Disclaimer: I don't own the Thunderbirds or the Tracy family with the exception of Sam.
Chapter 16
The flight home didn't seem to take that long as the Tracy kids were wound up. They had their music playing as loud as Jeff would let it. Sam was writing in her journal in the seat next to John. He was watching Virgil and Scott play a game of checkers. Gordon and Alan had taken advantage of their big brothers' game and began to plan their pranks.
"Get your seatbelts on kids. We'll be landing in about a half an hour," said their dad's voice over the intercom. Virgil and Scott put their game away. Scott went to each of his brothers and sister to make sure they were secure. Before he had sat back down to fasten his own seatbelt he overheard Sam.
Unable to stop herself, Sam looked at John and rolled her eyes. John raised an eyebrow in question of the eye rolling.
"We're fourteen years old and he still makes sure we're strapped in like we were five," she said sarcastically.
"Listen little sister, I will continue to check your seatbelt as long as I want," retorted Scott. "So lose the little attitude and just think your dear loving brothers will let you have the honors of being the first one thrown into the pool this time around." Looking around at Virgil, Gordon, and Alan, he saw all of them nod their heads in agreement. John remained still and neither agreed nor disagreed.
"I was just teasing you, Scott," she said with a small giggle. "I don't want the honors of being the first one in the pool. Gordon and Alan can have the honors."
"We didn't give Scott any lip so I think we're safe. Don't try to drag us into it to save yourself," piped up Gordon. Scott began to whisper something into Virgil's ear. Virgil's eyes lit up and he began laughing out loud. Sam just knew that she was in trouble. She knew that as soon as she got off the plane and had her belongings she was going to have to make a run for it. On second thought, she could come back for her stuff.
"Um, John you're with me, aren't you?" she asked. John looked at her and then at his brothers. Scott and Virgil were staring back at him to see how he'd respond. Scott lifted his hand in a slight wave.
"I think I'll stay out of this one Sam," he said quietly. "You brought in on yourself." Scott laughed when he heard John's remarks but what he didn't see was the wink that John gave Sam. A slight bump was felt and they all realized that they had finally landed. Soon the plane stopped and Jeff shut down the engines. The kids waited until he opened the door and lowered the steps. Remembering the last time they rushed off the plane and how they had to wait in the order of their ages, they unloaded in a calmer manner. Jeff watched them and smiled at how well-behaved they were even though he had heard the bit about Sam having the honors of being the first in the pool. He knew that as soon as they were all off of the plane chaos would once again resume.
Scott was the first off the plane and he patiently waited for his siblings to step down. Virgil stood opposite of him and the Terrible Two stood nearby. John and Sam were the last ones off. As soon as Sam had cleared the last step she began to run for all she was worth. John tried to hold back their brothers so she had a bit of a head start. Before Scott could even think of catching up with her she was already half way to the kitchen and the safety of their grandmother.
"Now Johnny you've delayed Sam's trip to the pool," said Virgil as a big smile lit up his face. Gordon and Alan quickly grabbed John's arms as Virgil and Scott helped them to guide John to the path that led to the house. They figured that since he'd interfered he would get Sam's honors. Just as they were about to push John into the pool, Sam came running out of hiding and pushed Scott and Virgil in as John shoved Gordon and Alan in.
The twins stood on the pool deck and laughed down at their stunned brothers.
"You should know that John and I can speak without talking," she gloated. "Scott you should remember the special language that John and I developed as toddlers. You never could figure it out then and now it's just better developed." Wrapping her arm around John, she gave him a gentle squeeze and they jumped into the pool with their brothers. Another splash caught their attention as Tin-Tin surfaced.
"TIN-TIN," yelled Alan as he swam over to their friend.
"Hi, Tin-Tin," greeted the rest of the Tracy kids.
"Welcome back home. It's been too quiet without all of you here," she replied. She approached Sam and pulled her away from the boys.
"Your dad told your grandma what you did to Scott's girlfriend at the restaurant," she whispered. "Has she messed with you any more?" Sam grinned at her young friend and shook her head no.
"Tin-Tin, you should have seen Kelli's face as I shoved it into the toilet and flushed it," she said. The look on her face grew sad when she continued. "The only thing that I hated was that Scott and I got into a nasty little scuffle. I guess he and I are alike in the fact that we're both headstrong and neither of us likes to back down when angry. Not even the combined efforts of John, Virg, Gordy, and Alan could separate us while we were fighting. It wasn't until Dad yelled at us and pulled us apart did we stop. I bet Scott didn't think his little sister had paid attention to her self defense classes. He also didn't know that I had Virgil and Alan teaching me some martial arts." Sam looked around at her brothers as they played in the pool even after three weeks she still felt bad about the fight with Scott. She had spoken with Virgil and he'd told her Scott was still feeling the same.
"I would fight for and protect each and every one of them at all costs to myself," she said quietly as if she had forgotten that Tin-Tin was listening to her. Her eyes sparkled with the love she had for her family. "That goes for you too Tin-Tin. You're a part of this family and I think of you as a little sister." Tin-Tin glowed with pride at Sam's remark.
"Thanks Sam. I like the idea of having brothers and a sister. I am pleased that you think of me as a little sister," she said as she suddenly threw her arms around Sam in a hug. Sam giggled and returned the hug. Without any warning she found herself being pushed underwater. She came up sputtering and gasping for breath. She found herself looking up at Scott and Virgil.
"You didn't think that you wouldn't get some payback for not taking the honors for being the first in the pool?" Scott asked. Sam looked over at where John had been receiving the same treatment from their baby brothers. Shaking her head, she admitted defeat.
"Alright Scott you guys win. Now what do you have in mind?" she conceded.
"You'll find out soon enough," he said cryptically. Virgil gave her a look that let her know that she was in deep this time.
"Virgil, you know, that next to John, you're my favorite brother don't you?" she asked.
"You're my favorite sister but Scott and I are just as close as you and John," he said. "This time I'm with Scott." They continued to play in the pool and enjoy being with each other until Jeff showed up on the deck.
"Samantha and Scott, I want you to go and get changed into dry clothes. Meet me in my office in thirty minutes," he said in a stern voice as he stared down at his children. Sam and Scott hurriedly climbed out of the pool and went to their rooms to shower and change like they'd been told. Their brothers looked at each other and realized that Sam and Scott were in serious trouble and they all knew that it had to do with the fight that they had on Scott's 16th birthday.
Thirty minutes later Scott and Sam were standing outside their father's office awaiting permission to enter.
"Come in," ordered the gruff voice of their father. "Shut the door and sit down." Scott shut the door and they both hurriedly sat down in the chairs in front of his desk.
"I have been giving serious thought to the fight that I witnessed between the two of you three weeks ago," he began. "There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for any of my children to ever raise their hand to hit another in anger. I can accept that all of you roughhouse and play around but what I saw that night passed what I will tolerate."
"Scott, you have more responsibility because you are the oldest. I am angered and saddened to think that you hit your sister and left a mark on her face and that I had to physically pull the two of you apart. I thought that I had taught you to respect women and that includes your sister. I never want to witness anything like that again nor do I want to hear the slightest whisper of such behavior directed at her or anyone else. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
Scott looked down at the floor and back to his dad's eyes.
"Yes, Sir," he answered. Jeff nodded and turned his attention to Sam.
"Samantha, I know that you think that you have to be tough like your brothers and I know that you can defend yourself but I will not tolerate you fighting with them any more than I will tolerate them fighting with you. If I see or hear any more behavior from you like I did that night I will enroll you in another school. I will choose a school that specializes in female character and manners as well as education."
"You and Scott are both headstrong and protective and that is good but you will have to accept that sometimes you are not going to agree and physical altercations are not going to be the answer that is needed. You will have to sit and discuss the problem when you have both cooled off. Sam, you cannot decide who Scott will or won't date and he won't decide that for you when the time comes. All of you will have to respect the other's decision and choice in dates. Do you understand?"
Sam swallowed quickly and looked her dad straight in his eyes.
"Yes, Sir," she replied. She held his gaze a second longer and asked for permission to speak. When it was granted, she stood up and turned to Scott.
"Scott, I have felt guilty for my actions on your birthday. I know that I apologized to you and that we called a truce but I still feel unsettled," she began softly. "You are my big brother and have always watched over me and I took advantage of that. I knew what buttons to push to make you angry though I didn't expect to get into a physical fight with you but once it came on I couldn't back down. I was so angry at what had happened at the restaurant that I let that anger fuel my decision to have it out with you. I didn't take into consideration how angry you were with me and for that I accept the blame for the argument and the fight. I understand how angry you were and you had every right to be. I ruined your sixteenth birthday and you can't imagine how I feel for that. I hope that you will truly forgive me and love me despite my actions."
She looked down at the floor so that he wouldn't see the anguish on her face nor the lone tear that slowly traced its way down her cheek. Jeff sat at his desk and watched them. He knew he was watching two of his children mature and admit to their mistakes right before his eyes. Suddenly, he realized that they would soon be living their own lives.
Scott reached out to Sam and lifted her face so that he was looking in her eyes. He stood up and wrapped his arms around his little sister and held her tight. She quickly responded and held him close to her. The relief she felt was so immense that she couldn't hold back her tears and she sobbed into his chest.
"Shh, Sam. It's alright. I can promise you that if we ever have another disagreement I will sit and talk to you instead of hitting you. I have no excuse for lashing out like that. I don't know why I ever thought of hitting you much less actually doing it. I love you and I will always be here for you and our brothers. I will also promise you right here and now that I will never lift my hand to hit you in anger again."
Sam looked up at her big brother and smiled at him through her tears.
"And I promise that I'll never hit you or any of our brothers in anger ever again," she responded truthfully.
From that day on, whenever a conflict came up within the Tracy family, it was resolved with nothing more than an argument or disagreement. Sam and Scott always stood ready to help diffuse the situation if needed. They never forgot the promises they made to each other.
When Jeff felt that Sam and Scott had finished, he made them sit down again.
"Now that is cleared up we still have to decide on your punishment," he said. "Sam, you were grounded to your dorm room for the past three weeks. Did you follow that punishment?"
"Yes, Sir," she replied. Scott confirmed it for her when Jeff looked at him.
"For the rest of your punishment, you will be responsible for cleaning the upper level pool for the summer. That means skimming it every morning and scrubbing the tiles above and at the water level. Scott, you will be responsible for the lower level pool. Any questions?"
"No, Sir," responded both of them. Jeff stood up and walked to where his children sat. Motioning them to stand, he reached out and hugged them.
"I am proud of you both. I can see that the two of you will become a positive influence for your brothers and each other. The fight you had will be a lasting reminder of what you will strive to avoid in the future. Now go back out and join your brothers. I'm sure that they are wondering if you're still alive."
Scott got up and went to the door. Sam hung back for a moment to speak with her dad in private.
"I'll be right there, Scott," she said. "Wait out there just a few minutes, okay?" He nodded an affirmative.
"Dad, thank you for helping Scott and I. I know that our behavior went against everything that we'd been taught and for that I'm sorry," she began. "I promise you that I will never behave that way again. I said it to Scott and I mean it but I want you to know it also."
"I know Sam. You two have learned a very valuable lesson and I know that neither of you will ever forget it," he replied as he looked down at his only daughter. He saw the maturity in her eyes that let him know that his baby girl was becoming a young woman. As much as she realized that her brothers were developing into handsome young men he was aware that she was developing into a beautiful young woman. All six of his children were very attractive. None of them flaunted it though. They were just active and well-adjusted children. They never even thought of the wealth they had access to any more than they thought of the famous last name that they had. They knew Jeff had been famous and still was but to them he was Dad and that was his most important role.
With a quick hug, Sam ran out of the office and out to where Scott was waiting on her. As she walked next to him, he slipped his arm around her and together they walked down to the second floor.
"Scott, come to my room for a moment before we go outside," she said. He followed her into her rooms. She went to her dresser and picked up a box that was gift wrapped. She handed it to him. He took it and looked at her questioningly.
"Open it," she encouraged. He carefully unwrapped the gift and opened the box. Inside nestled in some tissue paper was a painting of Scott. In the background there were several different kinds of military aircraft. The dominant one was an F-15 Eagle. Sam had overheard a conversation between Scott and their dad about his desire to join the Air Force when he was older. He looked at the little plaque on the bottom of the painting that had been framed.
Happy 16th Birthday, Scott
No Dream is Out of Reach
Love, Samantha
Scott looked back at Sam and wiped away the tears in his eyes.
"Sam, this is beautiful. How did you know that I wanted a career in the Air Force?" he asked. She could tell he was trying to keep his emotions under control.
"I overheard you talking to Dad one day. I wanted to let you know that I support your decision. I'll miss you when you leave but I would feel good knowing that you'd be getting a chance to do what you love to do," she said.
"Who painted the picture and how did it get on your dresser? All of our stuff is still in the plane," he asked.
"I never took the painting with me because I wanted to give it to you at home. As to who painted it, I can't say. I promised that I would keep it a secret," she answered.
"Virgil did it, didn't he?" he asked before he could stop himself. Sam just shook her head.
"I'm not telling because I don't want to betray that trust," she told him in a tone that left no room for argument. "Now let's go see what our brothers are up to."
As they walked down the hallway, Scott stopped in his room to put the painting on his desk. They were just heading down the stairs when their brothers came running up the stairs.
"Grandma says it's time for dinner and to get cleaned up," said Alan. Scott and Sam continued down the stairs while their brothers went to change and clean up for dinner. They went into the kitchen and sat down. While they were waiting on their brothers they talked about what they would do over their summer break. A loud stomping on the stairs alerted them to the arrival of the rest of their brothers.
As soon as their dad began to pass around the dishes that had been prepared they began telling stories of what they had done during the past semester. Grades were discussed and new schedules pondered. Scott would be entering his junior year of high school. Sam and John were heading into their freshman year of high school. Virgil would be an eighth grader. Gordon would be going into his sixth grade year while Alan would be starting the fifth grade. With three teenagers in high school, one in middle school, and two in elementary school, class discussions could take some time especially when each of the six children had varied interests in which they wanted to pursue as they got older.
Scott had everything centered on his desire to be an Air Force pilot. Sam and John focused on astronomy. John wanted to be an astronaut but Sam wasn't sure. She preferred communications and foreign languages. She was fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, and sign language for those languages. She was now concentrating on German and Russian. Virgil was interested in music and had a natural talent for any instrument that he tried to play but his true source of enjoyment was playing the piano. He had awed Brains with his innate sense of technology. He loved to take things apart to see how they worked and if he could make it work better. Gordon and Alan changed their minds on what they wanted to do monthly. The only constants were swimming for Gordon and race car driving for Alan.
The discussions at the dinner table were lively that night and by the time dessert came around things were beginning to wind down as the time zone changes began to catch up with the Tracy children. Sam offered to help clean up but Grandma and Kyrano assured her that they could handle it and that she should retire for the evening.
After taking their dishes to the kitchen, the siblings all headed upstairs to their rooms. Bidding each other a goodnight, they went into their rooms to get some much needed sleep. Sam was in a deep sleep when she suddenly bolted straight up in her bed. Looking around she tried to figure out what woke her up. Opening her balcony door she walked along the balcony. She paused by each of her brother's open windows. Alan's room was quiet. Gordon could be heard tossing in his sleep. Virgil could be heard lightly snoring. Scott was talking in his sleep. By the sounds of it he was telling one of the Terrible Two off for a prank in which he was the target. As she paused by John's window she could hear him moaning.
"John, are you awake?" she whispered loudly. The only response she got was a louder moan. Feeling anxious, she typed in John's code and quietly entered his room. Her eyes were adjusted enough to see that he was tangled up in his blankets. She went up to his bedside and gently shook him. He continued to sleep and moan as if he were in pain. She felt his forehead and found that he was hot and sweaty.
"Johnny, can you hear me?" she asked a bit louder this time. "Please wake up and tell me what's wrong." This time John opened his eyes and tried to focus on her.
"Sammie…my…side…hurts," he gasped out. She noticed that he was clutching at his right side as if to hold in the pain. Knowing that her brothers never complained about pain she quickly pushed the comm button that connected her to her dad.
"Dad, something's wrong with John. He's all hot and sweaty and complaining that his side hurts," she explained when he answered.
"I'll be down in a second and Brains will meet me there," he assured her. Sam sat down next to John on his bed and held him close to her and ran her fingers through his hair to help keep him calm and relaxed as much as possible. Her dad and Brains entered the room and turned on the light. John was pale and sweaty. Brains quickly untangled the blankets and pulled them off of John and felt his right side. As soon as he touched just to the right of his abdomen, John flinched and cried out in pain. Sam held him closer and whispered in his ear to keep him distracted.
"I t-t-think th-that he has a-a-appendicitis," said Brains. "He n-n-needs a h-hospital." Jeff quickly ran to the hangar and prepped the plane to take John to the hospital on the mainland.
Sam packed an overnight bag for herself and John. Once she was done she helped Brains get John seated in the wheelchair that she had once used. They got him to the plane and into a seat and strapped him in. Sam sat next to him and fastened herself in.
"Dad, we're ready let's go," she said. There was no way that she wasn't staying with her twin when he needed her. Jeff didn't argue he just went to the cockpit and began to taxi down the runway and took off.
"Sammie, it… hurts," whispered John. He was leaning against her and she could feel the heat radiating off of him.
"I know Johnny. We'll be at the hospital in just about a half hour. Hold on for me okay?" she asked. He nodded his head weakly and settled into a fevered doze. Every so often he'd look at Sam as she wiped his face with a cool cloth.
Finally they landed at the airport and Jeff left the post-flight work for later. He quickly picked John up and carried him to the SUV that was left at the airport for his use. Once they were all in the SUV, Jeff rushed to the hospital emergency room. The doctors rushed John straight back to surgery. Jeff and Sam were shown the waiting room. Jeff filled out the required paperwork while Sam paced around the waiting room. This was the first time that John had not been there for her. She was extremely worried for her twin. After awhile she sat down next to her dad and leaned her head on his shoulder and began to doze off.
Hours later a doctor came in and introduced himself.
"Is Johnny okay?" blurted out Sam. Such was her worry she forgot her normal shyness. The doctor looked at her and smiled.
"You must be Sam. John has been asking for you," he said. "John had appendicitis. We were able to remove the appendix before it ruptured. He is in recovery right now. Let me take you back to him." He led Jeff and Sam back to the recovery area where John was hooked up to an IV and several other monitors. He was still pale looking.
"Johnny, I'm here," whispered Sam as she brushed his hair back off of his face. He opened his eyes and slowly focused on her. He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand.
"I'm sleepy Sammie," he whispered back to her as his eyes began to close.
"Go to sleep Johnny. I'll be right here when you wake up," she told him quietly as she leaned over him and softly kissed him on his cheek. He gave her one more smile and fell back to sleep.
The doctor and Jeff had watched the interaction of the twins and were amazed at the connection between the two. John had stopped fighting the sleep that his body needed as soon as he felt her touch. Sam had visibly relaxed as soon as she had been able to see and to touch her twin.
"We're going to move him to a private room in just a few minutes," the doctor informed them. After they had moved John to his room, Sam immediately sat in the chair next to his bed and held his hand as he slept. She began to doze off after a couple of minutes of watching him. Jeff propped a pillow under her head and covered her up with a blanket. He sat in another chair and watched his twins sleep. He still didn't know how Sam had figured out something was wrong for her brother. He was still pondering this when he began to doze off himself. Shaking himself awake, he quickly called home to let his mother know where they were and to update her of John's condition. He asked her to let the rest of the boys know.
"Sam…thirsty," whispered a hoarse voice. Sam jumped up and looked at John. He was awake and looking at her. She quickly grabbed his water pitcher and held the straw so that he could sip the cold water.
"How do you feel?" she asked quietly.
"My side hurts," he whispered back. "What happened?"
"I heard you moaning in your sleep and came into your room. You were all tangled in your blankets and felt hot," she began. "I called Dad and Brains to your room. Brains figured out that you were having an appendicitis attack. Dad and I flew you to the airport and rushed you to the hospital. You had emergency surgery and the doctors were able to remove your appendix before it ruptured." She realized that he had fallen back to sleep. She decided that a bit more sleep would be good for her too. She curled back up in the chair and fell asleep.
She heard a restless movement near her head; looking at John's bed she could see his hand moving around like he was hunting for something. She reached up and held his hand in hers and he quieted back down. She sat up and continued to watch him before long he began to wake up. He looked around the room in confusion.
"Where am I?" he whispered. He grimaced when he tried to swallow. Sam held his water pitcher and straw steady so that he could take a sip of water.
"We're in the hospital on the mainland," she said. "How do you feel?"
"Tired," he responded. He looked around a bit more and became more aware of what was going on. He was beginning to remember some of the earlier conversation that he'd had with Sam. Feeling sleepy again he began to doze off. He was having the same reaction to the anesthesia and pain medications that he'd had when he had his tonsillectomy as a young child. It took awhile for it to work its way through his system until then he tended to sleep a lot.
"Dad, when can John go home?" Sam asked from where she sat next to John. She was tenderly brushing his hair out of his face. "I think he'd be more comfortable recovering at home." Jeff agreed with her and began to speak with the doctor about transporting John back to the island. The doctor said that he'd release John in the early afternoon with a list of strict instructions and some pain medications. By early evening, Jeff, Sam, and John were back on the island.
John was taken to his room and quickly put to bed. Sam made up a place to sleep on the couch in his sitting room in case he needed her. They ate dinner together that evening. Sam sat at the desk and John was propped up in bed. Sam was afraid that if she sat on the bed with him she might jar him too much and possibly hurt him. He was partially through with his meal when Sam noticed that he was falling asleep. She sat her tray down and took his away from him.
"Johnny, slide down so that you're more comfortable," she urged. He slid down a bit and she tucked him in. She shut the lights off and picked up the trays and carried them to the kitchen. Her brothers were still at the table eating.
"How's John doing, Sam?" Scott asked.
"He just fell asleep," she said as she headed back to John's room. She was tired and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and go to sleep. After she checked to make sure John was alright and comfortable, she went to the sitting room and lay down on the couch and was soon sound asleep.
"Sam, wake up," said a voice in her ear. Sam opened her eyes and looked around the sitting room. There was no one near her. Trusting her ability to know when John needed her, she went to his room to check on him. She found him struggling to get comfortable. He looked at her when she walked in.
"Sam, I need some help. I can't get out of bed without some help. It hurts to move too much," he said as he ceased his struggles. "I need to use the bathroom."
"Let me get Virgil to help you in that way if you need anything else while you're in there he can be there," she said. John just nodded his head as he urged her to hurry and get Virgil. She ran to Virgil's door and knocked on it.
"Virgil, open up," she called. "John needs some help and I can't help him with this." Not getting a response from the heavy sleeping brother, she went to Scott's room and knocked on his door. Within moments, Scott answered his door in his pajama bottoms.
"Whatcha need Sam?" he asked as he yawned.
"John needs some help getting to the bathroom," she said. Scott ran back to John's room and quickly helped him out of bed without causing him too much discomfort. Sam straightened John's bedclothes while Scott stood just outside of the ensuite door. A few minutes later the door opened and John began to slowly walk back to his bed. Scott helped him to keep his balance and to help ease him back down on the bed. Once John was situated and comfortable, Sam covered him up and offered him something to drink. As he dozed off, Sam headed back to the sitting room to lie back down.
"Sam, will you stay in here with me?" he asked as he started to fall asleep. Sam climbed up into his bed on his left side. Once he felt her next to him he snuggled against her. She was partially propped up against the headboard and had her arms wrapped around him with her head leaning on his. Within moments both of them were asleep. Scott came back into the room to make sure that John didn't need anything before he went back to bed. Smiling at his brother and sister, he leaned over Sam.
"Sam, scoot down," he whispered. Sam scooted down in her sleep and hugged John even closer to her. Scott grabbed the blankets and pillow off the couch and sat down in a chair next to John's bed and quickly fell asleep watching over his brother and sister. Their dad came in a bit later and found them all sound asleep. Sam was lying on her side facing John. He was lying on his back with his face turned towards Sam's. She had her arms wrapped around him holding him close to her. For just a moment, Jeff could visualize them as toddlers sleeping in the same manner. He smiled at the memory as he straightened the blanket that was over them. Looking over at Scott's sleeping form in the chair; he was shocked as to how much he'd grown over the past couple of years. He had gotten taller and his shoulders and chest had broadened. The weight training that all of his children did was really noticeable on Scott's form. Just a hint of facial stubble was visible in the moonlight that shone across his features. Jeff shook his head and left his children sleeping peacefully.
"Sam, wake up," said a quiet voice next to her. Sam peeked open one eye and looked into a pair of blue eyes.
"Whatcha want Johnny?" she mumbled sleepily. "I'm trying to sleep." He nudged her as her eye closed again. She groaned and sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and ran a hand through her hair.
"Alright, I'm awake," she said as she yawned. She looked over at him as he struggled to sit up in a more comfortable position. She quickly propped some pillows up behind him. Once he was comfortable she laid back down and started to doze off again.
"Sam, it's time to wake up," he said as he shook her. Sam sat up and scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder as she laid her head against his neck.
"Do you want breakfast up here or do you think that you can handle eating at the table with all of us?" she asked.
"I think that he should stay up here for breakfast," said a deep voice at the side of the bed. The twins jumped and looked over to see Scott sitting up looking at them. They hadn't noticed him in the chair.
"Gawd, Scott, you scared us to death," Sam said. "Can you help John to the bathroom so that he can clean up a bit and I'll go down and get our breakfast? Do you want me to bring a tray up for you?"
"Sure, I'll help him. I don't think that he would be willing to let you see him undressed," teased Scott. Sam and John both turned bright red. Sam had always tried to be careful with her brothers' privacy. She was almost obsessive compulsive when it came to making sure that she knocked and got the all clear before she entered any of their rooms.
Sam went downstairs to get their breakfast trays when Scott had helped John get out of bed. Watching her brother move slowly because of the soreness and pain he was in tore at her heart. He had always been her source of strength. Even when they had been hurt in the avalanche that claimed their mother, he was constantly by her side despite his own injuries.
"Good morning, Grandma," she said as she gave her a hug. "Can I have three breakfast trays to take to John's room? Scott says that John should eat breakfast upstairs and maybe for lunch he can eat down here. He doesn't want him to overdo it."
"Samantha, I already fixed your trays," Grandma said. "Let's take them up to the boys. Gordon, can you carry one of the trays to John's room?" Gordon had just walked in the kitchen for his breakfast. He nodded and grabbed the tray and followed his sister back upstairs. By that time, Scott had John back in bed and propped up comfortably. Grandma sat down his tray on the desk and fussed over him for a few minutes before Sam handed him his tray. Grandma had fixed fruit oatmeal for them. It was one of her special treats that she fixed when they had to have a special soft food diet. All of the Tracy children loved it when she made it with apples and cinnamon.
John looked at their grandma and smiled at her. He began to eat knowing that she wouldn't leave until he'd eaten half of it. He also had a couple of slices of toast and orange juice. Sam and Scott started eating their breakfast as Grandma and Gordon went back downstairs. About midway through his meal, John began to move around. Sam looked at him and noticed the pained expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked. He took a deep breath and slowly released it.
"It hurts again," he said through gritted teeth. Sam got up and went to the comm. box.
"Brains, could you bring up John's pain medicine?" she asked when he answered.
"S-s-sure, Sam," he responded quickly. A few minutes later, Brains came into John's room with the pain medicine. He handed him two tablets and warned him that they would make him fall asleep again. John nodded his head and quickly swallowed the medicine. By the time he'd finished his breakfast he was beginning to doze off. Scott took his tray and sat it on the desk.
"Come on, Sam," he said. "We can leave his balcony door open and do our chores that Dad gave us." They carried the trays downstairs and to the kitchen. They both returned to their rooms to change into their swimsuits. Sam checked in on John to find that he was curled up on his left side. She fixed his sheet and kissed him softly on the cheek. She quietly left his side and went out the balcony door. She went to the pool and began her punishment. She skimmed the pool and then dove in and scrubbed the tiles all away around the pool. Scott was in the lower level pool doing the same thing. Gordon was swimming laps in the pool Sam was cleaning. Just as she finished up, Alan came running across the pool deck and did a cannonball right next to her. She waited until he surfaced and shoved him back under the water.
"That wasn't fair, Sam," he sputtered. He had kept her attention on him therefore she didn't see Gordon swimming up behind her until she felt a jerk on her leg and she was dragged underwater. She and Gordon came up at the same time.
"So that's how you brats want to play," she scolded jokingly. They had their backs to the house and didn't see Virgil sneak into the pool behind them. Just as he grabbed Gordon, she grabbed Alan. With a nod to each other, they dunked their baby brothers under the water. Sam quickly climbed out of the pool and dried herself off. She wanted to go check on John.
"He's still asleep," said Virgil from the side of the pool. "He's fine you know?"
Sam looked down at the pool deck and shook her head.
"I know that he's fine, Virg, but what if I hadn't realized that night that he was hurting and needed me," she said softly as the feelings of what could have happened overwhelmed her. "You would feel the same if it were you and Scott in this situation."
With a small smile, she went up to her room and took a shower and changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top. Walking barefoot out onto her balcony, she paused for just a moment to look down at her brothers frolicking in the pool. Scott had joined them after he'd completed his chores and Tin-Tin was with them. Sam went to John's room and let herself in. He was still curled up on his side and resting peacefully. She sat down in the chair that Scott had slept in and covered herself up with the blankets that were laying there.
An hour later, she heard John stirring on his bed. Standing up quickly, she went over to his bedside to help him sit up.
"Sam, can you help me up?" he asked. "I have to use the bathroom. I just need help standing up and sitting back down." Sam let him hold onto her as she helped him into a standing position and walked next to him as he slowly walked to the ensuite. Once he closed the door she went back to the bed and sat down to give him his privacy. When the door opened, she went back over to help him back to his bed.
"I want to go downstairs," he said. Sam shrugged her shoulders and let him drape his arm around her shoulders as they went out onto his balcony. They slowly made their way downstairs. When they reached the pool deck, he laid down on one of the lounge chairs. Leaning back and letting the sun warm his chest, he sighed in contentment.
Jeff had seen the twins walking across the pool deck from the lounge where he was reading over some documents. Shaking his head at their stubbornness, he went outside to check on John. He sat in the chair next to him. Sam had gone into the kitchen to let their grandma know that John wanted his lunch outside.
"You're supposed to be in bed," Jeff said. John startled and opened his eyes. He looked at his dad nervously.
"I know but I wanted to be out here with everyone else," he said. "Sam helped me downstairs and you know that she won't let me overdo it." His dad agreed with him on that statement. Sam had rarely left John's side since the night he went to the hospital. In fact the only time she'd left his side was to do her punishment and to take a shower.
John leaned back and began to doze off again. Jeff sat there and quietly contemplated his quietest son. John was shy and nervous about talking to people. He was even quiet around his family with the exception of Sam. Even the two of them didn't seem to need to speak to know what the other was thinking.
Jeff felt it would be better if he just let John sit outside and relax.
A couple of weeks later and John had recovered from his appendix attack. The scar was still visible but he was moving about normally and he no longer had a need for the pain medicines. Sam had started sleeping in her room again. Sam and Scott resumed their morning runs around the island. All of the children on the island resumed their normal activities. Bonfires on the beach at night, motorcycle riding, swimming, and all of the other activities that they chose to participate in. A couple of times during the summer, Jeff had to go to the mainland. Sam and Tin-Tin went with him once to do some shopping while he was at the office. Sam picked up some art supplies that Virgil had requested. John had asked for a new astronomy book. She and Tin-Tin went into a joke shop and picked out a few things for Gordon. Tin-Tin bought something for Alan but she wouldn't tell Sam what it was. They met Jeff at their meeting place and they were soon flying back to the island.
Two weeks later, Jeff was flying his children back to New York for another year of school.