Thirty Four - BF
Next morning Jeff stood at the door connecting his room and Scott's. He knocked tentatively. "You awake Scott?"
Upon receiving no reply he quietly opened the door.
Scott was still in bed, lying on his back, eyes open, gazing sightlessly towards the ceiling.
"Morning." Jeff tried to sound cheerful. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." Scott replied unemotionally.
"Breakfast's ready. Time to get up."
"Not hungry."
"You'll have to get up. Dusty's getting everything ready for you."
"Don't want to get up."
Jeff sat on the edge of the bed. "You can't stay in bed all day."
Scott didn't move. "Why not."
"You've got things to do."
"Why bother?"
"You can't just give up."
"Why not?"
Scott's monotone was starting to get to Jeff. He didn't know what to do. "Shall I lay out some clothes for you?"
There was no reply.
Jeff got the clothes ready anyway. Task finished he tried again. "Would you like me to help you get dressed?"
Scott didn't acknowledge the question.
"Scott... I - I want to help you. Tell me what to do."
"You can't do anything for me!" Jeff was startled by the sudden emotion in Scott's voice as he sat up. "You can't help me! No one can!" He grabbed his blankets and lay back down again, pulling them over his head.
"Scott..."
"Leave me alone." The voice was muffled by the blankets.
Unsure as to what else he could do, Jeff complied. He escaped to the hallway and leant against the doorframe trying to regain his own sense of composure.
He was still standing there when Dusty found him. She gave him a smile of greeting. "How are you?"
Jeff ran his hand over his face wearily. "I've been better."
"How's Scott."
His face spoke more eloquently than any words could. "He refuses to get up."
"Ah." She said understandingly. "Maybe I should talk to him. Is he decent?"
He remembered the episode with the pyjamas. "Mostly."
"Mostly?"
He explained.
"Ah." She said again. "Maybe you'd better go tell him that if he doesn't get dressed soon I'll send 'Butch' in to dress him."
"Butch?" Jeff queried.
"One of our male nurses. Butch is his nickname. He doesn't stand any nonsense. I'll wait out here."
Jeff was back in two minutes. "Give us half an hour."
Dusty smiled again. "Fine. I'll be waiting."
***
Before they started the morning's session Dusty sat Scott down to talk to him. Jeff sat off to one side to observe.
"Tell me a bit about yourself Scott."
She thought she sensed a little uneasiness come over the pair of them but ignored it.
"Um. What do you want to know?"
"Tell me how you lost your sight?"
She saw the emotion rage across his face as he struggled with the memories. Hesitantly he gave her the public version of events.
"And your brother? Is he okay now?"
For the first time he relaxed slightly. "Yeah. He's going to be fine once his broken arm's knitted."
"What is your job?"
He tensed up again. "I-I work for my father."
"Doing what?"
"I am... I was a pilot."
"Oh." She glanced at Jeff Tracy whose face was set like stone. "What hobbies do you have?"
"Hobbies? I-I don't know. I play the occasional game of chess. Work out in the gym. Most of my interests revolve around planes and flying. I've always wanted to fly."
She decided to change the subject. "Who's in your family? There's your father, and you have a brother..."
"I've got four brothers. I'm the oldest. I've always looked out for them. Watched over them..." his voice petered out.
"Anyone else?" She prompted.
"My Grandmother. And we live with Tin-Tin and her father, Kyrano and also Brains. They work for Father, but they're our friends too. They're good friends..."
"So you've got plenty of people to support you." She noted.
Scott nodded sombrely.
"Have you used a cane before?"
"Yeah. The hospital leant me one."
"Good. Let's see how good you are." Dusty led him over to the centre of the room and took a step backwards. "Just a couple of steps will do."
Hesitantly Scott took one step forward and then froze, paralysed with fear. "I-I can't. Not without help."
"It's okay, Scott." She said reassuringly. "There's nothing in front of you. I won't let you hurt yourself."
Scott swallowed and managed another step.
"You're doing fine." She said. "Would you mind if I gave you a couple of pointers?
"Please."
"Sweep the cane from side to side just above the floor. You don't need to touch the floor, just have it high enough so that you will know if the way's clear or if there's an obstruction."
"Okay." Timidly he took another step.
***
By the end of the session Scott was worn out, both mentally and physically. He took his father's arm and together they headed down to the canteen.
"You were doing well." Jeff complimented him.
"Thanks." Scott said quietly.
Strangely Jeff was dreading the mealtime saga more than anything else. He was relieved when Dusty came and sat with them. "Time for lesson number two Scott." She explained. "Are you used to using an analogue watch?"
"Yeah." He said, confused
"Good. You've no idea what trouble I have with those who only use digitals. We're going to pretend that your plate is a clock."
"Huh." His confusion was growing.
She studied the meal that had been placed in front of him. "Okay. You have corn, meat, potatoes, carrots and beans. Now the corn is at 3 o'clock, meat at 7 o'clock, potatoes at 10 o'clock, the carrots at 6 o'clock and the beans are at twelve."
The confusion cleared from his face. "Now I understand. We used the same sort of system in the Air Force."
"Bandits at 3 o'clock? You've got it. Your glass is at 1 o'clock. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You've got both your father and me here."
"Okay." As he smelt the freshly cooked food Scott suddenly realised that he was hungry. He hadn't had a proper meal since early yesterday. He took a stab at where he supposed the carrots would be and was pleased to feel the resistance as the vegetable yielded under his fork.
Jeff smiled at Dusty as his son took his first tentative mouthful.
Next morning Jeff stood at the door connecting his room and Scott's. He knocked tentatively. "You awake Scott?"
Upon receiving no reply he quietly opened the door.
Scott was still in bed, lying on his back, eyes open, gazing sightlessly towards the ceiling.
"Morning." Jeff tried to sound cheerful. "How are you feeling?"
"Fine." Scott replied unemotionally.
"Breakfast's ready. Time to get up."
"Not hungry."
"You'll have to get up. Dusty's getting everything ready for you."
"Don't want to get up."
Jeff sat on the edge of the bed. "You can't stay in bed all day."
Scott didn't move. "Why not."
"You've got things to do."
"Why bother?"
"You can't just give up."
"Why not?"
Scott's monotone was starting to get to Jeff. He didn't know what to do. "Shall I lay out some clothes for you?"
There was no reply.
Jeff got the clothes ready anyway. Task finished he tried again. "Would you like me to help you get dressed?"
Scott didn't acknowledge the question.
"Scott... I - I want to help you. Tell me what to do."
"You can't do anything for me!" Jeff was startled by the sudden emotion in Scott's voice as he sat up. "You can't help me! No one can!" He grabbed his blankets and lay back down again, pulling them over his head.
"Scott..."
"Leave me alone." The voice was muffled by the blankets.
Unsure as to what else he could do, Jeff complied. He escaped to the hallway and leant against the doorframe trying to regain his own sense of composure.
He was still standing there when Dusty found him. She gave him a smile of greeting. "How are you?"
Jeff ran his hand over his face wearily. "I've been better."
"How's Scott."
His face spoke more eloquently than any words could. "He refuses to get up."
"Ah." She said understandingly. "Maybe I should talk to him. Is he decent?"
He remembered the episode with the pyjamas. "Mostly."
"Mostly?"
He explained.
"Ah." She said again. "Maybe you'd better go tell him that if he doesn't get dressed soon I'll send 'Butch' in to dress him."
"Butch?" Jeff queried.
"One of our male nurses. Butch is his nickname. He doesn't stand any nonsense. I'll wait out here."
Jeff was back in two minutes. "Give us half an hour."
Dusty smiled again. "Fine. I'll be waiting."
***
Before they started the morning's session Dusty sat Scott down to talk to him. Jeff sat off to one side to observe.
"Tell me a bit about yourself Scott."
She thought she sensed a little uneasiness come over the pair of them but ignored it.
"Um. What do you want to know?"
"Tell me how you lost your sight?"
She saw the emotion rage across his face as he struggled with the memories. Hesitantly he gave her the public version of events.
"And your brother? Is he okay now?"
For the first time he relaxed slightly. "Yeah. He's going to be fine once his broken arm's knitted."
"What is your job?"
He tensed up again. "I-I work for my father."
"Doing what?"
"I am... I was a pilot."
"Oh." She glanced at Jeff Tracy whose face was set like stone. "What hobbies do you have?"
"Hobbies? I-I don't know. I play the occasional game of chess. Work out in the gym. Most of my interests revolve around planes and flying. I've always wanted to fly."
She decided to change the subject. "Who's in your family? There's your father, and you have a brother..."
"I've got four brothers. I'm the oldest. I've always looked out for them. Watched over them..." his voice petered out.
"Anyone else?" She prompted.
"My Grandmother. And we live with Tin-Tin and her father, Kyrano and also Brains. They work for Father, but they're our friends too. They're good friends..."
"So you've got plenty of people to support you." She noted.
Scott nodded sombrely.
"Have you used a cane before?"
"Yeah. The hospital leant me one."
"Good. Let's see how good you are." Dusty led him over to the centre of the room and took a step backwards. "Just a couple of steps will do."
Hesitantly Scott took one step forward and then froze, paralysed with fear. "I-I can't. Not without help."
"It's okay, Scott." She said reassuringly. "There's nothing in front of you. I won't let you hurt yourself."
Scott swallowed and managed another step.
"You're doing fine." She said. "Would you mind if I gave you a couple of pointers?
"Please."
"Sweep the cane from side to side just above the floor. You don't need to touch the floor, just have it high enough so that you will know if the way's clear or if there's an obstruction."
"Okay." Timidly he took another step.
***
By the end of the session Scott was worn out, both mentally and physically. He took his father's arm and together they headed down to the canteen.
"You were doing well." Jeff complimented him.
"Thanks." Scott said quietly.
Strangely Jeff was dreading the mealtime saga more than anything else. He was relieved when Dusty came and sat with them. "Time for lesson number two Scott." She explained. "Are you used to using an analogue watch?"
"Yeah." He said, confused
"Good. You've no idea what trouble I have with those who only use digitals. We're going to pretend that your plate is a clock."
"Huh." His confusion was growing.
She studied the meal that had been placed in front of him. "Okay. You have corn, meat, potatoes, carrots and beans. Now the corn is at 3 o'clock, meat at 7 o'clock, potatoes at 10 o'clock, the carrots at 6 o'clock and the beans are at twelve."
The confusion cleared from his face. "Now I understand. We used the same sort of system in the Air Force."
"Bandits at 3 o'clock? You've got it. Your glass is at 1 o'clock. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You've got both your father and me here."
"Okay." As he smelt the freshly cooked food Scott suddenly realised that he was hungry. He hadn't had a proper meal since early yesterday. He took a stab at where he supposed the carrots would be and was pleased to feel the resistance as the vegetable yielded under his fork.
Jeff smiled at Dusty as his son took his first tentative mouthful.