It took some time and some exhausting work on Virgil's part, but eventually he could sit up and Scott arranged a press conference. Apparently, it was against his better judgment and he wanted Virgil to wait longer, but it had already been over a week and the presents kept rolling in.
So with a handmade Thunderbird Two themed beanie on his head to hide the mess of bandages and mangled hair - it had been Scott who flew in their barber to tidy it up, but the result was definitely still beanie worthy - he prepared to face the media.
Gordon respected his hair, but the beanie was definitely up for grabs on the joke front.
Virgil claimed he was just jealous he didn't have a Thunderbird Four version. It turned out even more hilarious when Virgil discovered that the beanie did have a Thunderbird Four partner...that was tiny and barely fit his handmade doll.
Gordon was very put out.
Virgil made a point of wearing the fan made hat along with a blanket to hide his belly - who had time to make him an entire blanket? Again, green with red tassels, thin yellow stripes and a white number Two in its centre.
He might have gotten a little over-emotional over this one.
He was blaming the painkillers he was on.
Stupid drugs.
Scott, with Gordon and Alan on one side and John on the other, pushed Virgil's hoverchair down the hall. Gordon had declared he wasn't missing this for the world and Alan agreed. John, Virgil suspected, just wanted to keep an eye on him. His space brother had been hovering a little and it was odd John would voluntarily attend such a public gathering.
Virgil could count John's attendances to this kind of thing on one hand.
But it was good to have all of his brothers with him. After all, they worked as a team.
As for himself, he wanted to do this, but it wasn't easy. His health was something to be reckoned with. Scott wasn't far wrong. His brain wanted, but his body didn't have the resources to deliver and a simple thing like getting into the hoverchair in the first place was frustrating and exhausting as all hell.
The moment the doors opened to the pandemonium outside the front of the hospital, he realised just how much he was asking of himself.
But he was going to do this, goddamnit.
The lights from holorecorders and flashes from cameras were blinding. A sharp word from Scott dulled it all down a bit, but the noise of so many people and the brightness of the day along with those still determined to photograph him was overwhelming.
"You don't have to do this." Scott quiet voice in his ear was ever so protective.
"Yes, I do." And Virgil forced himself to face the people.
Fortunately, by the time they made it to the podium and his brothers sat down beside him, the majority of the crowd had quietened down, eyes pinned on Virgil, waiting for him to speak.
But it was Scott who spoke first, dressed in his suit, impeccable as always. Virgil had a suit jacket and loose shirt on, but that was all he had been able to manage. He looked like an idiot, but hopefully a dedicated one at least.
"Good morning. As promised, my brother Virgil is here to speak with you. As you can see, he is on the mend and we are ever so happy to have him back with us. He would like to make a statement."
And Scott turned to him.
Virgil fingered the torn-out page of his sketchbook with his notes on it and looked out at the crowd. The media hovered expectantly at the foot of the podium staring up at him, but beyond that were the group of people that he had come here to speak to. Most were average, likely interested townsfolk, but in the centre there was a swath of green clothing. Several held signs and placards that said things like 'Get Well Soon, TB2' and 'Thunderbirds 4ever'. There was even one sign that declared 'We love you, Virgil!'.
These were the people responsible.
The mic stared at him.
He pulled on the speech training they had all had and straightened his shoulders the best he could.
"My sole purpose of speaking to you today is to thank all of you for all your support and for all the gifts that have been sent to me. I wanted you to know that every gesture is valued and..." He placed a hand on his heart. "...I am ever so grateful." Said heart was doing a royal dance behind his breastbone. He pushed a smile onto his face. "I would particularly like to thank Gavii for the hat. I needed it." The smile became a grin. "Kat's playlist was a beauty, and JB's TB2 was an utter delight." He looked down, his mind rifling through all the gifts he had been given. Looking up, he stared across the crowd to the bunch of green people in the centre. "If I named all of you, I would be here all day, but I wanted you to know how much I appreciate and value all your contributions. I will be passing the majority onto those who need them much more than I do, but I will keep your well wishes in my heart for all time." He drew in a shaky breath. "Thank you."
Scott's eyes were an intensity off to his left. Gordon had already placed a hand on his arm from his right.
Now what he had wanted to say had been said, exhaustion was having a good go at winning the war. He knew this would happen, but screw it.
His eldest brother shifted in his seat. "I would like to express my thanks alongside my brother. We are very grateful for all the support shown to Virgil and our family during this difficult time. International Rescue will be returning to operation as soon as possible."
"Who will be flying Thunderbird Two?"
Scott eyed the reporter at the front of the crowd. "Plans are in place. IR operational procedure is not what this conference is about." The commander's protective nature regarding the secrecy of their organisation automatically coming to the fore.
"It won't be the same without you, Virgil!" A woman in the midst of the green patch yelled across the crowd. The people around her murmured agreement.
Virgil twisted his lips, the need to defend his brothers foremost in his mind. "My brothers are quite capable of providing our services without me. You can be assured of that."
"I have to agree with them on this one, Virg." Gordon's fond smile shone at Virgil and then across the audience. "It won't be the same and we are all looking forward to having you back." That hand on his arm squeezed tight.
Virgil's lips had to curl into a smile.
"Three cheers for International Rescue!" It was yelled at the top of someone's lungs and suddenly the crowd was cheering like crazy. Virgil's name prominent, but also the other brothers, all topped off with a 'Tracy, Tracy, Tracy!"
Beside Virgil, Gordon jumped up and joined in, Alan not far behind him. John smirked and Scott tried to stay serious, but his eyes were sparkling.
Cameras started flashing again, holo-recorders buzzing around, but despite the overwhelming noise, Virgil's smile just got bigger.
-o-o-o-