Chapter 2
Life on Tracy Island was, at times, just like life on a tropical island. The family spent days lazing in the sun, catching up on reading, or playing together.
The fates seemed to add an extra week of vacation for the newlyweds as there were no call outs or emergencies to interrupt their idyllic bliss. Or at least to the rest of the family it seemed that Virgil and Marie did nothing but look blissful.
"I feel like I should be brushing my teeth more often." Jeff remarked off handedly to his mother after sitting in the same room with the couple. Their kissing and hugging was almost to the point of embarrassment.
"They are sweet." Granny smiled. "I seem to recall...."
Jeff waved a hand airily. "Yes, I know. I know."
"I was going to say I recall that your father and I were much the same way. I wouldn't presume to assume what you and Lucille did as newlyweds." she swatted him with a towel to punctuate the point.
"I get the point, Mother. I'll try not to interfere."
"Well, it is kinda hard with them living with the family." Granny had noticed that the other boys seemed a bit uncomfortable while Virgil and Marie were so obviously wrapped up in each other.
Yet, things were not so easy with the couple. They already had their first fight, made up and were finding things not as easy as one in love would think.
"Why can't I take part in your rescues?" Marie had her chin propped up on her hand as she watched Virgil lifting some small barbells.
"Not a good idea." Virgil said gruffly. He was on about the fiftieth lift and his muscles were trembling with the effort. The sweat running down his back seemed to run cold all of a sudden as he met the serious gaze his wife bent on him.
"Because I have a wooden leg." She replied flatly.
"You know that doesn't make any difference to me." Virgil snapped. Hadn't he showed her that it didn't matter? He might have even said so once or twice.
"Then why? I can take care of myself. I can be helpful. I'm not exactly unexperienced in dealing with crises."
Virgil put down the weights and grabbed the towel to rub at his sweaty chest and biceps.
"I know, but..." He paused to throw himself down on the bed next to her. Her body leaned into his and he bent his head for a kiss.
"You're changing the subject..."Marie muttered into his mouth, but her lips were as hungry as his.
"Afraid." He whispered.
"I wouldn't be afraid." Marie's eyes met his.
"I would be. I couldn't do it with you there. I'd worry all the time." He cupped her face with his hands. "I couldn't bear it if..."
The heat of the words and the emotions swept over them - they missed dinner and only showed up at breakfast looking rather sheepish, but sickenly sweet - as usual.
Gordon had seemed his own usual self over that past two weeks, but inside of him a restless spark grew and burned. He had been the typical sailor with a girl in every port, sometimes even two or three, he would fall for a girl and then fall just as quickly out again. What was he looking for? A flash of an angelic smile, a husky laugh, and an auburn head on his shoulder flashed through his mind. He shook his head, that was the past - long gone - long dead.
As if preparing them for the calm before the storm, the Tracy men were called out on a rescue. A lahar, a volcanic mud slide was threatening a rather sparsely inhabited, but inhabited nonetheless, part of Peru. Gordon and Alan went along with Thunderbird 2, as they might need all the extra hands available.
As rescue operations went, it seemed fairly straight forward. They went in, did their best, saved a lot of people and came home incredibly filthy.
Virgil was greeted enthusiastically by his wife, but she wisely left off the hug until he was in the shower. Virgil discovered a few extra perks of married life.
"After your debriefing I'll give you a back rub." She purred into his shoulder her fingers running lightly down his broad back.
"We don't bother with debriefings unless something goes wrong." Virgil rotated his shoulders in pleasure. "I can have my backrub now." He turned to see his wife disappear out the shower into their bedroom. She was yanking on clothes and hopping on one leg until she jammed the prosthetic limb on with an ungentle jerk.
"Honey? Uh where are you going?" He grabbed a towel as he was dripping over the carpet.
"I'm going to save your life, and that of your brothers." She said determinedly and stormed out of their room.
"Wait. Oh blast..."Virgil began pulling clothes on over his sopping wet body. "Marie!"
Jeff said back in his chair and sighed deeply. He enjoyed the bustle of the household. He could hear things get back to normal after the hectic tension of a rescue. He was brought bolt upright by the sight of Marie bearing down on him with her eyes blazing with fury. My heavens he hadn't seen a woman so angry since...
"How dare you endanger my husband's life and that of his brothers by not debriefing them after every mission?!" She leaned over the desk to within inches of his nose. Her wet hair dripped onto his desk and onto the papers scattered there.
"Do you know what kind of risk you are putting them through? It's no wonder that Virgil has nightmares. What about Scott, Alan, Gordon, and John? Do they wake up in cold sweats? Do you know? Do you care?"
"Now wait up! Of course I care." Jeff began to get peeved himself. Who was she to come in and start pushing his buttons. "We always can talk about our work."
"That is not a proper debriefing or a defusing."
Virgil was trying to button a shirt and was stopped in the doorway by Scott.
"Marie..." He pushed at his brother's arm.
"She's tearing a strip off Father." Scott looked tense, matter of fact Scott looked really wound up.
"Whasup?" Gordon came behind him towelling his hair. He peered around his brother to see his father wave his finger under Marie's nose. She retaliated by grabbing the finger.
"Don't you get all I'm the boss here, cause that doesn't cut it with me. I have been doing crisis work for five years and have a degree in psychology. I know what I'm talking about." She snarled back at him.
"Wow!" Alan joined them in the doorway. "That's one mean lady."
"That's my wife." Virgil picked up the younger man by the shirt front. "I don't need your criticism."
"Hey. Cool it." Scott snapped.
"Cool it." Virgil dropped his little brother and turned on his older brother. "You cool it. You rode my tail the whole time we were there. You acted as if I didn't know what I was doing. I'm married, not soft in the head!"
"C'mon you guys." Gordon shifted nervously. "It went all right."
"And what if it didn't?" Scott burst out. "I'd have to come home and tell Marie that I made her a widow! How could I live with that?!"
The silence that followed Scott's outburst was deep. Jeff and Marie were watching the four men as they digested the outburst.
"I - I guess we need to talk." Virgil's shoulders slumped.
"I think so too." Jeff said slowly. "I just assumed that things wouldn't change that much. I think I'm out of my depth. Marie?" He held out his hand to his son's wife. "Can you help us?"
"Yes." She raised her chin slightly. "I'd be happy to - Jeff. Gentlemen. Get something to eat. Virgil you are dripping over everything and be back here in 20 minutes."
"Yes ma'am." Gordon said cheekily and ducked out of Virgil's reach for the slap to the head.
As she turned to leave Jeff put a hand on her arm. "That degree in psychology, wasn't it child psychology?"
"Why yes." She blushed slightly.
"Good. You'll need it."
Life on Tracy Island was, at times, just like life on a tropical island. The family spent days lazing in the sun, catching up on reading, or playing together.
The fates seemed to add an extra week of vacation for the newlyweds as there were no call outs or emergencies to interrupt their idyllic bliss. Or at least to the rest of the family it seemed that Virgil and Marie did nothing but look blissful.
"I feel like I should be brushing my teeth more often." Jeff remarked off handedly to his mother after sitting in the same room with the couple. Their kissing and hugging was almost to the point of embarrassment.
"They are sweet." Granny smiled. "I seem to recall...."
Jeff waved a hand airily. "Yes, I know. I know."
"I was going to say I recall that your father and I were much the same way. I wouldn't presume to assume what you and Lucille did as newlyweds." she swatted him with a towel to punctuate the point.
"I get the point, Mother. I'll try not to interfere."
"Well, it is kinda hard with them living with the family." Granny had noticed that the other boys seemed a bit uncomfortable while Virgil and Marie were so obviously wrapped up in each other.
Yet, things were not so easy with the couple. They already had their first fight, made up and were finding things not as easy as one in love would think.
"Why can't I take part in your rescues?" Marie had her chin propped up on her hand as she watched Virgil lifting some small barbells.
"Not a good idea." Virgil said gruffly. He was on about the fiftieth lift and his muscles were trembling with the effort. The sweat running down his back seemed to run cold all of a sudden as he met the serious gaze his wife bent on him.
"Because I have a wooden leg." She replied flatly.
"You know that doesn't make any difference to me." Virgil snapped. Hadn't he showed her that it didn't matter? He might have even said so once or twice.
"Then why? I can take care of myself. I can be helpful. I'm not exactly unexperienced in dealing with crises."
Virgil put down the weights and grabbed the towel to rub at his sweaty chest and biceps.
"I know, but..." He paused to throw himself down on the bed next to her. Her body leaned into his and he bent his head for a kiss.
"You're changing the subject..."Marie muttered into his mouth, but her lips were as hungry as his.
"Afraid." He whispered.
"I wouldn't be afraid." Marie's eyes met his.
"I would be. I couldn't do it with you there. I'd worry all the time." He cupped her face with his hands. "I couldn't bear it if..."
The heat of the words and the emotions swept over them - they missed dinner and only showed up at breakfast looking rather sheepish, but sickenly sweet - as usual.
Gordon had seemed his own usual self over that past two weeks, but inside of him a restless spark grew and burned. He had been the typical sailor with a girl in every port, sometimes even two or three, he would fall for a girl and then fall just as quickly out again. What was he looking for? A flash of an angelic smile, a husky laugh, and an auburn head on his shoulder flashed through his mind. He shook his head, that was the past - long gone - long dead.
As if preparing them for the calm before the storm, the Tracy men were called out on a rescue. A lahar, a volcanic mud slide was threatening a rather sparsely inhabited, but inhabited nonetheless, part of Peru. Gordon and Alan went along with Thunderbird 2, as they might need all the extra hands available.
As rescue operations went, it seemed fairly straight forward. They went in, did their best, saved a lot of people and came home incredibly filthy.
Virgil was greeted enthusiastically by his wife, but she wisely left off the hug until he was in the shower. Virgil discovered a few extra perks of married life.
"After your debriefing I'll give you a back rub." She purred into his shoulder her fingers running lightly down his broad back.
"We don't bother with debriefings unless something goes wrong." Virgil rotated his shoulders in pleasure. "I can have my backrub now." He turned to see his wife disappear out the shower into their bedroom. She was yanking on clothes and hopping on one leg until she jammed the prosthetic limb on with an ungentle jerk.
"Honey? Uh where are you going?" He grabbed a towel as he was dripping over the carpet.
"I'm going to save your life, and that of your brothers." She said determinedly and stormed out of their room.
"Wait. Oh blast..."Virgil began pulling clothes on over his sopping wet body. "Marie!"
Jeff said back in his chair and sighed deeply. He enjoyed the bustle of the household. He could hear things get back to normal after the hectic tension of a rescue. He was brought bolt upright by the sight of Marie bearing down on him with her eyes blazing with fury. My heavens he hadn't seen a woman so angry since...
"How dare you endanger my husband's life and that of his brothers by not debriefing them after every mission?!" She leaned over the desk to within inches of his nose. Her wet hair dripped onto his desk and onto the papers scattered there.
"Do you know what kind of risk you are putting them through? It's no wonder that Virgil has nightmares. What about Scott, Alan, Gordon, and John? Do they wake up in cold sweats? Do you know? Do you care?"
"Now wait up! Of course I care." Jeff began to get peeved himself. Who was she to come in and start pushing his buttons. "We always can talk about our work."
"That is not a proper debriefing or a defusing."
Virgil was trying to button a shirt and was stopped in the doorway by Scott.
"Marie..." He pushed at his brother's arm.
"She's tearing a strip off Father." Scott looked tense, matter of fact Scott looked really wound up.
"Whasup?" Gordon came behind him towelling his hair. He peered around his brother to see his father wave his finger under Marie's nose. She retaliated by grabbing the finger.
"Don't you get all I'm the boss here, cause that doesn't cut it with me. I have been doing crisis work for five years and have a degree in psychology. I know what I'm talking about." She snarled back at him.
"Wow!" Alan joined them in the doorway. "That's one mean lady."
"That's my wife." Virgil picked up the younger man by the shirt front. "I don't need your criticism."
"Hey. Cool it." Scott snapped.
"Cool it." Virgil dropped his little brother and turned on his older brother. "You cool it. You rode my tail the whole time we were there. You acted as if I didn't know what I was doing. I'm married, not soft in the head!"
"C'mon you guys." Gordon shifted nervously. "It went all right."
"And what if it didn't?" Scott burst out. "I'd have to come home and tell Marie that I made her a widow! How could I live with that?!"
The silence that followed Scott's outburst was deep. Jeff and Marie were watching the four men as they digested the outburst.
"I - I guess we need to talk." Virgil's shoulders slumped.
"I think so too." Jeff said slowly. "I just assumed that things wouldn't change that much. I think I'm out of my depth. Marie?" He held out his hand to his son's wife. "Can you help us?"
"Yes." She raised her chin slightly. "I'd be happy to - Jeff. Gentlemen. Get something to eat. Virgil you are dripping over everything and be back here in 20 minutes."
"Yes ma'am." Gordon said cheekily and ducked out of Virgil's reach for the slap to the head.
As she turned to leave Jeff put a hand on her arm. "That degree in psychology, wasn't it child psychology?"
"Why yes." She blushed slightly.
"Good. You'll need it."