After returning to the room, Scott suggested they order in a pizza and smiled when the younger boys woke upon it's arrival. Alan and Fermat both groaned in contentment when they took healthy bites of a supreme pizza that Scott thought they'd appreciate. They'd woken up to the delectable smell permeating the hotel room.
"Keep all hands away from those boys, they may bite." John ventured to say as he winked at his baby brother who was working on polishing off the slice of pizza he had in his hand for less than three minutes. Alan grinned back at John, offering a playful growl and snap of his teeth to get the point across that he'd bite if anyone messed with his pizza.
"Can I have your crust Fermat?" Alan asked, smiling at his friend when he handed over the crust. Alan and Fermat didn't find it weird at all that they occasionally shared what they ate or drank. They'd been doing it for years and it wasn't a problem for them.
"S-Sure Alan." Fermat said before he leaned up to look into the box at the foot of the bed.
"Which piece do you want Ferm?" Virgil asked when he noticed the younger boy looking between the remaining pieces of pizza with a hungry gaze.
C-Can I have t-that one?" Fermat asked, pointing to the one slice that he was eyeballing.
"Sure, thing kiddo." Virgil said before he reached into the box and removed the slice and handing it to Fermat.
"T-Thanks." Fermat said with a smile.
"No problem kiddo, happy to oblige." Virgil replied back before he glanced askance at his youngest brother who was happily stuffing his face with another pizza crust obtained from Tin-Tin. "And would the human garbage disposal care for another slice of pizza or are you just going to satisfy your hunger with the left over crust of those that don't like the best part of the pizza?"
"A-moter-peace-peas…" Alan said around the crust he was chewing on.
"Chew and swallow before you speak kiddo." Virgil said before he stood to hand Alan his bottle of water.
"I said, another piece please." Alan repeated after he took a drink off of Virgil's bottle of water and swallowed the remains of the pizza crust he'd been eating.
"That's better." Virgil replied back before he handed Alan another slice of pizza. "So, how about after we eat we watch a movie or talk a little before you two have to go back?"
Alan had a mouth full of pizza and Fermat was nodding fervently in response to Virgil's inquiry. Virgil didn't know what Fermat was agreeing to, but Alan answered for him after he swallowed his food.
"Can we watch a movie? We talk all the time at the hospital." Alan said, looking around at his gathered family and smiling when they nodded in agreement. Fermat and Tin-Tin smiled too and Tin-Tin stood to select a movie from a pile that Scott ran out and rented for them earlier that day.
"What do you think of watching this one?" Tin-Tin asked as she picked up a movie and showed the title and cover to Alan. "Looks interesting enough."
"Yeah, I suppose we can." Alan said, nodding at Tin-Tin's selection.
Alan got comfortable on the bed sandwiched between John and Virgil, heaving a deep sigh as he sank into the plush pillowtop mattress. The movie started, Scott began skipping the previews and less than ten minutes into the movie Alan had fallen asleep once more. The movie began with an action sequence and despite the loud sounds of metal colliding and gunfire, Alan remained asleep. None of the family noticed Alan's snoozing until John moved his arm and draped said arm over Alan's shoulders, John took notice when Alan slumped into him and he couldn't help but to smile at his baby bro.
Virgil noticed shortly after John did that Alan was sound asleep and didn't look to be waking soon. He pulled off his zip up hoodie and draped it over Alan, taking care to tuck it gently in beneath Alan's crossed arms. Virgil held his index finger to his lips when Gordon stood to throw his empty can of soda in the trash. The second youngest nodded mutedly as he crept to the trash to throw away his trash before setting foot in the bathroom and closing the door quietly. When he returned, he noticed each of his brothers and Tin-Tin as well as Fermat had taken notice of Alan's impromptu slumber.
"Should we wake him up?" Scott inquired softly.
"I'm not…asleep." Alan replied around a yawn. He pried his eyes open and took notice of everyone in the hotel room staring at him. "Okay, this isn't weird."
"Shows over folks." Scott replied with a smirk. He returned his gaze to the TV and watched it with interest. "Soon as this movie is over, it'll be about time for Alan and Fermat to go back to Blythedale."
"Do we have to go back?" Alan asked as he watched Fermat and Tin-Tin's faces fall. "Can't we just go home?"
"Alan, you know as well as we all do that you're not ready to go home. Neither of you are yet." Virgil said carefully. "I know I speak for everyone when I say that I'd love to go back home and continue your convalescence there, but it's just not feasible…not yet."
"But why not? Fermat and I are walking better, we can finally hold eating utensils like normal and we're not bound to our beds 24/7. Why can't we go home?" Alan asked, growing more and more discontent laying in the bed between his brothers.
"Because you're not ready yet." Scott said, speaking up when he noticed Alan growing more and more distraught. "Your doctor wants to keep you for a while yet. She said you aren't quite ready to be discharged yet."
"But…" Alan started before he quit talking at Scott's stern look.
"Don't push to get out before you're ready. It's not going to be a walk in the park when you get back home. You won't be able to go outside for a while because of the medicines you've been on. Even being on the island you'll have to be wary of spending too much time outside in poor weather and you'll have to make sure you take the medicines your doctor prescribes you. And you and Fermat both will have to have an extended stay in the infirmary where you'll still have to continue your rehab with exercises Lacey gives you." Scott said as he paused the movie to explain to both younger boys that they'll still be attempting to recover from their ordeal even when they get home. "I know it drives both you boys' crazy being confined to a bed but take your time in recovering. It's been a rough road so far and you both deserve to relax."
"There's nothing relaxing about being kept in a hospital bed. It's…it's a nightmare." Alan replied, looking agitated. "I'm just ready to go home."
"I know you are, but you can't rush these things. These things take time. I know you're chomping at the bit, but it's better for you to stay here…well not here, here. But here as in at Blythedale. Your doctor will release you when she thinks you're ready." Scott continued, trying to alleviate his little brother's frustration. "Now, how about we finish the movie and I'll ask dad and grandma if we can get some ice cream before you two have to go back to the hospital?"
"Ice cream doesn't always fix everything." Alan said as he crossed his arms. He wasn't satisfied with his brother's response.
"It always worked when you were upset." John chimed in, smirking as he allowed himself to get lost in the memories.
"Yeah, until I was nine. The ice cream just…became a one-time treat." Alan replied. "You can get us ice cream, but it's not going to change how I feel. I still want to go home."
"I know it's aggravating kiddo, but just think. Soon you'll be going stir crazy on the island and be begging dad to let you come back to the mainland." Gordon said, smiling encouragingly despite the death glare he was receiving from Alan.
"Not helping Gordo." Alan sniped before sinking back into the pillows to watch the movie. Fermat remained quiet as did Tin-Tin. Neither teen spoke up about something that Fermat mentioned to Tin-Tin when they'd had a moment alone at the dance. The young genius had been surprised by Lacey and his doctor discussing the possibility of him being discharged, but when they broached the subject to the younger boy he'd refused.
When asked why by his physician, Fermat had said that he'd rather stay with Alan and keep his friend company. When he was reminded that he wouldn't necessarily have to leave the hospital, Fermat had still maintained that if he was discharged then his best friend would be discharged. Lacey and Dr. Juno had been puzzled until they'd talked to Dr. Andreesen who'd made another appearance at Blythedale.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
Later that evening, Scott pushed the wheelchair that Alan had to use upon readmittance to Blythedale, while Gordon pushed Fermat's and John carried Alan's crutches. Virgil insisted on carrying Fermat's walker and he also shouldered a backpack of belongings for the boys to keep with them during the remainder of their stay at Blythedale.
Dr. Juno greeted the small band of brothers as they exited the elevator on the correct floor and she smiled at them.
"Hello boys, how'd you like the dance the other night?"
"It was good, I'm super sore though." Alan replied from his wheelchair, grateful for the first time to be seated in a wheelchair.
"S-Same here." Fermat offered, smiling at the doctor who smiled at him. He was glad that despite Dr. Juno and Lacey meeting with him a while back about the possibility of him going home, she didn't push. Fermat had told her that he didn't want to abandon his best friend and he was adamant that she not discuss it in front of Alan.
"Well, I saw Lacey and she said she'd give the both of you a day or two to recuperate before she resumes your therapy just so you're not pulling muscles or hurting yourselves." Dr. Juno said before she stopped at the nurse station. "See you boys later."
"Bye." Alan said as he raised a hand and waved to his doctor.
When they made it back to their room, Alan and Fermat made slow but steady progress getting back in their respective beds. Once settled, Alan and Fermat sunk in to their beds with relieved sighs. Virgil unfolded Fermat's walker and positioned it between Fermat's bed and the shared night stand between both boys' beds. John leaned Alan's crutches against the wall and claimed a seat near the foot of Alan's bed.
Alan felt tired, staring between his brothers and the clock. He couldn't believe how tired he was and it boggled the mind because he just woke up after another spontaneous nap. His dad had said Alan as would Fermat would, both feel tired more as they increased their activity especially after they'd been confined to their hospital beds with limited if any activity.
"We'd better be on our way boys. One of us will be back by to help out with breakfast in the morning if you'd like us to." Virgil said when he noticed his youngest brother's waning energy. "Get some more rest."
"Okay." Alan said as he sat up and hugged his brothers' goodbye. Fermat also sat up to hug the other boys and then they both fell back into their beds and waved goodbye when the older boys filed out of the room.
Once alone, Alan let his head hit his pillow with a 'whoomph' and he heaved a sigh. After a few minutes in silence, Alan turned to look at his best friend.
"So, how did you really feel about that dance? Did you really enjoy it?" Alan inquired softly, watching his best friend's face for any tells.
"You w-want my h-honest opinion?" Fermat asked as he looked back at Alan and tilting his head in question.
"Yeah." Alan replied with a nod before pulling his duvet up to his chest. He could never quite explain why he was always cold in the hospital. He figured it was because they regulated the heat and the nurses often readjusted the thermostat if they came in and noticed the heat was high in the room.
"It w-was fun, b-but I never w-want to go t-to another d-dance again. T-Too awkward." Fermat admitted, smiling at Alan. "D-Dances and m-me don't go t-together."
"I think I'd have to agree with you there. I mean, it was fun and I would be more than happy to attend another dance with Brook as my date…but I'm not much of a dancer." Alan acknowledged. "Thanks for coming along and acting as my wing-man."
"No p-problem." Fermat said before he mimicked Alan's earlier actions and pulled up his duvet before taking off his glasses and reaching across to the shared nightstand. "Let's g-get some s-sleep, I'm b-beat."
"Good idea." Alan said before he slid down further in his bed and got comfortable. It was still early, but he was tired and a nap wouldn't kill either of them.
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
While they were napping, neither boy heard their hospital room door open and creak slowly. The afternoon sun shone into the room and Alan and Fermat slept on. What did wake Fermat was a barely stifled chuckle, but because he'd taken his glasses off he was unable to clearly see who had come into his and Alan's room.
Whoever had just entered their room took notice of Fermat's awakening and they left hurriedly. Fermat was confused, but soon figured it was a nurse and he went back to sleep. He only woke again a little while later when Alan woke him.
"Fermat, did you see where John put my crutches?" Alan asked, drawing Fermat from his nap and looking around the room for his crutches.
"He p-put them n-next to y-your b-bed." Fermat said as he reached across to his night stand to grab his glasses only to discover they were missing. "Um, Alan?"
"What is it Fermat?" Alan asked as he continued his search for his crutches.
"Do y-you see m-my glasses a-anywhere?" Fermat asked, unsure about why he couldn't find his glasses.
Alan took a moment to pause in his search for his crutches to look for Fermat's glasses. They weren't that hard to miss, they magnified Fermat's eyes because of their thick lenses. But they weren't anywhere that he could see. Alan even leaned out of his bed and treated it like his personal jungle gym so he could look under Fermat's bed and his own. But Fermat's glasses weren't anywhere in the immediate area.
"I don't see them anywhere Ferm." Alan said as he pulled himself back upright to look again for both his glasses and his crutches. "Damnit."
"W-What?" Fermat asked, looking back at Alan despite not being able to see him.
"I'm going to have to call for a nurse. I've got to hit the head and I can't if I don't have my crutches." Alan said, feeling upset that needed to lose his independence because he must have forgotten his crutches in the car even though that made no sense because he saw John grab them. Just like he saw Virgil carry Fermat's walker in the room as well as Fermat take off his glasses. "Can I borrow your walker? I swear I'll bring it back."
"I k-know y-you w-will." Fermat said before he reached out and grabbed his walker and passed it to his friend. "Here."
"Thanks." Alan said before he threw back his duvet and took Fermat's walker and adjusted the height so it matched his height. Once he adjusted the walker, Alan went to the bathroom and took care of business. Once finished, Alan stepped back out and took to searching around Fermat's bed for his friend's glasses even squatting down to look and see if they slipped onto the floor or not. "Ferm, I'm not finding your glasses."
"Well, I w-wonder where t-they are." Fermat said. He was puzzled. "I c-cant imagine w-why the n-nurse would h-have taken m-my glasses."
"Wait, a nurse came in here?" Alan asked, surprised at this little development. It certainly wasn't what he had been expecting.
"Y-Yeah, I t-thought it w-was a n-nurse that w-woke me u-up." Fermat explained, feeling more confused now that apparently it was a nurse that took his glasses though that also irritated Fermat beyond all belief. Why a nurse would be taking his glasses was beyond him.
"Well, I'm going to go check at the nurse's station to see if they took or know where my crutches are as well as your glasses." Alan said before he made his way from the room and navigated the hall to get to the nurse station where hopefully he'd complete the mystery of the missing crutches and glasses.
As he was making his way down the hall, he heard a child's laughter and he paused to watch the child. It was a little boy between the ages 8-10. He was laughing, using a blue titanium metal rod which looked oddly like one of Alan's crutches, as a sword. He was swinging one of the crutches at the head of another boy roughly the same age as him who was using another blue titanium metal rod to block. That's when it occurred to Alan that those were his crutches and one of those boys was also wearing Fermat's glasses atop his head.
Feeling irritated with those boys, Alan made his approach and brought the boy's attention on himself.
"Hey, those are my crutches and my roommate's glasses!" Alan said startling the boys. He took a step forward, noticing the boy that was wearing Fermat's glasses atop his head jumped and dropped Fermat's glasses on the floor before accidently stepping on them. "No!"
"Oops." The boy that stepped on Fermat's glasses said before taking a step back from Alan when he stormed over as best as he could.
"Why the hell did you take my friend's glasses? He's blind as a bat without them!" Alan asked sharply as he stooped to pick up Fermat's broken glasses. "And give me back my crutches!"
"They're not yours…they're mine. I found them, so finders keepers." The kid answered back.
"Yeah and let me guess. You found these beside my bed and you took them when you took my friend's glasses also. Am I right?" Alan asked before extending his hand out for the crutches. When he saw the boy's faces, he nodded to himself. "Just as I thought, give me back my crutches."
"They're mine." The boy replied back.
"Nice try, you're not a patient here. Also, those are the crutches my dad bought for me so I could get around easier." Alan said before trying to grab the crutches. "Give them back!"
"Hey, what's going on here?" A woman in a pant suit asked as she came over to where the boys were. "Ned, what are you doing? This is a hospital, not a playground."
"Sorry mom." Ned replied before dropping his gaze to the floor.
"And where did you get those crutches?" The woman asked as she went over and took them from the two boys.
"Those are mine, look under the arm brace…A.S.T. is etched into the paint." Alan said as he glared at the two boys.
The woman did exactly as Alan suggested before she looked back at the two boys. "And where did you get these?"
"They came up missing from my room…as did my roommate's glasses." Alan explained before he held up the glasses and smiling tightly at the woman. "And now my roommate will be blind as a bat until he can get a new pair."
Alan held his hand out for the crutches before he put them under his arm and turned back around to go back to his room. He didn't wait for an apology from the woman or the boys. He just went back to his and Fermat's shared room down the hall and when he got there he hit the nurse call button. When a nurse arrived, Alan requested a roll of tape.
Fermat's forehead scrunched up when he heard Alan's request but he stayed quiet as he heard the nurse enter, exit and re-enter the room. He heard the tape ripping after a few moments and the tick of the clock in the room before he felt the bed dip.
"Here, I hope this works." Alan leaned up and put the glasses on Fermat and he smiled sadly when Fermat opened his eyes. He could see again, but his glasses were crooked and the glass was cracked. "I'm sorry, I'm not capable of fixing all the damage."
"N-No. T-This works." Fermat replied, smiling at his friend. He appreciated the effort. "T-Thanks Alan."
"You're welcome, I wish I could do more. Say something like 'instaurabo' and your glasses were fixed." Alan said, feeling like a bad friend that he couldn't save Fermat's glasses from succumbing to the same fate that Fermat's other glasses fell victim to on a regular basis. "I kinda scared the kid that had them and he dropped them before he stepped on them."
Fermat shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'what can you do?' before readjusting his glasses after they slid down the bridge of his nose.
"M-Maybe it's about t-time that I g-got contacts. M-My o-op-eye doctor makes a k-killing on g-glasses sales f-from me alone." Fermat said, hating the fact that he'd have to ask for another pair of glasses after his dad just bought him this pair that was broken. Fermat knew his father didn't mind, but he wished he didn't need glasses as badly as he did. It really made him feel like his dad should contemplate taking out stock in glasses sales.
"You've tried contacts before though, remember? They irritate your eyes too much." Alan said as he recalled a trial period that they let Fermat try contact lenses over a long weekend and Alan had to go get the nurse when Fermat kept complaining of his eyes burning. It turned out that Fermat was allergic to the solution that had been used to keep the contact lenses saturated. He'd decided that to alleviate the issue, he'd stop wearing the contacts and resume wearing his glasses.
"Yeah, y-you're right." Fermat said, glad that his best friend could talk sense into him. "I j-just hate to show t-these to my d-dad. He's g-going to k-kill me."
"No, he won't. We'll just tell him the truth. Somebody took them and broke them before I could get them back." Alan said as he looked at his friend, appraising his shoddy repair job. "I just wish I could have done more to fix them."
"It's n-not your f-fault." Fermat said. He knew these things just happened, but it still irritated him that someone thought it was okay to steal his glasses. "Who had them?"
"I caught two boys using my crutches as toy swords and one of those boys had your glasses on. My guess is he tried to wear them and they made him dizzy, because he had them pushed up on top of his head." Alan explained. He looked at his crutches and groaned when he noticed the dent in the leg of one of his crutches. "God, my dad is going to be pissed."
"No, h-he won't. We'll j-just tell h-him the t-truth. Somebody t-took them a-and dented t-them before y-you could g-get them b-back." Fermat mimed, sending a look at Alan before granting him a cheeky grin. "N-Not your f-fault that t-they got n-nicked before w-we woke up."
"Yeah, I guess. It's just…I know how much these costs and while I know money is of no object to my dad, he told me that I'd have these for a long time to come and that I needed to use them with care." Alan said as he assessed the opposite crutch to find a dent in the other one as well. "Those stupid kids."
"Um, Alan…w-we're kids a-also." Fermat said as he looked at his friend and seeing his eyeroll. "Don't h-hate me f-for saying t-the truth."
"I don't necessarily mean kids our age, I just mean the two boys that stole our things. When I approached them about reclaiming our belongings, one of them scoffed at me and said he found them and that it was finders keepers." Alan said before sneering at the idea of finders keepers. "Besides, finders keepers are typically in the case of claiming the last muffin at the cafeteria or finding a quarter on the ground. Not with objects you find after entering somebody's hospital room."
TBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTBTB
The following morning, Fermat who forgot that his glasses had been damaged – cordially greeted Alan's brothers who woke up to come keep them company during breakfast. Virgil's eyes were barely open and Fermat was glad that he thought ahead when the nurse came to ask him and Alan what they wanted for breakfast.
The plus side of Blythedale, they gave patients the option to select their meals. Alan and Fermat looked over the menu and placed an order of pancakes, scrambled eggs and a hash brown wedge. Just before the nurse took her leave, Fermat recalled a time when Gordon had teasingly bemoaned the fact that the boys had breakfast but all he'd been able to get was a donut at the continental breakfast at the hotel. He stopped the nurse to request two additional breakfasts for their visitors that'd be arriving with a carafe of coffee. The nurse nodded before she scribbled the order down and took her leave.
When Virgil and Gordon arrived, the redhead came over to ruffle Fermat's hair while Virgil sank into one of the seats between the two beds and huddled into his jacket as if he were preparing to go back to sleep.
"Virgil sacrificed a whole two hours of sleep to have the shift with the breakfast club." Gordon said before he looked at Fermat and did a double take. "Whoa, what happened to your glasses? Did someone sit on them again?"
"No, s-somebody took t-them and t-they stepped on t-them before A-Alan could g-get them." Fermat explained, before he smiled in greeting when the food trays was brought in by an orderly. "T-Thank you!"
"I've got your breakfast right here." The orderly said before handing Gordon and Virgil trays of their own and placing a carafe of coffee on the nightstand. "Enjoy, boys."
"Thanks, I wasn't expecting a breakfast tray." Gordon said looking down in his lap in surprise. He wasn't displeased, he was a Tracy. Tracy's rarely turned down food.
"Fermat remembered that time you kept helping yourself to our trays and he wanted to make sure we could enjoy our own meals." Alan replied before he removed the lid from his plate and took a healthy sniff of his tray. "Ah, that smells good."
"Hey, Virge. Why don't you help yourself to some of that coffee and open those peepers." Gordon said, snorting a little when his brother raised his middle finger at him. Alan and Fermat choked a little on their orange juice, but Alan handed Gordon the carafe of coffee when the redhead gestured for the pot of coffee. "Here you go."
Virgil sniffed the coffee a little before his eyes pried open slowly. He heaved a sigh after the first sip of coffee and after his third cup, he was more communicable.
"Wow, Gordon's right…what happened to your glasses Fermat? I know they weren't broken yesterday." Virgil inquired as he looked at the younger boy.
"A-Alan?" Fermat asked around a mouthful of pancake. The blond set his weighted fork down before picking up the cup of orange juice.
"Some kid thought that because Fermat wasn't wearing his glasses while he was sleeping and because our door was partially opened that it was perfectly okay to come in and take Fermat's glasses. When I tried to get them back, they slipped off his head and he stepped on them." Alan said before he looked to the side of his bed. "That's not all they took…"
"What else did they take?" Gordon asked as he looked around for anything missing. Hopefully nothing of value.
Alan reached across to the side of his bed and picked up his crutches before handing them to Virgil who was closer. He looked down into his lap as Virgil assessed the damage.
"Any idea why they took your crutches and Fermat's glasses?" Virgil asked as he looked for further damage.
"One of the boys claimed it was finder's keepers, but he didn't seem fazed when I chewed him out for taking something that didn't belong to him." Alan said before taking the crutches again. He resumed eating his breakfast while Gordon pulled out his phone and was typing rapidly before an audible ping sounded in the room.
"Got you covered Fermat…" Gordon said before he showed the young genius the order confirmation. "A new pair will be delivered later today to the hotel, I'll bring them by when we stop by for dinner."
"Oh, y-you didn't n-need to do t-that. I'm s-sure my d-dad would have b-bought me a n-new pair s-soon." Fermat said, wishing he'd known that Gordon was going to purchase a new pair of glasses for him.
"Ah, don't worry about it. Just consider it an early birthday present from me." Gordon said before he smiled at the younger boy. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it sucks trying to look through tape on your lenses."
Fermat didn't say anything to that, but he looked down bashfully, wordlessly confirming for the three brothers that it was hard for him to look through the spider-cracked glass.
"Hey, kiddo. I said don't worry about it. You needed new glasses and your dad has his head occupied with a new blueprint that might help I.R. prevent fires from getting as bad as the school fire did. Believe me, this is the least I can do." Gordon said as he smiled at the younger boy. "It's cool, we're cool."