Chapter 4: Alan.

'Damn,' Alan muttered, flipping back to the previous page on the Digi-Pad when he realised that he'd yet again not taken in the information before him. Truthfully, he wasn't surprised. For the last seven days his head had been crammed with chaotic thoughts, all of them running at one hundred miles per hour. He had desperately hoped that ploughing through these tedious files for his father would help slow them down or alleviate them entirely, then he could forget what had happened. Yet there would never be any forgetting because Virgil had nearly died.

His forehead slumped onto the pad… He had nearly lost one of his brothers all because the Sentinel had seen Two as a threat and had decided to shoot first, ask questions later. Thankfully, the third missile was destroyed before it made an impact. He shuddered at the thought of what it would have done if it had hit home. The repercussions of the first two were bad enough. Thunderbird Two was a wreck and would take a while to be returned to her former glory. As for his brother, the extent of his injuries meant he was still tucked away in his room and would be there for at least another week, especially if his father had his way.

"Hello sweetheart."

Alan jolted, managing to grasp the pad before it dropped on the floor. "Tin, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough!" she retorted, depositing an empty plate into the dishwasher before sitting in the chair next to him.

"Any updates on the rescue?"

"Gordon's about to be dropped off by the Sentinel." Tin-Tin offered him a reassuring smile when Alan scrunched his nose. "I don't think he was happy either, but at least those two guys will be rescued soon. So," she queried with a nod towards the pad, "are you still on the same bit you were an hour ago?"

"Yeah."

"How about a coffee break?" She queried making her way over to the machine.

"Yes" Alan pulled himself up, "please."

"Good, I'll do one for Virgil as well, that way you can take his in and see him at the same time."

"What, now?"

"He's been asking for you."

"He's noticed?"

"I'm afraid so."

Alan slumped deeper into his chair: Since the incident, both Scott and Gordon had been frequent visitors to Virgil's bedside. John, who was up on five, had spoken several times to him and was desperate to come home so he could physically check on Virgil himself. Unfortunately, their father had rescheduled his upcoming return due to time constraints with Thunderbird Two being fixed. This of course meant that his own trip to Thunderbird Five had been delayed. Normally this would be a good thing, but right now he would have switched with John without any hesitation. Not to get away from the work that needed doing on Two, listening in to the rescue feed, or covering for his father when he needed some down time. No. The reason he wanted to get away was to avoid Virgil and so far, apart from occasionally popping his head in he had managed to prevent a 'proper' visit.

"It's okay to be frightened."

"I'm not…" Alan immediately stopped when she shot him one of her rare glares. There was no point arguing with her, especially when deep down he knew that she was right. From the very moment their father had summoned him and Gordon and told them what had happened, the fear of losing someone he loved had swamped him. Memories of his mother's passing were vague. Yes, it still hurt not having her around and not remembering her as much as his elder brothers did. Nearly losing Gordon in the hydrofoil crash had come close to the vicious nauseousness he felt. However, this heart spluttering, stomach-churning sensation that heaved through him upon seeing Twos descent from the sky was dissimilar to anything he had previously experienced.

Tin-Tin's hand rested gently on his shoulder. "He's going to be okay."

"Will he?"

"Of course, he's staying awake longer, and eating more every day."

"I don't blame him," Alan chuckled, "your father's food is always too good to pass up. It's actually a good job Grandma's not currently on the island or Virg would be fed twice the amount.

"Yes, I can imagine he would. So, are you going to go and see him?

He knew he should just get it over and done with. However, seeing Virgil lying helpless in Thunderbird Two, then catching glimpses of him recuperating in his own room hadn't alleviated any of his anxieties. His middle brother filled their home with his deep resonating laugh, creative soul, and boundless compassion. He was always active and never sick. When he was a kid and scared of the monsters under the bed, Virgil was always the one ready with a warm hug, while Scott chased them away. The one who wrapped him in blankets and helped him feel better when he was unwell. Like all of his brothers Virgil always protected him, and because of that he'd naively believed him to be indestructible. Now he'd discovered that wasn't the case, it terrified him to his core. No, he couldn't do it… "I need to finish these."

"So far today you've helped out with Thunderbird Two, been for a five-mile run around the island, followed by lunch, and currently you're failing to do some work for your father which isn't even urgent. Now, I know seeing him like this isn't nice, but he could really do with some company, he's going crazy holed up in that room, especially since Scott and Gordon left for New York. Plus, he's starting to worry about you."

"What, why?"

"Because you're his kid brother, and he knows that it would have been really difficult when you had to get him out. Alan, you need to see him. Now, stop procrastinating and go and see your brother!"

Alan stood still at the closed doorway. Tin-Tin just behind him, had insisted she carried the coffees, obviously to double check that he actually went in.

"Go on then."

He reached out and knocked softly. Receiving no answer, he went to turn away.

"Try again," she insisted blocking his way.

"He must be asleep."

"Alan, I could barely hear that knock, now try again!"

"Yes ma'am!"

This time a gruff 'come in' greeted him.

"There you go," she passed him the coffees, then opened the door for him. "Enjoy."

Alan watched her saunter away, then looked back at Virgil who was sitting himself up, "I, er, I thought you could use some company."

"Yes, I'd love that."

"You would?"

"Of course."

Alan stepped forwards. "Coffee?"

"Please."

Alan passed one over, before taking the seat next to the bed. Tin-Tin had been right, he did need this. The contagious smile plastered across Virgil's face expressed how much his big brother had obviously needed it too.