EPILOGUE

Scott awoke to find Virgil by his bedside, snoring away. Where was he and why was Virgil in a wheelchair? He blinked and tried to focus on his surroundings before slowly drifting back into a drug induced coma.

The Digger...No! God, Virgil...LOOK OUT!

He sat up with a start and felt a comforting hand on his arm.

"It's okay, son. You're safe now."

Scott looked up into the concerned face of his father. He touched his own face and realized that a bandage had been wrapped around his head. Then came the pain and the nausea, both hitting him simultaneously. Jeff Tracy helped his son lean over the bedside as he emptied the contents of his stomach into a bed- pan. He rang the buzzer behind the bed and a nurse answered.

"Is everything all right?"

"Nothing too serious," Jeff answered. "We, uh, just need a new bed-pan and some ginger ale for my star patient here."

"I understand, sir," came the reply.

Jeff took his eldest son by the shoulders and gently laid him back against the pillow. Scott was obviously embarrassed. The nurse arrived and cleaned him up a bit before presenting him with the ginger ale.

"Here, this will settle your stomach."

"Thank you, I-I..."

"It's okay really, happens all the time."

The nurse smiled sweetly at him before exiting the room.

"Relax, Scott," his father said. "You've got a bad concussion. It's to be expected."

He raised a hand to his head.

"I just wish someone would stop this merry-go-round so I could get off."

He sat up hesitantly and looked around him.

"Wh-where?"

"You're at the main hospital facility in Honolulu. We thought we shouldn't try to take you and Virgil home until you'd been under observation for a day or two. The doctors also wanted to run some tests. They got the results back and it looks like the two of you can get out of here tomorrow. I've convinced them that our sick bay will be enough for you to convalesce in.

"Father...Virgil. Is he...?"

Jeff looked toward the door and grinned.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Scott turned his head sharply, too sharply and had to sink back onto the bed.

"That'll teach you not to follow doctor's orders. Now just lay back and relax, would ya?"

Scott grinned, despite his obvious discomfort.

"Well, I would imagine you two have things to talk about. I'll be back a little later, Jeff said."

He got up and closed the door on his way out.

"Virg, how are you, really?"

"Actually, almost as good as new, thanks to you."

His faced turned suddenly serious.

"What the hell where you trying to do anyway, get yourself killed?"

Scott looked him straight in the eye.

Virgil's expression softened a bit.

"Uh, Scott?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. Just don't ever scare me like that again, okay?"

Scott saw the emotion rising in Virgil. It was just below the surface now.

"Look, Virg, you would have done the same for me, so forget it."

Virgil got up from his wheelchair and placed a strong hand on his brother's shoulder.

"No, Scott, I won't, not ever."

He gave Scott's shoulder a gentle squeeze. Scott placed a hand on his and as their eyes met, they knew no other words were needed. It was right about then that the hospital room door burst open and their two youngest brothers blew into the room dressed in grass skirts and carrying all manner of cheap souvenirs purchased at the tourist outlets. Gordon was also wearing a couple of strategically placed coconut halves. Scott was just about to protest when he realized that just being here was enough for him. Just to be able to experience this. He and Virgil exchanged grins and as his wrist telecom beeped and John's face appeared on the small screen from up in Thunderbird Five, he knew he wouldn't change a thing.