Gordon stands frozen to the spot, as the fire erupts into an uncontrollable blaze, spreading across the roof of the barn.
"Gordon, come on, we have to get that fire put out!" Alan cries desperately, tugging on his arm to get him to move.
Spurred into action Gordon follows him to the barn, grabbing the hose from the side of the house and wrenching the valve open and running to the barn, where the smoke fills his nostrils with an acrid burning smell as he aims the water from the hose onto the flames.
Gordons mom and dad have joined the two teenagers, his dad carrying a fire extinguisher, and they work in silence as they try to bring the fire under control.
"It isn't working" Alan tells them watching in horror as the flames climb higher and higher quickly enveloping the whole building.
"We have to keep trying, we can't let the fire reach the house" His dad tells them. He helped his own father build this barn, it took them a whole summer and now it is being destroyed in less than 30 minutes.
"I have called the fire brigade Jeff" Lucy tells him, shouting to be heard over the crackling flames.
"Thanks" He calls back, not turning to look as he concentrates on the task in hand. Of all the stupid things Gordon has done, this is the worst.
They work tirelessly, Gordon on the hose while Jeff works the extinguisher, swearing loudly when it runs out, praying for the fire brigade to hurry up.
"Give me that" Jeff demands, grabbing the hose and pushing Gordon to the ground, his palms stinging as they scrape against the cold snowy ground.
"OW" he cries in pain, sitting up and examining his throbbing wrist for damage.
"Stop whinging" Jeff replies unsympathetically, "And get up you lazy little imbecile"
Slowly getting to his feet, he can hear the sirens from the impending fire trucks. Relieved that the professionals are on hand to take over, Gordon goes back to join his mom at a safe distance, but unsure if he is running from the fire or from his father.
They stand in silence, watching the firefighters take over from Jeff. The sky is on fire, as Jeff joins Gordon and his wife.
"Dad" Gordon starts.
"No, I don't want to hear it" Jeff interrupts still fuming, ignoring the heart break in his eyes.
"Lucy, where is Alan?" Jeff asks realising that his youngest son is missing.
Panic like bile rises up in her throat, her eyes darting in all directions with the skills she has developed with her 26 years of experience as a mother. Her baby is in danger.
"We have to find him, what if he went into the barn?" She asks in horror.
"He wouldn't, Alan isn't stupid" Gordon tells her, even though that is his biggest fear too.
"He is your brother, isn't he?" Jeff butts in scathingly. If he was stupid enough to set off fireworks, then he is stupid enough to walk into a burning building.
"What is that supposed to mean" Gordon asks enraged.
"Knock it off you 2, we need to find Alan, and this is not helping." Lucy knows a row is the last thing she needs right now. "Gordon, go and check the house, Jeff go and speak to one of the firefighters to see if anyone has seen him, I will stay here in case he comes back"
"I will check the barn" Gordon tells her, ignoring her instruction and running towards the barn, where the combined efforts of the firefighters is starting to have some effect. The flames slowly being beaten back. The roof is almost gone, and the main structure is in danger of a complete collapse.
"GET BACK HERE" Jeff shouts, chasing after his errant offspring. Both stopping in fear as one of the fire fighters is walking towards them, a bundle with a shock of bright yellow hair just visible.
"ALAN!" They both cry out, united for once by their shared terror.
"I tried to stop it dad" He whispers. His face turning to face his father, pale skinned, his eyes are filled with tears. "I can't breathe dad" he adds whimpering, his eyes struggling to focus on the scene in front of him.
"He has inhaled a lot of smoke. We have radioed for an ambulance" the fire chief tells Jeff.
Jeff holds his arms out, "Let me take him. How are you getting on?" he asks as he takes the teenager into his arms, flinching as he takes note of the red raw skin on his arms, blistered from the heat of the fire, as the idiot was out in the middle of winter wearing a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.
"We are getting there, was a bit of a shock finding this one trying to help. He was up the ladder on the other side trying to put the flames out with a wet towel, he panicked and fell. I think his leg is broken."
"I just wanted to help" Alan wheezes, before finally succumbing to the pain and losing consciousness in Jeffs arms.
Jeff thought the wait for the fire brigade was agony, but that is nothing to the pain of waiting for the ambulance. His boy needs help, and he needs it now. He doesn't say a word as he carries Alan back over to Lucy, Gordon on his heels.
Jeff slowly and carefully lowers him to the ground, removing his jacket and folding it up underneath his head.
Gordon knows that now is not the time to speak up, as he blankly stares at Alans almost translucent skin. Shivering, as he wraps his arms around his body.
He is forced to watch as his brother is hooked up to an oxygen tank and loaded into the ambulance, his suspected broken leg splinted and placed in a brace, his mom climbing in with him, leaving him alone with his angry father. Realising that his mom hasn't said a single word to him since getting outside, his mom is the queen of silent treatment, knowing Jeff had the torture role perfected she would purse her lips, and let him get on with it. Never showing any of the boys any sympathy, if Jeff needed to punish them, they deserved it. Bringing up her boys was a black and white subject, with no room for grey areas.
Gordon has never understood the phrase 'the silence is deafening' until now. the only sound he can hear is the heavy breathing of his father.
Weak wintery sunlight is slowly breaking through the darkness light falling on the now defunct barn. All of Jeffs hard work destroyed in a single night, not a single wooden post has survived the blaze. Thanking the fire chief and watching them drive away, he turns to Gordon.
"Dad?" He asks, his voice shaking.
Blinding pain erupts through his skull as his fathers' fist makes contact with his right cheekbone. Tears stinging his eyes, he knows he deserved that.
"I am going to the hospital to be with your brother, I want to off the property by the time I get back. And you can forget me subbing you until you are on your feet Gordon." Jeff snaps at him.
"But dad, I want to see Alan. I have to make sure he is okay" Gordon pleads.
Pushing him to the ground for a second time, Jeffs voice is a low menacing growl, as he steps on his chest to prevent him from getting back up, glaring at him with disgust and a hatred Gordon has never seen before. "No you don't. What the hell were you thinking?"
"I wasn't" Gordon tells him, his voice morose and full of regret. "Where am I supposed to go?"
"That is obvious. I don't care, you can stay on the streets and starve as far as I am concerned. We are done Gordon" Stepping back, Jeff goes back into the house to get dressed, as the clothes he hurriedly threw on are now covered in dirt, ash and snow, so he can be with Alan. He doesn't bother saying goodbye to Gordon and hopes that he takes his orders of being out of the house by the time he gets back seriously.
The 30-minute drive to the hospital, in the early morning light before the rush hour starts in earnest, would be a pleasant journey, if only the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach out abate. The clock on the dashboard is showing 5am, and this has been the longest night he can remember in a long time.
"Lucy? Where is he?" Jeff asks the second he reaches the emergency room. She folds herself into his arms and starts to cry on her shoulder.
"Oh Jeff it is awful, they have taken him away from me and they won't tell me anything" She sobs.
"He is going to be fine Luce; he is a Tracy after all. Why don't I go and see what I can find out?" He volunteers.
Nodding, Lucy fixes her amber eyes on his, the eyes Gordon inherited, the eyes he loves more than anything else. Ignoring the sudden flare of resentment as Gordons face flashes in front of his brain, he tries to find a doctor to get the information that they are desperate for.
The minutes turn into hours before they are finally allowed to see Alan. Lying in an induced coma in intensive care, their usually so full of life 17-year-old is barely recognisable. An oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth, he is hooked up to so many machines, he is more robot than man. There are thick bandages wrapping his arms and chest, and his right leg is in a cast.
The doctor responsible for Alans treatment follows them into his room. "Mr and Mrs Tracy, Alan has suffered severe smoke inhalation and third degree burns to his arms and chest. Once he is a lot stronger he will need to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery to correct the scarring. He may never regain the full mobility in his arms. The fracture to right leg is not a serious break and should heal well without the need for surgery, but he will be in a cast for the next 6-8 weeks. Do you have any questions?" he tells them, he has been a doctor long enough to know to be straight forward and honest with his patients.
Jeff sinks into the chair next to Alans bed, picking up a heavily bandaged hand, holding it gently in his, tears silently dripping down his face. "Can he hear us?" Jeff asks.
"Honestly, I don't know. Some patients can hear everything that their families say to them, others can't. I would advise you to keep talking to him, because if he can hear you, he needs all of the encouragement and support you can give him. I will give you some time alone with him, if you need anything at all, just press the call button and someone will be straight in."
"Thanks doc" Jeff replies.
"What time is it?" Lucy asks tiredly.
"12:30" Jeff tells her, glancing at his watch, realising that he too has had very little sleep.
"We have to call the boys?" She asks, knowing that they have 3 difficult calls to make.
"I know, I will call them in a while, I need to figure out how I am going to explain this to them" Jeff tells her.
She hasn't asked him about Gordon, she too cannot believe that he would do something so irresponsible, and there is plenty of time to talk about Gordon, and to discuss his punishment, not aware that Jeff has ordered her boy to leave.
*TB*
Gordon is angry, opening up a suitcase he starts to throw random items in, without a thought for what is going in. just as many of his possessions end up on the floor. Until he picks up his plush Squid, the one toy from his childhood that has endured everything he has, the operation on his heart the day after he was born, and the operation on the wrist he broke, falling out of the tree house in the yard, this little thing even went to the Olympics with him, sitting with Alan in the crowd as his lucky mascot.
Hugging the toy to his chest, he sinks down onto the bed and starts to cry in earnest. His life is over, he is going to end up living under a bridge without any family to protect him. Packing the quid into his backpack, he starts to properly go through his things. Packing clothes, and toiletries, and his Olympic gold medal. There is no way he is leaving this behind; his father would probably sell it.
He gives his childhood bedroom, now considerably emptier, but looking like it has been hit by a tornado, one last look before dragging the cases down the stairs and out into his car. A present from his parents for his 17th birthday. A candy apple red Mercedes convertible, flashier than something he would have picked for himself, but its wheels and right now it is his home.
If he is going to be on his own, he needs money, and he knows exactly where to get it from. Steely determination fuels his movements through the house and into his father's office. Thanks to his years of knowing Jeff Tracy, he knows the combination to the safe is his grandmother's birthday, tapping in the numbers the satisfying click brings the first smile to his face in hours. The contents don't disappoint as he empties not only cash, but jewellery too. Jewellery belonging to his mom, grandmother and even his great grandmother.
"Call it compensation for punching me dad" he thinks as he leaves the safe door open for him to find, leaves the front door unlocked just in case anyone fancies burglary, hops in the car and drives away to his new life, without a backwards glance into the mirror.