Sally had decided she quite liked Johns Hopkin Hospital. The staff were very amenable, they had treated them all with respect, but mostly – Sally loved the way the staff looked after her eldest grandson.

They had moved Scott into a private room that had an extra room with a bed almost like an annex. So while Virgil slept, and everyone was on strict instructions not to wake him yet, she commandeered this room.

Mrs Patel had been delighted to find that not only did Sally understand her medicalese, Sally herself had experience as a field doctor. They had spent almost an hour talking what sounded like gobbledegook to Gordon and Alan, but by the end Sally had felt far more reassured that Scott really was in the best hands.

The biggest concern had to be Scott coming down with an infection. He had immediately been started on an antibiotic regime to prevent this occurrence. The other immediate concern was temperature regulation. Quite often this occurred after surgery on the brain because the trauma meant the brain had too much else to concentrate on.

The surgeon had briefed them all on some of the more common side effects of the surgery performed so that they could all watch out for any signs and symptoms. The knowledge was sobering to them all – Scott was not out of danger yet. There was the danger of infection, and although he was on antibiotics that did not guarantee complete immunity. There was the danger of a further bleed – either a haemorrhage or a blood clot like a DVT – both of which could cause a stroke.

But the side effect that worried them all was a seizure. Having one quite soon after surgery would be a common side effect as the brain heals, but if they occurred later on it could be an indication of a neurological condition that might require medicating – which would almost certainly stop Scott from flying again, possibly forever. Grandma told them off for worrying over something they had no control off.

It was unnerving to see Scott lying in his bed, half his head shaved and hooked up to an array of monitors. His bed was tilted so he was sitting up about 45°. At least they had removed the endotracheal tube and he was breathing on his own, the beeping of the heart monitor a reassurance all of its' own.

He'd been slow to come around after the surgery. The family had been told anything from half an hour to two or three hours. In the end Scott started stirring after nearly two hours. There were tests done while he was barely conscious and he was asleep again within a couple of minutes, but the staff were happy he was alright to be moved to the private room prepared for him.

Over the course of the next eight hours Scott woke up several times but only managed a few minutes of incoherence before falling asleep again. But by the time Virgil had been asleep for twelve hours Scott had managed to stay awake for almost 15 minutes. Sally decided it was time to let Virgil know, and gave John the dubious honour of waking him and then going to fetch him

By the time John arrived Virgil had showered and was waiting outside. He jumped into the car almost before John stopped, and he demanded details. How John survived the drive back without Virgil killing him for not being woken when Scott first stirred he did not know. What John did know was he was glad his Grandmother was there to take charge.

Colonel Casey had stopped being Aunt Val as soon as Scott had woken up, rushing back to Kansas with a view to overseeing the interrogation of Todd Mason. She had not told the Tracy's yet, but the third person had disappeared, and they were no closer to working out who it was. If Todd refused to talk, as looked likely, then she would talk to John about it.

Penny and Parker had returned with the Colonel, they had their own investigations to conclude, and Kayo had been pleased that this was not all being left in the hands of the GDF. Colonel Casey might be godmother to the Tracy boys, but that had not stopped the organisation failing them on multiple occasions.

Kayo and Gordon had gone to rustle up some edible breakfast. Not that the food here wasn't edible – it was – they just wanted some fresh air and pancakes. Hospital food did not stretch to pancakes, or waffles, for breakfast.

But Virgil had eyes only for Scott. His brother looked a mess, with lopsided hair and black and yellow eyes. His other injuries had also been looked at – the slight cut across his throat was not deep enough to merit any treatment, but his hands and ankles were bandaged, and his left arm was held to his chest in a sling.

Scott had wondered what was going on. He seemed to be waking up and going to sleep with alarming frequency, and it did not help that different people were present each time he woke up. Seeing Virgil for the first time put his mind at ease. There was no place for Virgil to hug his brother like he wanted, so he settled for a gentle squeeze of his right shoulder, stretching across the machinery to do so. Scott tried for a smile, but it didn't feel right.

He made it 18 minutes before falling asleep again.

The family held a conference when Kayo and Gordon returned, eating as they spoke as they wanted this conversation finished before Scott next woke up. Sally took the lead.

'The next few weeks are going to be very hard on everyone. Mrs Patel and I have been discussing what kinds of things we are going to need to help Scott with and she had given me a list of feelings and things that he is probably going to go through. I'm going to list them first, then you can ask questions regarding particular points you want more information on.' They all nodded their agreement.

'One: He's going to have a sore throat for a few days due to the tube. This may well affect his speaking, so don't worry if he's croaky.

'Two: He's going to be drugged up at least the week he is here and for a good few weeks after. He'll be loopy at first from the pain relief, but he will also be moody from the steroids. No pictures, Gordon.

'Three: Scott might find one or more of his senses will go into hyperdrive so if he reacts to you in some way be understanding. Gordon, you may need to be a little quieter.

'Four: He will forget words and struggle to talk for a while. Couple this with an attention span of nothing, and he will get frustrated.

'Five: He will sleep a lot. We need to encourage him to sleep and take his meds. Scott will hate both of those, but he will heal quicker.

'Six: Scott will probably be more emotional as he tries to process things. Help him as much as you can. Do not tell him he already knows this and only needs to remember.

'And above all else, he will be in a lot of pain for a long time'

They all sat in silence as they digested the information along with their food. Concern for Scott's long-term recovery was balanced by the staff who were treating him saying how well he was already doing. Sally then discussed with her grandsons how they were going to roster IR into caring and staying with Scott for the next week or so.

As expected, Virgil was adamant he was staying, as was Sally herself. Alan was tasked to One, while John and Gordon were to use Two. But they would also alternate with Virgil and Sally so that they could have some rest time, despite Virgil's protests.

It took almost three days for Scott to be able to stay awake longer than a couple of hours. He had a constant headache and just felt awful. What was worst was he was in chronic pain down his left side. They had run tests on his reflexes every day to ensure everything was healing well, but the pain relief was barely touching the issue.

The surgeon explained that chronic pain was often a symptom of the healing process as the brain tries to recreate connections lost during surgery, and she had already got him started on some light exercises to stretch his legs and right arm. They were torturous, but he was determined. He was a Tracy – with all the stubbornness that came with the name.

Gordon and John took it in turns with Virgil to help Scott with the stretching exercises three times a day. It was awful seeing how much pain Scott was in despite the amount of medication he was on, but they gritted their teeth as hard as Scott did and the four of them were determined. By the end of the day Scott was so exhausted he would sleep right through the night, while one of them kept vigil beside him.

They had not allowed any visitors other than family, so it was with some surprise that a half-awake John witnessed Scott's room door open at 2.30 the next morning. Scott was asleep and Virgil was asleep next door, Gordon, Alan and Kayo had gone on a rescue that EOS was monitoring, and Grandma had retired to the hotel for one night of undisturbed sleep.

"Nurses do not open room doors that slowly," was the thought that sprang up, and John was instantly alert, silently and carefully sending a comms alert to Virgil and everyone else. He hoped that Virgil wouldn't just barge in – they needed to know what was going on – and John closed his eyes so that it looked like he was asleep in the chair.

The door eventually opened fully. No squeaking sound – great for him but infuriating all the same. It was galling what money could buy these days, and the young man before him did not deserve the privilege he had. He was not the only Tracy in the room, that was a shame, but it would not stop him from finishing his work. He was halfway across the room before a large hand on his shoulder stopped him and spun him around.

Virgil had been woken up by John's alert and immediately went to the door. It was quiet, so he slowly opened it a touch to see what was going on. Immediately alert to the danger his two older brothers were facing, he crept up behind the man making his way across the room. Placing his hand on the man's shoulder, he spun him around so that they were face to face.

All hell broke loose.

But it was a short-lived fight. No-one got the better of Virgil when his brothers were in danger, and this person was no different. Grabbing hold of the guy's right hand, he squeezed the wrist until the person dropped the syringe they were carrying and proceeded to twist his arm up behind his back while forcing him to his knees. John retrieved the syringe carefully. Scott slept on.

Kayo, Gordon and Alan burst into the room just as the nurses were arriving, alerted by the call bell John had activated. John Virgil exchanged glances. They now knew the identity of the third man, and they took great delight in handing him over to Kayo, knowing that this was the last piece of the puzzle.

David April had hated the Tracy boys from the first time he had to teach Scott. Scott learnt science like he was a sponge – soaking up the information the first time and not needing any repetition. If he though Scott was bad, John was worse. John already knew it before April taught it and he acted as if he was smarter than everyone. And Virgil was almost a carbon copy of Scott. The three picked everything up immediately and coasted through class.

But what made it worse was when that idiot Mason tried to frame Scott for taking drugs. Because the school came down hard, and April, as the main supplier, found his secondary business dwindle to almost nothing. He needed that money just to stay afloat – a teacher's wages were pitiful – and once again the Tracy's were making his life difficult.

His house was repossessed, and his wife left him. And he festered and he waited. So when the school proposed to use some of the money Jeff Tracy continued to invest in them to rebuild the library and add a small planetarium, he saw his opportunity and he took it.

Too bad that John really was smarter than he was. But it was all over now. The evidence against him was overwhelming, especially when they found out what was in the syringe, and the GDF would not let him go free.

TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB

The four brothers stayed in the room just watching Scott sleeping. It was a restful sight made all the more sweeter knowing he was not in any further danger from assailants. Who could have known that the simple act of giving a girl a piece of apple pie and some attention when he was 13 years old would have had such a long-lasting and devastating effect on them all?