A BROTHER'S CRY

Disclaimer: We don't own the Thunderbirds. Not now, not ever

Chapter 4 – A Brother Remembers

It had been two days since Alan and Gordon had been brought to the sickroom. Alan's wrist had been put in a cast and his shoulder had been reset. His arm was immobilized in a sling. It was a good thing that both injuries were on the same side because that meant that he still had use of one arm. He still had a persistent headache from the concussion but the pain meds Brains gave him made it bearable. He was now itching to be released from the sickroom. Brains said that maybe later in the day he could leave with the promise of taking it easy.

Gordon was also itching to get out of the sickroom but Brains was adamant. He was not going to release him until he put back on some of the weight that he had lost. He still had his IV and Brains had him on a soft diet. The good news was that his heart rate stabilized once his electrolyte levels were balanced. He had to admit that he was feeling better physically after he was hydrated and got some sleep.

Jeff came into the sickroom with the boys' lunch. He felt sorry for Gordon. Alan was getting stuffed pork chops, baked potato, mixed vegetables and double chocolate cake for dessert. Gordon, on the other hand, was getting scrambled eggs, dry toast, and something resembling thin cream of wheat. Jeff's sympathy was for nothing. Just the smell of Alan's lunch turned Gordon's stomach. He wanted to refuse the food but he didn't for two reasons. One: He wanted out of the sickroom. Two: He knew that his dad would sit with him until he cleaned his tray.

Gordon seemed surprised when all his brothers came in together a short time later. They had been in and out of the sickroom at different times since they woke up but rarely were they all together. It also did not escape Gordon's attention that Scott was trying to find a balance point. He wanted to be as close to Alan as he could get but at the same time he wanted to be as far away from Gordon as he could get. Scott had yet to say anything to him at all. No yelling, no lectures, he just acted like Gordon wasn't even in the room. Gordon knew that his relationship with his older brother would be hard to repair. That is if it could be repaired.

Jeff cleared his throat to get his son's attention.

"Ok, I gathered everyone together so that we can discuss the actions of the last few weeks and more importantly our reactions to these events. So let's start at the beginning. Gordon, I want you to start with what happened on that rescue three weeks ago."

Gordon looked terrified. "Dad, I can't. I just can't." He whispered. "You don't understand. I put her in that wheelchair."

John sensed Gordon's emotion and moved to his brother's bed. He sat down and took his brother's hand in his own. Gordon was glad that John was there. He had been helping with the nightmares the last couple of days. Gordon still didn't want to talk about the rescue in front of his brothers. He made a mistake that cost a woman her ability to walk. How could his brothers ever trust him again? His thoughts were interrupted by John's voice.

"It's ok, Gordon. We are all here for you. Whatever happened, it doesn't matter. We love you no matter what."

Gordon took a deep breath and gripped John's hand. With his brother's support, he could do this. "Ok, here it goes."

Flashback to Three Weeks Earlier

"Ok boys," Jeff said. "We have a report of an earthquake four miles off the California coast. There is some damage on land, but the main problem is there is a group of divers that are trapped in an off shore cave. Scott head off. Virgil, Gordon get to Thunderbird 2. Take Pod 4."

A chorus of "F-A-B Dad" echoed as the boys took off.

"Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2, come in Virgil." Called Scott.

"I read you Scott. What is the situation?"

"John is downloading the co-ordinates of the cave into Thunderbird 4. Once you drop the pod, meet me at co-ordinates R437.42W. There is a tanker truck carrying liquid hydrogen that is stuck on a guardrail over a 30-foot drop. We can use the magnetic clamps from Thunderbird 2 to put it back on the road."

"F-A-B Scott. ETA to drop zone is 6.8 minutes. Then another 4.4 minutes to your co-ordinates."

"F-A-B Virgil, I'll see you in eleven minutes. Thunderbird 1 out."

Virgil called to Gordon who was prepping Thunderbird 4. "Hey Gordon, will you be okay handling the rescue by yourself?"

"Not a problem, big brother." Gordon answered.

"Well, just be careful out there. If you have a problem, give a yell out, and we will be right back."

"Virgil, has anyone told you that you are worse than a mother hen?" Gordon chuckled.

"All the time little brother, all the time. Preparing to drop the pod in 30 seconds, Gordon."

"F-A-B Virgil, ready and raring to go."

While Virgil and Scott successfully moved the truck, Gordon made his way to the cave. He found that the entrance was partially blocked by a large boulder. Using the grappling hook, he was able to remove the boulder with little difficulty. It came to rest on the ocean floor with the rocks that had fallen during the earthquake. The opening was large enough that he was able to pilot Thunderbird 4 into the cave. His thermal scans showed that all four members of the diving party were together near the back of the cave. "This is going to be easier than I thought." Gordon said to himself.

When Thunderbird 4 surface in the cave, Gordon climbed out and swan over to the divers.

"I'm from International Rescue. I came to help you. Is anyone hurt?"

"I am afraid that we all have injuries. My name is Jennifer. I think that I may have dislocated my knee. Robert has a broken collarbone. Melanie has some bruised ribs. Lastly, Michael has some sort of head injury. He has been in and out of consciousness since the quake but he has been disoriented each time. He also seems to be having problems breathing, but his tank was damaged in the quake. So I gave him mine, but it's almost out of air.

"Ok, let me go get the med-kit. We have to stabilize these injuries before we can move them." Gordon swam back to Thunderbird 4 and retrieved the medical supplies and a backboard. Gordon swam back to the group.

"Ok Jennifer, I have a splint for your leg, and I need to secure Robert's arm to his side to immobilize that collarbone. There is really not much we can do for Melanie's ribs. I want to get a neck brace on Michael and I want him on a backboard. Since he has not been able to tell us if he is hurt anywhere else, I don't want to take any chances." He also exchanged the near empty air tank Michael had been using with a full one from Thunderbird 4.

After Gordon had tended to the injuries, he turned to Jennifer. "We do have one small problem. As you can see Thunderbird 4 is small, there is only room for me and three other people. Now I know it means leaving you behind, but I really think that I should get these three out first so that they can get immediate medical attention. I will leave an emergency air tank here in case something happens."

"You are completely right. I'll just stay here and enjoy the solitude. I don't mind really."

"Ok, I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Gordon still had a look of concern on his face. He really hated leaving anyone behind.

Jennifer laughed. "Get Going Mr. International Rescue. The sooner you leave, the sooner you will be back. I will be fine. Go, shoo." As she waved him away.

"Alright, alright. There is a small shelf here that you can sit on while I get these three in the sub."

"Sounds like a plan to me."

It only took a few minutes to get the three passengers into Thunderbird 4. Gordon waved to Jennifer out the window. Then he turned and headed out of the cave.

On his way to the surface, he put a call into Scott. "Thunderbird 4 to Thunderbird 1, come in please."

"I read you Gordon. Did you get the divers?"

"I have three of the four. They all need medical attention. Please have the paramedics standing by. My ETA to shore is 2.7 minutes."

"F-A-B, we'll be waiting."

Again the transfer of the injured divers only took a few minutes. Gordon headed back to Thunderbird 4.

"Hey," Virgil called to him. "Do you want me to keep you company?"

"Nah, that's okay. I just want to get back down there and get Jennifer. I should be back in a flash."

"Ok, see you Gordon."

TBC

Author's note – Grumpy is now sitting on her rock. We can only hope that she will stay there.

Darkangel2005 – All will be revealed in due time. Please be patient with us.

barb from utah – Sibling interaction is wonderful, isn't it? We both come from large families. Some of that gets incorporated into the story.

Iniysa, numbuh 14, AngelMouse5 – Thank you for the great reviews. Convert was a little concerned about that chapter. We are so glad that you enjoyed it.