Hi, everyone. Sorry for the small delay. I got sick and couldn't write.
I own nothing.
ENJOY!
Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward was relaxing in the main lounge in her mansion preparing for her afternoon tea. The London-based field agent quite enjoyed a nice cup of tea in the afternoon. Especially after the kind of days she's been having lately.
The life of a socialite and undercover field agent was not for the faint-hearted. Especially with some of the missions she completed on International Rescue's behalf. But she lived for the adventure. She never enjoyed living the ordinary life of a socialite. She enjoyed the adventure.
As she poured herself a cup of tea, she heard her teapot start beeping.
"International Rescue Headquarters calling International Rescue England."
One of these days, Lady Penelope will actually get to complete her cup of tea in peace.
"International Rescue. Lady Penelope speaking," Lady Penelope answered, "Hello, Jeff."
"I'm afraid that I need to ask you a serious favour, Penny. There's been an incident on a rescue."
"Oh dear. I hope Scott is okay," Lady Penelope said worriedly, having heard he was shot down.
"I'm afraid it's Dr. Evans. She got shot by someone she and Scott were trying to rescue. He's transporting her to Royal London Hospital in Thunderbird 1 now. I think he'll need someone with him and Dr. Evans will need somewhere to stay as she recovers. From what's been reported, she's in bad shape."
"Of course. I'll go straightaway," Lady Penelope promised.
Immediately, she rose from the chair and tugged the cord that signalled her need for her trusty butler (and former jewel thief).
Parker immediately opened the double doors with his standard greeting, "You rang, milady?"
"Yes, Parker. Get the Rolls Royce. We're going to London on urgent business," Lady Penelope told him.
Lady Penelope entered the Royal London Hospital at a brisque pace. Parker followed behind her, carrying a bag she had thought to grab on the way out, carrying civilian clothes for Scott. She figured he would need a change of clothes.
Immediately, she was guided to a private waiting room that had been set aside for Scott to maintain International Rescue's secrecy. She figured Jeff must have radioed the hospital ahead of her arrival because she was met with no resistance.
Scott immediately bolted to his feet when he heard the door open, but he immediately deflated again when he saw it was Lady Penelope.
"Oh, my dear boy!" Lady Penelope gasped, "What happened?"
"I… I don't know," Scott stammered, "I… I pulled her out of the way…"
"Has there been any news?" Lady Penelope asked.
"They took her into surgery…," Scott trailed off, "They said there was internal bleeding. They had to find the source of the bleed and…"
"It's alright, my dear boy," Lady Penelope moved to reassure him, "I've brought you a change of clothes. I don't think it would do you good to stay in that uniform much longer."
Scott went to voice his objections, but then, he looked down. His uniform was stained in blood. Indiana's blood. Wordlessly, Scott took the bag and went into the adjacent toilet.
He wondered about how his father would feel about him burning his uniform. Even if they got the blood out, he'd never be able to wear it again.
Lady Penelope looked worriedly at Parker.
"Oh dear," Lady Penelope sighed.
"She'll be fine, milady," Parker moved to reassure her, "She's strong. She'd have to be to live with those boys."
Lady Penelope went to say more, but then Scott emerged, changed in the clothes she had brought him. His time in the Air Force had made him proficient at changing clothes at a rapid pace, knowing there would be times where he'd have to quickly suit up in his flying gear.
The waiting room then fell into silence. Nobody knew what to say. Scott was trying valiantly to hold it together. He didn't want to break in front of Lady Penelope and Parker. He wanted to break alone. Probably by Indiana's bedside when she came out of surgery.
If she came out of surgery.
After what felt like an eternity, the doctor finally entered the waiting room.
The man in his late-forties and thinning hairline introduced himself, "I'm Dr. Burton. I was the T&O surgeon on call."
"How is she?" Scott asked urgently.
"Extremely lucky. We managed to find the source of the bleed and get it under control. The bullet also fractured one of her ribs, which caused a hemothorax and pulmonary contusion," Dr. Burton explained.
"A what?" Parker voiced in confusion.
"A hemothorax is when blood builds up between the chest wall and the lung. A pulmonary contusion is a bruise to the lung," Dr. Burton explained, "We have a chest tube draining the blood and we're providing supportive therapy to allow the contusion to heal. It goes away on its own within a few days, but she's at a higher risk in the next 24-48 hours, so when she's out of recovery, she'll be in our critical care unit as a precaution."
"Can I see her?" Scott pleaded.
"Not yet," Dr. Burton shook his head, "She's still in recovery. I can arrange a brief visitation when she's moved to her room. But we have strict rules about visitors in the unit. You won't be able to stay long. In addition, she'll still be out of it from the surgery and the medications we'll have her on. She'll be on medications for the pain and antibiotics as a precaution."
"Will she have to be in the unit for long?" Lady Penelope inquired.
"If her condition improves in the next 48 hours, she'll be moved to a regular ward," Dr. Burton explained, "She'll still be at risk at developing serious complications such as pneumonia. She'll be out of action for a few weeks and I won't feel comfortable giving her clearance to fly. She'll need somewhere to stay."
"That's already been taken care of," Lady Penelope cut in, "She can stay with me until she is given clearance."
"I'll come back when she's in her room and ready to receive visitors," Dr. Burton promised before departing, "I'll go check on her in recovery."
Lady Penelope looked at Scott as Dr. Burton left. He was wearing all kinds of emotions on his face, not all of them decipherable.
But above all, there was fear. Not something that always graced his features.
It made Lady Penelope suspicious of the true nature of their relationship.
Lady Penelope found herself back at Royal London Hospital a week later. She and Parker kept tabs on the young doctor's condition and were pleased to find out she was being discharged into her care. While Parker helped the young doctor into the car, Lady Penelope was receiving final instructions for her care.
"She's still at risk of developing pneumonia, so you'll need to watch for that," Dr. Burton warned her, giving her a series of printouts, "Here's everything you'll need to know about her continued recovery and what to watch out for. I'll need her to come back in a couple of weeks to see how she's healing."
"Of course," Lady Penelope nodded, "I'll take care of everything."
Lady Penelope then climbed into the car, making sure the blanket was tucked over Indiana's lap.
"Lady Penelope," Indiana began to voice her objections.
"I won't hear any objections, my dear girl," Lady Penelope told her firmly, "Home, Parker."
"Yes, milady," Parker nodded dutifully.
"I already have everything set up for your recovery," Lady Penelope began telling Indiana as they drove off, "Especially for the influx of visitors you're going to receive."
"Oh boy," Indiana muttered under her breath.
Was she going to be on the receiving end of the smother-henning?
Indiana received her first visitors two days later. Her childhood best friend, geologist Arizona Adams, happened to be in the area, so the blonde-haired, green-eyed beauty was invited to the mansion to visit Indiana as she recovered.
"I'm just glad you're okay," Arizona immediately began as she sipped the cup of tea Lady Penelope provided them, "How did you even find yourself in that situation?"
Indiana smiled as she recalled the cover story her friend was provided. They stayed true to International Rescue being involved and Indiana being caught in the crossfire. But they kept the full extent of Indiana's involvement under wraps.
"Well, remember what they always used to say about us," Indiana reminded her with a smirk, "We never went looking for trouble. Trouble always found us."
Arizona let out a laugh. What Indiana spoke was the truth. They never went looking for trouble. If anything, they always tried their best to stay out of it. They both had big plans for the future they didn't want to ruin.
But it seemed that their efforts to stay out of trouble was like waving a red flag in front of a bull.
"Now, this I have to hear."
Indiana smiled as she looked up to see Virgil standing in the entryway to the lounge. She wasn't surprised. She knew Virgil was coming. In fact, Indiana was waiting for everyone (except Alan) to find an excuse to make their way over from Tracy Island.
"It wouldn't be up to the Tracy standard," Indiana laughed, "I do have all those stories you guys told me in an effort to throw each other under the bus."
Virgil suddenly started blushing. Great. What were his brothers telling her about him?
And was she going to spill those stories in front of her… rather attractive company?
Indiana smirked when she noticed the looks that were being exchanged between Virgil and Arizona, "Virgil, meet Arizona. Arizona, meet Virgil."
Lady Penelope walked past the main lounge, checking on her guests after being unexpectedly called away for business. She stopped in the doorway when she saw the interactions unfolding in front of her.
On one of the occasions Lady Penelope visited Indiana in the hospital, she told her about her childhood friend. Arizona Adams quickly made a name for herself in geology, much like Indiana had quickly made a name for herself in trauma surgery. Arizona often travelled the world, being called to consult on various locations and give the occasional lecture. Ironically, she was called to a location her best friend worked through her new job with International Rescue. She was called to examine that pit the Sidewinder fell into as part of a team to make sure it didn't happen again.
The two best friends met up whenever they could, if they happened to be in the same location at the same time. Beyond that, it was emails, letters, and telecalls. However, there were sometimes where Arizona consulted on government projects or projects that would be classified for other reasons, so even that was sparce. Arizona could tell Indiana what continent she was working in, but couldn't get any more specific than that. Apparently, even revealing the country was a big risk sometimes.
But what interested Lady Penelope the most was the interactions between Arizona and Virgil. Indiana had quipped that she felt the two would be a good match, but lacked the means to create a "meet cute" moment between them.
Lady Penelope was more than happy to help in that regard. She felt all the Tracy brothers deserved the chance to have the same kind of happiness Jeff had with his late wife and the kind of happiness she strongly suspected Scott had found in Indiana.
Indiana spotted Lady Penelope lurking in the doorway and gave her a subtle wink. Letting out a quiet chuckle, Lady Penelope decided her time would be better spent searching for Parker and seeing where those finger sandwiches had gotten to.
John was the next visitor to grace Lady Penelope's mansion to see Indiana. He had visited a couple of days after Virgil returned to the island. Apparently, there was a lull in emergency calls, so it allowed the boys to take extended trips to visit their friend.
John's visit wasn't a surprise. He had a series of lectures and book signings in relation to his newest book. He had also promised Indiana a special autographed copy.
What better way to make it more special than delivering it in-person?
John was taking Indiana for a short walk around the gardens. As part of her recovery, Indiana was prescribed breathing exercises she had to do every hour she was awake and short walks 2-3 times a day. When they were done, Lady Penelope would be waiting for them in the summer house (a gazebo structure in the gardens) for a cup of tea.
"Are you healing okay?" John asked worriedly.
"I'm fine," Indiana reassured him with a smile, "Everything's on track. I'm doing the exercises, the walks, keeping my wound sites clean, and I've got a check-up within the next couple of weeks. But that's mainly to remove any stitches and see if the wounds are healing on track. I may not get the clearance to return to the island for another two weeks afterwards."
"Well, father was trying to push you towards a vacation," John mused, "Although, I think we all agree that we wish you took a vacation under better circumstances."
"I've been off the island since we started operations," Indiana pointed out.
"Yeah, but always work related. We're talking a proper vacation where you forget about work," John gently admonished her, "You've done a lot of great work for us. We just wanted to make sure you knew the work is appreciated."
"I know," Indiana beamed at him, "But I've always liked keeping busy. Evans family trait. If we kept busy, we weren't home. Although, we'd never really had a home we liked going back to."
John felt sadness towards the young woman. Indiana slowly opened up more and more about her life before International Rescue. Particularly about the woman who gave birth to her. (John would never dare to call that woman her mother. Once again, he wondered how someone as amazing as Indiana could be related to someone like Sarah Evans.)
"How's Scott?" Indiana suddenly asked, "I was almost expecting him to come visit."
"He wanted to, but he had some work to sort out with dad," John explained apologetically, "Since Scott's next in line, dad wants to involve him more in the day-to-day stuff rather than just the department Scott's running."
Indiana nodded in understanding. Jeff had made his fortune with an agricultural-business combine, plus his talents in civil and construction engineering. It's what allowed him the means to turn his dream for International Rescue into reality. Everyone had some part in the family business – the one outside International Rescue – whether it be consulting or running departments.
Something she knew was that Scott was next in line to run everything – he wouldn't just become the head of the Tracy family upon his father's death, he'd run both family businesses. Scott had admitted to her it was something he dreaded. Not just because it would mean losing his father, but because he always preferred to be hands on. He never felt like he could do what his father does.
It's what made the eldest Tracy son the perfect person to be named the organisation's field commander.
Plus, Scott hardly left her side at the hospital.
"You meet up with Adalyn?" Indiana inquired, laughing when she saw John blush, which confirmed his answer.
John began corresponding with an author he met a couple of years ago at a convention named Adalyn Rowe. She wanted first-hand experience from someone who had spent an extended time in space, which he was more than happy to help with. Jeff also made her one of their agents, stating that her background as a famous author could be beneficial as she travelled the world for her books.
They seemed to be on the precipice of a romantic relationship, but they're both too afraid to make the move. Maybe one day, somebody could give them the push.
"Yeah. We had dinner at Nest last night," John revealed.
Indiana smirked. She had heard about Nest from Lady Penelope. Known for its ten-course tasting menu that's decided for you based around seasonal food and the wine pairings for each course, the restaurant often made the list for romantic restaurants in London.
She couldn't help but wonder if John and Adalyn were doing what she and Scott were doing: embarking on a romantic relationship, but keeping it to themselves. It would be ironic.
"You ready to go have some tea?" John asked.
"Yeah," Indiana nodded, "I'm starting to feel a bit tired."
Lady Penelope watched as John brought Indiana to the structure for a cup of tea. She was happy to see John. She rarely got to see him with him being aboard Thunderbird 5.
"Just in time," Lady Penelope smiled as she poured the tea in the teacups, "The tea is ready."
Lady Penelope watched as John draped a shawl over Indiana's shoulders to protect her from the chill that had suddenly developed. After all, she was still at risk of developing an infection and they wanted to reduce the risk as much as possible. Then, the conversation shifted to John's observations from space and showing Indiana pictures he managed to take of the cosmos.
Gordon was next to visit. He arrived while Indiana was reading in the library.
"Hey, Indy," Gordon greeted her as he walked in, "How are you feeling today?"
"A lot better," Indiana smiled as she marked the page she was reading, "I've got my appointment next week. Hopefully, that'll give me a timeline as to when I can come home."
"Well, father said to take as much time as you need," Gordon stated, "Have you heard from Alan?"
"Yeah. He calls every day," Indiana nodded, "He keeps telling me funny things he hears from the station. Particularly gossip."
"Well, everyone needs something to occupy themselves with up there," Gordon quipped, "Lady P's coming with the tea soon so you can take your medicine."
"I actually haven't needed it that often since I was discharged," Indiana shook her head, "Mostly at night, but even then, it's not as often."
"Well, that's a good sign," Gordon praised, "It'll mean you'll be home soon."
"Yeah. Well, that depends on my surgeon," Indiana reminded him, "He may want me to stay local for a couple more weeks as a precaution."
"Well, hopefully," Lady Penelope broke in as she and Parker walked in, "That'll mean you can join me on some adventures in the meantime. Including a trip to Royston Castle. I know your great-aunt is anxious to see you."
Gordon's ears perked at the mention of a great-aunt at a location such as Royston Castle. He knew Indiana had relatives in England, but didn't think she had relatives like that.
"Royston Castle? Is your great-aunt a duchess of something?" Gordon joked.
Only, with the look on Indiana's face, Gordon actually got it bang on. Her great-aunt's a duchess.
"It's something I keep under wraps," Indiana admitted, "But she helped my family a lot. Especially after the divorce. She helped me with what the scholarships and grants didn't cover so I could focus on my studies and internships."
Gordon looked at Indiana in amazement as he continued sipping his tea.
"Explains how you're able to handle your different kinds of tea," Gordon drawled.
Indiana laughed, but Gordon was right. Her great-aunt introduced her to different varieties of tea, and she preferred tea to coffee. She had different kinds of tea to suit different needs.
Her colleagues used to think she was weird for going for a cup of tea instead of coffee, but it helped during those long hours.
Well, whatever worked, right?
"So, have there been any rescues?" Indiana asked.
"No," Gordon shook his head, "Actually, it's pretty quiet. That's how Alan was able to get all those bits of gossip he gives you. Granted, there have been a few disasters, but everyone's been able to take care of it themselves. We've been taking advantage of the downtime to get some other work done."
"John mentioned that Jeff's been involving Scott a lot more in the other family business," Indiana recalled.
"Yeah. He's not necessarily happy with it," Gordon warned her, "But it comes with being the next in line. But better him than me."
Lady Penelope didn't look impressed when Indiana almost choked on her tea from laughter.
Lady Penelope knew that two of her guests were early risers. Which is why she found herself rising early as well. She took her duties as a hostess very seriously; and that included always being available to her guests.
So, she rose and dressed for breakfast. But when she went to walk into the lounge, Parker stopped her.
"I highly recommend waiting, milady," Parker advised quietly, gesturing to the library.
Normally, Lady Penelope disapproved of snooping like this, but Parker's behaviour made her suspicious. So, she looked through the crack Parker managed to create with the door, and let out a smile.
Scott had finally made it out for the first time since Indiana was hospitalized, having waited patiently (okay, not that patiently) for his other brothers (well, earthbound, at least) to pay their visits as well. He also knew Virgil had been corresponding with someone he met here. And wondering why Indiana asked him to help himself to her ASL book.
But what caught Lady Penelope's interest was how Scott and Indiana had curled up together in a nook of the library. Indiana was nestled between Scott's legs with a book in her lap as Scott held her from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder as he read the page Indiana had opened. He had a smile on his face as he turned his head to place a kiss on her neck. It was a gesture of love, even if they hadn't spoken the words out loud yet.
"Well, it seems our suspicions have been confirmed," Lady Penelope stated to Parker.
"Do you think the others know?" Parker asked.
"I don't think so," Lady Penelope shook her head, "Or, at least, they're not making it obvious they know."
They continued watching as Indiana turned her head so Scott could kiss her properly on the mouth.
"I say we give them a bit more before breakfast," Lady Penelope decided.
"Yes, milady," Parker nodded dutifully as they walked away.
In the library, Scott nuzzled his nose with hers, whispering, "I'm just glad you're okay."
"I'm right here," Indiana reassured him gently, "Two more weeks okay?"
Scott nodded, remembering what the doctor had told her about waiting two more weeks to fly home and then light duties once she did.
But he'll take what he can get.
Voila! A chapter! Mighty Atom's next, so you can see why I did what I did with this chapter.
Bye! I need food.
