Author's Note: I would like to thank those that have taken the time to review. The feedback that I have received has been wonderful. I would also like to give a special thank you to a good friend and mentor—you know who you are. Your role as the Devil's Advocate has been a tremendous help in keeping the story from being a load of BS.

Chapter 7

Noticing a bit of a drop in altitude, Scott looked out of the window and saw that the plane was circling in for a landing on Tracy Island. Within 15 minutes Jeff had landed the plane and taxied to a stop in front of the hangar doors. Brains was waiting on the tarmac to help the family unload the plane.

"Hhhow wwwas the fffli trip?" asked Brains as Jeff got off the plane.

"It was fine, thank you," replied Jeff as he watched the kids begin to get off the plane. All of them seemed to be quieter than normal. Jeff was once again wondering if his plans would work. Scott and Virgil went and pulled a couple of carts over to the plane so that they could begin to unload it and get everything to the correct rooms.

An hour later, Sam was in Gordon's room helping him organize his clothes and toys. John had hooked up the computer that Jeff had bought for each of the children for their rooms and a way to correspond with friends left in Kansas. Scott and Virgil were in Alan's room helping him get his room together. Brains had surprised each of them by painting their rooms the colors that they had told their dad that they wanted. Alan's room was painted a light red with white trim. His comforter was white as were his curtains. The rugs on either side of his bed were red. He had framed pictures of sports and race cars on his walls. On the nightstand next to his bed was a picture of his family that had been taken before Lucy had died. Gordon's room was done in a light green with dark green trim. His comforter and curtains matched the green trim.

"Gordon, where do you want this picture?" asked Sam as she pulled a paper wrapped picture up from its box. Carefully she began to unwrap it and gasped when she saw what it was. The picture was one of Lucy and Gordon that Jeff had taken on their ski trip. They both looked so happy and each of them had that mischievous glint in their eyes. John and Gordon came over to where Sam stood looking at the picture.

"That goes next to my bed," replied Gordon in an unusually quiet voice. Hearing the tremor in his voice Sam reached out and pulled him into a hug.

"Its okay, Gordon. We all miss Mom but at least we have wonderful memories of her," soothed Sam as she continued to hold her baby brother close. Gordon hugged her back and let her soothe him as he struggled to control his emotions. Finally he let go and cried for his mom.

"That's it Gordon let it out. I am sure that we are all going to feel like this as we adjust to a new home that doesn't have Mom's presence in it," whispered Sam as she looked at John with a knowing look. She had already cried her tears and now Gordon was letting his go. That left Scott, Virgil, Alan, and John to let go of their emotions. John looked away from Sam's piercing blue eyes that were identical to his own.

"All better now?" asked Sam as she noticed Gordon's cries had stopped. Still not letting go of Sam he nodded his head. Suddenly he began to giggle and back away from Sam. Looking at Gordon with a confused expression which she turned to John as he busted out laughing.

"You might want to go change your t-shirt Sam," howled John with laughter. "You have been Gordified." Sam slowly looked down at her t-shirt where Gordon had buried his face and saw it was wet from his tears and runny nose. Knowing that he was about to get the wrath of his big sister Gordon ran out of his room.

"GORDON COOPER TRACY…You get back here right now," shouted Sam as she took off after him. Catching a glimpse of him as he ran down the stairs she put an extra burst of effort into her step. She caught him just as he got to the pool. Grabbing him around the waist she threw him into the pool fully clothed. Therefore starting a tradition amongst the Tracy children that would continue well into their adulthood. A loud cheer went up from the second floor balconies where the rest of the brothers were standing. Sam made the mistake of turning her back on Gordon and suddenly found herself in the pool. With a loud cry he jumped back in and swam backwards from where she was standing. Not wanting to miss out on the fun John, Scott, Virgil, and Alan came running down the outside stairs and jumped into the pool with Gordon and Sam. Before long they had a game of Marco Polo going. Hearing the laughter coming from the pool, Jeff looked out of the open patio doors from the lounge. He quietly watched his children finally relax and play in their new home.

After dinner was over Sam headed back up to her room to finish arranging her belongings. Brains had painted her rooms a light blue with dark blue trim. Her comforter was a dark blue as were the curtains. Her trophies and awards from school were proudly displayed on the bookshelves. John had set her computer up on her desk as well as hooking up the rest of her electronics. She requested that the TV be set up in the sitting room. Her stereo system was on the bookshelf with the remote on her bedside table. The walls of her room were adorned with pictures of the siblings in various activities and pursuits. Her favorite picture was one of John, Virgil, Scott, Gordon, Alan, and herself out in the field on the old farmstead. They had been so happy just being together and their expressions showed the love that they had for one another. That was the one she kept on her bedside table. She had just hung her clothes in her closet and was heading to the ensuite to begin unpacking her toiletries when she heard a rap on the balcony door. Looking out she could see that it was Virgil.

"Hey Virgil," greeted Sam.

"Um, I have something for you if you want it," Virgil said nervously as he ran his fingers through his hair. A trait that he had gotten from Lucy. Reaching back out onto the balcony he picked up a large canvas and handed it to her then ran back to his room. Stunned by his shyness Sam looked down at the canvas and gasped out loud. The painting was beautiful and so much more than she had hoped for. She knew that Virgil was talented but this was like a professional painting. He had painted a picture of the Tracy children together but with a small inset of their mother in the top right corner looking down over them. Touched by the time and effort that Virgil had put into this wonderful painting caused Sam's eyes to tear up. Carefully laying the painting on the bed she walked out of her room and went to Virgil's room and knocked on the door. After a few moments the door slid open she walked through his sitting room and into his bedroom where he was sitting on his bed. Sam approached him quietly as she tried to keep her tears in check.

"Virgil, that is the most beautiful painting that I have ever seen," husked Sam as she fought to keep her composure. He continued to stare at the floor as she talked to him. Reaching out her hand she gently lifted his face so that she could look into his eyes. She was startled to see that his eyes were red-rimmed as if he had been crying. For the second time that day she found a younger brother hugging her around the waist as his emotions surfaced and he wept for the loss of their mother. Sam held him and ran her fingers through his hair just as their mother used to when they were upset. After a short time Virgil stopped crying and just held onto her much like Gordon had done.

"Sam, when does it stop hurting? I don't want to cry every time something new is thrown at us." Virgil looked up at her with a pleading look in his eyes. One that clearly begged her to make the pain go away. Sam pushed his hair back from his eyes and leaned down to kiss him on the cheek.

"I wish that I could tell you when it will stop hurting but I don't know. I understand how you feel because I still feel that way only I still feel guilty because I lived and Mom didn't," admitted Sam. She had never told anyone not even John that she still felt guilty for being alive when Lucy was not. Virgil jumped up and grabbed Sam by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eye.

"You have nothing to feel guilty for. Mom died to save you and John. If you had died along with her then this family would be even more devastated. John would not have survived if you had not been there for him," admonished Virgil in a righteous tone. Seeing the tears begin to fall from her eyes, Virgil hugged her in a powerful embrace as he thought back to the day their mom had died and the twins had been seriously hurt.

Flashback

Jeff paced the small waiting room while Scott held a sleeping Alan in his lap. Sitting on either side of Scott were Virgil and Gordon. They had been waiting for a couple of hours for any kind of update on John and Sam. Jeff had just begun another circuit when the waiting room door opened and a doctor walked in.

"Mr. Tracy, my name is Dr. Gill and I have been working on John. He is out of surgery now and asking for you. I am sorry to say that he has a broken leg and a couple of cracked ribs on his left side. He has multiple abrasions and a deep cut on his face. He is also suffering from hypothermia. We are trying to get his body temperature back to normal but it is like he is fighting us."

"Dr. Gill, what about Sam? If you could tell John that Sam is okay he will calm down. They are twins and he is overly protective of her as she is him."

"I'm not in charge of Sam's care that would be Dr. Hawkins. She will be in to speak with you shortly. Please know that we are doing everything we can for John. Let me show you to where his room is." With that Dr. Gill walked out of the waiting room. Just as they were walking out Dr. Hawkins came up to them.

"Mr. Tracy, my name is Dr. Hawkins. I came to let you know about Sam's condition. Let's sit over here for a moment. Sam has multiple abrasions and cuts on her face. She also has a pretty bad concussion and is suffering from hypothermia. Her left leg and arm have been broken and are in a cast. Somehow she received a blow to the middle of her back and there is a bruise across it. She is sedated right now but we are worried about the blow to her back. There may be a possibility of partial paralysis. We will know more when she wakes up. I'm sorry for the bad news."

"Dr. Gill and Dr. Hawkins, will it be possible to have both John and Sam in a private room together? I don't care about cost but it will make visiting them easier because I can't be with one and not the other. Their mother was one of the fatalities so I am caring for my six children alone now." Jeff looked from one to the other with a defeated look on his face.

"We'll arrange it right now," said Dr. Hawkins. The two doctors then guided the Tracy family to the room John was in. Upon entering the room, Jeff was taken by surprise at how small John looked in the bed. He appeared to be asleep but when he heard his dad and brothers he looked over at them.

"Sam." That was the only word he said as he lost his fight with the pain medications and the events of the day caught up with him. By the time he woke up Sam was in the room on a bed next to him and their dad was sitting in a chair between them. Virgil and Gordon sat in a chair next to Sam and Scott and Alan sat together next to John.

Looking over at Sam, John began to get agitated that he couldn't touch her and that she couldn't respond to him because she had just had more pain medications.

"Sam, wake up. Please look at me," pleaded John in a raspy voice. Sam began to toss and turn in her sleep as she tried to wake up and reassure John. She kept trying to reach for him and couldn't feel him around her. Jeff stood up and brushed his hand through John's hair in an attempt to calm him down,

"John, she is alright but she just had some pain medicine. She was hurt a bit more than you and she needs her sleep. Please calm down before you hurt yourself," said Jeff in a soothing tone. Scott watched Sam continue to toss and turn her head in an effort to wake up. He got up and went to her side and mirroring his father's actions began to carefully run his hand through her hair. Feeling his touch she slowly stopped her movements and drifted back into a drug induced sleep. John also began to drift off to sleep as his father's touch eased his anxiety for Sam.

A few hours went by and Jeff had again been sitting between the twins and was holding their hands. Suddenly he had felt a slight squeeze that came from the hand that Sam was holding. Looking over at her, he realized that she was looking at him and trying to talk.

"Thirsty." That was the only word that she could get out. Virgil came around to where Sam could see him and held her straw steady while she sipped the water.

"John," she rasped out as she grimaced at the pain in her throat and head. John instantly woke up after he heard her say his name.

"Sam, are you okay? You scared me cus you wouldn't answer me," said John in a hurried tone. He needed to make sure she wasn't going to leave him like their mother did. Smiling slightly at him Sam began to drift off to sleep again. When she woke next she found herself staring into the blue eyes of Alan.

"Sammie, wake up and talk to us please," begged her baby brother. She was able to move her left arm just a bit to touch his face with the tips of her fingers.

"Love you Ally," she whispered. Looking around she saw her dad next to Alan. "Daddy, what happened. How come I hurt so bad? My back hurts in the middle and…" Without warning she leaned her head over the side of the bed and threw up. Jeff pushed the call button for the nurse and slowly eased Sam back onto her pillow while Gordon ran to the bathroom and got a cold cloth to wipe Sam's face with.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean to get sick," cried Sam.

"It's okay just close your eyes and rest," he ordered gently. The nurse came in and cleaned up the mess and took both John and Sam's vitals. When Sam came around again, she was surprised to find John sitting next to her in a wheelchair with his broken leg propped up. He had her hand tightly grasped in hers and he had leaned over and rested his head next to hers.

"John, I'm okay just tired. You need to rest too. Please do it for me," pleaded Sam in an effort to get her twin to rest. Slowly, he nodded his head and allowed Jeff to pick him up and put him back into his bed.

By the end of the week, all of the worries about Sam's back were alleviated as the bruise proved to be just that a bruise. Sam and John were released to go home and finish recuperating.

Present Time

"I love you Sam and so do the rest of our brothers not to mention Dad and Grandma."

"I love you, too, Virgil. As well as our other brothers and Dad and Grandma. All of you are what keeps me going when I feel overwhelmed," said Sam in hushed tones. They were so wrapped up in their conversation that they were not aware of their dad standing on the balcony just outside of Virgil's open window.

"I guess I need to get back to my room before Dad comes around for lights out," giggled Sam as she thought of them being in the military. Giving her brother another hug she turned and headed for the sitting room and headed for her room via the hallway. Once back in her room she picked up the painting that Virgil gave her and set it on her dresser where she could see it. Going into her ensuite she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then she changed into her pajamas. She was just crawling into bed when her dad came in for lights out.

"Dad, can you help me hang my new painting tomorrow. I would like to hang it above my dresser so that I can see it when I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning?" asked Sam. Jeff looked at her dresser to see the painting. He was shocked at how beautiful it was. "No wonder Sam was so excited by it," thought Jeff.

"Sure Honey but now you need to go to sleep," said Jeff as he tucked his daughter in. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead as she gripped him in a tight hug.

"I love you Daddy," she said softly as she lay down and closed her eyes. Jeff stood there and watched her as she slowly drifted off to sleep. It had been a long time since she had called him daddy and it took him by surprise.

The next day was overcast and held a promise of rain. The Tracy children finished organizing their rooms and Jeff hung the painting Virgil had done for Sam. Sam had her bedroom windows open as well as the balcony door which meant that her brothers could hear the hammering coming from her room. Curious as to what she could possibly have to hang up one by one each of them knocked on her door and was invited in.

"Where did you get that?" asked Scott in awe. He loved the way that their mother appeared to be watching over them. Alan and Gordon just stood there and nodded in agreement to his question. They thought that it would be nice to have one in their room.

Trying to hide the big grin on her face Sam just shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's just say that I happen to know a very respectable artist and I commissioned him to do this fine piece of art," she said a bit cryptically. Glancing at Virgil she saw him blush bright red. Not missing the glance John looked at Virgil and Sam who quickly looked away.

"I think I know where she got it," gloated John as he put two and two together. Catlike he walked over to where Sam and Virgil were standing and quickly tackled Virgil to Sam's bed and began tickling him.

"Admit it you did the painting didn't you?" pestered John as he continued to tickle him. Virgil could only laugh as John hit all of his ticklish spots. Not wanting to be left out Alan and Gordon jumped into the fray. Suddenly John began to laugh as Sam began to tickle him in an effort to save Virgil. Then the odds changed drastically as all 5 of the boys stopped and looked at Sam and slowly advanced towards her.

"Guys, why are you looking at me like that? 5 on 1 isn't fair. Johnny you're on my side right? You know the whole twin thing and all that." Knowing that she wouldn't win, she quickly turned to run. She didn't even make it two steps before she was in the middle of another Tracy pileup that had everyone tickling whomever they could reach.

"I want all of you down at the runway in 5 minutes," said Jeff as he watched his children tickling each other in a big pile on the floor. They had forgotten that he was in the room with them. One by one they got up and dusted themselves off and straightened their clothes before they walked to the runway together. Jeff was right behind them.

10 minutes later a small plane approached the runway and soon landed. The Tracy children wondered who their dad wanted them to meet now. Stepping up to the small plane after it had stopped Jeff reached up and unlatched the door so the stairs could lower.

"Kyrano, welcome to Tracy Island," greeted Jeff as he shook the new man's hand. The man turned and offered his hand up to a young girl as she began to come down the stairs.

"Mister Tracy, thank you and may I introduce you to my daughter, Tin-Tin," replied Kyrano.

Looking at one another in shock the Tracy children suddenly remembered their manners and shyly approached Kyrano and Tin-Tin so that Jeff could introduce them. As a habit, they had when meeting new people, they lined up in order of age.

"Kyrano and Tin-Tin, these are my children Scott, John, Sam, Virgil, Gordon, and Alan. Children, I have hired Kyrano to work here on the island. He will help Mother with the cooking and maintain the gardens and flower beds as well as help keep the house in order. He will not be asked to clean your rooms. That will always be your responsibility as well as any messes that you make," said Jeff as he eyed each of his children to be certain that they understood.

"Tin-Tin, welcome to Tracy Island," said Sam as she stepped forward to meet the young girl who appeared to be about Alan's age. Sam was happy to have another girl around and to talk to when her brothers annoyed her. Alan just stared at her until Gordon leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Whatever was said caused Alan to turn bright red and to run off back down the path. The rest of the brothers went up to Tin-Tin and welcomed her to the island. With a quick look at his children, Jeff gave them a nod and released them to go back to what they had been doing before Kyrano and Tin-Tin came.

"What do you think about having another girl around Sam?" asked Scott curiously. Sam shrugged her shoulders as she carefully thought about how she felt.

"I think that it will be kind of nice to have another girl around to talk to even if she is Alan's age," replied Sam. She didn't realize that Tin-Tin was right behind them and had heard the comment. She finally relaxed a little bit upon hearing Sam's words. She had been afraid that Sam wouldn't like her because she was moving into her territory. Hearing footsteps behind them Sam turned around and saw Tin-Tin behind them.

"Tin-Tin, why don't you join us," invited Sam with a smile on her face as the boys voiced their invitation also.