DISCLAIMER: Standard disclaimer applies. We don't own the Thunderbirds. Neither are we making any money off this endeavor.
Chapter 9 – BAD NEWS
An hour and a half later, Jeff was in the kitchen getting a fresh cup of coffee when he heard Thunderbird 1 returning. The sun had set over the Island while he had been with John. He grabbed a second cup of coffee and headed for the lounge. When Scott stepped off the lift, Jeff was waiting for him.
"Coffee?" He asked holding out a mug for him.
"Thanks dad," Scott said taking the cup from him. "How's John?"
"You rushed home ahead of everybody else to ask me that?" Jeff asked with a small smile on his face, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes.
"Well, I got concerned. It's not everyday that you tear up while having a 'heart-to-heart' talk." Scott said. "Are you sure that was all? Has Brains said anything more about the antidote?"
Jeff sighed. "Two of them have already failed, and the other two aren't looking promising either."
"What about John?" Scott said in a tortured whisper. "What are we going to do now?"
Jeff stared into his coffee cup. "John is…John…" He tried to swallow back his tears. "Scott, John is going to die. Brains doesn't know what else to try."
"Dad, isn't there something that we can do? I mean, we can't just sit back and let this happen." Scott said urgently.
"Dammit Scott, don't you think that I would do anything? There just isn't anything that can be done." Jeff said angrily. "Brains has been working non-stop to find an answer, but he hasn't come up with anything so far."
Scott could see Jeff shaking with emotion. "I'm sorry Dad. It's bad enough to know he is dying, but the fact that there's nothing we can do, it's just…So Franklin has won." He ran a hand through his hair. "Does John know?"
"I haven't told him about the problems with the antidotes, but I think he suspects." Jeff replied. "He told me that he has a 'feeling.' He also wants to talk to each of you guys."
Scott stared into his coffee cup. "I don't know if I can do that Dad."
"Do what Scott?" Jeff asked.
"Say goodbye." Scott replied. "That's what he really wants to do isn't it?"
Jeff nodded. "He asked me to bring Alan home. He doesn't want any regrets. He wants to have an opportunity to talk to each of you while he still has a chance. I promised him that I would wake him when you guys got back. Why don't you head down there and talk to him while I make a phone call."
"I don't know what to say to him." Scott admitted to his father.
"Neither did I, but you have to make the effort for your brother's sake." Jeff said.
Scott nodded. "OK Dad, I'll go see him." Then he left the room.
Jeff sat at his desk and keyed the vid-phone and waited for an answer.
Parker's face appeared on the screen. "Good mornin' Mr. Tracy. H'it's good to 'ear from you."
"Thank you Parker." Jeff said pasting a smile on his face. "I need to speak to Penny. Is she available?"
Parker hesitated for a moment. "H'I'm sorry sir. Mi' Lady h'is indisposed at the moment."
Jeff ran a hand over his face. "Parker, it's imperative that I talk to Penny right now. Could you please tell her that I am waiting?"
Parker could see the distress on Jeff's face. "Yes, Mr. Tracy h'I'm sure Mi' Lady will be 'ere as soon as possible." A "Please Hold" sign appeared on the screen.
About five minutes later, Penny's face appeared on the screen. She wore a dark pink dressing gown and her hair was wrapped in a light pink towel. "Jeff, dear, I am so sorry…" She stopped when she saw the look on Jeff's face. "Jeff, what's wrong?"
Clearing his throat, Jeff began speaking. "Penny, I need you to pick Alan up from school and bring him home. Bring Fermat too. Alan is going to need him." Jeff's voice began to break.
Lady Penelope knew that something was horribly wrong for Jeff to break down even a little. "Jeff, what has happened? Is it one of the boys? The media said that there was a rescue a few hours ago, but they did not say anything about injuries."
"No Penny, that rescue went fine." Jeff said gripping his hands in an effort to control his emotions. Finally he buried his head in his hands. "God Penny, this is so hard."
Lady Penelope's heart was breaking in sympathy. "Jeff please, tell me.'
Jeff pulled himself together and looked at Penny. "Three days ago, we went out on a rescue that turned out to be a trap." Jeff paused and took a deep breath. "John was poisoned."
Penny gasped. "Poisoned? Oh dear God. Jeff is he…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the question, but Jeff understood.
"No," Jeff replied, and then added in a quiet voice. "At least not yet."
"What do you mean Jeff?" She asked.
"The short version is a madman poisoned John in an effort to force me into giving up the secrets of International Rescue." Jeff began to explain. "It's a slow acting poison and Franklin told us that John would have between five to six days to live. It took Gordon and Brains two days to rescue us. Brains has been trying to develop an antidote, but nothing has worked and he is out of ideas." Jeff finally let the tears flow freely. "In two days, my son is going to die. I can't do this, Penny. It's too much. I can't lose my son, not like this."
"Oh Jeff, I am so sorry." Penny said. "Parker and I will leave within the hour we should reach Wharton about 8:20 am their time. We should then reach the Island shortly before 9 am your time."
"Thanks Penny, I'll let the school know to expect you. You may have to explain this to Alan. I'll call the 24-hour emergency line and explain that John is sick, but I can't give them the full story, and I don't know if I will have a chance to reach him in person before you get there." Jeff said as he wiped the tears from his eyes while bringing his emotions back under control. He hesitated a moment before continuing. "And Penny, I'm sorry for breaking down on you."
"I understand Jeff." Penny said. "You've been under tremendous strain and knowing you, you've insisted on being strong for your sons. Don't worry about Alan. I'll take care of him. I just wish that I could be there for you right now, but I will be there as soon as I can."
"Thanks Penny, I'll see you when you get here." Jeff said as he disconnected the call. He buried his head in his hands trying to pull himself together enough to place the call to Alan's school.
Scott entered the infirmary to find his brother lying on his side sleeping with a blanket pulled up over his head with just the top of his white blond hair sticking out. Scott gently pulled the blanket back to reveal his brother's face. Even though John was asleep, Scott could still see the pain etched on his face. Scott gently shook John's shoulder. "John? Hey John, wake up man." He was taken back a little by the warmth that John was radiating.
John rolled onto his back with a groan. He slowly opened his eyes and focused on his brother. "Scott? You guys are back already? How long was I asleep?"
"Relax John," Scott said. "You've only been asleep for not quite two hours. I'm the only one home right now. I hurried home to check on you. How are you feeling?"
John thought for a moment. "Drowsy. I think maybe it's a side effect of the fever reducer."
"I thought you were a little warm, when did that start?" Scott asked.
"Dad didn't tell you?" John asked. "My temp started rising probably a couple hours after you guys left for the rescue. How'd that go by the way?"
"Actually, it was a fairly easy rescue, but wasn't dad here when I reported in?" Scott asked.
"Yeah he was." John answered. "But I also know how you down play how hard things were, especially if you don't want to worry dad."
"Am I that transparent?" Scott asked with a laugh.
John smiled. "Only to those of us who take the time to learn what makes you tick."
"So in other words, only to you." Scott replied.
John gave Scott a snort. "Don't sell the rest of our brothers short. They understand a lot more than you give them credit for."
"I know John." Scott broke in. "You're not the only one who is observant."
"You're going to need to be there for them." John began but Scott cut him off.
"John, don't talk like that." Scott commanded. "Brains will find an answer. He's never let us down before. He won't let us down now. We have to believe that. You have to believe that."
John looked at Scott in the eyes, and he spoke in a rarely used tone that commanded attention. "As much as I want to believe that Scott, we must be prepared for the worst. Burying our heads in the sand now will only make it worse later on."
"I don't know what to say." Scott admitted to his brother. "I don't know how to deal with all this. I feel so helpless, and I hate it.'
"I know that too, Scott." John said. "You definitely have a 'hands-on, be in control' personality. I'm sure it's part of being the oldest. But this time you don't have to talk. Let me say what I have to say and then if you have anything to say, you can talk.
"Okay John," Scott said resignedly. "Just don't make it too pessimistic. I'm still counting on Brains finding a solution."
John smiled. "You just can't stop giving orders, can you?"
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…" Scott began, but this time John cut him off.
"Don't apologize Scott," John said. "It's who you are. I wouldn't want you to change." John paused for a moment. "OK, back to my prepared speech. First off, I want you to know that I love you. Being 'guys' we don't say the words that often. We usually show it with our actions, but this time I want to say the words, to make sure that there is absolutely no doubt about how I feel. You've been a great big brother. You were always there for me when I needed you. One of my first memories is when I fell off the swing when I was four. I tore my pants and cut my knee open. It was bleeding and I was getting woozy at the sight of my own blood. But then there you were. I don't even know where you came from, but you were suddenly there. You helped me to the house and sat next to me while Mom cleaned and bandaged the cut. Then when I started school, my tendency to be a loner and my preference for books made me an easy target for bullies. It didn't take long though for the bullies to learn that if they messed with me, they had to answer to you. You saved me from a lot of pummelings."
John stopped for a moment and cleared his throat before continuing. "Then when Mom died, you held this family together."
Scott ducked his head in embarrassment. "I didn't do that much."
"Oh yes, you did." John continued. "You took charge when Dad was lost in his grief. You made sure that we went to school when we were supposed to. You made sure that we had food in the house. You were thrown into a 'father' role, and you handled it well. I don't think that we would be where we are today if you hadn't done such a good job."
"Don't put the halo only on my head." Scott interrupted. "You were just as much a part of pulling us through those dark days as I was. I may have handled the logistics of the situation, but you handled the emotional upheaval. I know that I would have never made it through if I didn't have you behind me. I never could handle emotional outbursts very well."
John gave out a quiet laugh. "Well, this time you're going to have to handle it without me."
"John, don't say stuff like that." Scott snapped. "You have to stay positive."
"And you have to be realistic." John snapped back.
John and Scott stared at each other in silence. They both began to speak at the same time.
"John…"
"Scott…"
They both stopped and looked at each other sheepishly. John gestured for Scott to continue.
"Look John, I'm sorry that I snapped at you." Scott said. "I just don't want to see you give up. As long as you're alive, there is hope. You have to believe that."
"Scott, I'm not giving up. I'm just trying to cover all my bases." John explained. "If I do survive, we can look back and laugh at what saps we're being. But if and I only mean 'if' I don't survive, I want to have said my piece."
"OK, I'm sorry." Scott said. "I didn't mean to belittle your need. Go ahead, say what you need to and I'll listen."
"Ok," John began again. "I've already talked to dad about this and now I'm going to tell you. The guys are going to look to you two for guidance. Don't hide your emotions from them. I know that neither of you like to show when you're upset. You feel that it undermines your 'professionalism.' But the boys need to know that it is OK to have human emotions. You're also going to need to take care of the boys if Dad can't, especially Alan. I know that Virgil and Gordon are both adults and active members of International Rescue. They have seen death before, but it is different when it's your own family. Their memories of Mom's death are seen through a child's eye. This is going to be so different. I don't know if they can handle it, and then there's Alan. He is just a kid even though he desperately wants to prove himself as an adult. He has no real memories of Mom or her death at all. This will be the first time that he will have to actually face the death of a family member. There's no telling how he will react. You need to be understanding. I know that he can be a pain-in-the-butt at times, but he's still young. He needs your guidance not your disapproval. He's got a lot of you in him."
"Me? No way." Scott broke in.
John gave him a condescending smile. "Who are you trying to kid? I remember what you were like when you were fifteen, the same stubborn demeanor, the same explosive temper, the same knack for getting in trouble even when you are trying to do something good, the same compassionate spirit hidden under a 'macho' front. Do I need to go on? Face it Scott. The reason you and Alan butt heads so much is because you are so much like each other."
"OK, OK." Scott said. "I'm not sure that I would have put it that way, but I guess you have a point. A small point, but still a point." The beeping of Scott's watch broke into their conversation.
Scott keyed his watch. "Scott here."
Their dad's voice greeted them. "I just wanted to let you know that Thunderbird 2 is about five minutes out."
"OK Dad, thanks for the intel." Scott replied.
"How are things going? How's John feeling?" Jeff asked.
John grabbed Scott's arm and turned his watch so he could speak into it. "I'm doing about the same. My temp is still rising, although slowly, even with the fever reducer."
"OK John," Jeff said. "I'll talk to Brains and see if there is anything else we can do about it." Jeff then closed the link.
Scott pulled his arm back and asked. "Well, it sounds like we're going to have company soon. Is there anything else that we need to cover?"
John thought for a moment. "No, I think that was it. Take care of everyone, don't shut out your emotions, and most importantly give Alan a break. Anything that you want to add?"
"Just that I love you too, John." Scott responded. "I'm sure going to miss you if…if…you know what I mean." Scott pulled John into a careful hug. "I couldn't have asked for a better brother. Thank you." Releasing John, he continued. "Hey, I'm going to head to the hanger. I'll help Virgil with the post-flight checks and send Gordon back here so that you can talk to him. OK?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks Scott, I appreciate that." John replied as Scott left the infirmary.
Author's note: From Convert: Hiding place, I need a new hiding place. (runs off mumbling.)
From Grumpy: (addressing posse.) She's around here somewhere. I just know it.
Emotions, emotions, emotions. There just everywhere. We want to thank readers and our reviewers for taking time for our story. Just a little preview for those who have been waiting for Alan, he will appear in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed.