Virgil has moved into Gordon's room as he can't sleep in a room on his own.
Gordon's bed is under the window and in front of the heater. His side of the room is usually messy, but it's not something Virgil minds even though he is usually the one who ends up cleaning up after him.
Most of Virgil's things are still in his own room and he hopes one day he will be able to go back there, but not until Gordon no longer needs him, he would never abandon his brother.
Scott has taken to driving them to school now he has finally plucked up the courage to take his driving test, he has realised Gordon was right any excuse to drive the car and he will!
It is their first day back at school following Gordon's birthday weekend away and none of them want to get up! But the smell of bacon wafts up the stairs and permeates the whole house, and they can't resist!
To their surprise Virgil is the last one down and not Gordon. Sliding into his seat he looks like he's barely slept.
"You okay Virg?" His dad asks.
His second eldest smiles and nods and just claims to be tired. He has a slight stomach ache and if he's being totally honest the smell of the food is making him nauseous.
"Yeah right!" Grandma tells him placing her hand on his forehead. "Scott go and grab the thermometer out of the medicine cabinet for me"
Scott flashes her a look of concern and gets up. Grabbing his toast and running up the stairs for it.
"102 degrees" she reads, "that's definitely a fever Virgil. Back to bed" she orders him.
To her surprise he doesn't put up a fight and gratefully goes back upstairs.
"The rest of you, school. Alan and I will take care of Virgil, it's probably just a bug" she assures then.
"Promise me you'll look after him for me?" Gordon asks her seriously.
"Leave him with me Gordo, I used to be a doctor in a former life!" Grandma tells him.
"Really? Why did you stop" Gordon asks.
"Because you boys needed me" she tells him wrapping her arms around him.
"Now get going before you're all late, I thought your new principal was starting today? And seeing as your dad got himself elected onto the school board he has approved this one personally!"
That was Jeffs big solution to the problem of educating Gordon, buying up the school! He is hoping that by the time he is ready to go to middle school he will have grown out of childish pranks, if not he will just have to buy that one too.
Scott gets Gordon and John to the elementary school with 2 minutes to spare before the bell rings and no chance of making it across town in the time he has left, and pins his hopes on either his form tutor being in a good mood or road works having sprung up overnight and a valid excuse.
He didn't need to worry his teacher briefly glances at him as he enters the room only a few minutes later before getting back to the morning announcements.
*TB*
Virgil can't eat lunch, even the dry toast on offer is too much for him. Even though the pain is subsiding slightly the sick feeling isn't going away, but it does allow him to get some sleep which is how grandma finds him when she checks on him after lunch. He still has a temperature but as he is sleeping peacefully she backs quietly out of the room.
Gordon is called into a meeting with his new principal. On his first day, this can't be good he thinks!
Knocking on the door he is invited in, pushing the door open nervously he enters the room he hasn't been in since the incident.
"Gordon, have a seat" the stranger tells him. Pointing out a chair in front of the desk.
Gordon perches on the end. And looks around the room in interest. It has been gutted and rebuilt since he was last in here. The walls are now a sunny shade of light yellow and the desk has been replaced with a light coloured wood. Even the carpet has been torn up and in its place is wooden flooring covered in a thick shag yellow rug. The room is warm and comfortable now and has no resemblance to the room from his nightmares.
"Your dad asked me to introduce myself to you personally, I am your new Principal, Mr Morgan. I am aware of what happened to you Gordon, and I just want to assure you that I am not going to do anything like that to you, or to any of your fellow pupils. This is a safe haven under my watch. Your dad also told me you were on the school swim team, is this something you are interested in rejoining?" He asks.
Gordon nods, he can't help but feel nervous despite Mr Morgans friendly persona. "Yes please" he says to him trying to sound confident.
"Good, because I'm your coach! I have a training schedule for you here and a permission slip I would like for you to get your dad to sign and return in the morning. Now back to class, and Gordon. My door is always open for you if you need to talk" He tells him.
"And yes detention is still a thing if you misbehave!" He tells him on his way out. Gordon turns back and grins at him.
"I don't know the meaning of the word misbehave!" He tells him, with an evil smile on his face.
"I will see you later Gordon!" He replies.
*TB*
After the final bell rings he meets John in the car park while they wait for Scott.
"Hey John. I'm going back to the swim team!" He greets him full of an enthusiasm that John has missed.
"Cool! Now let's go home and you can annoy everyone while I do my homework" John tells him smiling.
"Can you do mine too?" He asks hopefully.
"No!" John tells him laughing. "Look, there's Scott, lets get out of here".
Virgil woke up to renewed pain stabbing his abdomen, the pain is now unbearable but he can't even get out of bed or call for help. Lying on his side, buried under the blanket, he grabs his stomach, and curls up into a foetal position in a desperate attempt to ease the pain.
Gordon races out the car and into the house, throwing his school bag on the sofa in the living room, it lands on Alan who throws it on the floor and goes back to his game, and taking out the permission slip for his dad to sign, leaving it out on the kitchen table so it doesn't get forgotten.
"Grandma where's Virgil?" Gordon asks, expecting to find him lying on the sofa watching tv.
"Asleep Gordo, if you go upstairs be careful not to wake him up" grandma replies.
"Sure" He replies before bounding up the stairs and into his room.
He can see Virgil's hair poking out of the top of the blanket and despite his grandmas orders he checks on him anyway.
"Euw Virg! Your hair is all sweaty!" He tells him in disgust tearing the blanket away from him.
"Virg?" Gordon asks. "You dead?" Concern in his voice now.
"Virg stay there. I'm going to get Grandma" he tells him.
"Grandma? John? Scott? Alan?" He calls running down the stairs, stumbling on the final step and landing hard on his left wrist which he ignores as he scrambles to his feet and into the kitchen.
"Gordo! Slow down" Scott tells him, he has the fridge open and is making a sandwich.
"Can't. Scott. Virgil." He tells him breathing heavily.
"Calm down kiddo" grandma tells him.
"Virgil. There's something wrong with Virgil!" He tells them urgently.
"I will go and see what's going on." She tells him, leaving the room.
"Virgil?" She asks her grandson who groans but doesn't open his eyes.
"Okay Virgil don't move, I'm going to call an ambulance and get you to the hospital." She tells him, grabbing her phone, she calls for help before calling for Scott.
"I'm going to need you to call your dad and ask him to meet me at the hospital. Stay here and look after your brothers."
"What's wrong with him?" Gordon asks having followed Scott up the stairs, he's holding his wrist trying to hide the swelling.
"Get back down stairs and go and sit with Alan." Grandma tells him sternly.
"No. I'm going with you. Virgil looked after me, I want to return the favour" Gordon insists.
"Okay fine. But Scott stay here with John and Alan!" She gives in, not wanting an argument.
Virgil is rushed into surgery, to remove his burst appendix. While Gordon waits in the emergency room with Grandma. It is several hours before they get any news as their were a few complications with the operation. Which Gordon goes into graphic detail for his dad when he finally arrives.
"Daddy!" Gordon runs through the room to him, throwing his good arm around his dads waist. "Daddy! Virgil has a bust appendix again!" He tells him anxiously.
"Again?" Jeff asks confused, trying not to laugh.
"Yeah they said it burst and then an abscess grew on it. And then that burst too. The doctor said it was so gross that I wasn't allowed to see it. Or keep it in a jar! But he's going to have the coolest scar he's asleep now but grandma said I can see him in the morning."
Jeff decides to speak to a qualified medical expert, not that he doubts Gordon's story but he would rather hear it for himself.
"Come on let's go and find your grandma then I think I will get you home. You look tired Gords."
"I want to stay with Virgil" he protests pouting.
"I know Squid but he's asleep and you're much better off in your own bed." His dad tells him. Picking him up and carrying him back to where his grandma is sat waiting.
Who finally notices the way he's holding his wrist.
"What happened Gordo?" She asks frowning.
"When?" He asks, no idea what she's talking about.
"Your arm?" She says taking it in hers and examining it properly, causing him to flinch in pain.
"Oh that, that's nothing. I fell earlier. It only hurts if I try to move my fingers" he tells her shrugging.
Looking over at Jeff they silently communicate, both awed by his pain threshold.
"I think we need to get that x-rayed Squid" His dad tells him.
"It's okay dad. Virgil needs you more" He insists.
His dad doesn't give in and talks to Virgil's surgeon about an emergency x-ray.
Sitting with him, holding his right hand, telling him to squeeze his fingers to help with the pain while the doctor resets his wrist, Gordon doesn't even flinch which surprises the doctor. Luckily it's not a bad break and doesn't require surgery just a cast. Which to his dads surprise he asks for in green.
"Why green?" He can't help asking.
"It's Virgil's favourite colour" Gordon replies smiling.
*TB*
Grandma takes him home while Jeff stays at the hospital. Scott is waiting up for them even though it has gone midnight. He managed to get Alan and John to bed on time, Alan threw a small tantrum which Scott curtailed quickly with a bribe of hot chocolate.
"What happened?" He asks the second they walk through the door.
"Appendicitis" grandma replies "they got it just in time" she adds reassuringly, "he's going to be fine."
"And Gordo?" He adds noticing him arm is now in a sling.
"Broke my wrist" Gordon tells him rolling his eyes.
"So you took Virgil to the hospital for emergency surgery and left with a broken wrist?" Scott asks him amused.
"Yep!" He replies.
"Just another night in the life of Gordon Tracy!" He tells him laughing.
"Come on you two, let's get you to bed." Grandma insists.
"You okay on your own Squid or do you want me to stay with you?" Scott asks his little brother, as he gets him into bed. The room feels cold so he flips the electric blanket on for him.
"I think I'm going to try it on my own" Gordon tells him bravely.
"You sure?" Scott wants to make sure, before he leaves him.
"Yeah" He replies sleepily.
"You know where I am if you need me okay?" Scott asks.
"Mmm" He replies.
Scott waits until he's asleep before he leaves the room.
