Twenty Eight
Jeff taxied his plane into the hanger. He checked it over, ensuring it was ready for the next flight, taking longer than was necessary. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his family again. He had a feeling they would be none to pleased with him.
At last he'd exhausted all his excuses. Time to face the music. With more than a little trepidation he rode the lift up to the lounge.
As he'd expected they were all there waiting for him. All in identical poses - standing, arms folded, frowns staring at him. He glanced at the wall of portraits and wasn't all that surprised to see John there - standing, arms folded, frowning down on him.
There was nothing Jeff could say that would explain his actions. "Sorry." Was all he could manage.
He was expecting Gordon to blow his stack again, but the young man held his tongue. Jeff fancied that his mother had given the rest of his family a good talking to and warned them not to say anything they might regret. Indeed she took a step forward now. "How's Virgil?"
Somewhat relieved Jeff relaxed. "The doctors say he's going to be fine. When I left he was sitting up in bed wondering what all the fuss was about."
"And what was the fuss all about?" She asked.
"The antibiotic they had him on..." Jeff felt about in his pocket and pulled out a bit of paper, which he handed to Brains. "...caused a severe allergic reaction. Do we carry it in the Thunderbirds Brains?"
Brains studied the piece of paper. "Pohutalin. W-Why yes, all our medical kits carry it..."
"Then get rid of it. I don't want it on the island." Jeff said a trifle sharply.
"B-But Mr Tracy..."
"Brains!" Jeff said in a tone which wasn't too be messed with.
Wordlessly Brains folded the paper and placed it in his own pocket.
"So Virgil's going to be fine?" Mrs Tracy asked calmly.
"Yes. It was close but yes he is."
"Close?" Alan asked tensely "How close?"
Jeff had a feeling he was skating on thin ice. "Close enough that I didn't think of anything but getting to him. I know I was wrong." He spread his hands to ask forgiveness. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry!" Alan exploded. "You left without letting us know where you were going, you didn't tell us that Virgil was in trouble, you say it was 'close', and all you can say is sorry?!"
"I know it's not much."
"Not much!" Gordon's fuse had been lit too. "He's our brother Dad, or had you forgotten that he's pretty special to us too?"
"No I hadn't forgotten... at least not..."
"You could have radioed me once you were airborne!" John snapped and Jeff was surprised at the tone of anger in his normally quiet son. "I was trying to hone in on your position on the island, and you weren't registering anywhere! Do you know how worrying that was?"
"It must have been very..."
"We were worried too." Tin-Tin said severely. "We've been searching everywhere for you!"
"And now dinner is going to be late!" This was what equated to an angry outburst from the usually differential, inscrutable Kyrano.
"W-W-W..." Brains was that annoyed that he couldn't even formulate one word.
"I'm sorr..."
"Don't bother Dad." Gordon yelled. "If you meant it you would have thought of us before you left!" He turned on his heel and stormed out closely followed by Alan, Brains, Tin-Tin and Kyrano.
Jeff looked at John who abruptly severed the connection.
Jeff smiled sheepishly at his mother. "I guess they don't understand. They don't know what it feels like to be called from the hospital and be told that your son may be dying."
She took his arm. "No they don't Jeff. Any more than you know what it's like to be told that your brother could have died and your own father didn't see fit to tell you." She paused. "Or to find out that your grandson could have died..."
"Sorry mother. You're right. I got that call and all I could think of was that I had to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I nearly lost both boys on Tuesday. I couldn't stand the thought of losing Virgil now. I just didn't think of anything else."
"Or anyone else."
"No." He said guiltily. "I admit it. I made a mistake. I'm sorry Mother."
"It's going to take a while for Gordon, John and Alan to believe that you mean that. They were all set to have it out with you as soon as you got out of the plane. If it hadn't been for Scott..."
"Scott?"
"He rang as soon as you left the hospital and told them to take it easy on you. That you'd been through enough."
"He's amazing. Sick as he is he's still looking out for everyone else." Jeff sighed. "You know, it's hard sitting here at home, when I know one of the boys has got into trouble during a rescue..."
"Yes, I know."
"But it's infinitely more difficult to be there and see these strangers struggling to save your son's life and all you can do is stand there and watch."
"I can believe that... And it was a struggle, was it Jeff?"
He was very quiet now. "Yes it was. He came so close to dying. It was like reliving Lucille's death all over again. When I saw..." His voice broke with the emotion the memories brought back. She slipped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring hug. After a moments struggle he continued on. "But Virgil's a fighter, thank goodness. I don't know how else he managed to bounce back so completely."
"How's Scott?"
He was grateful for the change in topic. "As well as can be expected. He found Virgil unconscious and raised the alarm. They had to sedate him to get him out of the way. While he was knocked out they checked his face. Most of his burns are clearing up well, and they are pretty hopeful about his eyesight, although..."
"Yes."
"You know Doctors. They always try not to get your hopes up unnecessarily."
"So there's still a chance that he'll lose his eyesight."
"Yes there is."
"Oh, Jeff." She sighed. "How would he take it?"
"I don't know Mother. Up till today I would have said that he'd cope, but you didn't see him when they brought him back into the ward. He just about went to pieces because Virgil hadn't regained consciousness and he couldn't see him. These last few days must have been pretty hard on him. I hadn't realised how hard."
"Well we'll know in three days one way or another."
"Yes... Three long days."
***
Jeff was catching up on some of the paperwork that he'd missed that morning. He was going to have to do some major explaining to the company executive he'd missed the meeting with. He hoped that his excuse would be good enough. It certainly hadn't been for his family.
"M-Mr Tracy?"
Jeff looked up "Yes Brains?"
"M-May I have a word with you?"
"Of course. Have you removed the Pohutalin from all the craft?"
"That's wh-what I wanted t-to t-talk about. N-N-No I haven't."
Jeff patiently laid down his pen and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "You don't normally go against direct orders. You must have a good reason."
"I-I believe it would be foolhardy to remove the Pohutalin..."
"That stuff is too dangerous Brains." Jeff said sternly. "You didn't see the reaction..."
"P-Please M-Mr Tracy." Brains interrupted him. "L-Let m-me finish. All of your boys, i-including Virgil, have been exposed to Pohutalin before, with no ill effects."
"Go on."
"It is also r-recognised as being one of the m-most effective antibiotics available at the moment."
"So what caused the reaction?"
"I-I believe I, and Alan, may have h-had s-something to do with it..."
"You Brains?" Jeff raised an eyebrow.
"I-I've been running tests and I-I believe that the ingredients in A-Alan's transmitter, the one Virgil had to eat, may have been a c-catalyst..."
"You mean that our edible transmitter's may be dangerous?" Jeff was concerned at the idea.
"Oh, n-no. On the contrary. But I n-never seriously expected a-anyone to eat the orange, liver and beetroot flavoured transmitter. The chemicals I'd used to s-simulate the flavours were b-basically harmless. But combined together. W-With another factor..."
"Which was, Brains?"
"I-I've analysed the w-water that was trapped in Virgil and Scott's uniforms. I-It contains trace elements that could only be found in th-that part of the world and that deep into the earth. Virgil would have ingested a lot of the w-water and a-absorbed some of the trace elements through the s-scratches to his skin."
"So you are saying that the hospital got the diagnosis wrong?" Jeff asked patiently.
"Not totally. The c-combined c-chemical's in the transmitter, together with one particular trace e-element, would have started the allergic reaction. Indeed, S-Scott told me that Virgil felt ill upon eating the transmitter. Th-That should have alerted me to the potential problem. I'd already administered some P-Pohutalin before Virgil, ah, Virgil's system rejected the transmitter." He screwed up his face at the memory. "The hospital's continued usage of P-Pohutalin merely s-sustained the reaction. They made th-their diagnosis based on the f-facts they had available to them."
"Are you sure?" It sounded too much like a coincidence to Jeff.
I-I would have to do further tests, w-with Virgil's assistance..."
"After what's happened he might not be that keen on the idea." Jeff noted.
"M-My tests, up to this p-point, lead me to believe that f-from the moment all three elements combined in his system, Virgil's body started to... to..." Brains sought the right phrase. "Shut down."
Jeff went cold at the thought. "So why didn't the hospital pick this up sooner?"
"I-I don't know, Mr Tracy. The symptoms may have been v-very similar to other problems th-that they were trying to treat. Without seeing his c-case notes, I can't say."
"He did seem to be very tired." Jeff remembered.
"Th-That would be a logical symptom."
"Is there any chance that he could have some kind of sensitivity to Pohutalin after all this?" Jeff wanted to know.
"Not necessarily, but I-I couldn't say conclusively. N-Not without further..."
"Not without further tests. Okay. Thanks Brains. So I guess your recommendation is that we continue carrying the Pohutalin and, until you've proved your theories, we pray that Virgil doesn't need any?"
"I'm sorry Mr Tracy. It is the most efficient drug o-of it's type available at the moment. It's saved more lives than..." Brains let the sentence hang in the air. "U-Until something better is available..."
"All right Brains. I'll bow to your logic for the moment."
Relieved that he hadn't had his head bitten off Brains turned to go. He wasn't about to get away that easily.
"Brains? You said that you didn't expect anyone to eat that batch of transmitters. What was Alan going to use?"
"I-I'd made another batch f-for Alan."
"That reminds me. I haven't told that boy off yet for switching those transmitters over." Jeff stood. "What he did had serious repercussions."
"I-If I may say so M-Mr Tracy. Now is not the t-time to be punishing A-Alan for making thoughtless mistakes." Brains waited nervously for his employer's reaction.
Jeff sat down again and looked at the young engineer ruefully. "You're right Brains. My own slate isn't exactly squeaky clean at the moment. And Alan realises his mistake. There's no point bringing it up again."
Jeff taxied his plane into the hanger. He checked it over, ensuring it was ready for the next flight, taking longer than was necessary. He wasn't looking forward to seeing his family again. He had a feeling they would be none to pleased with him.
At last he'd exhausted all his excuses. Time to face the music. With more than a little trepidation he rode the lift up to the lounge.
As he'd expected they were all there waiting for him. All in identical poses - standing, arms folded, frowns staring at him. He glanced at the wall of portraits and wasn't all that surprised to see John there - standing, arms folded, frowning down on him.
There was nothing Jeff could say that would explain his actions. "Sorry." Was all he could manage.
He was expecting Gordon to blow his stack again, but the young man held his tongue. Jeff fancied that his mother had given the rest of his family a good talking to and warned them not to say anything they might regret. Indeed she took a step forward now. "How's Virgil?"
Somewhat relieved Jeff relaxed. "The doctors say he's going to be fine. When I left he was sitting up in bed wondering what all the fuss was about."
"And what was the fuss all about?" She asked.
"The antibiotic they had him on..." Jeff felt about in his pocket and pulled out a bit of paper, which he handed to Brains. "...caused a severe allergic reaction. Do we carry it in the Thunderbirds Brains?"
Brains studied the piece of paper. "Pohutalin. W-Why yes, all our medical kits carry it..."
"Then get rid of it. I don't want it on the island." Jeff said a trifle sharply.
"B-But Mr Tracy..."
"Brains!" Jeff said in a tone which wasn't too be messed with.
Wordlessly Brains folded the paper and placed it in his own pocket.
"So Virgil's going to be fine?" Mrs Tracy asked calmly.
"Yes. It was close but yes he is."
"Close?" Alan asked tensely "How close?"
Jeff had a feeling he was skating on thin ice. "Close enough that I didn't think of anything but getting to him. I know I was wrong." He spread his hands to ask forgiveness. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry!" Alan exploded. "You left without letting us know where you were going, you didn't tell us that Virgil was in trouble, you say it was 'close', and all you can say is sorry?!"
"I know it's not much."
"Not much!" Gordon's fuse had been lit too. "He's our brother Dad, or had you forgotten that he's pretty special to us too?"
"No I hadn't forgotten... at least not..."
"You could have radioed me once you were airborne!" John snapped and Jeff was surprised at the tone of anger in his normally quiet son. "I was trying to hone in on your position on the island, and you weren't registering anywhere! Do you know how worrying that was?"
"It must have been very..."
"We were worried too." Tin-Tin said severely. "We've been searching everywhere for you!"
"And now dinner is going to be late!" This was what equated to an angry outburst from the usually differential, inscrutable Kyrano.
"W-W-W..." Brains was that annoyed that he couldn't even formulate one word.
"I'm sorr..."
"Don't bother Dad." Gordon yelled. "If you meant it you would have thought of us before you left!" He turned on his heel and stormed out closely followed by Alan, Brains, Tin-Tin and Kyrano.
Jeff looked at John who abruptly severed the connection.
Jeff smiled sheepishly at his mother. "I guess they don't understand. They don't know what it feels like to be called from the hospital and be told that your son may be dying."
She took his arm. "No they don't Jeff. Any more than you know what it's like to be told that your brother could have died and your own father didn't see fit to tell you." She paused. "Or to find out that your grandson could have died..."
"Sorry mother. You're right. I got that call and all I could think of was that I had to get to the hospital as soon as possible. I nearly lost both boys on Tuesday. I couldn't stand the thought of losing Virgil now. I just didn't think of anything else."
"Or anyone else."
"No." He said guiltily. "I admit it. I made a mistake. I'm sorry Mother."
"It's going to take a while for Gordon, John and Alan to believe that you mean that. They were all set to have it out with you as soon as you got out of the plane. If it hadn't been for Scott..."
"Scott?"
"He rang as soon as you left the hospital and told them to take it easy on you. That you'd been through enough."
"He's amazing. Sick as he is he's still looking out for everyone else." Jeff sighed. "You know, it's hard sitting here at home, when I know one of the boys has got into trouble during a rescue..."
"Yes, I know."
"But it's infinitely more difficult to be there and see these strangers struggling to save your son's life and all you can do is stand there and watch."
"I can believe that... And it was a struggle, was it Jeff?"
He was very quiet now. "Yes it was. He came so close to dying. It was like reliving Lucille's death all over again. When I saw..." His voice broke with the emotion the memories brought back. She slipped her arms around his shoulders and gave him a reassuring hug. After a moments struggle he continued on. "But Virgil's a fighter, thank goodness. I don't know how else he managed to bounce back so completely."
"How's Scott?"
He was grateful for the change in topic. "As well as can be expected. He found Virgil unconscious and raised the alarm. They had to sedate him to get him out of the way. While he was knocked out they checked his face. Most of his burns are clearing up well, and they are pretty hopeful about his eyesight, although..."
"Yes."
"You know Doctors. They always try not to get your hopes up unnecessarily."
"So there's still a chance that he'll lose his eyesight."
"Yes there is."
"Oh, Jeff." She sighed. "How would he take it?"
"I don't know Mother. Up till today I would have said that he'd cope, but you didn't see him when they brought him back into the ward. He just about went to pieces because Virgil hadn't regained consciousness and he couldn't see him. These last few days must have been pretty hard on him. I hadn't realised how hard."
"Well we'll know in three days one way or another."
"Yes... Three long days."
***
Jeff was catching up on some of the paperwork that he'd missed that morning. He was going to have to do some major explaining to the company executive he'd missed the meeting with. He hoped that his excuse would be good enough. It certainly hadn't been for his family.
"M-Mr Tracy?"
Jeff looked up "Yes Brains?"
"M-May I have a word with you?"
"Of course. Have you removed the Pohutalin from all the craft?"
"That's wh-what I wanted t-to t-talk about. N-N-No I haven't."
Jeff patiently laid down his pen and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. "You don't normally go against direct orders. You must have a good reason."
"I-I believe it would be foolhardy to remove the Pohutalin..."
"That stuff is too dangerous Brains." Jeff said sternly. "You didn't see the reaction..."
"P-Please M-Mr Tracy." Brains interrupted him. "L-Let m-me finish. All of your boys, i-including Virgil, have been exposed to Pohutalin before, with no ill effects."
"Go on."
"It is also r-recognised as being one of the m-most effective antibiotics available at the moment."
"So what caused the reaction?"
"I-I believe I, and Alan, may have h-had s-something to do with it..."
"You Brains?" Jeff raised an eyebrow.
"I-I've been running tests and I-I believe that the ingredients in A-Alan's transmitter, the one Virgil had to eat, may have been a c-catalyst..."
"You mean that our edible transmitter's may be dangerous?" Jeff was concerned at the idea.
"Oh, n-no. On the contrary. But I n-never seriously expected a-anyone to eat the orange, liver and beetroot flavoured transmitter. The chemicals I'd used to s-simulate the flavours were b-basically harmless. But combined together. W-With another factor..."
"Which was, Brains?"
"I-I've analysed the w-water that was trapped in Virgil and Scott's uniforms. I-It contains trace elements that could only be found in th-that part of the world and that deep into the earth. Virgil would have ingested a lot of the w-water and a-absorbed some of the trace elements through the s-scratches to his skin."
"So you are saying that the hospital got the diagnosis wrong?" Jeff asked patiently.
"Not totally. The c-combined c-chemical's in the transmitter, together with one particular trace e-element, would have started the allergic reaction. Indeed, S-Scott told me that Virgil felt ill upon eating the transmitter. Th-That should have alerted me to the potential problem. I'd already administered some P-Pohutalin before Virgil, ah, Virgil's system rejected the transmitter." He screwed up his face at the memory. "The hospital's continued usage of P-Pohutalin merely s-sustained the reaction. They made th-their diagnosis based on the f-facts they had available to them."
"Are you sure?" It sounded too much like a coincidence to Jeff.
I-I would have to do further tests, w-with Virgil's assistance..."
"After what's happened he might not be that keen on the idea." Jeff noted.
"M-My tests, up to this p-point, lead me to believe that f-from the moment all three elements combined in his system, Virgil's body started to... to..." Brains sought the right phrase. "Shut down."
Jeff went cold at the thought. "So why didn't the hospital pick this up sooner?"
"I-I don't know, Mr Tracy. The symptoms may have been v-very similar to other problems th-that they were trying to treat. Without seeing his c-case notes, I can't say."
"He did seem to be very tired." Jeff remembered.
"Th-That would be a logical symptom."
"Is there any chance that he could have some kind of sensitivity to Pohutalin after all this?" Jeff wanted to know.
"Not necessarily, but I-I couldn't say conclusively. N-Not without further..."
"Not without further tests. Okay. Thanks Brains. So I guess your recommendation is that we continue carrying the Pohutalin and, until you've proved your theories, we pray that Virgil doesn't need any?"
"I'm sorry Mr Tracy. It is the most efficient drug o-of it's type available at the moment. It's saved more lives than..." Brains let the sentence hang in the air. "U-Until something better is available..."
"All right Brains. I'll bow to your logic for the moment."
Relieved that he hadn't had his head bitten off Brains turned to go. He wasn't about to get away that easily.
"Brains? You said that you didn't expect anyone to eat that batch of transmitters. What was Alan going to use?"
"I-I'd made another batch f-for Alan."
"That reminds me. I haven't told that boy off yet for switching those transmitters over." Jeff stood. "What he did had serious repercussions."
"I-If I may say so M-Mr Tracy. Now is not the t-time to be punishing A-Alan for making thoughtless mistakes." Brains waited nervously for his employer's reaction.
Jeff sat down again and looked at the young engineer ruefully. "You're right Brains. My own slate isn't exactly squeaky clean at the moment. And Alan realises his mistake. There's no point bringing it up again."