It had been an awful rescue. One that had resulted in not only lives lost, but brothers injured too. Gordon had broken a leg, a moderate concussion and worst of all hurt his back. Scott had several broken ribs and severe bruising over both his upper torso and his face, after his helmet had shattered on impact.
It was almost a couple of weeks later. Gordon was pining for the pool. His back was better, and the plaster on his leg would be off in another couple of weeks, so Alan was trying his hardest to keep the fish occupied.
Scott's facial bruising was almost gone, the faint yellowish-brown shading over his right eye and cheek the only signs remaining. If only his ribs were healing as quickly. Scott wasn't the best patient anyway, and ribs, though a common injury, was also the injury most likely to cause him to despair as it limited what he could do for so long.
He was driving them crazy.
So Virgil, being the kind-hearted person he was, decided a gentle day out was in order. It will give everyone a break from Scott, and it would give Scott a break from everything. They decided to hop over to the mainland, grab a coffee and just generally meander.
The morning went well enough, with coffee and danish and just wandering around. Lunch was a burger and fries then they decided short walk back to the airport via the bank would round the day off nicely. The day coincided with Virgil's three-monthly visit just to ensure everything was okay with his finances.
They hadn't been there long when it all kicked off. Why the hell was no day ever easy for a Tracy? With Scott clearly not at his best, the two men did exactly what they were told. No heroics today, Scott certainly wasn't up to it and Virgil was not inclined to draw attention to themselves.
Of course, having a regular appointment meant that someone could plan ahead, and despite Virgil's best intentions, the two men were singled out. While the men had been content to just get Virgil, having Scott there changed the game completely. Virgil was no longer the prize.
The man who was obviously the leader of the little gang when to grab Scott's front, but was stopped short by a fist. That immediately got all guns cocked and pointing at them. The man picked himself off the floor, chuckling while he wiped blood away from his lip.
By this time Scott had nudged Virgil behind him. He held his hands out, as non-threateningly as possible and Virgil followed suit. No way they could get out of this one by fighting, and Virgil was regretting his action. It was the thought of what that could have done to Scott's ribs that had impelled him to act. It was definitely a mistake
One man put the muzzle of his gun against Virgil's temple as the first one succeeded on grabbing Scott and hauling him over to a desk, where he was unceremoniously pushed face-down. Scott couldn't help the cry of pain as his ribs connected with the desk, and Virgil took another step forward.
He stopped when the next muzzle was placed on the back of Scott's head. The guy chuckled again as Virgil stepped back. Scott was looking at him, worry plain, and he shot him a smile he hoped was reassuring.
The gun was removed and Scott's arms pulled behind him, eliciting another grunt of pain, and Virgil couldn't help himself. They were hurting Scott deliberately and he needed to stop it.
He didn't get far as the man beside him hammered his head with his gun, causing Virgil to fall to the ground even as Scott cried out for them to stop. Virgil was vaguely aware that there were three men around him, and he was being kicked and beaten.
His eyes closed to the sound of Scott crying out his name.
'Virgil! Virgil! Wake up, bro. You're having a nightmare!'
The voice was distorted but gave him a rope to cling to as he fought his way back to consciousness. It kept repeating itself, and eventually he recognised John's soothing tone.
'Come on, Virgil. Open them eyes for me.'
He didn't want to. He was tired. But the dream had been so vivid, so real, that his face hurt and his side ached. But John was not someone to be denied, and Virgil opened his eyes to see John sitting beside him, smile on his face.
'Man, that was some nightmare,' Virgil said, yawning through the words. John lay a hand on his shoulder. 'Remind me never to take Scott to the bank with me.' The hand froze.
'John? John, what's wrong? Where is Scott?'