Seventy One - BF
Jeff changed into his pyjamas and robe and then headed for the kitchen. His mother had thoughtfully left two full plates out for the pair of them. He placed Virgil's portion into the fridge and then re-heated his own meal.
That done he decided against eating alone at the dining table and thought it might be pleasant to sit out on the patio.
He was surprised to see the silhouette of a man in the lounge.
He turned the lights on.
"Scott? I thought you'd gone to bed."
Scott was sitting at the piano, his hands placed on the closed keyboard lid as if he were drawing strength from it. "I couldn't."
"I was going to have my dinner on the patio. Care to join me?"
Scott nodded and walked over to one of the chairs that faced out to sea. Jeff sat down in an adjacent seat but didn't start to eat. "So why couldn't you go to bed?"
"I couldn't. Not while Virgil was mad at me."
"I think you'll find he's not mad with you now." Jeff took a bite of a piece of potato while he waited to see if Scott was going to say anything else.
He'd got through a third of his meal before Scott spoke again. "He was crying, wasn't he?"
Jeff swallowed his mouthful. "How'd you know?"
"You were in there for such a long time. I thought maybe with you there I could talk to him. So I went to his room. But I could hear him through the door so I came back out here."
"He was crying. He still felt guilty over your mother's death. I thought our talk last year had got it out of his system."
"And it hadn't?"
"No. What you'd said to him, just reminded him that he'd believed it was his fault. He was also frightened that your mother may have blamed him."
"Blamed him!" Scott was aghast. "She'd never do that!"
"I know that, and you know that. But no one ever told a five-year-old Virgil that."
"And a 28-year-old Virgil still believed it?"
"Apparently." Jeff decided that he didn't want the rest of his meal and settled it on the table beside him. "I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone what happened in there. So unless he says something don't mention it, okay."
"Okay. I understand."
They were silent a moment longer. Then Scott suddenly sprang to his feet. "How could I do it?" he asked. "How could I have said that to him?" He began pacing up and down the balcony. "He was helping me! And all I could do was say the most hateful thing I could think of to him. And despite that he said he didn't hate me." He stopped pacing for a moment. "Until tonight! I reinforced the idea that Ma had blamed him didn't I. How can I expect him to forgive me, if I can't forgive myself?" He started pacing again.
"Is that why you haven't wanted to talk to him about this?"
"All this is my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid and selfish and scared. He's right to be mad with me!"
Jeff watched his son pace. The motion was starting to get to him. Scott would walk until he was almost at the stairs that fell away to the pool area, and then turn and proceed back the way he'd come. Jeff was alternating between anxiety that Scott would miscalculate his position and relief when he turned away.
"You knew didn't you." Scott continued on. "Why didn't you tell me off? You must have known how I'd hurt him. I don't understand why you let me get away with it."
"Virgil wouldn't let me." Jeff admitted. "I was ready to go out there and tear strips off you and let him come home again. But he said he was okay, and then that afternoon you both seemed fine together."
"After I'd hit him."
"Yes."
"Some big brother I am. Beating up my own brother and saying hateful things to him when he was only trying to help me."
"Scott! Stop beating yourself up over this. It was a year ago. Virgil doesn't blame you. You can both discuss it later." Scott neared the steps again. "And will you sit down! You're starting to get on my nerves!"
There was a noise in the lounge behind them. Gordon and Alan wandered in sleepily.
"What are you two doing out there?" Alan asked bleary eyed.
"Talking." Scott felt the hands on his watch. "Is that the time! Are you guys off to get John?"
"That's the plan." Alan went and sat down on the sofa.
Gordon remained standing, eyeing his father and oldest brother warily. "How's Virgil?"
"He'll be fine." Jeff reassured him. "If he's got any brains he'll be getting some sleep at the moment."
Gordon folded his arms. "Which it looks like neither of you two have done."
Scott shrugged. "What does it matter? I'll be sleeping through it all anyway."
"Go on boys." Jeff said. "The sooner you get to Thunderbird Five, the sooner you'll be home. And make sure you've activated the automatic relay correctly!"
Alan gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir! Any other orders sir!"
"Yes." Jeff chuckled. "Don't be insolent."
The sofa slid into the floor just as Professor Bunsen came into the room. "Am I too late?"
"Too late for what?" Scott asked.
"Thunderbird Three's launch. I don't want to miss out on that."
"You won't see much. It's night time." Jeff pointed out.
"I still want to see it." The professor bounded onto the patio. "Where do I look?"
"Through the Round House." Scott informed him.
Jeff picked up his plate and wandered back to his desk. Alan's image appeared in place of his portrait. "Thunderbird Three. Are we clear to launch?"
Jeff checked the computer. "All clear."
"Thanks. See you soon." Alan disappeared.
There was an exclamation of "Good law" from the Professor as Thunderbird Three forced it's way heavenward through the Round House.
"You know. That's one guy I wish was sound asleep at the moment." Scott said quietly to his father.
"I wouldn't worry. I don't think he'd do anything to jeopardise your operation." Jeff tried to console him, even though he'd been thinking along the same lines.
Professor Bunsen had watched Thunderbird Three's rocket trail disappear into the stratosphere. "That was amazing." He said to the two Tracy men as he wandered back into the lounge. "I'm off back to bed. I'd advise the same for you Scott. You'll want to be wide awake in twelve hours time to see your family again." He disappeared in the direction of his bedroom.
Scott and his father started moving in the same direction. Then Jeff remembered something. "Just a minute. I'd better take my plate back to the kitchen." He returned to his desk to retrieve it.
They were surprised to hear the door from Thunderbird Two's maintenance hanger open. Scott's "Sonar Sender" told him who it was just before his hearing recognised the footsteps and his father said "Virgil? What are you doing up?"
Scott decided to stay where he was. Hopefully out of sight.
"I had to check on Thunderbird Two. You never know when she'll be needed next."
"But Gordon's run the diagnostics programme and checked her over hasn't he?" Jeff asked.
"I checked the maintenance log and he's done everything correctly. But her starboard wing got a bit scorched in the first explosion. Gordon didn't know about that, so I had to double check it wasn't damaged."
"And that couldn't wait till tomorrow, ah, later today?" Jeff folded his arms and stared at Virgil with a frown of displeasure. "You know the rules about working at heights alone."
"I had the safety harness on, and I'll have other things to worry about later." Virgil admitted. "And we never know when International Rescue is going to be needed. I had to know that Thunderbird Two would be ready. I couldn't sleep if there was any chance that she wasn't."
"With the amount of sleep that everyone's getting tonight, if International Rescue is required we won't have any personnel capable of undertaking a rescue anyway. We'd have to send Grandma and Kyrano." Jeff grumbled. "So is Thunderbird Two ready?"
"Yes. The wing just needs a bit of a clean and a lick of paint. In fact all of Thunderbird Two needs a proper clean down..."
"Well that can wait. I'm not worried about Thunderbird Two's aesthetics. All that matters is that she's airworthy. And that you're in a fit state to pilot her. So go to bed Virgil!"
Virgil noted the plate. "Just as soon as you do. You haven't been to bed tonight either!"
Jeff realised that Scott was hiding and decided not to alert Virgil to the fact. "Come on then. Time we both turned in." He walked out the door, turning the light off as he did so.
Scott waited until he'd heard their footsteps disappear before he followed them out of the lounge.
Jeff changed into his pyjamas and robe and then headed for the kitchen. His mother had thoughtfully left two full plates out for the pair of them. He placed Virgil's portion into the fridge and then re-heated his own meal.
That done he decided against eating alone at the dining table and thought it might be pleasant to sit out on the patio.
He was surprised to see the silhouette of a man in the lounge.
He turned the lights on.
"Scott? I thought you'd gone to bed."
Scott was sitting at the piano, his hands placed on the closed keyboard lid as if he were drawing strength from it. "I couldn't."
"I was going to have my dinner on the patio. Care to join me?"
Scott nodded and walked over to one of the chairs that faced out to sea. Jeff sat down in an adjacent seat but didn't start to eat. "So why couldn't you go to bed?"
"I couldn't. Not while Virgil was mad at me."
"I think you'll find he's not mad with you now." Jeff took a bite of a piece of potato while he waited to see if Scott was going to say anything else.
He'd got through a third of his meal before Scott spoke again. "He was crying, wasn't he?"
Jeff swallowed his mouthful. "How'd you know?"
"You were in there for such a long time. I thought maybe with you there I could talk to him. So I went to his room. But I could hear him through the door so I came back out here."
"He was crying. He still felt guilty over your mother's death. I thought our talk last year had got it out of his system."
"And it hadn't?"
"No. What you'd said to him, just reminded him that he'd believed it was his fault. He was also frightened that your mother may have blamed him."
"Blamed him!" Scott was aghast. "She'd never do that!"
"I know that, and you know that. But no one ever told a five-year-old Virgil that."
"And a 28-year-old Virgil still believed it?"
"Apparently." Jeff decided that he didn't want the rest of his meal and settled it on the table beside him. "I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone what happened in there. So unless he says something don't mention it, okay."
"Okay. I understand."
They were silent a moment longer. Then Scott suddenly sprang to his feet. "How could I do it?" he asked. "How could I have said that to him?" He began pacing up and down the balcony. "He was helping me! And all I could do was say the most hateful thing I could think of to him. And despite that he said he didn't hate me." He stopped pacing for a moment. "Until tonight! I reinforced the idea that Ma had blamed him didn't I. How can I expect him to forgive me, if I can't forgive myself?" He started pacing again.
"Is that why you haven't wanted to talk to him about this?"
"All this is my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid and selfish and scared. He's right to be mad with me!"
Jeff watched his son pace. The motion was starting to get to him. Scott would walk until he was almost at the stairs that fell away to the pool area, and then turn and proceed back the way he'd come. Jeff was alternating between anxiety that Scott would miscalculate his position and relief when he turned away.
"You knew didn't you." Scott continued on. "Why didn't you tell me off? You must have known how I'd hurt him. I don't understand why you let me get away with it."
"Virgil wouldn't let me." Jeff admitted. "I was ready to go out there and tear strips off you and let him come home again. But he said he was okay, and then that afternoon you both seemed fine together."
"After I'd hit him."
"Yes."
"Some big brother I am. Beating up my own brother and saying hateful things to him when he was only trying to help me."
"Scott! Stop beating yourself up over this. It was a year ago. Virgil doesn't blame you. You can both discuss it later." Scott neared the steps again. "And will you sit down! You're starting to get on my nerves!"
There was a noise in the lounge behind them. Gordon and Alan wandered in sleepily.
"What are you two doing out there?" Alan asked bleary eyed.
"Talking." Scott felt the hands on his watch. "Is that the time! Are you guys off to get John?"
"That's the plan." Alan went and sat down on the sofa.
Gordon remained standing, eyeing his father and oldest brother warily. "How's Virgil?"
"He'll be fine." Jeff reassured him. "If he's got any brains he'll be getting some sleep at the moment."
Gordon folded his arms. "Which it looks like neither of you two have done."
Scott shrugged. "What does it matter? I'll be sleeping through it all anyway."
"Go on boys." Jeff said. "The sooner you get to Thunderbird Five, the sooner you'll be home. And make sure you've activated the automatic relay correctly!"
Alan gave him a mock salute. "Yes sir! Any other orders sir!"
"Yes." Jeff chuckled. "Don't be insolent."
The sofa slid into the floor just as Professor Bunsen came into the room. "Am I too late?"
"Too late for what?" Scott asked.
"Thunderbird Three's launch. I don't want to miss out on that."
"You won't see much. It's night time." Jeff pointed out.
"I still want to see it." The professor bounded onto the patio. "Where do I look?"
"Through the Round House." Scott informed him.
Jeff picked up his plate and wandered back to his desk. Alan's image appeared in place of his portrait. "Thunderbird Three. Are we clear to launch?"
Jeff checked the computer. "All clear."
"Thanks. See you soon." Alan disappeared.
There was an exclamation of "Good law" from the Professor as Thunderbird Three forced it's way heavenward through the Round House.
"You know. That's one guy I wish was sound asleep at the moment." Scott said quietly to his father.
"I wouldn't worry. I don't think he'd do anything to jeopardise your operation." Jeff tried to console him, even though he'd been thinking along the same lines.
Professor Bunsen had watched Thunderbird Three's rocket trail disappear into the stratosphere. "That was amazing." He said to the two Tracy men as he wandered back into the lounge. "I'm off back to bed. I'd advise the same for you Scott. You'll want to be wide awake in twelve hours time to see your family again." He disappeared in the direction of his bedroom.
Scott and his father started moving in the same direction. Then Jeff remembered something. "Just a minute. I'd better take my plate back to the kitchen." He returned to his desk to retrieve it.
They were surprised to hear the door from Thunderbird Two's maintenance hanger open. Scott's "Sonar Sender" told him who it was just before his hearing recognised the footsteps and his father said "Virgil? What are you doing up?"
Scott decided to stay where he was. Hopefully out of sight.
"I had to check on Thunderbird Two. You never know when she'll be needed next."
"But Gordon's run the diagnostics programme and checked her over hasn't he?" Jeff asked.
"I checked the maintenance log and he's done everything correctly. But her starboard wing got a bit scorched in the first explosion. Gordon didn't know about that, so I had to double check it wasn't damaged."
"And that couldn't wait till tomorrow, ah, later today?" Jeff folded his arms and stared at Virgil with a frown of displeasure. "You know the rules about working at heights alone."
"I had the safety harness on, and I'll have other things to worry about later." Virgil admitted. "And we never know when International Rescue is going to be needed. I had to know that Thunderbird Two would be ready. I couldn't sleep if there was any chance that she wasn't."
"With the amount of sleep that everyone's getting tonight, if International Rescue is required we won't have any personnel capable of undertaking a rescue anyway. We'd have to send Grandma and Kyrano." Jeff grumbled. "So is Thunderbird Two ready?"
"Yes. The wing just needs a bit of a clean and a lick of paint. In fact all of Thunderbird Two needs a proper clean down..."
"Well that can wait. I'm not worried about Thunderbird Two's aesthetics. All that matters is that she's airworthy. And that you're in a fit state to pilot her. So go to bed Virgil!"
Virgil noted the plate. "Just as soon as you do. You haven't been to bed tonight either!"
Jeff realised that Scott was hiding and decided not to alert Virgil to the fact. "Come on then. Time we both turned in." He walked out the door, turning the light off as he did so.
Scott waited until he'd heard their footsteps disappear before he followed them out of the lounge.