Disclaimer: Not mine.

Alas, here is the fluffy conclusion. I hope you've enjoyed this little snippet.

Chapter Three

Gordon awoke slowly.

Heavy eyelids were gradually forced open, and a fuzzy scene greeted him.

Was he in the infirmary back on Tracy Island?

Blinking, he noticed what appeared to be a bag of fluids hanging. Following the IV, he saw the port in his arm and a body next to his hand.

Gordon's eyesight focused on the face that was resting near his hand, their eyes closed.

"S-sc..." he tried to whisper but immediately regretted it as a coughing fit ensued, sending fire throughout his chest. Gordon suddenly realized an oxygen mask covered his face, quickly making him feel claustrophobic.

"Gordon!" he heard his eldest brother call out.

The second youngest tried to paw away at the oxygen mask on his face as he gasped for air, not understanding what was happening.

"Gordon, you have to leave the mask on," Scott instructed as he gently but firmly held the aquanaut in place.

Another set of strong hands suddenly pushed him down. "Gordon, look at me," he heard the deep voice demand. His amber eyes blinked and finally met the concerned gaze of his brother Virgil. Where did he come from?

"Gordon, take a slow depth breath. Follow me, okay?" Virgil demonstrated as he instructed Gordon to follow his own breathing pattern.

Slowly Gordon felt his breathing relax as he felt the forced oxygen reaching his lungs. His chest burned, but he was finding it easier to breathe.

"You with us, Fishface?" Scott questioned, his sapphire eyes searching Gordon's face in worry.

Gordon nodded slowly, relaxing his body into the bed as fatigue overwhelmed him suddenly. "W-what happened?"

"What do you remember?"

Gordon searched his brain.

Did something happen to Thunderbird 4?

Had he been on a mission?

Why couldn't he think or remember?

"It's okay. Confusion is a normal side effect of decompression sickness, Gords," Virgil reassured. "We had to fish you out of the ocean when Thunderbird Four started acting up. You didn't decompress appropriately on the way up. It was scary for a bit, but we got you in the chamber. You've been unconscious for a while. Once it was safe to remove you from the chamber, Grandma instructed that we move you inside here to the house infirmary."

"We just forced Grandma to bed," Scott smirked as he noticed Gordon's eyes searching the room apprehensively. "Took some convincing."

"More than some," Virgil quipped. "How are you feeling?"

Gordon took in another puff of oxygen and groaned. "My chest feels like it's on fire."

"I'm not surprised," Virgil mused and looked at his watch. "I can give you something to help. Anything else to report?"

"My body aches, but that makes sense now if it's the bends," Gordon replied honestly.

Virgil began pushing the painkiller into his IV. Once finished, he eyed Gordon's monitor and was satisfied with his little brother's levels. "Your stats are looking good, and your oxygen saturation is getting better each hour. I'd say we're through the worst of it. You'll be good as new in a few days."

"Next time, just save us big brothers the trouble, though. Okay?" Scott said, gripping Gordon's shoulder. "I, for one, could go without another few gray hairs."

Gordon smiled. "Now, what's the fun in that?" he mused, earning two danger glares.

Virgil grew a devilish grin on his face. "Don't worry, Scott. Grandma's cooking for the next few days should be a good enough reminder."

Scott chuckled. "That's right! She did mention something about making a batch of cookies."

Gordon's eyes grew in horror. "I take it back! You wouldn't leave the wounded so vulnerable now, would you?"

"We'll think about it," Virgil simpered, noticing Gordon was finding it hard to keep his eyes open. "Get some rest. We're not going anywhere."

Gordon nodded as he took in another puff of oxygen. "Thanks for having my back, guys. I don't really remember, but it sounds like you saved my tail today."

"Don't mention it, squirt," Scott smiled. "Get some rest."

Gordon finally closed his eyes, allowing sleep to claim him. The comfort of knowing his two big brothers were there to watch over him made him feel like a kid again, and for once, he was okay with it.

FIN!

That's it! I hope you enjoyed this little piece. I have a couple of WIP on the back burner, still including a sequel to Always the Hero. Working on them little by little and once the semester is over, I hope to have more time to work on them.

Until later! Thanks again for your reviews!