"Hey squid!" Virgil greets him enthusiastically. At 7:30 in the morning.
Gordon groans grabbing his pillow and placing it over his face.
"If you go back to sleep you don't get your surprise!" John tells him.
Intrigued Gordon lifts the pillow from his eyes.
All four of his brothers are standing there alongside grandma and his dad. They're blocking his view of the "surprise".
"Ready?" Scott asks.
"Yeah! What is it?" Gordon asks.
They grin at him and move to reveal a brand new wheelchair.
"You have been granted parole!" Scott tells him. "Ready for day release?!"
"What you mean I'm getting out of here?" Gordon asks delightedly. His eyes lit up in excitement.
"Temporarily, you have to come back in a few hours" His dad adds, smiling at the look of enthusiasm on Gordon's face.
Virgil helps him to get dressed, slipping a pair of jeans over his cast the hardest part. But he puts the T-shirt and hoodie on himself.
Then as gently as he can he slides one arm under Gordon's legs and lifts him off the bed and Into the waiting chair.
"Right first things first, Gordon where are we going for breakfast?" His dad asks him while he wheels him down the corridor towards the exit.
"MACDONALDS!" Gordon declares loudly "I want a triple sausage double egg McMuffin with extra cheese!"
"Anything else?" His dad asks laughing.
"Extra large Strawberry milkshake" He adds.
"Anything else?" Scott adds. Getting where his dad is taking this.
"A hash brown" Gordon tells him.
"Anything else?" Scott asks.
"No I think that will be enough" Gordon tells him smiling.
"What's the magic word Gords?" His dad asks.
"Oh yeah, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease" Gordon begs.
"What do you guys think?" This dad asks, pretending to consider the request.
They all agree, even though they have lived on take away junk food for the last two and half months.
The fresh air feels like heaven to Gordon, who was starting to lose hope that he was ever going to get out of the hospital.
*TB*
After breakfast they take him to the aquarium so he can he see the dolphins that have just arrived.
Sea life has always fascinated Gordon, he will sit and watch the little mermaid on repeat all day if they would let him.
They spend the morning there. Taking it in turns to be in charge of the chair.
The sun is beating down on their heads, and there is not a cloud in the sky. The aquarium is packed with families wandering around aimlessly, just enjoying being together outdoors.
"Hey daddy, can I have a dolphin for my pool when you build it for me?" Gordon asks seriously. "Or a shark, or a seal. A seal would be cool. I could teach it tricks!"
"When did I say I was going to build you a pool?" His father asks.
"I deserve one!" Gordon replies. "Peter said it would help with getting my legs stronger again" he tries reasoning.
"He's right it would, and by the time I had finished building it you would be fully recovered! Which is why Peter will be taking you to the one at the rehabilitation centre once a week after you come home! His dad tells him.
"Where is it the rehabilitation centre?" Gordon asks fearfully, he doesn't want to be further away from his brothers than necessary.
"Same hospital building, just a different department. Don't panic squid I wouldn't send you away" he reassures him.
"Daddy daddy daddy!" Alan suddenly interrupts crying out.
"Look! Penguins!" He points to them, running towards their enclosure excitedly.
"Careful Alan!" Grandma grabs the three year old in tin time to stop him from being trampled on by another family, Hastily apologising as she walks him back to his father, smacking the back of his hand.
"What have I told you about running off?" Gordon lectures the now hysterical 3 year old, to the amusement of his father and Grandma "It's naughty Alan. Pranks are fun, putting yourself in danger isn't, come here"
Alan stops crying and looks up at his big brothers unusually serious face. Before climbing up onto the chair and squashing himself onto Gordon's lap. His head resting on Gordon's shoulder.
"You okay with this Gordo?" His dad asks, making sure that this isn't hurting him.
"Yeah it's fine, he isn't going to run away again! Are you Allie?" He asks.
"N-n-no" he sniffs.
"Good, now lets go and look at the penguins! Scott? Your turn! To the penguins!" Gordon cries.
Scott sighs resigned to his fate and starts to wheel the chair closer to the enclosure.
They all have their favourites.
Gordon wants a dolphin! Alan could have spent days at the penguin enclosure. John was fascinated by the the under ground tunnel with the tanks all around them filled with all kinds of animals including a shark. Virgil loved watching the seal show, and secretly agrees with Gordon, a pet seal would be perfect. For Scott it is the killer whale.
The biggest animal at the aquarium. He listens to a talk from the keeper about how the whale was rescued from a smaller aquarium where it was being badly treated and kept in a tank far too small for it. The poor creature can never be released into the wild and this is its only chance of a happy life.
A few hours becomes the whole day, and Gordon is visibly tiring. Alan too. As the sun starts to sink back down into the earth, and the shadows start to grow longer, Jeff announces that it is time to head back. Via of course, the gift shop!
"Daddy can I get a dolphin?" Gordon asks, eyeing up the soft toys.
His dad nods. He knows Gordon's room is already home to a million stuffed animals. One more wont make a difference.
Alan suddenly a lot more energetic again leaps down from the wheelchair and starts choosing things at random that he needs.
"I need that daddy!" Pointing at the plush seal, "Oh no that!" Abandoning the seal for a 4 foot long alligator, which is longer than he is.
He ends up with both as his dad and grandma both feel bad for neglecting him so much to concentrate on Gordon.
"What about you John?" Grandma asks him.
"Well I'm too old for stuffed toys! Can I get this book?" He asks. Holding up a large thick hardback book titled: The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Carnivorous Plants. "It's so cool, it even comes with a free Venus fly trap!"
"Sure" His dad replies laughing. He knew John would gravitate to the biggest book in the room.
Virgil and Scott quickly choose their own gifts, Virgil going for a T-shirt with the aquariums logo on, and Scott a notebook with the logo and some matching stationary. Which he insists he needs for school. Their dad and grandma both get a mug each.
Gordon doesn't protest when they re-enter the hospital, he is exhausted and actually looking forward to going to sleep!
His dad helps him back into his pyjamas and into bed, tucking the blanket around the sleepy 7 year olds shoulders. Stretching out on the bed, his new dolphin friend joining him and his squid, he drifts off to sleep.
*TB*
"Dad can you drop me off at marks house? We are going to the cinema" Scott reminds him.
Now he is 16, Scott is finally old enough to take his driving test. But he won't and he hasn't been behind the wheel since Gordons accident. He won't admit it to anyone but he is too scared to drive.
"Sure, be home by midnight or call me if you need a ride" His dad replies, he knows he can trust Scott.
"Want me to stop and let you out, or just slow down enough for you to jump?" His dad asks him jokingly.
Scott rolls his eyes and doesn't answer, this is the same joke their dad tells them every time he is dropping them off anywhere.
"One day you will appreciate my jokes Scotty" Jeff tells him.
"Sometimes it isn't hard to see where Gordon gets his sense of humour from!" Scott replies.
His dad pulls up to his friends house and Scott hops out the car.
"See you later guys!" He shouts at them before heading into his friends house, who has left the door open for him having heard the car pull up.
And Jeff only drives away when he sees that his eldest is safe inside.
Getting home Jeff collapses onto the sofa, it has been a long day and all he wants is coffee and a sandwich!
Alan, John and Virgil are all asleep while Jeff waits up for the call from Scott, it is only 11 o'clock and he knows Scott will leave it as late as possible before calling for a ride.
Grandma is up waiting with him.
They're talking about Gordon and what happens next.
"You'll be with him Monday morning Jeff, and you have hired the best physiotherapist in the state for the job". She tries to reassure him.
He can't help but be worried about it, this is going to hurt him more than the accident. They have both researched it, and spoken to people who have had similar injuries.
"I just can't bear to see him in pain mom, he's been through so much already. He shouldn't be learning to walk again, he should be out playing with his friends, planning pranks and dare I say it getting into trouble! How can I explain to him that the torture is only getting started? That today was all about letting him have a day of fun with his family before subjecting him to this?"
Jeffs fingers are shaking as he picks up his new coffee mug, and takes a sip, before lowering it back onto the table
"What if he can't do it? What if it's too much for him? What if he isn't ready?" He carries on questioning.
"His doctors say he is, just be there for him Jeff" she tells him, placing her hand over his, before adding, "That is all you can do".
Their silence is broken by the sound of his phone ringing. Scott's name is flashing up on the caller ID.
"Hey Scotty? You ready to come home?" He asks. Trying to keep his voice as natural as he can, there is no way he wants his children to know he is close to tears.
"Yeah I am outside the all night grocery store in town I stopped to get some beers but they wouldn't serve me" He tells him.
"You what?!" Jeff explodes.
"Kidding. Sheesh dad just come and get me!" He asks him laughing.
"What's he magic word?" His dad asks him using the exact same tone he had used with Gordon that morning.
"Please" Scott adds.
"Good boy. Be there in 10 minutes" he tells him hanging up the phone.
"What was that about?" Grandma asks him.
"Just Scott thinking he's funny, I will be about in about 25 minutes" he tells her.
"Okay, I'm going to bed. I will see you in the morning son" she replies yawning.
"Night mom" He replies.
And he grabs his keys from the table and heads out to the car to collect his eldest child.
