Eighty Eight - BF
"Hey Tin-Tin! Wait up!"
Tin-Tin stopped walking down the hallway and turned. She smiled but didn't speak until he was closer. "Virgil! How are you?"
" Fine. How're you feeling?"
"After three days in bed being pampered by my Father and your Grandmother, wonderful" She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Not a problem. Just another day at the office, I've got to keep my hand in somehow."
"Brains' Comm-specs spectacles seem to be working well."
"They're great! I'm getting a little teasing from Alan and Gordon about getting old, but I can take it." He held up his arm with the bracelet. "And thanks for working on this. If I get my hearing back I might keep it on. It's great knowing who's trying to sneak up behind me."
"When you get your hearing back!" She corrected him. "You haven't decorated it yet."
"No. I can't make up my mind what to do."
"Your brothers would probably suggest that you paint it pink."
"My brothers have suggested that I paint little pansies all round it, just for wearing it."
"And if anyone else suggested that, your brothers would be the first one to jump to your defence."
"Yeah they would." He admitted. "I'm lucky they're there."
"Yes you are. We all are." Then she frowned. "How are you really, Virgil. I heard things weren't too good a couple of nights ago."
"I'm fine now. The tinnitus is bearable."
"I can't imagine what it's like for you."
"Terrible." He said honestly. "But things could be worse. You could have been killed."
"It's thanks to you and Scott that I wasn't." She indicated the lounge. "I'm going to get some sun. Care to join me?"
The expression on his face clouded over when he saw where she indicated. "No. You go on though. I'll see you later."
***
Scott was standing on the patio, looking down into the pool. His thoughts though, were pondering on how and when he was going to talk to Virgil.
He jumped when someone dug him in the ribs.
"Yes!" Gordon crowed. "At last I've done it!"
"I'm pleased for you." Scott grumbled as he rubbed his bruised sides.
"How come I can creep up on you now that you've got your sight," Gordon asked, "but I wasn't able to when you were blind?"
"Because One: I was thinking, not listening. Two: When I was blind I used my hearing more. And Three:" Scott took his 'Sonar Sender' out of his pocket. He didn't know why he still carried it, he just liked to have it close. "Put the ear pieces in your ear." Gordon complied. "Hear that beep?"
"Yes."
"That's a signal from your watch." Scott looked past Gordon's shoulder to Alan and Tin-Tin walking towards them. "You should be hearing another couple of different beeps now."
"I can! How do you know?"
"Because that's the signals from Tin-Tin and Alan's watch. Everyone's watch has a different signal, and as soon as you got close enough I would hear your signal."
"So that must be how Virgil knew I was behind him!" Gordon exclaimed as he handed back the 'Sonar Sender'. "His bracelet must tell him who's nearby somehow." A sly look came over his face. "Hey! Let's all swap watches for a bit."
"Don't you dare!" Scott threatened.
"Why not! It's only a joke. You didn't mind me trying to sneak up on you when you were blind!"
"I was accepting my blindness by then and so were you. Virgil's still coming to terms with being deaf. Don't do anything that might upset him!"
"Come on, Scott. Lighten up. He's okay with this."
"Are you sure about that, Alan? When was the last time you saw him in the lounge?"
"That was..." Alan began confidently and then he frowned... "I don't know."
"He was in here for the debriefing." Gordon said.
"And since then?" Scott asked.
They were silent for a moment as they thought.
"But why?" Tin-Tin asked. "I noticed that he seemed a little reticent about coming outside, but I didn't think it was because he didn't like the lounge."
"It's not the lounge, he doesn't like." Scott said quietly. "It's what he can't do in there anymore that's upsetting him."
"Huh?" Alan asked.
"Oh!" Tin-Tin's face cleared. "I see."
"I don't." Gordon said. "What are you getting at?"
"The piano, Gordon." Tin-Tin exclaimed. "He can't play the piano!"
"Of course!" Alan sagged against the banister. "He can't hear the music."
Gordon slapped himself on the forehead. "How thick am I? I should have realised."
"So take it easy on him, okay." Scott ordered. "When it's obvious that he's getting his hearing back then you can play your sick little jokes on him. But till then watch yourselves."
"You'd think the nutty Professor would have at least worked out what was wrong by now." Alan said.
"Hey Tin-Tin! Wait up!"
Tin-Tin stopped walking down the hallway and turned. She smiled but didn't speak until he was closer. "Virgil! How are you?"
" Fine. How're you feeling?"
"After three days in bed being pampered by my Father and your Grandmother, wonderful" She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for saving my life."
"Not a problem. Just another day at the office, I've got to keep my hand in somehow."
"Brains' Comm-specs spectacles seem to be working well."
"They're great! I'm getting a little teasing from Alan and Gordon about getting old, but I can take it." He held up his arm with the bracelet. "And thanks for working on this. If I get my hearing back I might keep it on. It's great knowing who's trying to sneak up behind me."
"When you get your hearing back!" She corrected him. "You haven't decorated it yet."
"No. I can't make up my mind what to do."
"Your brothers would probably suggest that you paint it pink."
"My brothers have suggested that I paint little pansies all round it, just for wearing it."
"And if anyone else suggested that, your brothers would be the first one to jump to your defence."
"Yeah they would." He admitted. "I'm lucky they're there."
"Yes you are. We all are." Then she frowned. "How are you really, Virgil. I heard things weren't too good a couple of nights ago."
"I'm fine now. The tinnitus is bearable."
"I can't imagine what it's like for you."
"Terrible." He said honestly. "But things could be worse. You could have been killed."
"It's thanks to you and Scott that I wasn't." She indicated the lounge. "I'm going to get some sun. Care to join me?"
The expression on his face clouded over when he saw where she indicated. "No. You go on though. I'll see you later."
***
Scott was standing on the patio, looking down into the pool. His thoughts though, were pondering on how and when he was going to talk to Virgil.
He jumped when someone dug him in the ribs.
"Yes!" Gordon crowed. "At last I've done it!"
"I'm pleased for you." Scott grumbled as he rubbed his bruised sides.
"How come I can creep up on you now that you've got your sight," Gordon asked, "but I wasn't able to when you were blind?"
"Because One: I was thinking, not listening. Two: When I was blind I used my hearing more. And Three:" Scott took his 'Sonar Sender' out of his pocket. He didn't know why he still carried it, he just liked to have it close. "Put the ear pieces in your ear." Gordon complied. "Hear that beep?"
"Yes."
"That's a signal from your watch." Scott looked past Gordon's shoulder to Alan and Tin-Tin walking towards them. "You should be hearing another couple of different beeps now."
"I can! How do you know?"
"Because that's the signals from Tin-Tin and Alan's watch. Everyone's watch has a different signal, and as soon as you got close enough I would hear your signal."
"So that must be how Virgil knew I was behind him!" Gordon exclaimed as he handed back the 'Sonar Sender'. "His bracelet must tell him who's nearby somehow." A sly look came over his face. "Hey! Let's all swap watches for a bit."
"Don't you dare!" Scott threatened.
"Why not! It's only a joke. You didn't mind me trying to sneak up on you when you were blind!"
"I was accepting my blindness by then and so were you. Virgil's still coming to terms with being deaf. Don't do anything that might upset him!"
"Come on, Scott. Lighten up. He's okay with this."
"Are you sure about that, Alan? When was the last time you saw him in the lounge?"
"That was..." Alan began confidently and then he frowned... "I don't know."
"He was in here for the debriefing." Gordon said.
"And since then?" Scott asked.
They were silent for a moment as they thought.
"But why?" Tin-Tin asked. "I noticed that he seemed a little reticent about coming outside, but I didn't think it was because he didn't like the lounge."
"It's not the lounge, he doesn't like." Scott said quietly. "It's what he can't do in there anymore that's upsetting him."
"Huh?" Alan asked.
"Oh!" Tin-Tin's face cleared. "I see."
"I don't." Gordon said. "What are you getting at?"
"The piano, Gordon." Tin-Tin exclaimed. "He can't play the piano!"
"Of course!" Alan sagged against the banister. "He can't hear the music."
Gordon slapped himself on the forehead. "How thick am I? I should have realised."
"So take it easy on him, okay." Scott ordered. "When it's obvious that he's getting his hearing back then you can play your sick little jokes on him. But till then watch yourselves."
"You'd think the nutty Professor would have at least worked out what was wrong by now." Alan said.