The physical and emotional exhaustion causes all 6 children to sleep well into the afternoon, Jeff checking on them regularly through the night, and still tempted to bundle them all into Tracy 1 and take them to the hospital for a more thorough check.
The attic room is still and quiet, the silence broken only by occasional snores and the rolling over to get more comfortable. Every now and a again, someone will stir slightly, but they don't truly wake up.
It is Alan who is up first. And he pads down the stairs, Allie-Gator under one arm and his blanket under the other, still in his pyjamas, walking into the lounge where Grandma is sitting with a coffee, the television on in the background but she is clearly not paying attention, her eyes are staring at the screen with no interaction with what she is watching.
Looking up at the noise, she smiles at him.
"Hey Allie, glad to see you awake, how are you feeling? would you like something to eat?" she asks him. He isn't truly awake, not yet. But he has made it out of bed.
"Tired, where is daddy?" he asks yawning, and climbing up onto the sofa next to her and climbing onto her lap.
"He is clearing away some of the storm debris, if you want to go and help, or you can stay here with me and eat a sandwich and we will watch a Disney film" she replies giving him options.
"Disney movie" He replies without thinking, proof if she needed it that he is still exhausted. Alan never sits still for long normally and getting him to agree to sit quietly with a movie is usually impossible.
"And a sandwich?"
"Cheese and ham with mustard" he demands, not bothering with a please.
"And the magic word Allie?"
"abracadabra" he replies, grinning at her. This is another bad habit that has been passed down through the brothers starting with Scott, who taught Virgil, who taught John who taught Gordon. It has finally reached the end of the line.
"The magic word that will get me to make you a sandwich" She tries again, but she is smiling still. If she is totally honest then she would accept abracadabra right now, the gratitude of having him home still has not worn off yet.
"Please!" Alan adds, his smile lighting up not only his face, but hers too.
"Pick a movie, and I will go and see what I can do" Giving him the remote as he is a lot better at using it than she is!
"I PICKED ONE GRANDMA!" He shouts towards the kitchen less than a minute later.
"IS IT CARS?" she shouts back, Alan is as obsessed with racing as Gordon is with swimming, and he can't wait until his dad gives in and gets him a go kart.
"YEAH CAN WE WATCH ALL 3?"
Not wanting to get his hopes up, by promising him all three movies in one go, she just calls back "MAYBE, WE WILL SEE HOW YOU GET ON" as she places his sandwich on a tray with a glass of orange juice and re-joins him in the longue, where he has now commandeered the whole of the sofa, with Allie-Gator tucked up in the blanket next to him, still longer than he is.
"Where am I supposed to sit Allie?" she asks him.
Here with me and Allie-Gator, I can then use your leg as a pillow" he tells her sensibly.
So they do, Alan doesn't make it through the movie before he is once again fast asleep, and she knows he will demand it from the beginning when he wakes.
There is more movement coming from above her head now, and it sounds like the heavy steps of Scott, she thinks. This is confirmed minutes later as the 17-year-old stumbles into the living room. A similar haggard look on his face to Alans. And he too is still in his pyjamas.
"What time is it?" He asked, disoriented from having slept for so long.
"About 4:30 in the afternoon" Grandma replies.
"I am so sorry I wasn't up earlier to help" He apologises, looking guilty. He is the dependable reliable one, and he can't remember the last time he slept so late.
"You do not apologise, you needed to rest Scott, yesterday wasn't just a physical ordeal for you and your brothers but a great emotional one too. Any signs of movement from your brothers up there?" she asks.
"Yeah Virgil is awake and so is John, they're just getting up. I am going to get coffee" he is far from articulate, but he seems to know where he is, and why he Is so tired.
"Make me one" A voice from behind him pipes up, turning to see Virgil, who has John, Kayo and Gordon with him. None of them look any better than Scott or Alan, and all would happily go back to bed.
"Scott are you okay to sort drinks, I am going to nip out and tell your fathers that you are all awake"
"Sure" Scott nods, herding his siblings into the longue. Gordon like Alan has bought his squid with him, still clinging to Virgil as he sits down on the chair, squeezed in next to him.
Jeff comes running at the sound of Grandmas voice calling him, having spent the last several hours cleaning up the fallen trees, convinced that something else has gone wrong. The chaos on the Island is breaking his heart, he has spent months getting everything ready, and there are so many innocent victims. Birds who had tried to seek refuge in the trees, turtles and fish washed up from the sea, snakes squashed by falling debris. He hasn't seen Toes and has no idea if that is good news or not.
"Mom? What's happened?" he asks.
"Nothing, Jeff. There is no need to be paranoid. I just thought you would like to know that everyone is up if you want to come and say hello" she tells him.
"Oh" he replies, visibility relaxing. "How are they?"
"Tired, but okay. I left Scott self-medicating with caffeine!" she tells him with a grin, as he follows her back towards the house.
He is greeted with enthusiastic shouts of "DADDY!" as he enters the room and is pounced on by Alan who is awake again and Gordon who climbs up on to the back of his chair and leaps at him. Which would usually lead to a reprimand from wither Jeff or Grandma, but they don't care. Today the Squid has no rules.
"Are we still going to New Zealand at the weekend dad?" Scott asks.
"If you guys feel up to it then sure, if not then we will when you are" not wanting to put any pressure on them.
They are all adamant that they want to go, they were promised a weekend of fun off the Island as a family and time with their dad, and there is no way they are missing out now.
"Okay, but you rest for the next 48 hours, no going further than the beach down behind the house, Gordon you can swim but please don't over do it." Jeff tells them, if this were his decision, he would keep them all wrapped up in cotton wool for the rest of their lives, but he knows that he can't. These boys are headstrong and stubborn, which according to their Grandma is a trait they have inherited from him!
*TB*
All 5 boys and Kayo stick to the request, and spend the following afternoon playing board games splitting into teams, laughing and joking but also getting hopelessly competitive when they break out the monopoly. Alan teams up with Kayo, Scott and John, and the final team of Gordon and Virgil.
Gordon has never lost a game of monopoly in his life, and he has no intentions of starting now. It takes him less than an hour to repossess and bankrupt his brothers and Kayo, and they all know that Virgil had very little to do with it.
They are just settling down for supper, when the tell tale hissing off Toes can be heard.
"TOES!" Gordon exclaims excitedly, jumping up from his seat and running out into the garden.
His resultant scream shakes the walls.
"Oh shit he's been bitten" Jeff exclaims, also jumping up and running out to the garden, followed by everyone else.
Jeff knew this was going to happen, wild animals can not be tamed.
Gordon is on his hands and knees beside the snake.
"Daddy come quickly. Toes it hurt" Gordon tells his, a hint of desperation and urgency in his voice.
"Where did he bite you Gordon?" Jeff asks, not picking up on Gordons words.
"He didn't bite me daddy he wouldn't, but look at his tail, its all bashed. Daddy you have to fix him" He pleads. "He came back to ask me to save him, I know he did.
Jeff is no vet, but he can see that Gordon is right, something has clearly landed on the snake, probably during the storm, but he has no idea how to help to poor creature.
"There is a sanctuary in Australia that's only about 2 hours from here dad, I can call them and see if they will take him in. they have a snake rehabilitation department" John advises him, after a quick internet search.
"Give me the number John, I will go and call them. In the meantime you boys go and get the box and see if you can get him in it. He careful, it doesn't matter if he is injured, he is still dangerous." Jeff replies, knowing that Gordon will never forgive him if he doesn't make an effort to save the snake.
Taking his phone far enough away to not be overheard does not work as Gordon follows him, desperate for a reply.
"Good evening, Australian reptile sanctuary Melanie speaking. How may I help" A pleasant voice answers, after only a few rings.
"Hi, this is Jeff Tracy, I was wandering if you would be able to help me. I am out on one of the small Islands just off the coast. We were hit by a storm 2 days ago, and an injured snake has just made its way to the house, I think it has a tail injury. We can bring it to you easily, I just hope you can help" he tells her. Gordon getting as close to the phone as he can in order to hear the response.
"Shouldn't be a problem, as you are brining it from a different country it will need to be quarantined upon arrival, and it may never be eligible for release back into the wild. If that is the case it will love living here with us" She replies.
They discussed arrival details, and Jeff gets directions before returning to the garden, where Toes is now in the box with the lid firmly in place.
"Who is coming with me to Australia?" Jeff asks, knowing Gordon will want to go, but offering it to the others too.
"Me dad" They all reply, which surprises him slightly, even John is volunteering to help. But he Is glad that they all want to come with him.
Getting Toes settled on to the seat in between Gordon and Virgil while Scott co-pilots and Alan sits in the very back, was a lot easier than it usually is and with Gordon clutching the box his friend is sitting in Jeff flies them to Australia.
Lord Creighton-Ward had called ahead to make the arrangements and he was given clearance to land at a small airport a 15-minute drive from the sanctuary. Thanks to his aristocratic friends influence, there is a car waiting for them with a driver who has been fully briefed on the situation and has assured them that he is not afraid of snakes.
Melanie is waiting for them when they arrive and takes the box from Gordon who insists on following them into the office where they have a vivarium set up and waiting. She has long blonde hair, pulled into a ponytail behind her head. Her eyes are hidden behind purple, plastic framed glasses but even the glasses can't hide the sparkle of someone who truly loves rescuing animals. The 2 minutes that Gordon has known her he can just tell that she is the right person to help his snake.
"Oh, he is a pretty one. Just beautiful markings" She tells the snake as she gets him out of the box and into his new home.
Toes doesn't bother with a display of gratitude, instead choosing to hide under the specially made home, which has been designed to look like a rock, but has the bottom cut out so he has a place to sleep where he feels safe and secure.
"His name is Toes, and we made friends a few weeks ago" Gordon tells her.
His dad laughs. "When he said they made friends, what he really means is he put it in the bed of my friend's daughter as a joke" He tells her.
"That is the best way to make friends in a strange place, I would have been thrilled if someone had done that for me" she replies with a grin that matches Gordons.
"Say goodbye Gordo, we need to get back – especially if you are still planning on the trip to New Zealand tomorrow" Jeff tells him.
"Goodbye sweet Toes" Gordon whispers as he approaches the glass, trying not to cry. "I will never forget you"
No one else notices apart from Gordon, but Toes flicks his tongue out from under the stone. And he knows that he is saying thank you and goodbye.
"Leave him with us, he will be fine. He's going to love it here" Melanie tells him, trying to reassure him. "And don't forget we have a website you can keep an eye on his progress, and I am sure your dad won't mind bringing you back to visit" she tells him, knowing she should have checked with his father first, but also knowing that this is a man who loves his kids, and would do anything to see them happy.
"Of course I will. Before we go home at the end of the summer, I promise" he tells him.
"Really?" Gordon asks, unable to believe that this may not be the end.
"Really." He confirms, placing his arm around Gordons shoulder he walks him out to the car.
*TB*
The flight back is not as lively, as it is nearing midnight and all 5 boys are starting to get tired. Jeff knows that they are all packed for tomorrow, and thanks to his moms nagging and Kyranos organisation the luggage is waiting to be loaded into the plane, the only things that aren't are the bit they needed tonight.
Making the decision to fly them all out tonight rather than waking them at 5 in the morning Jeff flies to New Zealand and not the Island. Leaving Scott in charge at their rented house while he picks up the others, and their clothes. But more importantly Allie-gator and squid.
"Hey mom, is everyone still awake?" he asks, walking back into the house.
"Yeah, how did it go?" she replies. "And where are the boys?"
"Great, the girl we left Toes with seems really nice, and I promised to take Gordo back for a visit before we go home, and they're in New Zealand already, I just came back to pick you guys up now rather than flying back tomorrow morning."
"You left them alone?"
"They will be fine, I left Scott in charge!"