~#~ (Chapter 52)

John sat quietly through the service and, as Jeff had predicted, put himself to bed straight after getting back to the hotel. Jeff checked on him several times throughout the early part of the afternoon but gave up after his third attempt when he discovered that John had pulled the covers up over his head, a clear signal that he knew Jeff had been watching him and that he wanted to be left alone. Jeff, for want of something better to do, took Penelope to the hospital and left a now casually dressed Parker to keep an eye on John.

~#~

When they returned, several hours later, Penelope went to her room to freshen up and Jeff went to John's to see if he could persuade him to get up and eat something.

When he pushed the door to the bathroom open, Jeff was surprised to find the room empty. There was a covered tray on the table which, upon investigation, held half a bowl of soup and a couple of torn-up bread rolls. Jeff smiled to himself, it looked like Parker had managed to get at least a little sustenance into John before the pair of them had left the room.

Jeff left John's room and then wandered down the corridor to Joel's room and rapped on the door. Joel answered it with a grin as if he'd been expecting the visit for some time and then stepped back to let Jeff into the room. "Hello, Jeff," he said cheerily. "Everything alright at the hospital? Jacob OK?"

Jeff nodded. "Jacob's fine, although he seemed to know that there's something going on today. He was very quiet and grizzly and just wanted to be held and cuddled the whole time Penny and myself were there. Jo, I know he hasn't had John around for all that long but I can't help but think that he was missing him today."

Joel nodded. "You of all people should be able to recognise those signs," he replied softly. "As for John, well, there's still time for him to visit yet…just as long as he's not too much longer."

"Where is he, anyway?" Jeff suddenly remembered why he'd sought Joel out in the first place. "From what I can see he's been fed but more than that I don't know. Is Parker still with him or has he gone out alone?"

Joel shook his head. "He tried to go out alone," he said with a chuckle. "…and without lunch but your Parker wouldn't let him. I thought I was going to have to step in and split the pair of them up at one point. I've never seen Parker in any sort of off duty capacity before but I tell you, when he's out from under Penelope's gaze, and when he knows what he's saying is right, then the man's a force to be reckoned with. There was no way John was getting out of his room without eating at least something and even once he had then he wasn't getting out alone. Parker sat and watched John to make sure he ate and then took him downstairs. Apparently they've gone for a walk but they've taken the car so I'm not sure exactly where they've gone."

Jeff nodded. "Fair enough," he replied. "Parker's acted as babysitter to the boys throughout their whole lives and I can't imagine him taking any nonsense from them, even now. There was many a night that Lucille, Penny and myself were out at some function or other until the early hours and more often than not it was Parker who was left with the boys. I never questioned what they got up to when he looked after them but I'm pretty certain the fact that every single one of them can pick their way out of a locked room is a direct result of some of those nights."

Joel laughed loudly at that and then clapped Jeff on the back. "They've turned out alright, no matter what spurious things they may have been taught," he said with a smile. "…and I'm sure John will search you out as soon as he gets back. What are you going to do in the meantime?"

Jeff raised his arm and looked at his watch. "I'm going to call Scott," he replied. "Virgil and Onaha should have just about finished working out what they're going to need to Jacob-proof the island and if they're done then I need to tell Alan what he's going to be doing for the next couple of days. That could be an…um…interesting discussion."

A crinkle formed on Joel's forehead as he tried to remember if he knew what Jeff had planned for Alan. He shook his head as he realised that he didn't have a clue what Jeff was talking about but as he wasn't offering any more information, Joel decided that it probably didn't matter anyway.

~#~

After practically bullying John into eating his lunch, Parker drove him to the edge of Seven Mile Beach and then remained with the car while the quiet young man wandered slowly down towards the sea.

When John returned after about an hour, Parker had switched the radio on and was leaning against the car listening to the sports news. As he saw John approach he flicked the radio off again and stepped forwards to greet him.

"Master Tracy, 'ow was your walk?" he asked. "H'I trust that the location met with your h'approval?"

John smiled gently. "It's just what I needed, Parker, thank you. I didn't have a clue the beach was this close but the space and quiet was just what I needed."

Parker nodded knowingly. "H'I 'ave noticed, h'over the years, that you Tracys tend to commune with Poseidon when you h'are stressed. H'I've always thought this to be…h'interesting for a family what grew up h'in the middle of such an h'enormous landmass."

John snorted. "Yeah, Kansas and the sea are kind of…far apart," he replied. "It's not just the sea, anyway. We all talk to the sky at times as well…or the stars, at any rate. At least I know how that one got started though." He stopped and looked at Parker who nodded for him to carry on. John was pretty sure that the butler knew the story but was listening intently so he continued. "Mama used to tell us to shout goodnight to Dad whenever he was on a mission and then Grandma…Grandma sort of extended it after Mama died. I'll always remember her sitting Alan and Gordy down and explaining that Mama couldn't come home because she'd been turned into an angel. She said that just because we couldn't see Mama any more it didn't mean that she wasn't there and she told us that we could talk to her, up in the stars, whenever we wanted and that even if the stars weren't out, the angels would still hear us."

Parker remained quiet when John fell into a reflective silence. John resurfaced a few moments later and gave Parker a sheepish smile and a quietly muttered apology before climbing back into the car.