Flashbacks and Memories (Part 7)
By Jenny Taylor
"So that explains why you stayed at our place on that weekend." Exclaimed Gordon as the events of that fateful weekend before her disappearance, resurfaces to their minds and Jaycee's explanation answered some of the forgotten questions which were never answered nor thought about at the time.
Jaycee nodded sadly, while the others stared at her in shock.
"I can't believe that mom got beaten up by her own grandparents." Alan spoke sadly in shock and disbelief as he voiced what his brothers had on their minds.
"Our grandparents Alan." John corrected him. "We share the same grandparents because her mom and our mom are twins."
"Was twins, John… was…" Jaycee corrected him, which made the others turn to look at her with worry, because her voice is breaking, giving the brothers the sense that something had happened to her mom, their aunt.
"Did something happen to your mom?" Gordon quizzed with worry which is responded with a nod from a tearful, young doctor. A silence of sadness and sorrow filled the room as the boys sensed a far too familiar feeling which they felt when they were younger, which is now emitting from the new-found, unexpected member of the family.
"Oh Jaycee… I'm so sorry." The eldest spoke as he gently pulled her into his strong embrace which is received with an embrace from the female, with tears starting to make its mark on his suit as he gently rocked her and kissed her hair. The others got off from the couch and went over to comfort Jaycee.
The silent comfort stayed for a while as the boys waited for Jaycee to regain enough strength to continue with her story. The boys personally didn't want to know how they lost an aunt they never met, but at the same time they want to know her, however Scott and John knew that during what she's going to tell them will involve the death of her mother.
John and Gordon are the first to break away, but instead on returning to the couch they and Alan previously occupied, they cleared the table from the books, newspapers and magazines and sat facing Jaycee with Scott on her right and Alan on her left as he is next to break away from the hug, but decided to stay next to her, his face itched with worry.
Scott, after seeing his younger brothers' movements, rubbed circles on her back. "Cuz…I am really sorry about the loss of your mom and for not recognising the abuse you suffered at the hands of our grandparents."
Scott is feeling angry at himself for not realizing the urgency of the abuse which he had heard several times from an angry and distraught, intermediate younger Virgil at the time, which he ignored until after her disappearance.
Jaycee sniffled at the elder's admission. "Not your fault Speedy…" She said sadly as pulled herself away from his embrace to look at him in the eye. "You had a lot on your plate in looking after the others back then, especially after you boys lost your mom and your dad was suffering from depression."
"But…" Scott began to protest but Jaycee raised her finger to his lips to silence him.
"But nothing Speedy." She said sadly, but sternly as she places her hands on his shoulders gently and firmly as she turned him physically to face her squarely in the eyes. "It's me who should be sorry… I should have been telling the adults at school my problems as soon as I moved there, including the cops, but I didn't…because I was scared…I had no friends and I had no-one who's friendly enough to help me…"
She quickly wipes her eyes with her sleeve before returning to give the eldest a lecture. "But… that all changed when I decided to help you boys as soon as you lost you mom and when you and Virgil were having problems with the Chesterson brothers."
"Hang on a minute! How did you know about me, Virg and the Chesterson brothers?" Scott demanded in shock and concern with a frown etched on his forehead. The corner of her mouth twitched slightly as her eyes broke from Scott's temporary before returning to looking directly at him.
"I was in the same class as Virgil and Michael. Michael bullied Virgil as soon as teacher told the class about the loss of your mom." The boys looked at each other in turn. Both Scott and John had forgotten that Jaycee was in the same class as Virgil, but it also explains into how she knew the problems they had with the Chestersons.
"You saw Virgil getting bullied them?" Gordon asked in confusion, which Jaycee nodded.
"Err…guys…" Everyone turned to look at the owner of the confused voice. "Who are the Chestersons?"
Scott resisted the urge to face palm and kick himself. The older trio had forgotten that both Alan and Gordon were too young to remember the situations that had occurred between the elder two brothers and the Chesterson brothers.
"It all happened about…" Scott began until Jaycee interrupted.
"Sorry Speedy, but…the story about us and the Chestersons would have to wait until Virgil has recovered from his ordeal with the bald-headed chameleon to give his view in the story." Eyebrows rose in confusion with the unusual description, but it took a few seconds for the youngest to realise to who she's referring to.
"You're on about the Hood aren't you?" It sounded more of a statement than a question, but Jaycee nodded in reply. This made everyone down a bit until the aquanaut chipped in.
"Since when did you give bad guys nicknames?" Gordon quizzed with puzzlement written on his face alongside with the others after he spoke.
"Just now." She shrugged as the boys looked at each other.
"Speaking of nicknames," Gordon continued, "How many do you have? Because from what I recall when we were little (Pointing to himself and Alan) we'd called you mom and just recently at that rescue in the Sydney Tower complex that we heard is Rescue Girl. I know that you gave us nicknames."
Scott face palmed in embarrassment as Gordon began to list the nicknames Jaycee gave them when they were kids, with his fingers as he cheered up and grinned evilly at his eldest brother.
"The nicknames you gave Scott are; Speedy, Speedy Gonzalez, Wile E. Coyote aannnnd…" Pausing for a dramatic, knowing that Scott will react to the next one and Scott can sense this as he realises what Gordon is going to say next.
"Gordon! Don't you even dare!" He warned but too late.
"Headless Hen! Headless Hen!" Gordon sang as Scott's face turns red with fury, Alan trying to stifle his laughing, John shook his head as both he and Jaycee smiled at the memory at the times when Jaycee would wind-up the eldest and gathers the other four into catching and giving Scott 'Operation Woody Woodpecker'.
'Operation Woody Woodpecker' is the self-proclaimed official action of a tickle torture with Virgil and John pinning Scott onto the floor and Jaycee encouraging Gordon and Alan to tickle their eldest brother with Jaycee joining in the action as well as taunting him. The four younger brothers and Jaycee knew the name of their 'Operation Woody Woodpecker', but thankfully for them, Scott doesn't.
Jaycee shakes her head and decides to calm down the situation the only way she knows how. "Oooh Little Fishy…Speedy…" She sang which stopped both the aquanaut and the aeronaut of the family in their tracks and looked at her waiting to hear what she has to say, because she knew that she had to stop Scott before he gives Gordon a black eye, which is something that no-one wanted, especially in a hospital.
"Yes mom." The fish replied, grinning like a madman as the angry pilot grunted in response, both knowing from way back when they were youngsters in what's coming next.
"As much we all love to annoy Headless Hen with the 'Hen' nicknames…" Rolling her eyes on the emphasis on 'all' smiling and giving a deep, but brief stare at Scott and the 'Hen' mark, before returning to her lecture in a more serious attitude.
"We need to remember the main reason into why I'm here and where we are, because the last thing a hospital wants is International Rescue fighting each other, while they wait for the results of one of their members in an operating theatre."
All four brothers stopped in shock horror before looking down at their feet in guilt and sorrow. They knew that she had the unusual ability to snap them back into reality and she does so in such a way that it would catch anyone off-guard every time.
However, they didn't expect that bombshell of a reminder to bring them back down to reality. They all turned their heads to look at the double doors, where in that room lies the gentle giant, fighting for his life, while the doctors and nurses battle to save his legs from a shark attack.
They sat and stared for a while, their little banter of nicknames quickly forgotten and silence descended onto the family. Too long in Jaycee's point of view, because she has more to tell them.
"Do you guys want to know what happened to me on the ship, after discovering my identity?" She asked, breaking the silence in order to get their minds off what's happening behind the closed doors of the operating theatre. Slowly, the boy withdrew their gaze from the doors to the female member of the family.
"I guess…" Alan shrugged.
"Well…it's better than sitting here waiting in silence to hear the news about Virgil." Gordon agreed.
"We've got about at least… (looking at the time on his holo-display on his wrist) oh…" John looked a bit pale after looking at the time.
"What is it John?" Scott asked his voice beginning to fill with panic.
"We've just passed the 4-hour mark for Virgil's operations." The red-head replied blankly, refusing to meet his brother's gaze. Silence again fell onto the family. And once again, Jaycee broke the silence.
"Guys…I know that you're worried about Virgil and the amount of time that Virgil has spent in the theatre, but…" She paused in order to get the others attention before continuing. "We need to stay positive for him. Besides…" She tossed her head form side-to-side. "I've got more to tell you before I reach the incident involving that…witch and that hated GDF!"
The boys were stunned from the venom coming out of her. But then they remembered what happened in the basement of the Sydney Tower complex during their last rescue mission. Scott took a deep breath to regain his composure and to help her pick up where she left off.
"So Jaycee…" The said person turned slightly to look at him. "What happened after you told your mom about the…" He paused slightly as he tries to find the correct word to complete his sentence. "Incident?"
Jaycee took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she begins the next part of the story.
"After telling mom…"