To say it was easy getting John prepared to give testimony was a lie. Once they'd gotten Fermat back to the hotel, John sat with him in order to corroborate stories. They'd decided to tell the truth, except changing the mentions of the Thunderbirds to just John and Scott and the phone call being an accidental misdial on Fermat's part.
John was satisfied with their lies and half-truths they'd decided on. John was going to tell the courts that he'd been in the living room watching a movie with Scott when he got a phone call from Fermat. He'd answered it, curious to know if Alan and Fermat needed help with a late night study session and heard both boys coughing. Fermat started speaking when he heard John, believing him to be a 911 dispatcher. When John revealed that they'd called him and not 911, Fermat and Alan were so discombobulated from smoke inhalation that they'd been unable to comprehend that they'd called Alan's brother. John planned to say that he stayed on the phone with his baby brother and brother's friends, offering direction when they asked while he had Scott contact 911 to report their entrapment in the fire.
"Are you sure this will work?" John inquired as he leveled his dad a curious look.
"I don't see why not." Jeff replied.
"I just feel wrong about this. I'll be under oath, you know I can't lie my way out of a paper bag." John said as he started feeling unsure. He requested to give his testimony the day after returning Fermat to the hospital and Barrett confirmed that that'd be a possibility considering it'd been mentioned to the judge in time for her to let those involved know that they'd be stuck in the courtroom…again the following day.
"You'll be fine son, nothing to worry about." Jeff reassured. "You work for IR, you've been able to lie before and this is just another fib to protect your identities."
"Yeah, but…" John murmured.
"John, you can do this no problem. Just keep in mind that you are helping your brother, you are helping Fermat and their other friends find closure to what happened to them." Jeff said as he stood in the room talking to John. Virgil was playing Tetris on his phone idly and trying not to eavesdrop though he was doing a poor job of letting John know he was in fact listening. His eyes kept flitting back and forth from the screen of his phone to his dad and brother who were talking across the room. "You've already done a lot for Alan, this is just another little thing. Once you're done you're done."
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A few hours later, as John was preparing for bed he looked at himself in the mirror. He stopped brushing his teeth for a few moments and sighed. Supporting his upper body on the counter of the bathroom sink, John let his head sink down below his shoulders. He was having trouble justifying his lie to the courts. He knew it was wrong in the eyes of the law, but his dad, Virgil, Barrett and everyone was counting on this lie.
"Hey, what's up?" Virgil asked as he pushed the slightly ajar door open to look at his brother with a raised eyebrow.
"Nothing…" John lied as he took his toothbrush from his mouth and spat the toothpaste foam out.
"Don't lie to me John. I know you're uncomfortable with the idea of lying in court tomorrow." Virgil said as he propped up against the door frame. John and Scott weren't the only brothers with built in lie detectors. Virgil had what Gordon and Alan called brother sense which was a play on that Peter Parker kid having spidey sense. Which Virgil thought was dumb. He joked that he had eyes in the back of his head and his brothers when they'd been younger had actually believed that. "You've got nothing to be scared of John, you'll do fine."
"No I won't. When have you ever known me to be a decent liar? I can't even lie to dad and tell him that I love grilled artichoke hearts when those are probably the foulest thing to ever exist on the face of the planet." John balked. He rinsed his toothbrush before he straightened back up to look into his own eyes.
"You can do this John. Just don't think about it. Imagine, if Alan and Fermat can do this and they're recovering from horrific burns, are temporarily wheelchair bound and can't tolerate anyone touching them anywhere but on the back of their heads – this should be a cakewalk for you. You know what a terrible liar Alan is and Fermat. Alan smiles when he lies and Fermat blushes from head to the tips of his toes. You just stutter and can't make eye contact." Virgil said as he tried to remind John what the boys were up against which was only half the battle that John faced.
"Do you think I can do it?" John asked as he left the bathroom, before moving to sit on his bed.
"Yes, you can do anything Johnny. Just keep in mind that you're doing this for Alan. If you can't do it for you then do it for Alan and Fermat. They deserve justice." Virgil said as he sat across from John on his own bed. Since Scott and Gordon were in the hospital now, recovering from their own donation surgery – Virgil and John got their own beds and relished in not having to share.
John sighed before he pulled back his blankets and duvet, slipping between the sheets and heaving a deep sigh. "I hope I'm not going to regret this."
"You won't." Virgil said as he laid down in his own bed. "Trust me."
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"Oh my god!" Alan hissed as he came awake. His foot jerked involuntarily and Alan yelped. Reaching overhead with his good hand, Alan grasped the pull cord of the light above his bed and gave a tug which provided instant illumination. He rubbed at his eyes and groaned before hissing out a combination between a yelp and a hiss.
He yanked the light blue hospital issued blanket off his legs and gazed down past his gown at his bandaged legs and feet. He could see bruising littering the skin that wasn't wrapped and that was only his legs and feet. He had no idea what his back and shoulders looked like and he didn't want to know if he was honest. The pain was like an electric jolt running up and down his legs and feet. Giving another jerk, Alan groaned.
Scrubbing a hand over his eyes, Alan just sat up. He bit his lip before a wince adorned his face and Alan tried to ignore it. He couldn't stand the pain, but he didn't want to call the nurses station to get more medicine. He hated taking medicine on a good day and since being in the hospital these last few months, he'd begun hating it just a little bit more.
He needn't wait to call the nurses station though. Apparently him turning on his night light above his bed told nurses he was awake and it was Karen that knocked on his door.
"Alan? May I come in?" Karen asked after she knocked.
"Yeah." Alan replied though he wished he didn't have to.
The door came open and Karen smiled briefly before the smile fell. Alan had rolled over and was now sitting up, though slumped back against his hands.
"What's the matter dear?" Karen asked as she walked over to Alan and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"My feet and legs hurt." Alan said even as his leg involuntarily jerked back when he felt an electric jolt.
"How would you describe the pain?" Karen asked as she moved down to Alan's feet and began inspecting the healing tissue. "What would you rate the pain as on a basis of 1-10?"
"12 and it feels like I'm being electrocuted." Sweat had begun to adorn Alan's forehead and his voice started sounding pinched. He began gripping his sheets in a white-knuckled grip and Karen knew when enough was enough.
"Alan, I know you don't want any more medication than is necessary, but I think you'd do well to take a sedative and get your nerves to relax." Karen said as she stood up straight to face Alan.
"What's going on with me? Why does it hurt so much?" Alan asked as he grit his teeth to keep from crying out in pain.
"You're in pain right now because your nerves are waking up more and they're beginning to reconnect." Karen said even as she gazed down at the boy whom she'd begun to care for as more of a relative as opposed to just a patient.
"Fine time for my nerves to wake up, why couldn't they wait when I wasn't trying to sleep?" Alan asked incredulously.
"Just lucky I guess." Karen whispered.
Alan let his head fall back against his pillows with a loud 'whump' sound. "Go ahead, give me the medicine. I want to go back to sleep."
"Very well." Karen said before she left the room to go to the nurse's station. She had to go get a syringe of liquid sedatives. She would normally give Alan an oral tablet, but it wouldn't be fast acting enough and in the time she knew Alan, he could tolerate pain until it reached moderate levels then he struggled to keep food or liquids down. So needless to say she was anticipating Alan to get sick and she wanted to prevent that as much as possible.
Upon returning to his room, Karen was quick to inject the sedative into Alan's IV before moving to smooth his hair back from his sweaty brow. "There, you should be getting some relief here in a few seconds."
"Thanks Karen." Alan whispered even as he felt the sedative beginning to kick in. It was really fast and for that Alan was thankful. He didn't know how much longer he could tolerate the pain. "How're my brothers?"
Karen was surprised Alan would show concern for others when he was in pain but she wouldn't put it past him. Alan Tracy much like his brothers and father all seemed to care about other's wellbeing aside from their own.
"They're well. Scott and Gordon are asleep." Karen said even as she saw Alan's eyes drooping as the relief seeped through his veins.
"Good…" Alan slurred before he rolled onto his side. Karen smiled at her patient before she pulled the blankets up over his shoulders.
"Get some sleep dear." Karen whispered before she turned out the light above his bed and wandered from the room, depositing the used syringe into a sharps container.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Scott woke up at the late hour of seven in the morning – well to him anyway and he shifted his legs so that he could get some feeling back into his extremities. He hated sleeping on his stomach, but because the skin was removed from his back side he was mandated by medical staff that until the dressings came off he would be allowed to lay on his back or his side which was where he was most comfortable in his sleep. He was a side sleeper unlike Gordon or Alan who were like an octopus. They were all arms and legs and could not stay still no matter what while Virgil was a stomach sleeper and John was a back sleeper. They made an interesting Kodak moment.
He only thought of the time after their mom passed away and they meaning the five boys slept in the living room. It was just easier to sleep in the living room and be there ready and able to comfort each other should any of them wake with nightmares. Their grandmother took a picture of them when she came downstairs, Scott was sleeping on his side, and Virgil nestled against his chest while John slept on his back on the other side of Scott with one of Alan's legs stretched over his midsection. Gordon and Alan were tangled up together and slept cheek to cheek, looking like a pair of conjoined twins.
As he thought of his brothers, his main point of thought turned to Alan. He wanted to know how his little brother was. He barely talked to him the day prior and now he was curious. He knew it was a little early, but he really wanted to know how Alan was doing.
Grabbing his computer, Scott logged in and placed a video call to Alan. He waited for a few moments until he heard the accept beep telling him that Alan had accepted his request to chat. While he waited for Alan to get his webcam connected, Scott started checking his email. He had a bunch of email from the friends he'd made over the years asking how his brother was doing and he sighed. He wished he had more of an update to give them, knowing they'd heard through media because of how high profile the fire was.
"Hey Scott…" Alan said, his voice incredibly groggy. When Scott looked at the screen, he saw how tired his brother looked and instantly felt bad for waking him. Alan had his, 'you just woke me up, you better have a good reason' look on his face. Scott offered a shy smile to his brother in apology for waking him so early. Normally Alan was an early riser, but since being put into the hospital he'd begun sleeping at odd times of the day and therefore throwing off his circadian rhythm and messing up his sleep schedule.
"Hey Alan, how're you doing kiddo?" Scott inquired, wanting to know how his brother was doing.
"I'm okay, I'm really tired though." Alan said as he yawned and started rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hand. Scott adopted a sympathetic look as he gazed sadly at his brother. He wished more than anything that he could be there or better yet that Alan was done with this whole thing and could finally go home and finish recuperation at their home in comfort. Not to say that being in the hospital was uncomfortable per se.
"Didn't sleep very good huh kiddo?" Scott asked, knowing that from the look on Alan's face that his brother probably slept as comfortably as a person would when laying in a bed of hot coals and that thought made Scott wince and wish he could wash his brain.
"No, my feet and my legs kept hurting me all night. Karen gave me a sedative about three this morning and I slept up until you called me a few minutes ago." Alan murmured, not bothering to hide his displeasure at being woken up when he wasn't quite ready.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just so used to you being awake when I am that I figured you stuck to the same schedule despite being in the hospital." Scott said with a sheepish smile. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I'll fall asleep when I'm least expecting it." Alan said while giving a yawn.
"Do you want me to let you go so you can go back to sleep?" Scott asked, not wanting to keep Alan awake if he'd rather be asleep.
"No, I need to try to start having a schedule again. If I let myself get lazy, then I'm hopeless." Alan said even as his eyes sagged, though he fought it. Scott smiled, Alan hadn't changed – even as a toddler he'd fight his naptime and he'd fallen asleep of all places on the swing set when Scott went to the park with his brothers. Heaving a sigh, Scott recalled little Alan. He didn't walk, he literally lived up to the name of toddler and toddled around primarily after Scott.
'Scott made sure John, Virgil and Gordon were seated on the merry go round before he held onto the handles and began to run. The brothers cackled like children as Scott ran at his fastest to get the merry go round to spin fast before he let go and let his own momentum come to a halt. When he turned around, he saw Alan toddling over in his diaper – his mom and her friend talking to each other while seated on the bench.
"Hey kiddo!" Scott said even as he bent down to try to have a conversation with his baby brother. The kid was still pretty young and couldn't quite form words into sentences quite yet. The toddler stopped before Scott and began to rub his eyes. "You're getting sleepy."
"Mm-mmm." Alan murmured with a shake of his head even as he gave a big yawn.
"Liar, why don't you go over to mommy? It's time for your nap." Scott said even as he glanced at his watch to see that Alan was a half hour past his regular naptime. How the kid wasn't screaming and crying and pitching himself onto the ground was an amazing feat for Scott to fathom. Normally if Alan didn't get his nap on the hour he'd do just as previously thought.
"No fweepy." Alan said, his face scrunching up in displeasure. Scott could see his brother was getting ready to throw a fit and he picked up his brother.
"It's naptime kiddo." Scott replied, wanting to get his brother to go to sleep if he was tired. But Alan was fighting his nap.
"No…" Alan became somewhat crabby. Scott wondered what he could do to prevent the meltdown and he spied the swings. Alan loved his baby swing before outgrowing it and Scott wondered if it'd be enough to make Alan take his nap.
"Want to swing for a bit kiddo?" Scott asked though he had every intention of putting Alan in the kiddie swing whether Alan said yea or nay.
Alan murmured something unintelligible to Scott and Scott understood that Alan was going to fall asleep whether he wanted to or not. Placing him in the swing, Scott began to gently push the swing back and forth. The rocking motion worked just like Scott hoped it would and the Sprout started to fall asleep. Before Scott knew it, Alan was down for the count and snoozing.
"Alan, you're recovering from surgery. Go back to sleep, it's not going to kill you to sleep for a little bit longer." Scott said, pulling rank over his brother when he watched Alan fighting the fatigue. "If you'd like me to, I can call you in an hour give you a chance to get some more sleep."
Alan looked as though he were going to refuse, but in the end he agreed and Scott waited until Alan was asleep before he disconnected the call himself. He'd wake Alan in an hour and would give his brother the chance he needed to get some more sleep. Chewing on his lip while in thought, Scott decided he'd call a nurse to see if he could get a shower. Raising his arm, Scott gave a tentative sniff and grimaced when he caught a whiff of his body odor…he desperately needed a shower. He'd had his surgery a little over 4 days ago, and he hoped he'd be considered healed enough to take a shower.
Pressing the nurse call button on his remote, Scott waited until one of the nurses came in. He smiled pleasantly at the nurse in hopes of charming a shower out of them.
"Hi, what can I do for you?" Candy inquired. She was a little older than Scott was at 25 and though Scott thought she was cute, he wasn't interested in her no matter how smiley happy she was.
"I was wondering if I might be able to get a shower, it's been several days and it's driving me crazy." Scott asked, hopefully pleadingly enough to make her see that he desperately wanted a shower.
"I'll have to check with the doctor first to make sure your wound is closed enough, otherwise it'll have to be a sponge bath." Candy said with a playful grin. When she turned her back to return to the nurse station, Scott made a face and shook his head. He could live without a sponge bath from the nurse Virgil dubbed to be Nurse Creepy. He could go a few more days without her looking at him and ogling him when he was naked. He'd put up with worse. "I'll be right back Scott."
"Okay…well." Scott murmured before he looked around his room. He never thought he'd ever get tired of a plain styled room. His own room back home wasn't outrageously styled and yet he was feeling a change in atmosphere when he got home…maybe a new paint job. And some interior design.
Several minutes passed before Candy returned and she smiled brightly at Scott.
"Doctor gave his okay for a shower, as long as you're feeling up to standing. If you aren't I can get you a bench to perch on while you bathe." Candy said amicably.
"No, I think I got it…" Scott said eagerly. He was happy to take a shower.
"There was just one stipulation." Candy began, making Scott grimace inwardly. "We will have to change your bandage afterwards. So once you're done with your shower, I'll go get the doctor and see if we can't get your bandages changed so they don't make the healing site moist."
Scott nodded, though he didn't really want Candy around when his ass was on display…but he'd deal with that bridge when he came to it.
"Fine, let's get this show on the road." Scott said, once more eager to take a shower.
Rolling onto his side, Scott tossed his blankets from over his waist and he tentatively sat up. His ass, thighs and lower back were a little more sore than he'd anticipated them being and he struggled to keep his face grimace free. Bracing himself for a change in gravity after days laying in one position, Scott stood up after a mental counting to three. Once he was up, he stood still until he quit seeing little tweety birds fluttering around his head.
"Okay…" Scott began before he brushed Candy's hand off his arm. "I've got it…I'm fine."
Scott took a teeny step forward and was pleased to say that he was able to walk with no problems. Walking forward several more steps, Scott was even more pleased when he made it into the small shower in his bathroom located in his room. He pulled the door shut and only stopped from disrobing when there was a knock at the door.
"What is it?" Scott asked, wanting to know why Candy was delaying his shower. He could practically hear the sweet call of the warm running water calling his name.
"If you need any help in the shower or need help getting out of the shower, there is a switch on the wall that turns on the hall light for your room so we at the nurses station know you need help." Candy's voice was somewhat muted through the wall, but that didn't stop Scott from hearing her properly.
"Okay, thanks Candy." Scott waited with baited breath for that click of his bedroom door closing before he started again with undressing. He untied the side strings that held the gown closed and he sighed happily as he let the gown fall into a pool at his feet. Turning on the water to a comfortable temperature, Scott heaved a great sigh as he began to enjoy his long awaited shower.
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John swallowed back a sigh as he entered the courtroom. He really didn't want to do this, but he knew he owed it to Alan. It was his fault Alan and by proxy Fermat were at that blasted school to be hurt to be so irreparably damaged…when he sat by Barrett he refused to cast a look over at Robert, the boy that had tortured his baby brother and if found guilty would be found guilty for attempted manslaughter. Though in John's eyes, he'd always be guilty.
"Everybody please rise as the honorable Judge Dusty Somers presiding." Adrick the bailiff said when the judge entered the courtroom. Once the judge was seated, the bailiff gave everyone permission to take a seat.
Barrett stood to welcome those gathered for the case of Tracy-Hackenbacker vs. Flynn, before he glossed over the evidence previously touched on in earlier hearings. Once he'd gone over everything, he let Robert's lawyer stand up to go over her own findings. It was a formality really, practically everyone present in the courtroom had been eagerly following the news and articles depicting what was going on. Once everything had been touched on and everyone was brought up to speed, Barrett was given a chance to stand again to further address the courts.
"Yesterday when we gathered here, we met with my client Fermat Hackenbacker. He was made a victim when the defendant Robert Flynn who is believed to be the one who set fire to the dorms decided to take his problems that he had with Alan a step further. After continually accosting him and bringing his friend and roommate physical harm – it is believed that Robert used fire starter, which can be purchased at any convenience or hardware store to douse the door and surrounding location in kerosene before lighting the area on fire." Barrett coolly instigated Robert and John noticed how those in the jury all cast looks of pity, anger and resentment towards Robert despite the boy holding his head high. John tried to read those jury members who had schooled their features so that nobody could accurately place what their thoughts were on the matter.
"And what's more, when my clients Fermat and Alan were woken up in their dorm by nothing pleasant but fire – it was only natural that after inhaling smoke for an indeterminate amount of time that the boys would be confused in their surroundings and their actions." Barrett continued speaking as he walked around the room much like a peacock showing off his colorful tail feathers for a potential mate…and if John never imagined Barrett as a peacock again he'd be happy. "That's why I call my next witness John Tracy to the stand."
John took a deep breath as he heard his name get called. Sending a prayer skywards, John stood and let the bailiff lead him into the witness box. When Adrick held up a bible, John placed one hand on it and held his other hand up midair.
"Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god?" Adrick recited to which after .01 seconds hesitation, John replied back.
"I do." John said before he looked towards Barrett.
"John Tracy, care to tell me your relationship to my clients Alan and Fermat?" Barrett inquired so he could begin to paint a picture for those gathered there with them today.
"Alan is my little brother and Fermat is a close family friend." John replied back as he rest his hands on his knees. He didn't care if he was wrinkling the material of his suit he'd worn – it could be pressed when it was taken to the dry cleaners.
"So, care to tell me how exactly you became involved in this case? It's not like you were present at Wharton's were you?" Barrett asked, despite having inside knowledge to exactly how John came to be involved.
"Fermat misdialed me on his cell phone." John replied, hoping the tremor he felt shaking him to his very core wasn't audible in his voice. "He thought I was a 911 operator when I answered."
"Care to tell us about your conversation you had with Fermat?" Barrett inquired, wanting John to describe the events leading up to The Escape as the Tracy family began to call it.
"I don't have any choice, do I?" John inquired back though he knew he could invoke his right to remain silent…but the big question was – did he want to?
"You don't have to say anything John, it's entirely up to you." Barrett said, though John could read in his expression that Barrett was imploring him to testify to give a damning statement that could further help Alan and Fermat find justice.
"I'm not talking about that…by asking that I meant do I really have a choice when I owe it to my brother…he deserves me doing this for him." John said before heaving a deep breath and looking out at his dad, grandmother and brother Virgil…he missed seeing Alan, Scott and Gordon being blended in that small group. "When Fermat called me, I was sitting on the couch in my family's living room getting ready to watch a movie with my brother Scott."
"And what happened exactly?" Barrett inquired. To which John began to weave a tale that if anyone who didn't know how much he hated lying, would believe.
'John sat in the living room watching Hunger Games with Scott, it might be a guilty pleasure but John began reading the book series and after Alan excitedly told John the books were being adapted to movies – John had to watch them before he would let Alan watch them. He was watching Katniss as she sprinted through the mine field trying to get to the cornucopia in the middle of the field to retrieve a weapon when his phone rang. Swallowing the mouthful of popcorn he was currently chewing, John retrieved his cell phone to see who was calling and made a face when he saw Fermat calling. Checking his watch, he did the math and calculated it to be almost midnight in Massachusetts.
"Pause the movie Scott." John said as he prepared to answer the phone. He wondered if Fermat was calling to ask him a homework question that he and Alan couldn't figure out. Pressing the answer button on his phone, John held his phone to his ear. "Hello?"
All he heard was silence, silence and a very dull but loud roar. As he opened his mouth to speak again he heard it. Coughing…it sounded painful and there wasn't one but two sets of it. Instantly his mind jumped to Alan and Fermat when they weren't much younger than they were now – they'd been in Brain's lab with him and there'd been an accidental explosion which engulfed the lab in a thick smoke. John and Scott had been outside when they felt the ground shake and saw smoke leaving the ventilation window in Brain's lab and they both ran to the lab where they helped get Brains, Fermat and Alan out of the smoke filled room. Fermat had been eight and Alan was ten.
John could still remember the sounds of the boy's coughing. It was strong enough to gag both boys and no matter how strong either of them coughed it seemed like they couldn't get a good breath. Scott had carried Alan and John carried Fermat away from the room. Luckily there was an emergency exit that took them outside and the three of them had been able to get a decent breath of air once outside.'
A/N: Hey there, so incredibly sorry that it seems like I'd fallen off the face of the Earth...I'm still around. I've been super busy with college work, work and trying to find a new apartment to live in and haven't felt up to writing but maybe a sentence every other week. Good news, I've graduated from college and I'm now on Summer break from any additional school. Hope you enjoy and I hope to see some reviews! Lots of love to those of you that have stuck with me and have put up with my occasional bouts of going into hiding.
Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010