Warning: This chapter contains abusive behaviour to a minor (not physical).

He'd been there hours.

The doc had come in and spoken to him about Lucille Evans, not that he had paid too much attention after being told that she would probably not wake up until tomorrow. Part of him wanted to just up and leave, but he needed answers and that meant a lucid Lucy.

So he waited.

He'd been chased out at midday while the staff did whatever it was they were doing, and he grabbed a dog and a quick stroll around the park. Jeff supposed he could call his mom and ask what all the medical terms meant, but then he'd have to tell her what was going on, and there was no way he was going to tell his Ma and Pa that they might be grandparents over the comms.

When he got back the room and Lucy looked exactly the same, and Jeff sighed. It was going to be a long, long day. Hell, it was already.

Four hours and god knew how many crappy coffees later, Jeff was just contemplating booking a hotel for the night when there was a soft knock on the door and a careworn woman in a black skirt suit and pale purple blouse entered.

Jeff ignored her. Whoever she was, she didn't look important. No businesswoman worth his time would dress like that. It looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in ages, and her shoes and briefcase had seen better days. But if he thought could legitimately ignoring her she soon put a stop to that.

'Mr Jeff Tracy?'

He put his cup down and turned to her, frowning at the interruption. She obviously noticed as she swallowed nervously before walking towards him, holding out a hand to be shaken. Jeff didn't want to, but something told him that she was important in some way he was yet to define. He took the proffered hand but didn't stand – there was a limit to how nice he was going to be to a total stranger.

'Yes?'

'My name is Ms Holt. Brenda.'

'What may I do for you, Ms Holt?'

He let go of her as soon as it was polite to do so, resisting the urge to wipe his hand down his pantleg. There had been nothing to warrant that reaction, but the urge was quashed anyway.

'It is more about what I can do for you, Mr Tracy.' She gave him a warm smile that triggered nothing but worry, and that worry increased as she turned away from him and back to the door, holding it open.

'Come on, come in Scott.'

At the sound of that name Jeff's heart froze and it was all he could do to keep a civil face. He watched as a scrawny child in shorts and tee that looked far too big for him entered. There was livid bruising to one side of his face, and his right arm was in plaster. Minor cuts littered his face and upper arms.

Blue eyes so very much like his own father's eyes brimmed with fear as the boy edged into the room, staying as close to the woman as possible but his eyes never left Jeff's. The boy was practically trying to hide in the woman's tight skirt, and for some reason it riled him greatly.

Ms Holt gently pushed the child forward, and the move caused Scott's line of sight to shift to the bed. With a gasp he ran forward only to stop suddenly as he realised that Jeff was in the way.

Jeff's lip curled at the boy's fear of him. It was somehow fitting that the cause of the loss of his life-long dream would be afraid of him. He leaned forward slightly, holding the boy's attention.

'You want to go see your mother?'

He nodded. Scott didn't know who the man was sitting with his Mama was. With everything that had happened – the crash, being in an ambulance, all the people, then being moved to a different house…the past few hours had been a whirlwind of too many people, too much noise and too much strangeness. It had been him and his Mama for all his life and everything had been too much and now there was a strange man sitting between his Mama and himself and there was something scary about him…

Scott burst into tears.

'For god's sake, stop that immediately!' Jeff barked out, causing even Ms Holt to jump slightly. He watched as the boy flinched and stumbled backwards, falling onto his ass and then, because he couldn't put his right hand out to steady himself, falling onto his broken arm.

There was a piercing scream, but before Jeff could say or do anything else a nurse, coming in to ask him to leave no doubt, took charge of the now-sobbing child and took him away, much to Jeff's relief. At the same time Ms Holt's outraged 'Mr Tracy!' sounded loud and clear. Jeff ignored it.

He turned back to Lucy before Ms Holt's voice sounded again, thick with judgement, telling him that she was still there and had not left with the boy.

'Mr Tracy. We need to discuss…'

'There is nothing to discuss, Ms Holt.'

The growl in his voice should have told the woman to stop, but it didn't.

'I beg to differ. There is a four-year-old boy who desperately needs his father while his mother is unable to care for him.'

'That child is not mine.'

'Your name is on his birth certificate.'

'Nevertheless, until I have spoken to Miss Evans I will not have any dealings with the child. You have him in accommodation? Then return him until such time that his mother can take him.'

'But Mr Tracy…'

'But nothing. I will not have that child anywhere near me until it has been proven without any doubt that the boy is mine.'

'This is most irregular and I will have to make a report about this.'

'You do that. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you did not bring that child here while I am here.'

'I can't promise that Mr Tracy. Miss Evans is his mother and Scott is entitled to visit her as often as someone is free to bring him.'

He hadn't looked at the social worker once while the conversation had carried on, and it was only the sounds of footsteps that told him she'd left. Jeff had heard the unmistakable dislike and threat in her voice but didn't care. It wasn't like she could actually do anything about, well, anything.

The nurse that had come in earlier and had taken the boy away returned, casting disapproving glances at Jeff as he checked Lucy's obs, but eventually he left too, leaving a restless Jeff alone for the moment with just the constant beeping and the sound of Lucy's breathing to accompany his thoughts.

NASA was almost certainly never going to send him to Mars now, and he would have to swallow the bitter pill of Aston Carter…Jeff needed to begin making other plans. He looked at Lucy and a plan began to form.

He hadn't been prepared to see the child, and now he had there was no doubt in his mind that the boy was his, the familial resemblance was uncanny. Wasn't going to stop him getting the DNA test done.

Jeff Tracy had plans to be someone big in the business world – no, big in the World actually – and no bastard child was going to rob him of that.