The Tracy Family and Thunderbirds are the creation of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Author's Note: All information regarding life on a coral reef, including that of the octopus is true and accurate to my knowledge according to research. As the Blue Ringed Octopus is found off the waters of Australia, any of you who plan a holiday to that part of the world, PLEASE don't be tempted to cuddle a cute little yellow or brown octopus!
Chapter 55
Scott had smiled to himself as Jenna sat down, breathless and excited from the day's activities, towelling at her still damp hair. "I take it you had a good day, then," he asked, wanting to hear all about it before their evening meal.
"Oh yeah…oh Scott…it was wonderful, more beautiful than I ever imagined….so many things to see and the colors….," she enthused, much to Scott's enjoyment. It was good to see her relaxed, to see the wonderment on her face, to see it through the eyes of someone who was experiencing it for the first time. "I….I just wish you could have been there to share it with me," she added quietly.
"Yeah…I do too," he said, wishing he had been the one to show her. "Maybe some day I'll get to take you and by then you'll be an expert," he continued with a light laugh, not wanting to dampen the moment.
"Oh…I don't know about that," Jenna laughed modestly.
"Anyway Gordy's a good teacher…..no one knows the ocean or that lagoon better than he does," Scott stated with obvious quiet pride in his younger brother.
"Yes…he was very patient with me," she admitted with a smile. "And he knows all the names of those fish and the different types of coral….I can't remember half of them….and did you know that coral aren't plants at all, even though some of them look like it….they're actually little animals that cling together to form a living colony," she went on enthusiastically, forgetting that he lived on this island and would be well used to diving.
Scott took great delight in listening to her excitement. "Yeah…I did know," he admitted. "And it wouldn't surprise me if he knew every one of those fish personally and had names for them," he said, the thought of which made them both laugh.
"Yeah…of course you would know. That was a pretty dumb thing to say, wasn't it," she remarked laughingly, to which he shook his head.
"No…I like hearing you talk about it…to see your face light up," he confessed. "So….you're not…mad at me, then," he ventured to ask, a cautious smile on his face.
"Y e s…..you…had…me…kidnapped….Scott…..Tracy," she said in mock seriousness, playfully poking him in the ribs and causing him to double in two. "I…oughtta….be…real….mad," she continued, making him ache with laughter.
"But….you enjoyed yourself," he encouraged her to confess, to which she nodded, though there was a moment she could well have done without. "So…are you going to tell me all about it," Scott asked eagerly, smiling at the still obvious high she was on.
Oh yeah…well… first we started off in the pool….to get used to the mask and breathing through the mouthpiece and Gordon insisted I learn the hand signals….in case the communication failed," she informed him. "This is OK….," she added, putting her thumb and forefinger together to form an O and smiling broadly when he returned it. "….and this is danger….that I'm in trouble or can't breathe or something," she continued, this time keeping her fingers flat, together and rigid and then moving them sideways rapidly in front of her throat, at which Scott gave her a nod, letting her know he was impressed. "….and then I had to sit on the bottom of the pool for a while….just to get used to the idea of breathing easily underwater….it was really weird….kept getting this feeling I should be heading up to the surface to breathe," she went on excitedly, much to his delight.
He had forgotten what it was like the first time, being quite an accomplished diver himself so it was a joy to watch her and listen; her face alight with the new experience. She had brought him joy in so many ways, joy along with a deep down inner peace and happiness. "And what did you think of the real thing…when you went to the lagoon?" he smiled. It was like listening to a child relating its first experience of seeing the ocean or going to the zoo for the first time and seeing the different animals.
"Well, we had lunch first by the pool, then we went down there on the hover bikes. Oh Scott….it was just so beautiful….," Jenna began to tell him, as her mind took her back to when she had got her first view of the lagoon.
They had taken the jungle track and within minutes emerged from the lush greenery into the open, to a sight that took her breath away. The lagoon was a wide-open body of clear blue, calm water, separated from the ever-moving ocean by a wide sandy beach lined with trees. It was bounded on the other side by high cliffs, over which the lush jungle seemed to spill, creepers and vines hanging down, adorning the bare rock and providing temporary resting places for the many colourful birds. Where the cliff ended and the sandbar began there was a narrow opening to the sea.
Gordon and John brought the hover bikes to rest on the sandy beach and began unloading their equipment, while Jenna just took in the wonderful view around her, still barely able to believe she was about to do this, yet excited at the prospect. These guys were so blessed to be able to live in such a place, she mused, as the boys checked the equipment, grinning to one another at her obvious delight.
The boys helped her on with her air tank, making sure everything was as it should be and getting her to check she was getting air through the mouthpiece. Jenna gave Gordon the OK signal. "Say Johnny, I think she's gettin the hang of this," he grinned, making her smile that she had pleased her teacher by remembering his instructions.
"Say Gordy….I wouldn't let Scott see you get up close and personal with his girl like that," John laughed, as Gordon adjusted the straps around the waist and over the chest of his bikini clad pupil.
"Yeah…but we've gotta make sure you're all nice and safe….the big guy would never forgive us if anything happened to ya," Gordon grinned as he continued to adjust the straps, making sure they were comfortable and yet secure, causing Jenna to wince and eye him warily, not knowing how thorough it was necessary to be.
Sitting on a nearby rock the boys helped her on with her flippers and after standing she put the mask on top of her head, ready to pull it down once they were in the water. Now she was ready.
"Say Johnny…..do ya think she's really ready for this after all?" Gordon asked, pulling his face into a questioning frown. "Maybe we should leave it to another day."
"Yeah…maybe you're right, Gordy. It's too much for one day," John replied with equal seriousness.
Jenna looked incredulously from one to the other. "Oh but I'm all ready. I can do this….I know I can….and I'm looking forward to it now. Oh Gordon….please…you can't do this to me now. Please…pleeeease Gordon take me," she pleaded earnestly.
"Aahh isn't that a wonderful sound, Johnny. There isn't a sweeter sound in all the world. Don't ya just love it when a woman begs," Gordon sighed, his face alight with mischief. John nodded in definite agreement before succumbing to laughter.
Jenna shot him a fiery glare as she tried to make a swipe at him but trying even to walk in a normal fashion on land in flippers and an air tank strapped to your back is no easy task. She felt as ungainly as an overweight duck. "Gordon Tracy! You come back here," she shouted, as he jumped well back out of her reach laughing.
The boys now donned their own equipment, making sure each other's tanks were firmly in place and checking the gauges at the back. Finally John handed Gordon what appeared to be a long stick.
"What's that for Gordon?" Jenna asked curiously.
"This! Oh this is just a stun-stick," Gordon replied quite casually. "If I press this, it'll give an electric shock," he added, giving a demonstration by pressing a button on the handle. "It's…eh…just to keep the predators away," he grinned, raising his eyebrows and looking pointedly at John.
"Predators! Oh yeah….some real mean suckers too," John responded, agreeing with his brother. "Oh…but don't worry, Jen….you'll be all right with us….just stick close," he added, totally unfazed.
"Sharks! You mean you've got sharks in there," she gasped nervously, looking at the seemingly innocent and tranquil water, then glancing to where the lagoon lay open to the sea.
"Hey John, did I tell you about when they caught that big one back in the States, off the Florida Coast?" Gordon asked, to which John shook his head. "You know what they found when they opened him up?" he continued.
"No…what's that, bro?" John replied with eagerness.
"They only went and found a Florida State licence plate," Gordon answered with a degree of amazement.
"No…really," John remarked and shaking his head at the thought. "Well Gordy, I've got one better for you. They caught a Great White off the Barrier Reef last year and you know what they found when they opened him up?" John remarked.
"No….what did they find, bro?" Gordon asked, eyes wide with anticipation.
"They only went and found, not just a Sydney licence plate, but, dang it, the whole car and a family of four still in it," John said quite seriously.
Jenna looked suspiciously from one Tracy to the other. Now just why did she get the feeling that this Laurel and Hardy double act were pulling her leg. It could be because both boys could no longer contain themselves and had doubled up in two with laughter, giving her the impression the only sharks that were going to be in this lagoon were of the two-legged variety.
"Sorry Jen….just couldn't resist it," John apologised.
"You mean there are no sharks in the lagoon," she said, breathing a sigh of relief and shaking her head at their devious little joke.
"No Jen, we're all right. See where the lagoon is open to the sea," Gordon replied and pointed. Jenna nodded. "We've got anti-shark netting in place…they can't get in….and we checked the alarms on it before we came down and it's all intact," he assured her, making her feel a whole lot better. "And these….we just carry these as a precaution…it's a safety thing, that's all," he further added to reassure her.
"So….are we ready to go?" John asked, to which he received two OK signals. "Let's do it."
They waddled into the water to chest deep and with Gordon making sure that Jenna felt happy and safe enough they put on their masks, opened up the communication and slid beneath the water. Swimming in slow, languid strokes they made their way to the lagoon floor with Jenna flanked on either side by a protective Gordon and John. If she thought the world above was beautiful then she was truly in awe of this underwater kingdom with its diverse and colorful life, with the sunlight filtering through the water. It was hard to know which way to look first, there were so many things to see and the boys grinned to each other through their masks as they took in her simple wonderment at it all.
"Oh Gordon…what are they?" she asked excitedly, pointing out a school of colorful fish that scurried over the reef.
"They're Parrot fish….well…that's their common name cus I guess they kinda remind you of a colorful parrot with the shape of their face and beak," Gordon told her, only too glad to be able to tell her everything he knew. "They do have more scientific names but they're not half as fun."
John was quite happy to let Gordon point out all the things of interest and what all their names were, as it gave him a chance to acquaint himself with the undersea life again. Jenna took in everything Gordon showed her, though she knew she would never remember all their names.
"Oh look….there's starfish….and…and a lobster," she called out excitedly at actually seeing a real live lobster ambling along the sandy bottom.
"Hey John…we should bring that back for Kyrano to cook up for dinner. He would boil up nicely, wouldn't he?" Gordon commented through his built-in mic.
"Sure would. Haven't had lobster in ages," he returned, looking over Jenna to his younger brother who was trying not to laugh.
Jenna was horrified. "You…you can't do that….he's….beautiful," she retorted, turning to look at them and on realising they were having another joke at her expense, tried to make a swipe at Gordon, though, if you've ever tried to swipe at someone underwater, it has no effect, whatsoever.
They swam on and Gordon called her attention to movement on the lagoon floor. She looked to where he was pointing and her face creased into a smile, as she saw five crabs all moving together along the floor, like they were a marching army, advancing on their prey. A little farther along and they sank to their knees on the sandy bottom, close to another patch of reef.
"Ok….what do you think this coral is called?" Gordon asked with the patience of a good tutor who wants his pupil to try to figure it out for themselves.
Jenna studied the weird and wonderful shapes and momentarily her face lit up but then just as quickly her smile faded a little. "It…it…looks like a brain…..a human brain…..doesn't it," she remarked quietly and a little sadly.
Gordon silently cursed himself for being so thoughtless and insensitive but in his eagerness to show her the remarkable likeness that nature produces and to see if she could figure it out for herself it completely slipped his mind that it may make her think of Scott; she had, after all, been there during his surgery and was the only person here who had actually seen part of his brother's brain.
"Yeah…that's what it's called," he said quickly, glancing to John, who gave him a sympathetic look. "And look….what about this one?" he laughed in amusement, diverting her attention and getting her to look in a different direction altogether.
Jenna laughed as she studied the new coral. "It looks like a collection of bubbles," she responded, saying the first thing that came into her head. "Bubble Coral!" she offered, wondering if it could be that simple.
"Yep…you got it in one. See…it's easy. A lot of things are named just cus of how they look, makes them easy to remember," he grinned, wanting to make her learning experience fun. Although Gordon knew all the proper names, there was no way he was going to bore her with those; he believed learning should be fun and he was enjoying having a new pupil to teach, someone to whom all this was new, someone who was excited by what she saw.
Feeling pleased with herself at having guessed it correctly, her attention was now drawn to another spot on the reef by an excitable John. "Look over here you two," he remarked, pointing to where a beautifully colored fish appeared to be caught among the tentacles of a Sea Anemone.
"Oh the poor thing….it's caught….can't you do something Gordon?" Jenna pleaded, her caring and compassionate nature extending to any poor animal that was hurt or trapped.
Gordon smiled as he took in the scene. "Naw…he's not caught….he's quite happy in there actually…safe as houses," he informed her, causing her to give him a quizzical look. "That's a Clown Fish….one of my favourite little fellas," he grinned. Jenna couldn't help but smile; now why didn't that surprise her. "See…that Sea Anemone…it may be beautiful but it's poisonous to all other fish…and he knows that….that's why he stays in there. He's the only little fish that can swim among it's tentacles and not get stung…..clever, huh…..some mucus that he's coated with keeps him immune…..and in return for being protected he provides food for the Anemone….all the little things that live on him the Anemone cleans them off," Gordon explained simply, to her total fascination and wonderment. "It's the perfect symbiotic relationship, you could say…..they just can't do without each other," he added as he grinned at John.
"You mean…like a nurse and her patient, Gordy," John quipped lightly.
"More like….a certain nurse and a certain patient, Johnny," Gordon returned with a cheeky grin.
"Now there's a fine example of a true symbiotic relationship, wouldn't you say, brother?" John continued, as though they were discussing some point of scientific detail.
"Couldn't agree more, brother….and I'd say he's definitely a happy little fella!" Gordon added, to which John agreed with a 'Most definitely' before both boys burst into laughter.
Laurel and Hardy were at it again and all Jenna could do was shake her head in exasperation, mind you, if she'd been allowed to carry a stun-stick they might not have found it so funny. All the while they had been swimming towards the high cliffs that bounded the lagoon and soon came to the rock face, it having been transformed into a veritable underwater garden by the hard and soft corals that clung to life there. They were also only a few metres away from the narrow opening to the sea and while there, Gordon and John decided to check, visually, the anti-shark netting. Jenna followed behind, watching as they examined the netting in detail but her attention soon began to wander and her eyes creased into a smile by something she spied on the lagoon floor, near to the vertical cliff face. Seeing that the boys were preoccupied and not wishing to disturb them Jenna swam down, feeling totally safe, as she still had them in sight. There, sitting on a little group of rocks and apparently basking in the sunlight, which filtered down through the water, was a small octopus, no bigger than the size of your hand.
"Oh Gordon...come and look at this," Jenna said, a smile evident in her voice. "It's a cute little yellow octopus….it must only be a baby," she added adorably.
On hearing her words Gordon's eyes went wide, alarm bells started ringing in his head. He spun round, his heart missing a beat as he realised she was no longer behind them. John, sensing his brother's obvious panic and knowing he was not one to do so, turned quickly and together they frantically scanned the clear waters. "JEN…JEN….where are you?" Gordon shouted, his panic rising at not being able to see her.
"Down here, you guys…..isn't he cute," Jenna called, on looking up and seeing they were searching for her.
Gordon's eyes went even wider with horror as he saw what she was about to reach for and immediately started to swim for all he was worth, followed, hot on his heels, by John. He could barely get the words out, feeling his heart was in his mouth. "JEN! Whatever you do….don't…don't touch it…..leave it…alone," he yelled, causing her to momentarily freeze.
Within moments she felt her arm being pulled back and on turning to look saw one very anxious and worried Gordon. John joined them with an equally anxious look on his face. Thinking this to be another of their practical jokes she sighed. "Ok you guys…what is it this time. Are you gonna tell me that this cute, little baby octopus is really some sort of monster.
Gordon breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew!….Well…kinda Jen….see…that cute, little baby octopus! Well…he ain't no baby….he's full grown…..that's a Blue Ringed Octopus," Gordon informed her, still slightly breathless at the close call that had been averted.
"But Gordon….there's no blue rings…he's yellow," Jen responded and still unsure whether he was being serious, though something told her that their worry and now obvious relief was genuine.
"That's just his natural state, Jen. Watch this," he grinned, the kind of grin that comes from knowing there is no longer any danger. He extended the stun-stick towards the little creature.
"Oh don't hurt him," Jenna begged. Even though he may have been dangerous she had no wish for any harm to come to him.
Gordon laughed. "I'm not gonna hurt the little fella," he promised. He went to gently poke the octopus but before he even got to touch it bright blue rings came up all over the little octopus as he viciously attacked the stick before shooting off quickly back to his den, disappearing among the rocks and leaving Jenna wide-eyed and stunned.
"He's more deadly than a rattlesnake," Gordon told her. "One bite from him and we wouldn't even had time to get you to the beach, Jen…..never mind back to the infirmary…..wouldn't have made any difference anyway cus there's no antidote to what this little guy would give ya. It's a neurotoxin and in three minutes you'd a been totally paralysed….lungs and all….those blue rings would've been the last things you'd a seen…….and then it would've been….goodnight! Know what I'm sayin!" he added, with the measure of respect that appreciates the deadly force of nature.
Jenna gulped and swallowed hard, nodding dumbly to what Gordon was telling her and beginning to appreciate just what a narrow escape she had. On seeing the realisation in her face Gordon smiled reassuringly and asked her if she was Ok, to which she could only nod dumbly again.
"Phew!….Yeah. Can you imagine what we'd have told the big guy," John breathed out a sigh of relief and with the kind of laugh that comes from nervous tension. "Well Scott…..know that girl you were kinda crazy about…..well see…..she kinda wanted to cuddle this cute little octopus…," John started.
"Only it wasn't a cute, little octopus…..it was a Blue Ring….and…well gee Scott….we're kinda sorry and all that….it won't happen again," Gordon finished off in mock apology. In truth Jenna was glad of their light-heartedness, allowing her to release the tension she felt and all burst into grateful laughter.
"We'd better red flag this place, John….and let everyone know he's here when we get back," Gordon said, now in a serious, professional mode.
John reached into the pouch that was about his waist and pulled out a small red flag. Moving cautiously towards the rocks he placed the weighted flag in a crevice, as Gordon stayed close by, his stun-stick at the ready in case the little creature should decide to show itself again. The red flag would act as a warning, reminding everyone to stay clear of that area.
"You mean you didn't know he was here?" Jenna asked tentatively, making her realise even more what a narrow escape she had. If Gordon hadn't recognised so quickly what she was reaching for she dreaded to think what would have happened and if what he said were true she wouldn't even be thinking these thoughts right now; that chilling thought made her shiver, though the water was warm.
"I haven't been down here since….well…in over a month," Gordon replied quietly.
"How did he get in here? I thought that netting was supposed to keep all the dangerous things out," she asked curiously.
Gordon grinned at her obvious lack of knowledge regarding the octopus. "You think dogs and dolphins are clever! There isn't a problem solver in the world to match an octopus when he's hungry," he said admiringly. "See….they're Cephalopods…..they don't have any bones…that means they can just about squeeze in anywhere they want. I once saw a full-grown octopus…maybe a metre and a half…crawl through a space no bigger than the neck of a bottle, just to get at a fish," he informed her, laughing and shaking his head at the memory of the awesome feat he had witnessed, though he could tell from her wary look that she didn't believe him. "No…straight up, Jen….I swear it's true. I did a summer spell in the Oceanographic Institute in the States; doing some research….before I joined W.A.S.P. Was the darnest thing I ever saw. There were two tanks, joined together by a length of Perspex tubing, no wider than a bottleneck…..there was an octopus in one tank and a fish in the other. We waited all day and nothin happened….when we came in the next day the fish was gone. Luckily we had a night-vision camera set up….got the whole thing on disc….as soon as it was dark…that octopus just squeezed himself through that tube into the other tank, took the fish and squeezed himself back again…..eyeballed us next morning just daring us to guess how he did it," Gordon laughed, as John, too, joined in with nods of appreciation for the wonderment of nature, leaving Jenna totally amazed. Gordon certainly knew some interesting facts and was very knowledgeable about his world. "Anyway….maybe you'd better ask me before you touch anything, huh….just to be sure," he smiled gently, giving her a wink.
Jenna nodded readily, not needing to be given that advice twice. They spent another short while exploring and then all too soon it was time to head to the surface. Breathless and exhilarated she pulled off her mask as they came up onto the beach, turning her face to the sun to enjoy its warmth. Even though the afternoon sun was hot she couldn't help feel a shiver run down her spine as the boys helped her off with her equipment, followed by their own.
"You Ok," Gordon asked with concern, seeing her pale a little and guessing she was thinking about that little scare. She nodded, smiling, as you do when you're trying to be brave and not being very successful. In a moment of spontaneity she threw her arms around him in a grateful hug, making him realise just how scared she had been. "Hey…come on…you did Ok," he said reassuringly, returning her hug.
"Come on…let's get back to the kitchen and see if Grandma's got any hot pancakes and maple syrup," John cut in, to take her mind off things, at which his brother's eyes lit up.
After towelling themselves dry and Jenna donning a towelling robe they began loading the equipment onto John's hover bike, laughing and chatting about the different things they had seen. "And just don't forget to tell Scott how we tackled the denizens of the deep to save his damsel in distress," Gordon joked, waving his stick about like a sword.
"Yeah…that should keep us in his good books," John added with a grin.
Jenna shook her head at their antics; laughing as they boarded the hover bikes and with Jenna behind Gordon they headed back to the villa. As they sped along the jungle track and with the sunlight dappling through the trees, she wondered if this was how Scott felt when he thought of how good it was to be alive; in some small measure she could now appreciate that feeling.
"…..and it was totally my own fault for being curious," she finished explaining to Scott, as she still towelled at her hair.
"You sure you're Ok," he asked, his face full of concern, brushing her arm with his fingers.
"Yeah…I am. Gordon was just great…..and don't worry…I won't even touch so much as a rock without asking him first," she assured him, making them both laugh with relief. "And what sort of a day did you have?" Jenna asked, now focusing her attention on him.
"Oh you know….I had a pretty good day….took a few more steps than yesterday," Scott announced proudly and trying not to wince as he shifted himself on the bed. With a wry smile Jenna looked him up and down. "No…I haven't any more bruises," he laughed. "Don't think I could've fallen down even if I'd wanted to…the least little wobble and everybody had their hands out. Mind you….I don't think it was so much me fallin as them being afraid of you for lettin me," he added with a smile. "And it looks like you've got a touch of the sun, Jen……here…turn round and let me see," he remarked, noticing that a few times during the relating of her adventures she seemed a bit uncomfortable.
It had not gone unnoticed by him either that, instead of wearing her usual dress uniform, she was wearing a light cotton sundress, having changed into it after showering in her room before coming back down to the infirmary. She had, indeed, got a touch of the sun from what he could see as she obediently turned her back to him.
"Get me the cooling cream, Jen and I'll put some on for you," Scott requested, his request and tone having that natural air of command and authority.
He had a natural and easy tone of command, which inspired confidence in his ability, coming from his many years experience in the field. She had to smile as she found herself automatically obeying his request without hesitation and had to admit she found it warming and assuring that he was willing to lay aside his own discomfort to see to her needs. She wondered, too, if this was most people's reaction to him and could quite easily see him now in his role of being in command of a rescue situation. It may have seemed such a simple request but in it Jenna could see his desire to take control of his life, to take control of a situation. From her nurse's point of view it was good for him psychologically but, in all honesty, she was looking at it from her lover's heart, in that she had a man who was in control and protective of his lady.
Having brought the appropriate cream she sat up close with her back to him and pulled her hair away from her neck. She felt her heart rate quicken as she waited longingly for his touch, knowing now they had both become highly aware of each other. Closing her eyes briefly she felt him trace his way softly along her shoulder, then watched as he slipped his fingers under the strap of her dress, slowly sliding it off and down her arm. It was as though he were appreciating a fine figurine or a work of art. Without a word she poured some of the cream into his outstretched hand, taking in a little gasp and flexing her back as the cool cream met her warm skin though the soothing, gentle action of his caressing and massaging soon had her feeling relaxed.
Turning slightly to allow him to slip off her other strap he repeated the process until the cream was absorbed. His hand remained though and, reluctant to leave her, he continued to massage and caress her shoulders and neck.
"I missed you," she breathed softly, closing her eyes and rotating her head at the ecstasy of his touch. She became aware of him shifting his position, feeling him close, his warm breath on the back of her neck.
"You…..did!……I…….missed…….you……..too," he breathed deeply, responding by kissing her neck and down her back intermittingly as he spoke, creating in her feelings of arousal.
She turned to face him and immediately sought his mouth, warm, moist and inviting, unleashing on him a furious passion, which he recognised as coming from the pure joy of being alive, from one who appreciates life and coming only from one who has come close to losing it. He responded with every fibre of his being, excited by her taking the initiative, and longed at that very moment to make love to her, knowing their lovemaking would have been an explosion of sensuous passion and purpose. But he knew there would be no time; they would be disturbed by the arrival of their evening meal so, frustratingly, they had to settle for the kiss.
Over their meal she had once more become animated, telling him laughingly, that if Gordon and John had had their way, they might have been having lobster for dinner. Not long after telling her he wanted her to be with him when he spoke to his father a buzz sounded on the door-comm and a head appeared round the door.
"Come on in Dad….we've been expecting you."
