Jeff Tracy was in the middle of listening to the playback of the radio transmissions during the mission when he heard the beeping of the incoming call.
"Please don't be another call for help," Jeff said softly to himself. If it was he knew they would all manage to pull it off somehow but he knew his two sons needed rest as much as he did.
"Hey John, what's up?" Jeff asked as his son's face appeared on the screen. He was glad to see that there was no look of urgency on his face which was a good indication that their help would not be required anywhere.
"Dad I was thinking that maybe its time that you come get Scott. I can handle this on my own up here," John told him trying to keep his voice steady and come off with a confidence that he did not feel inside.
"John are you sure?" Jeff asked his son searching his face for his own answers. Trying not to miss anything like he had before.
"Yeah, I'm sure," John replied without hesitating. He knew hesitating would immediately send off a red flag.
Jeff Tracy still wasn't convinced. He could tell that John didn't feel as confident about it as he was trying to pretend to be. He could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
"John there's no rush," Jeff told him. "We've got things under control down here."
"Barely," John replied. "I can tell Virgil and Gordon are getting stressed out. You guys need Scott down there to help out. Thunderbird 5 is suppose to be a one person position."
"I'm not worried about that right now. I'm worried about you, son."
"I'll be fine Dad."
Jeff found himself thinking about the morning mission. He had heard the exhaustion and frustration in Gordon's and Virgil's voices himself. He knew John was right. They needed either Scott or John back down here.
"You're not fooling me John. I can tell your not completely convinced yourself that you are ready to be up there by yourself," Jeff told him. He saw John look down briefly before meeting his gaze again.
"You're right, Dad, but I think it's the best thing for all of us. I'm up here. I'm dealing with things. Leaving now is only going to be a step back and you need one of us down there. Something needs to be done before a more serious mistake is made during a mission."
Jeff knew what John was getting. His mistake. The mistake that very well could have lost them Thunderbird 1. He hadn't thought things through this morning. If he kept pushing himself like he had been he knew there would be more mistakes.
"Let me talk to Scott," Jeff said with a sigh.
He saw John nod on the screen and then the screen went blank as John put the call on hold. Jeff already had an idea of how this conversation with Scott was going to play out. He had a feeling that John and Scott had already talked this through. That it was probably Scott's idea to begin with.
The screen came back to life and Scott now sat where John had been moments before. Behind Scott, Jeff could see John standing in the background.
"Hey Dad, John said you wanted to talk to me," Scott said easily.
"This was your idea wasn't it?" Jeff asked getting right to the point.
"Yes," Scott said. "Yes it was. He's ready though Dad. I know he is. You know I wouldn't even think about leaving if I thought he still needed me up here," Scot told his father.
Jeff looked at his son. He heard the sincerity in Scott's voice and knew his son well enough to know what he was saying was true. Scott was protective of all his brothers but especially John. If Scott thought John was ready then it was as good as time as any to try this.
"Okay," Jeff said giving in. "We'll be up for you this evening," Jeff told him.
"FAB, Dad," Scott said.
Jeff closed the link with Thunderbird 5 and leaned back in his chair. His eyes fell on the ski picture that stayed on his desk. He hoped he wasn't missing any signs this time around.
Jeff stood up and headed for the door of his office. He had to figure out where either Gordon or Virgil was at so he could have one of them be co-pilot on the trip up to Thunderbird 5.
He knocked on Gordon's door first but got no reply. Either Gordon wasn't in there or he was sleeping. He decided to see if Virgil was still downstairs. As he walked by Virgil's room he knocked on the door just in case. Again no answer.
Jeff headed downstairs and found Brains and Kryano sitting in the den chatting.
"He-he -l -l -llo Mr. Tracy," Brains said as Jeff came downstairs.
"Hello, Brains, Kyrano. Have either of you seen the boys lately."
"I be-be-believe they we-we-we have gone outside."
"Okay, thanks," Jeff replied and headed for the front door. As soon as he stepped out the front door he saw Virgil and Gordon down by the diving pool. They were sitting on the edge, feet dangling in the water. Jeff headed toward the steps that headed down to pool level.
"How are we going to get it to him?" Jeff heard Gordon ask as he stepped off the last step and onto the level of the patio that had the diving pool.
"Maybe Dad will let us take it up," Virgil suggested. Neither was aware that their father had joined them.
"I'm sure not asking. With everything that's going on here lately Dad hasn't been in such the greatest of moods. He yelled at me for playing a trick on Tin-tin yesterday. Usually all I get is a look from him if anything."
"Things haven't exactly been normal around here. Everyone is stressed and just a little tense."
"I know. I was just trying to lighten things up a little. Heaven knows this place needs it."
"You're right Gordon, we've all been a little on edge lately," Jeff said letting his sons know that he was there. " Mind if I join you."
"No not at all," Virgil said, moving a box that was next to him and scooting over to make room between him and his brother for their father.
"Sorry Dad," Gordon said softly looking out at the pool, embarrassed that his father had heard what he had told Virgil.
"Don't worry about it," Jeff told him as he sat down. "I shouldn't have yelled at you especially not since Tin-tin had done her own share of provoking. I've just been a little stressed out lately and have had a lot on my mind." Jeff told him. "So what is it that Gordon is so afraid to ask me?" Jeff said looking from Gordon to Virgil and then back at Gordon again.
Gordon looked around his father at Virgil, still hoping that Virgil would bring it up. Gordon usually wasn't hesitant to talk to his father about anything but he was still a little cautious after the day before. All he had done was gotten Tin-tin with silly string as she had walked out the front door and that was after she had placed a fake snake underneath his towel while he was in the swimming pool.
"Well remember last week when I asked you if it was okay if I kept the poems of mom's that we had found up in the attic?" Virgil said seeing that his brother didn't want to speak up.
"Yeah," Jeff said wondering what his son was getting at. He hadn't really thought much of Virgil's request. He had just figured Virgil wanted them as a remembrance of his mother. He had completely forgotten about them until he and Alan had found them when they were getting the pictures out of the attic weeks ago.
"Well this is why I wanted them," Virgil said taking the lid off of the box that was sitting next to him. Virgil took a homebound book out of it and handed it too their father.
Jeff took the book from Virgil and looked down at it. "The Poem's of Megan Elizabeth Tracy" was written on the front. Jeff recognized the neat, precise, handwriting as Gordon's. Jeff opened the book and started glancing through it. Some poems had been put into the book exactly as found. Others had been rewritten, again by Gordon, and Virgil had added drawings to those. One in particular that jumped out at Jeff was a pencil portrait of the all five of the boys. Jeff looked at the poem and saw that it was the poem that Meg had written about the boys not long after Alan had been born. He had come back from the nursery to visit with his wife and had found her working on it. She had read it too him when she had finished, making minor changes as she read it out loud and decided she didn't like something.
Writing poetry had been one of Meg's gifts and something that she enjoyed immensely. It was also another thing that John shared with his mother. His second eldest son had started writing poems at a young age. John had never been as open with his poetry as Meg had been though. Where Meg had gladly shared them with everyone in the family, John tending to keep his poems to himself. Jeff had seen a few, and he knew John let Virgil read some but that was it. Especially after one of his classmates had gotten a hold of one, photocopied it, and started handing them out to everyone. Virgil had gotten a hold of one and tracked down the source of them before the guy had passed out all of them but the damage had been done. John's classmates had teased him for the rest of the semester, having apparently forgotten about it after the holiday break.
"This is amazing, boys," Jeff said in awe, still flipping through the pages.
"We put it together for John for his birthday," Virgil told him. "I know he has a few of Mom's poems already, some of which I did manage to get a hold of to add to the book, but I thought it would be neat to have them all together."
"I think he'll love it," Jeff told them handing the book back to Virgil, silently scolding himself for forgetting about John's birthday. With all that had been going on lately it had slipped his mind. He was thankful that not everyone had forgotten.
"Gordon and I were just trying to figure out a way to get it to him. Seeing as his birthday is tomorrow we were thinking maybe you'd let us go up either tonight or tomorrow?" Virgil said, his eyes showing how much he wanted to see his brother and do something to make the day special.
Jeff glanced from Virgil to Gordon. Gordon's face was a mirror of Virgil's.
Usually, if someone's birthday fell during their rotation on Thunderbird 5 there were preparations made before hand and a supply run was made either the day before or the day of the birthday. With all the personnel changes the last month aboard Thunderbird 5, supplies on the station were well stocked. Taking Thunderbird 3 up for a social call was a little impractical but giving the circumstances Jeff would have let his sons do so in a heartbeat if he had to.
"Actually, that's part of the reason I came to find one of you guys. I'm going to head up there and get Scott today."
"Not exactly the best timing is it?" Gordon asked without thinking. "Sorry," he said when he realized what he had just said.
Jeff had to agree with his son though. If he had been thinking straight and hadn't forgotten John's birthday he probably would have told Scott that they would be fine down here for a few more days. But he hadn't and Jeff knew he couldn't change the plans now.
"It's okay," Jeff told him placing a hand on Gordon's shoulder. "To tell you the truth, John's birthday had slipped my mind," he admitted. He wondered if Scott had realized what tomorrow was. "But we'll have to make the best of it. I'll have to see if maybe Onaha can make a cake for us to take up with us. We can all celebrate on the station tonight."
Virgil and Gordon both nodded not seeming at all excited. Both were thinking about their brother being alone on Thunderbird 5 alone for the first time after his suicide attempt being on his birthday.
"Come on you two," Jeff said placing a hand on each of their shoulders. "We have a impromptu party to plan," he told them trying to get them at least a little excited about it.
The three of them stood up and headed for the house together.