Chapter 16
Jeff Tracy paced the living room for about the thirtieth time. The vidphone for once was disturbingly quiet. He was within a hair's breath of losing Tracy Industries, but he didn't care. What he didn't want to do was lose his son.
Alan sat on the couch looking thoroughly miserable. "I promised not to tell." He kept saying.
He wished his father would make him tell.
"It's okay son, why don't you go get some sleep. I'll wait up."
The sound of a car driving up and doors slamming brought both of the Tracys to the window.
"Oh man a cop car!" Alan groaned.
"Dear God!" Jeff went to open the front door as two burly policemen wrestled his son to the front porch. Gordon looked disheveled and there was blood spilled down the front of his shirt and a dark bruise forming on his cheek.
"Gordon! Son!" Jeff pulled him into the house with a hug. He then realized that Gordon was handcuffed. "What is the meaning of this? Take off those handcuffs now."
"You gonna be good, buddy? No going back to the Judge's house?" The older officer asked.
Gordon nodded mutely. Once released he sat heavily on the sofa rubbing his wrists.
"Alan." Jeff turned to find his youngest son already standing with an ice pack and a towel. "Good thinking."
"Here." Alan sat next to his brother and put the ice pack gingerly to his face.
Gordon snatched the ice pack from him. "I can take care of it myself." He muttered. "Go away."
Alan got up and shot a confused look at his father.
"Go make us some coffee, son." Jeff smiled encouragingly.
"What happened?" He directed his question to Gordon who was carefully applying the ice to his bruised cheek.
"Got in trouble." came the terse reply.
"We got called to Judge Jones house about an hour ago. This young man was trying to break in."
"He didn't have the right to keep me from her!" Gordon dropped the ice pack and rose to his feet his fists raised.
"Sit down, boy!" The younger cop moved aggressively towards the teen. He found himself facing a bristling Jeff Tracy who had stepped between the cops and his son. The lawman found himself taking a hasty step back.
The older officer put a placating hand out. "We talked to the young lady and her father. I'm sorry son, but she says she can't see you."
"He's making her say that!" Gordon looked close to tears. "She loves me. We...we got married!"
Jeff put a hand on his son's shoulder. He could feel Gordon trembling with suppressed emotion.
"Let's just settle down. I'll go personally and talk to Judge Jones and his daughter. First thing in the morning." He added in a firmer tone. "I think we all need to settle down first." A little added pressure to Gordon's shoulder and he sat down with a sigh on the sofa.
"Good idea, sir." The younger officer nodded. Jeff noticed the scrapes on his knuckles.
"If I can have a word with you two officers outside?" Jeff said calmly as Alan came in with a pot of coffee and a pile of sandwiches. He was following Granny's general rule of thumb in a crisis. Eat first - worry later.
As soon as the door shut behind them Jeff Tracy stopped being a careful man. He shoved the younger cop up against the side of the building. "You - better - have a good reason - for roughing up my son!" He bit out.
"He resisted..." The young officer sent a pleading look to his senior partner.
"They both got a little hot headed." The older cop pulled a reluctant Jeff off the officer. "Mr. Tracy. Your son is a good kid. That's why he is here and not in the lock-up."
"Thank you." Jeff said gruffly. "The girl?"
"I talked to her personally, made sure her Daddy wasn't around influencing things. She...her heart wasn't in it, sir. I tried to tell your son, but he just wasn't listening."
Jeff Tracy gave a deep sigh. "I'll still have a talk with them tomorrow."
The two went to leave. The older officer turned back to Jeff Tracy. "Judge Jones is a tough man, I've seen him put away criminals that deserve to be shut up and the key thrown away. I respect him for that. Don't let the boy go back, it'll just mean trouble."
"I'll do what I can." Jeff Tracy said solemnly. "And what is best for my son."
"Yessir." The officer threw him a salute.
Jeff Tracy went into the house with a heavy heart. He took one look at the broken face of his son. He'd seen that face before, in the mirror, after he'd lost Lucille. He gave a nod to Alan who got the hint and beat a hasty retreat.
"Gordon." Jeff sat on the sofa next to the desolate young man.
"He just came and took her away. She was crying. I went to get her back. I screwed up, Father. I screwed up everything. You were so mad at me."
"Gordon." Jeff said carefully. "I was mad at what you did, not at you. Never at you. This is also my fault. I was so wrapped up in business that I forgot that you boys needed me too. You tried to talk to me and I wasn't listening. I'm sorry Gordon."
"I let you down. If you still want me to, I'll try for the Air Force Academy next year."
"Son," Jeff put his hand on his son's neck and gave it a gentle squeeze." What do you want? I'm listening.
"I applied to the Naval Academy. I want to study Marine Biology, go into subs, if I'm good enough."
"You're a Tracy. That's good enough and the Naval Academy would be good for you. New ground. You won't have to live up to your brother's reps. Good idea son."
"I have to report in in two days." Gordon said faintly.
"We'll go together son." Jeff said softly as he helped his son lie back on the sofa. He carefully wiped the blood off his cheek.
"Em was right. I should have talked to you earlier." Gordon said sleepily.
"Em is a very smart girl, you could do worse than listen to her." Jeff said watching his son fight exhaustion.
"One thing though, Gordon." Jeff covered his son with the afghan thrown over the back of the couch. "Now that you are in the Navy...No tattoos!"
"Why not?" Gordon said closing his eyes. "Scott has one."
"I didn't need to know that." Jeff Tracy muttered to himself. as he turned off the lights to turn in. Tomorrow was going to be a tough day for all of them.
Jeff Tracy paced the living room for about the thirtieth time. The vidphone for once was disturbingly quiet. He was within a hair's breath of losing Tracy Industries, but he didn't care. What he didn't want to do was lose his son.
Alan sat on the couch looking thoroughly miserable. "I promised not to tell." He kept saying.
He wished his father would make him tell.
"It's okay son, why don't you go get some sleep. I'll wait up."
The sound of a car driving up and doors slamming brought both of the Tracys to the window.
"Oh man a cop car!" Alan groaned.
"Dear God!" Jeff went to open the front door as two burly policemen wrestled his son to the front porch. Gordon looked disheveled and there was blood spilled down the front of his shirt and a dark bruise forming on his cheek.
"Gordon! Son!" Jeff pulled him into the house with a hug. He then realized that Gordon was handcuffed. "What is the meaning of this? Take off those handcuffs now."
"You gonna be good, buddy? No going back to the Judge's house?" The older officer asked.
Gordon nodded mutely. Once released he sat heavily on the sofa rubbing his wrists.
"Alan." Jeff turned to find his youngest son already standing with an ice pack and a towel. "Good thinking."
"Here." Alan sat next to his brother and put the ice pack gingerly to his face.
Gordon snatched the ice pack from him. "I can take care of it myself." He muttered. "Go away."
Alan got up and shot a confused look at his father.
"Go make us some coffee, son." Jeff smiled encouragingly.
"What happened?" He directed his question to Gordon who was carefully applying the ice to his bruised cheek.
"Got in trouble." came the terse reply.
"We got called to Judge Jones house about an hour ago. This young man was trying to break in."
"He didn't have the right to keep me from her!" Gordon dropped the ice pack and rose to his feet his fists raised.
"Sit down, boy!" The younger cop moved aggressively towards the teen. He found himself facing a bristling Jeff Tracy who had stepped between the cops and his son. The lawman found himself taking a hasty step back.
The older officer put a placating hand out. "We talked to the young lady and her father. I'm sorry son, but she says she can't see you."
"He's making her say that!" Gordon looked close to tears. "She loves me. We...we got married!"
Jeff put a hand on his son's shoulder. He could feel Gordon trembling with suppressed emotion.
"Let's just settle down. I'll go personally and talk to Judge Jones and his daughter. First thing in the morning." He added in a firmer tone. "I think we all need to settle down first." A little added pressure to Gordon's shoulder and he sat down with a sigh on the sofa.
"Good idea, sir." The younger officer nodded. Jeff noticed the scrapes on his knuckles.
"If I can have a word with you two officers outside?" Jeff said calmly as Alan came in with a pot of coffee and a pile of sandwiches. He was following Granny's general rule of thumb in a crisis. Eat first - worry later.
As soon as the door shut behind them Jeff Tracy stopped being a careful man. He shoved the younger cop up against the side of the building. "You - better - have a good reason - for roughing up my son!" He bit out.
"He resisted..." The young officer sent a pleading look to his senior partner.
"They both got a little hot headed." The older cop pulled a reluctant Jeff off the officer. "Mr. Tracy. Your son is a good kid. That's why he is here and not in the lock-up."
"Thank you." Jeff said gruffly. "The girl?"
"I talked to her personally, made sure her Daddy wasn't around influencing things. She...her heart wasn't in it, sir. I tried to tell your son, but he just wasn't listening."
Jeff Tracy gave a deep sigh. "I'll still have a talk with them tomorrow."
The two went to leave. The older officer turned back to Jeff Tracy. "Judge Jones is a tough man, I've seen him put away criminals that deserve to be shut up and the key thrown away. I respect him for that. Don't let the boy go back, it'll just mean trouble."
"I'll do what I can." Jeff Tracy said solemnly. "And what is best for my son."
"Yessir." The officer threw him a salute.
Jeff Tracy went into the house with a heavy heart. He took one look at the broken face of his son. He'd seen that face before, in the mirror, after he'd lost Lucille. He gave a nod to Alan who got the hint and beat a hasty retreat.
"Gordon." Jeff sat on the sofa next to the desolate young man.
"He just came and took her away. She was crying. I went to get her back. I screwed up, Father. I screwed up everything. You were so mad at me."
"Gordon." Jeff said carefully. "I was mad at what you did, not at you. Never at you. This is also my fault. I was so wrapped up in business that I forgot that you boys needed me too. You tried to talk to me and I wasn't listening. I'm sorry Gordon."
"I let you down. If you still want me to, I'll try for the Air Force Academy next year."
"Son," Jeff put his hand on his son's neck and gave it a gentle squeeze." What do you want? I'm listening.
"I applied to the Naval Academy. I want to study Marine Biology, go into subs, if I'm good enough."
"You're a Tracy. That's good enough and the Naval Academy would be good for you. New ground. You won't have to live up to your brother's reps. Good idea son."
"I have to report in in two days." Gordon said faintly.
"We'll go together son." Jeff said softly as he helped his son lie back on the sofa. He carefully wiped the blood off his cheek.
"Em was right. I should have talked to you earlier." Gordon said sleepily.
"Em is a very smart girl, you could do worse than listen to her." Jeff said watching his son fight exhaustion.
"One thing though, Gordon." Jeff covered his son with the afghan thrown over the back of the couch. "Now that you are in the Navy...No tattoos!"
"Why not?" Gordon said closing his eyes. "Scott has one."
"I didn't need to know that." Jeff Tracy muttered to himself. as he turned off the lights to turn in. Tomorrow was going to be a tough day for all of them.