Scott couldn't help but glance at his younger brother with concern in his sky blue gaze. John was fast, but judging by the laboured breathing and shaking limbs he had to have been flying at his record speeds to get back for help.
Scott focussed on keeping a close on John, making sure he was nearby if his red haired brother happened to get too tired to push on further. His focus was his way of keeping his terrified thoughts at bay. What if Alan was horribly injured? He had been worried out of his mind when Virgil had been injured months ago and he wasn't sure he could stomach another heartache.
The lashing rain and hurricane winds made it difficult for even the most experienced amongst their bedraggled group to fly, and he found himself pumping his wings harder as the wind picked up, lightning flashing every so often near them.
Soon John was perking up, eyes frantically scanning the horizon as he realised where they were. He whipped his head around to face his family, red hair plastered to his forehead and skin as white as snow.
'The island is just up ahead; the boys are on the clifftop!' he cried out.
Jeff pumped his immense white wings and pulled ahead with Virgil, trusting Scott to keep an eye of John's descent.
Immediately as they came in to sight of the uncharted island, they were able to spot the boys huddled miserably under John's jacket, Alan's leg caught in the shifted rocks and Gordon curled around him in a hug of comfort.
When their resident swimmer caught sight of his rescuers descending towards them he cried out excitedly and Jeff could see him pointing wildly in their direction as a pained Alan smiled shakily.
'See Alan! I told you they'd be here soon!' Gordon's faint voice could be heard reassuring.
Jeff and Virgil touched down on either side of the boys and were immediately throwing their wings up to shield the shivering duo from the worst of the pelting rain.
'How bad is it Alan? Do you think you've broken your leg?' Virgil asked calmly.
Alan shook his head, tears gathering in his bluebell eyes.
'No, I think I sprained my ankle though. Can you get me out?'
Jeff, who had been examining the rocks for the possibility of further damage if shifted, smiled comfortingly and put a warm hand on Alan's shoulder in support.
'They're not huge rocks that are blocking the hole, with a bit of muscle Virgil, Scotty and I will have them off you in a moment,' Jeff assured.
Gordon breathed out an audible sigh of relief that his brother wasn't grievously wounded or worse, trapped permanently. The arrival of Scott and John at his side only accentuated his relief.
'What can I do to help?' he asked.
Scott grinned sharply at the determination of his little brother and gestured to where John was watching over the proceedings with an anxious gaze.
'How about you keep Johnny company, Gordo? He looks like he could use of your hugs'.
Immediately Gordon was engulfing John in a shivering cuddle, finally able to cling to one of his protectors after such a long ordeal. The two of them watched as the rock pile blocking Alan's trapped leg was slowly shifted away with each armful until Alan squeaked excitedly and was able to shuffle awkwardly backwards, his leg finally freed from its imprisonment.
'You good there Allie?' John asked tentatively.
Allan nodded vigorously, a smile plastered on his lips now that he could move around again. His smile only grew when Virgil, after examining his ankle closely, declared it mildly sprained.
'You know what the cure for a sprain is kiddo? A warm nest of blankets and John' famous hot chocolate,' Virgil declared jokingly, before offering a hand to get Allan back on his feet.
'I think we'll all be in need of a hot drink once we get out of this weather. Come on, the quicker we leave the quicker we get dry!' Jeff declared, his white wings stretching out to their full size.
With one powerful thrust he was in the air, ready to support Allan if necessary. There was an audible trill of relief when the hybrids found themselves facing the lights of Tracy Island, especially from Scott who had noticed John falling behind slightly as the weather grew worse. His baby had to be tired from the panicked flight for rescue and the long flight back after. He had never flown this much in his life, especially during bad weather.
As his legs extended towards the flight deck, and his sneakers gently touched down on the wooden boards, Scott found himself whirling around sharply at a loud thud from behind.
John was slumped forward, like a puppet with his strings cut. His wings lay limply splayed in the pooling water as he shivered pathetically.
'Jeff! Virgil!' Scott warned as he skidded to kneel beside John's crumpled form.
Up close his brother looked worse, with blue lips and almost translucent skin. His eyes were open wide but staring off at absolutely nothing.
'Hey Johnny, you mind looking at me buddy?' Scott asked softly, trying to sound as calm as he could manage.
John's gaze remained fixed on the distance, giving no sign he had heard Scott at all. Virgil and Jeff crouched to join him beside John's inert form, worried frowns of identical nature etched on their faces.
'He's not responding to me,' Scott reportedly, voice wavering at the realisation that something could be very wrong with his baby brother.
Virgil leant to take John's pulse as Jeff cradled John's cheek in his palm, trying to the get the boy to look him in the eye, or register any awareness.
'He's freezing, pulse is slow, not responding. We need to get him inside and into the infirmary now,' Virgil muttered cautiously.
Scott gently scooped up John's form, cradling his head against his neck so he could feel the soft exhales John let out, assuring himself that he was in fact breathing. Please let my brother be okay.
An hour later Virgil and Jeff had run as many test as they possibly could, and all had pointed to one key problem.
'He's exhausted. I don't mean he's just a little tired, he used up all his energy in the flight to find help and his reserves are depleted,' Jeff announced to the anxious group of boys huddled around Alan's bedside.
Across the room John lay curled on his side, wings tucked in under his blanket and eyes still eerily staring at nothing. Thankfully his cheeks now had a healthy colour to them and his lips had regained their former colour after John had been warmed.
Scott still grimaced at the sight of the IV line snaking out of his arm and those dead eyes.
'He'll rest for a few days and be back on his feet. Apparently John now faints with his eyes open,' Virgil commented, a genuine smile on his face now that he knew John wasn't in danger.
Scott's sharp eyes managed to spot a slight shiver from his brother and immediately he was creeping over to the gurney and laying himself down beside John. The redhead still fit perfectly against his chest, much like he did when they were captives, and John's sleepy sigh
of contentment was enough to melt Scott's heart.
'Sleep tight buddy, you're safe and sound right here with me'.