The doctors keep Gordon in intensive care for 3 days with antibiotics drip fed directly into his bloodstream. He's bored and miserable. This is supposed to be his summer holiday, and he's spending it in hospital.
The first 24 hours were okay, he slept for most of it, but as the antibiotics kick in and combat the infection he's starting to feel better. And he's ready to go home.
The only thing that has stopped him from breaking down completely is the company. His brothers are on their summer vacation too and Virgil and Scott are happy to spend most of the day keeping him company. Scott still feels guilty for not believing him when he said he didn't feel well, and is trying to make it up to him with bribes of celery crunch bars and milkshakes. Two of his known favourites. Gordon is happy to let him, not because he blames Scott, but because he needs him by his side.
Virgil is reading to him when they are interrupted by Gordon's doctor. Who is accompanied by his dad.
"Hey Gordo, ready to get out of here?" His dad asks.
"Really?" He asks, barely able to contain his excitement.
"Yeah, your latest tests results aren't showing any signs of infection. IV can come out and we can take you home. But there is one condition" the doctor tells him. "You will need to complete a further course of antibiotics and I want to see you in a weeks time to rerun the tests. If you even get a slight hint of a sore throat tell your dad or grandma and they'll bring you back straight away. Okay?"
Gordon nods happily. He can even put up with that vile tasting medicine if it means he can get out of here and go home.
He watches with interest as a nurse comes into remove the cannula from his arm. Flinching slightly as it tugs the skin.
"Sorry, here hold this over it for a few minutes. That should stop the bleeding" she tells him, placing a cotton wool pad over the incision. "I'm going to dispose of this, I will be back in a few minutes."
"Did you bring me clothes? Or can I wear my pyjamas all the way home?" He asks Virgil.
"Pyjamas. You prefer them to normal clothes and they're more comfortable, and dad said you're going for a nap once we get home anyway" Virgil replies smiling.
"But I'm not tired. I have been stuck in this bed for months" He exaggerates disconsolately, his face falling.
"It's only been 3 days Squid" Virgil reminds him.
"It feels like months" Gordon insists pouting.
"What feels like months?" His dad asks walking back into the room, with the nurse, having completed the release paper work.
She removes the cotton wool and covers the incision with a bandaid.
"Being in here daddy. I want to go home" Gordon insists.
"Come on then, let's go!" His dad replies smiling. Bringing a wheelchair over to the bed.
"Why can't I walk out of here?" He asks. Eyeing up the chair with disdain.
"Hospital policy Squid. It's the wheelchair or stay here" His dad tells him laughing at the look of disgust on his face.
"Fine" Gordon replies grumpily. Swinging his legs down off the bed and standing up, he finds his unused limbs unable to support him, swaying slightly, he is caught from falling by Virgil.
"Ready for the wheelchair?" His dad asks.
"Yeah" Gordon replies sheepishly. Getting himself settled and allowing Virgil to wheel him out of the room.
"Daddy can we stop by the nurses station so I can say goodbye to Nathan. He is the best, he let me stay up all night and watch tv for hours after you left for the night. We watched the new live action Finding Nemo movie when I couldn't sleep" Gordon asks, turning his head to his dad, who's walking alongside Virgil.
"Of course we can." His dad replies, "how about we donate some of these flowers?"
"That's a good idea daddy" Gordon replies happily.
Nathan is thrilled to see his favourite patient escape, and with the flowers.
"I'm going to miss you buddy, come back and visit anytime okay? Just not as a patient!" He tells him.
"Can we watch finding Nemo again?" Gordon asks hopefully.
"Sure" He replies smiling.
"Did he really stay up all night?" Jeff asks as Virgil starts to take him outside.
"Nah, he woke up about 11pm, he had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep, so I kept him company with a movie and he fell asleep again after it had finished."
"Did he say what the nightmare was about?" Jeff queries him, Gordon hasn't had a nightmare since he got Scott grounded.
"No, he just kept saying don't hit me over and over again. I got him calmed down and we watched the movie before he fell asleep again." Nathan conforms.
"Bellend" Jeff fumes.
"Excuse me?!" Nathan replies offended.
"Sorry! Not you. Gordon was assaulted about 9 months ago. By his former principal, his nickname given to him by Gordon initially was Old Bellend, it still gives him the occasional nightmare." Jeff knows it technically isn't true, he's the only one who hit Gordon, but in his mind if he blames the whole thing on Old Bellend it doesn't give him the sleepless nights too.
"That's awful, he's just a little kid" Nathan replies furiously.
"I know. Thank you for looking out for him while I wasn't here" Jeff tells him.
"Just doing my job Mr Tracy and he's a good kid, the reason I got into this line of work, I love helping people and saving lives." He insists.
"I suppose I had better get out to the car before Gordon drives home without me!" Jeff tells him laughing.
"Goodbye Mr Tracy".
*TB*
Despite Gordon claiming he isn't tired he is asleep before they get home.
"Come on Squid, we are home. Come and lie on the sofa" Virgil tells him gently waking him up.
"Mmm can I have ice cream?" He asks.
"I think that's a definite possibility" Virgil tells him smiling. "But we need to get you in the house first."
Bribery always works on Gordon, as he unsteadily climbs out the car, leaning on Virgil as they walk into the house.
Alan is waiting for them. Being restrained from leaping on Gordon by grandma who has his arms pinned to his sides, while he struggles to free himself. Apart from the first day he hasn't been allowed near Gordon for fears of a secondary infection, and he has missed him. Finally he tears himself free and into Gordon's arms.
Gordon tries to pick him up, but the illness has zapped him of his upper body strength and he can't. Instead collapsing on to the sofa, exhausted.
"Daddy?" Alan asks confused and concerned. He hasn't seen Gordon so easily defeated by anything before.
"He will be fine Allie, he just needs to rest. He has been through a terrifying ordeal let's go and get his ice cream from the freezer and see how grandma is getting on with lunch."
"How come he gets ice cream before lunch and I have to eat burned stew?" Alan asks. The injustice causing him go protest loudly.
"Alan don't start or you'll be in bed all afternoon" His dad threatens.
"It isn't fair! He's always sick. Everything always revolves around him. Johns right he's a stupid, spoilt brat and you should have left him in the hospital" Alan protests.
Jeff raises one eyebrow at the angry 4 year old. Before picking him up and taking him to his room.
The room is filthy. There are clothes and toys everywhere.
Placing him down on the bed, his dad decides to talk to him, rather than leaving him alone.
"What is this about Alan? You know your brother is sick. You also know that he loves you, I don't want to hear you saying such horrible things about him. Not now, not ever. I won't have it Alan, and you're now confined to your room for the rest of the day. I will bring you up your lunch, but you are not getting any dessert." Jeff tells him.
"I HATE YOU AND I HATE GORDON!" Alan screams back at him.
Jeff leaves, closing the door behind him before he says or does something he will regret.
Knocking on Johns door he opens it expecting to find him at his desk studying.
"What are you doing John?" He asks.
"Writing a book" he replies.
"Writing a book?" Jeff questions, surprised.
"Yeah, I have been studying astrophysics for the last 18 months and corresponding with professor Dixon from Harvard and we are writing it together." John replies.
"That's brilliant John, let me know if you need any help, lunch is served and Gordon's home if you want to come downstairs."
"Awesome. How is he?" John asks.
"Tired but He's getting better, Alan is in bed for the day in disgrace though" His dad warns.
"What happened?" John asks confused.
"Another tantrum. I'm not putting up with it anymore" His dad replies. "He's turned into a little brat recently and if it doesn't stop he will be spending more time in his room"
It is only Jeff, John, Virgil, Scott and grandma at the table. Gordon is asleep on the sofa and Alan is in his room sulking.
Jeff is trying to eat the stew. But if he's being entirely honest with himself he would have happily joined Alan's protest and demanded ice cream instead.
The lumpy grey bits are apparently beef, but they're overcooked and chewy. The vegetables are watery and almost mush but they eat it, without complaint. Grandma might be a terrible cook, but they have been bought up well enough to know not to complain.
*TB*
Jeff takes Alan up a plate of stew after lunch while the boys join Gordon in the lounge with ice cream.
Alan is sitting on the window sill staring out at the back yard. His knees drawn up to his chin and his arms wrapped around them. There are tears slowly falling down his face. He doesn't hate his dad or Gordon he just gets frustrated when he gets so much special treatment all the time.
"Allie?"
"Daddy?" He replies. Wiping the tears away with the bottom of his T-shirt.
"Come here sprout"
Alan runs into his dads open arms. Fresh tears soaking his shirt.
"I'm sorry daddy. Please forgive me. I didn't mean any of it" he cries "I don't hate you or Gordy or anybody"
"It's okay Allie. I know you didn't mean it sprout. But you have got to start thinking before you open your mouth. And you have to realise that if it had been you who got sick we would be given you the exact same treatment. I love you all equally, you know that don't you?" His dad asks. Holding him in his arms.
"Yeah I do"
"Good, now eat your lunch Allie and then clean this mess up! And I will see you in the morning"
"Can I go and see Gordy first?" He asks hopefully.
"You want to apologise?" His dad asks.
Alan just nods without speaking.
"Okay, but then you're back up here cleaning, I will wait here" his dad reminds him.
"Okay" Alan tells him. A smile escaping his tear stained face, as he runs out the room.
10 minutes later he has not come back, the stew is now a congealed, cold mess on the plate and Jeff wouldn't feed it to his worst enemy, and Alan has not done as he asked and returned to the room.
Sighing he goes to investigate. Entering the lounge Alan is curled up on the sofa eating Gordon's ice cream while Gordon is asleep, in Virgil's arms while he watches a documentary about Picasso.
"Hmm-hmm" Jeff coughs to get his attention. Alan looks up with a guilty expression on his face.
"I pologised daddy then he said I could finish his ice cream" Alan insists.
"He did say that dad" Virgil confirms.
"Get back to your room Alan" His dad replies.
"Can I take the ice cream?" He asks.
"Fine! Just get upstairs and get your room cleaned"
*TB*
Gordon does as the doctor ordered and keeps taking his medication, and is cleared of all forms of illness and finally given the clearance required to travel, after two weeks.
His strength returning quickly with laps in the pool every afternoon, while his dad and brothers watch on in awe of his talent.
He talks about stepping up his training in September and joining a group which meets on a Saturday morning as well as upping his after school sessions to 5 a week.
But his dad is reluctant to agree, worrying about the impact it would have on not only his school work, but also his social and family life. He promises him that he will look at the options at the end of the summer, while Gordon happily packs for his vacation.