A BROTHER'S CRY
By: GrumpyMagrat & Magratconvert
Disclaimer: We don't own the Thunderbirds. Not now, not ever.
Chapter Twenty-Five – A Brother Recovers
Alan watched as Scott fell into the pool. "Scott!" Alan screamed but before he could react, he heard a splash. He stood shocked for a moment before he grabbed his watch off the table. "Dad, we need help. Scott fell in the pool and hit his head."
"Go in after him!" Jeff ordered.
"I…uhm…Gordon already did." Alan informed his father.
"Gordon?" Jeff asked stunned. "I'll be right there."
By this time, Gordon had brought Scott to the surface. Alan reached down to help get Scott out of the water. Scott started coughing and spit out some water. He reached up and grabbed Alan's good hand and hauled himself out of the water.
"Are you ok, Scott?" Alan asked while trying to examine the cut on Scott's forehead. "You took a pretty good knock to your head."
"I'm ok, I'm ok." He said in between coughing, pushing Alan's hand away from his head. "I was just dazed for a moment. I swallowed a little water, but I'll be fine."
Scott and Alan locked eyes for a moment and then looked at Gordon, grinning.
Gordon had pulled himself out of the pool. He was standing bent over with his hands on his knees. He looked at his brothers who were grinning at him like Cheshire cats. "What?" He demanded.
"I don't think 'it' is permanent." Scott said as his smile got bigger.
It took a moment for Gordon to understand Scott's comment. "Oh my God," Was all that he managed to say. He couldn't believe that he was standing on his own two feet.
Jeff ran out of the villa. "Scott, Gordon, are you two ok?"
"Yeah Dad," Scott said. He couldn't keep the elation out of his voice. "We're great. Everything is just great."
"Gordon, my God, look at you. You're standing." Jeff said in amazement. "How did this happen?"
"I don't know Dad." Gordon replied. "I saw Scott fall and I just reacted. I didn't think at all. I didn't even realize that I was on my feet until Alan and Scott were grinning at me like two idiots."
"Well, however this happen, I'm just thrilled it did." Jeff said wrapping his arms around Gordon and hugging his son.
John and Brains arrived at that moment. "Dad, what is going…" John started to ask but stopped when he saw Gordon. "Gordon! Oh my God! You're standing! Oh my God! Can you walk? Is your feeling completely restored in your legs? Oh my God! I can't believe this. It's wonderful Gordon, just wonderful." John knew that he was rambling, but he was so flustered that he couldn't string together a coherent thought.
"What's wonderful?" Virgil asked from the open patio door.
"Scott fell in the pool and hit his head on the way in." Alan said.
"And that is wonderful?" Virgil asked in confusion, heading toward the pool.
"No Virg, the wonderful part is that Gordon saved him." Alan said excitedly.
"Gordon? How did…" Virgil stopped talking when he got close enough to see his younger brother standing next to their father. He stood in shock staring at Gordon.
Gordon saw the shock on Virgil's face. "Virg, are you ok?" He asked. The next thing he knew; he was enveloped in a bear hug from Virgil.
Virgil stood in shock until he heard Gordon talk to him. He was so overcome with emotion that he didn't trust himself to answer. Instead he opted to hug his brother. With tears streaming down his face, he whispered with a choked voice. "Thank you, God. Oh, thank you God."
Gordon could feel the emotion in his brother, especially as his hug kept getting tighter and tighter. "Ah, Virg," he said. "I really do need to be able to breathe."
"Oh sorry." Virgil said as he released Gordon, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's just…oh, man…I mean…" Virgil shook his head. He was completely dumbfounded.
"I really hate to break up this happy gathering." Jeff broke in. "But I want to get these two to the sickroom so Brains can check them over."
"But dad, I'm fine, really." Scott began to argue, but Jeff cut him off.
"You are going to the sickroom. You are going to be examined." Jeff said in his "commander" voice. "You hit your head, and I am not willing to take a chance on a possible head injury." Turning to Gordon, he said. "And you are going too. Don't even think about arguing."
Gordon held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "No arguments here, Dad." He said with a smirk. "After all, I'm the good son who does everything you tell him too without arguments."
The brothers all broke into laughter and added their own remarks.
"Yeah, right."
"Since when?"
"What have you been smoking?"
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Gordon?"
Jeff heard his sons laughing. It sounded good. It had been too long since he had heard his sons' laughter. It was like a healing balm to him. Following his sons into the house, he brushed the tears of joy from his eyes.
Epilogue – Two weeks later
Gordon sat in his father's office. His father was trying to convince him to change his mind about resigning from International Rescue. What Jeff didn't know was that Gordon had already made that decision.
Jeff was in the middle of his persuasive argument. "After all, you made not one but two split-second decisions when you saved Alan and Scott. I have no doubt in my mind that you would do it on a rescue too." He said.
A knock at the door interrupted Jeff. "Come in." He order a little frustrated.
Scott entered the office with the mail. "Mike was here with the mail. He said to tell you to let him know the next time you're in San Diego, and he'll take you out for a drink." He could tell by the look on his dad's face that he had interrupted something. Seeing Gordon also in the office, he knew what it was. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." He apologized.
"Don't worry about it, Scott." Gordon said. "I've been waiting for Dad to stop talking, so I could tell him that I have changed my mind about quitting International Rescue."
"Really, that's great Gordon." Scott said, a smile coming to his face.
"And to think that I had this speech all planned to try to convince you to do something that you had already decided to do." Jeff said with a laugh. "Why didn't you stop me earlier?"
"You didn't really give me a chance." Gordon said. "You dived right into your speech as soon as I walked into the office."
"Ok, so I tend to be a little forceful when it comes to something that I believe in." Jeff said as he started to go through the box of mail. "Why don't you go let your brothers know about your decision? Alan especially will be thrilled."
Gordon and Scott headed for the door. "Wait a minute." Jeff's voice stopped them. "This is for you Gordon." He said tossing a large manila envelope to him.
"Thanks, Dad." He said, looking at the return address on the envelope. "J. Mitchell, Los Angeles, CA." Even though he didn't recognize the name, his gut told him that this was important.
Scott and Gordon found their brothers in the game room playing pool.
"Hey guys," Scott said. "Who's winning?"
"I am." Virgil said as he lined up his shot.
"Well, Gordon has an announcement for you." Scott said.
The three Tracy brothers turned to their brother. Gordon could see a mixture of anticipation and fear on their faces.
"I'm staying." Gordon said.
That simple statement brought whoops of joy, numerous pats on the back, and a round of hugs.
"That is such good news," Alan said. "I can't tell you how happy that makes me. Hey let's have a celebration at lunch. I'll go tell Kyrano." With that Alan was gone.
"Well, I guess that means he forfeits." Virgil said. "Do you want to play, Gordon?"
"Maybe in a bit." Gordon said. "First there are a few things that I want to take care of."
Gordon headed outside to open his mail and also to soak up some sun. He sat at one of the poolside tables and opened the envelope. He pulled out an adventure magazine with a note attached to the front.
Dear Mr. Tracy,
We have never met but you have made a big impact on my life. Your book Small Steps helped me through a dark period of my life. My article in this magazine starting on page 17 should explain why. Thank you for sharing your inspirational story with those of us who need it.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Mitchell
Gordon knew what Jennifer was referring to. It was a booklet that he wrote after he had recovered from the injuries incurred in his hydro-foil accident. His physical therapist had encouraged him to publish his story as "inspiration" for others who were going through therapy themselves. He agreed on one condition: that the booklet was to be given at no cost only to people in physical therapy.
Curiosity started eating at him. Could it be? He opened the magazine to page 17. A picture of Jennifer Mitchell stared out at him. A lump formed in his throat and tears formed in his eyes. It was Jennifer from his last rescue. He began reading he article. It told about how she was assigned to go on the scuba-diving trip and to write an article on it for the magazine. She wrote about the excitement of the trip and the beauty of the undersea creatures. She gave details of the earthquake and the subsequent rescue by International Rescue. Gordon was surprised when she failed to mention his part in her paralysis. She went on to talk about the three weeks in a back brace and the following physical therapy. She discussed the depression that she had fallen into and how reading Gordon's book gave her the determination to fight back. The last paragraph stood out to Gordon.
"I am proud to say that I took my first step last week. I couldn't have done it without a whole group of people that I would like to thank. First, I need to thank my mom and my sister. They really stood by me and encouraged me. I also need to apologize to them. There were times that I was pretty nasty to them but they endured it with love and patience. Next I need to thank the entire staff at LA's Rehabilitation Clinic, especially Dr. Bryan Long. He was my physical therapist. He pushed me when I wanted to give up. He praised me at every milestone I made. Dr. Long was also the one who gave me Gordon Tracy's book. Gordon Tracy is the next person that I would like to thank. Your back injury was worse than mine, but you fought your way back to health. I know from your book that it was a hard time for you. The fact that you were willing to share your story speaks volumes of your courage. Whenever I would feel down, I would think about how far you had come. I decided that if you could do it then by God, I was going to do it. There is one last person that I want to thank. It is the man from International Rescue. He never told me his name. I don't know how to reach him, so I decided to put it in this article hoping that maybe by some chance he will read it. Thank you for saving my life. You were faced with so many hard split-second decisions. I don't know how you did it. But then I think about all the rescues that you must have been on and how you face those kinds of situations on a regular basis. You and your associates are my heroes. I know a lot of people across the globe would like a chance to publicly thank International Rescue. I am lucky enough to have the chance. So thank you. You will never know how much it means to me to have a second chance at life. Again, thank you to everyone who has had a hand in my recovery."
The tears fell from Gordon's eyes; cleansing, healing tears. For the last two months, he had been afraid that she blamed him, but here she was thanking him. He felt like a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Virgil came out to get Gordon for lunch. He became concerned when he saw the tears on his brothers face. "Are you ok Gordon?"
"Yeah, I am." Gordon said, handing the magazine to Virgil. "Things like this make what we do worthwhile, doesn't it Virg?"
Virgil quickly scanned the article. "Is this the Jennifer from your last rescue?" He asked. Gordon nodded his head.
"Yeah Gordon," Virgil said. "It does make it worth it. Why don't you show this to the rest of the guys over lunch? It's ready."
"OK, give me a few minutes and then I'll be right in." Gordon told his brother. Virgil nodded and headed back into the house.
Gordon stared at the pool where he knew Thunderbird 1 was hidden underneath. He thought about all the different rescues that they had gone on over the years. He smiled and said to himself. "Yes, it has definitely been worth it."
THE END
Author's note – Well friends we have cleaned up our mess and put our toys neatly away. The end has finally come. Was it worth it? Since this is the last chapter, we want to express our deepest gratitude to all those who read our story and a special thank you to everyone who took time to review. Your kind words were great encouragement to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
AngelMouse5 – Glad you liked the cliffhanger. Of course you were right. We had to get Gordon out of that chair somehow.
Fiona Belagant – Well, your wish was granted. As far as picking of John and Virgil, that's in other stories that we are working on.
rozzy07 – Sorry I got ahead of you. I finished the story while I was out of town, so it was just a matter of typing and posting. Hope you liked the "miracle."
Rachie Loves Donald Duck – Poor Scott, but we didn't hurt him too bad. Was this a good "happy ever after"?
Fried Eeyore – Glad that you enjoyed the story. My sister had hamsters when we were growing up. Somehow I always ended up cleaning their cages. I'm still not sure how she talked me into that.
Numbah 14 – Well sadly this story has come to an end, although we have two partially written stories and outlines for three more. Hopefully, we will have a new story up soon for your enjoyment.
throwra-angel – Evil? Us? We blame it on the muse. Yes, you were being optimistic. You were also dead on too.
Vorserkeien – Glad to have you back. You got back just in time for the end. Your feeling was completely correct. Give yourself a pat on the back.