempt to save his brother. But then nothing had happened, Brains believing Virgil wasn't reacting to whatever it was the genius had concocted.
Yelling out in frustration – although the effect was somewhat lost by the fact his breaths were coming in short gasps thanks to his pounding feet – Scott eventually became aware of another noise. He slowed his pace down slightly, lightening his footfalls in order to be able to hear better, but didn't stop completely. He had a feeling he knew what was there. Or rather, who was there. Hearing the steps gain on him slightly, Scott suddenly sprang away. His feet barely touched the ground as he sprinted off.
Sure enough, there was a slight curse as the figure tried to gain on him. Leaning against the edge of a large boulder, Scott quickly brought his own breathing back under control, stretching out his legs whilst he waited for a certain younger brother to catch up on him. It took a few moments, but John eventually came flying around the corner.
Scott cleared his throat meaningfully, causing the blond to almost fall over as he skidded to a stop, leaving a deep furrow in the sand. He glared at the pilot, pushing his hair out of his face and coming over to stand next to the eldest brother, panting heavily. He made as if to lean on the rock, but Scott caught him by the shoulder, keeping him upright.
"Not until you've caught your breath," he told John firmly, watching him for a moment before rolling his eyes. "What the hell are you doing out here, John? You've barely had any sleep, you shouldn't be running."
"Then neither should you," John panted, clutching at a stitch in his side. He had forgotten how fast Scott could be, even when he was lacking in sleep. That was what happened when something was playing on his big brother's mind – he ran. "I thought I'd keep you company."
"Why didn't you just ask?" Scott crossed his arms over his chest as he leant against the boulder, staring at his brother in bewilderment.
"Would you have said yes?"
"Fair point." There was a reason, after all, that Scott had immediately taken to the beach when he realised that there was no way he was getting back into the infirmary. If there was one thing he had learnt throughout this whole ordeal, it was not to underestimate Kyrano. He didn't want the others crowding him, asking how he was doing. And yet, now that John was out here, Scott found that he didn't mind.
"So?" Scott prompted after a moment of silence, knowing there was no way John had simply come out here to join him in a run. There had been times Virgil might have, but John?
"So what? Oh... I dunno," John shrugged, finally having caught his breath and moving over the boulder. He ignored Scott's glare as he climbed it with ease, balancing himself on the top and swinging his legs. "Just didn't want to be inside on my own, I guess."
Scott nodded, poking John in the side of the leg to make his brother shift over. Knowing what the elder man wanted, John offered his hand and somewhat precariously pulled his brother up alongside him, Scott's injured arm restricting his climbing ability somewhat. There was a clear view of the ocean from the top, stretching out for as far as the eye could see, calming and hypnotic. Scott frowned slightly. For the first time in days, he felt some sort of peace. Maybe it was finally getting some air, getting the chance to burn off physically the frustration that had been slowly building ever since they had lost contact with Gordon three days ago. But Scott suddenly found he had the urge to smile. Leaning back on one arm, he took in a deep breath, swinging his legs casually.
"We'll be okay, John," he murmured quietly, tilting his head towards the sky. The day was drawing on, the sun just beginning its descent over the horizon. Another day survived. "We always are."
"It's easy for you to say." John's voice was heavy with emotion, and Scott turned his gaze from the heavens onto his brother. For once, John was not looking up, but staring glumly down at the sand below them. "I had to breathe for him, Scott. Twice."
"I know." Scott's voice was thick as he shifted his weight, moving one hand to squeeze John's arm before dropping it back again. He knew what the blond was like with physical contact. "You shouldn't have had to do that, John. It wasn't your responsibility. I'm the one that was supposed to keep him safe."
"That's not what I meant, Scott. You had to get One back, there was no choice. And you tried to go after the Hood, to make sure it was safe for us all. Has... Has Penny found anything yet?"
"Nothing solid." Scott sighed, kicking out a bit too hard and slamming his heel against the rock, immediately causing him to wince as he thought back on the brief conversation he had had with their agent after checking in with Alan earlier that morning. "She thinks she might have a lead on his newest hideout after we stormed the last, but there is no sign of him yet. He's still out there."
"She'll find something, she always does." It was John's turn to be the comforter now, mainly because he knew that if they stayed on the topic of the Hood, any good the run had done his brother would have been for nothing. He knew how much Scott still wished Gordon had let him go after the man that day, but John sided with his younger brother in that case. If Scott had caught up with the creep, it would have ended up destroying him.
Scott sighed deeply, once more tilting his chin back. "How the hell did we get into this, Johnny? How come the rest of the world sees us as lazing around on an island living off Dad's money, when our brother is fighting for his life?"
"Because fate apparently has it in for us," John responded, so moodily that Scott had to laugh slightly. At this moment in time, John sounded further from the usually calm space-monitor than his brother had ever heard him. But the laugh felt good, felt right somehow. Scott didn't know what was going on, but somehow he just felt as if things were really going to be okay. When he got back inside, he would make sure to thank his grandmother for making him get some air; it had certainly done the trick.
For a few moments, the two brothers sat in silence, both lost in thought. Scott knew that they wouldn't be out for much longer. Not only because of the shadows beginning to creep their way across the beach, but because he knew John intended to be away from Virgil only as long as Scott. As soon as they believed their grandmother would let them in, both brothers would once again be taking up position in the infirmary.
Before that time came, however, a voice was heard calling them. John immediately sprang from the top of the boulder, dropping into a crouch even as Gordon came running around the corner. His hair was sticking up and still damp, his face flushed from what looked like a spontaneous sprint across the beach.
"Gordon?" John's voice was sharp, and Scott knew without looking his eyes would be burning brightly, concern in his eyes even as he let his hands rest on Gordon's shoulders as their younger brother gasped for breath.
"Virgil... he..."
"What?"
"He's awake." Scott was the one who answered, though. His hands were digging deeply into the rock, not seeming to notice the slightly red marks slowly appearing on his palms. Everything else about him was as still as the rock he was sitting on.
"How did you...?"
"I don't know. But I'm right, aren't I?"
Gordon frowned up at the figure of his brother sitting atop the rock he had once forbidden Gordon to climb and slowly nodded, a wide grin splitting over his face.
"Brains' antidote did work! I knew it would! We just didn't give it enough time! Come on!"
Without a backward glance, both John and Gordon sprinted off up the beach, the tension leaving their shoulders as Scott watched. It all made sense now. The feeling of calm, the certainty that everything was going to be okay... He had meant what he said to Gordon. He had no idea how, but somehow, Scott had known the second Virgil had stirred.
He took one long last glance at the sky, the first star appearing in the evening light. Tears were glistening in his eyes as he slipped neatly down from the rock, his actions much more controlled than John's frantic leap had been. He moved slowly up the beach. He wanted to run with John and Gordon, push everyone out of the way until he was by Virgil's side. But somehow, he instead felt an inner peace, something that had been absent for too long.
"Thanks, Mom," he whispered quietly, his eyes locked on that first star even as more slowly began to wink their way into view.
Scott began walking up the beach, but before long he found himself running as fast as his brothers had, possibly more so. He had an infirmary to get to. The Hood hadn't won; Virgil was going to be okay.
As he hurtled his way through the house, Scott skidded to a stop outside the infirmary, smashing his hand on the panel and practically flinging himself through the door. People were crowded around the bed, every occupant of the island crammed into the room.
Even through the bodies milling everywhere, Scott still found himself locking eyes across the space with the one person he needed to see. A smile spread rapidly across his face as Virgil returned it. He looked like absolute hell and it was clearly taking every ounce of self control he had not to pass out again, especially considering the amount of people firing questions at him.
But he was alive.
I finally give you something positive. In my defence, I forgot that it went on for that long without you knowing whether he lived or not. Sorry!
