Author Note: Hey guys, back with a new chapter. Hello to our new followers and welcome aboard. Glad you are all enjoying it. This chapter was written to a few different songs, namely When you Believe from the movie The Prince of Egypt and also to Ave Maria by Schubert. I do hope you enjoy this chapter.
Ellie had nearly cried herself to sleep that night while Lucia sat by her side and rubbed her back. All she could talk about was all the blood and the bodies and how she could still see it when she closed her eyes. Lucia had taken Ellie into her arms and held her tightly, whispering soft words of comfort. Eventually she had Ellie lay down to try get some sleep as she rubbed her back. That was when the shuddering sobs from Ellie started up again, she didn't want to close her eyes. She didn't want to see it all again. Lucia's hand rubbed soothingly up and down Ellie's back and she told the younger woman to just focus on her voice and the feel of her hand rubbing her back. "Many nights we've prayed, with no proof anyone could hear" softly Lucia began to sing, she always found comfort in singing. It was the first thing she ever found comfort in and it just seemed more natural and easier to focus on when upset. Beneath her hand she could feel the shuddering sobs begin to slow and stop, "you've a really nice voice" came the soft remark from Ellie as she listened.
"If it's so nice, just listen and get some rest." Lucia paused to retort softly, earning a giggle from Ellie in response,"Thanks Lucia." was her soft reply as she closed her eyes again. Lucia smiled softly and resumed singing and rubbing Ellie's back until she hear the soft sound of snoring coming from the younger woman. Tucking the blankets up higher about Ellie, Lucia stood and made her way to the shower after grabbing a pair of pajamas from closet. As Ellie had come out of the shower crying she had been more focused on getting her new friend to calm down than she had about cleaning herself up. Stripping off she took the chance to look at herself in front of the mirror, bruises had begun to bloom on her hips, no doubt from the seatbelt on the plane when they had crashed. Her hands and arms were scratched in places and her clothes were stained with blood that was more than just her own. Turning on the shower, she adjusted the temperature and stepped in. The hot water stung as it hit her skin and seeped into her muscles, it was only now she had the chance to realise how sore and exhausted she was. It was only now in the peace and quiet she had the chance to reflect. Bracing her arms against the wall of the shower she shoved her head under the stream of water as she focused on trying to calm her breathing. Breathing in and out as the water flowed through her hair, rinsing out the debris and sweat. She focused on the sound of the water as it hit the floor of the shower. Lucia stood there for several more minutes before she reached for the shampoo and began to wash out her hair, she had control again. They needed her to remain in control and that was what she would have to do.
Eventually Lucia left the shower and dried herself off, changing into the pajamas she made her way to the bed that was next to Ellie's. Crawling under the covers she found herself completely exhausted and promptly fell asleep. There was a roaring noise that had awoken her and she could only assume it was Scott on a late night or early morning rescue. Lucia had no idea how long she had been sleeping for when the jets of Thunderbird 1 woke her up. But awake she was now, looking across she found Ellie sprawled out on her bed. Still snoring away and oblivious to her surroundings. Lucia stifled a laugh, glad that at least one of them was getting some decent rest. Deciding not to move anyway in case she woke Ellie, Lucia remained lying in bed and staring at the ceiling. There she lay in the darkness, awake. It wasn't until she heard the rumble of Thunderbird 1 and Scott returning to the Island that she finally drifted off to sleep again.
Lucia next awoke to the sound of knocking on their door, she heard Ellie get the door and slowly pried her eyes open to see that Ellie was already dressed and speaking to Grandma Tracy. The moment she heard mention of her name she pulled herself up in bed, trying to ignore the protest of the muscles in her body at the movement. "Yeah I'm awake." she said as she rubbed her eyes and Ellie stood back from the door to smile at her. "Good, I'll wait while you get dressed. The boys are still asleep and I have something I wish to speak with you both about before they get up." It was Grandma Tracy who spoke from the doorway and Lucia nodded as she dragged herself out of bed and pulled some pants and a shirt from the wardrobe as well as some underwear. Plucking up her bra from the clothes she had worn the day before she slipped into the bathroom to change. This time she left her curly dark brown hair free of being tied back, stopping only to run her fingers through it and make it look somewhat presentable. Washing and then sleeping on it always had the tendency to make it fluff out and frizz. Shaking it out she took one final look in the mirror before she left the bathroom to join Ellie and Grandma Tracy who were chatting softly in the doorway.
"Well, let's get you girls some breakfast before I ask you about something important." Grandma Tracy's words were oddly cryptic but the thought food quickly replaced any thoughts in the girls minds. In the light of day Lucia found herself awestruck by the scenery displayed from the windows that overlooked the island. Following Grandma Tracy and Ellie down the stairs to the main living space, Lucia found her eyes drawn to the grand piano at the far end of the room by the expansive window that covered the whole side of the house that overlooked the island. For a brief moment she found herself wondering who owned such a beautiful instrument but continued to follow down another flight of stairs to reach the kitchen. With a smile she saw Ellie's eyes light up the moment she saw the pool that was overlooked by the dining room. Grandma Tracy ushered them both to take a seat at the table as Kyrano came out carrying a selection of fruits, bread and jams for them to enjoy for breakfast. He broke into a wide grin when he saw Ellie and Lucia, "Ahh, I pray you slept well and all was satisfactory." Lucia found herself unable to answer in anything but a nod and Ellie enthusiastically smiled, "I slept very well thank you." the responses he got appeared to delight Kyrano and he encouraged them to eat and let him know if they needed anything more, before disappearing back to the kitchen.
There was silence as they ate, at least at first as no one knew what to say. Both Ellie and Lucia watched as Grandma Tracy appeared to be collecting her thoughts on what she had needed to ask them. It was only just as Lucia and Ellie turned their attention back to their plates of food they heard Grandma Tracy speak. "I overheard the boys talking last night after Kyrano took you girls to bed and I believe it's best I let you know what they were saying. I am sure by now you have worked out that we are in a spot of trouble, with two of my grandsons injured and no one to truly replace them. I'm not asking for an immediate answer but for things as big as this I believe you need time to think it over and they weren't going to give you much of that. The boys are going to request the help of the both of you. We cannot afford to be without 2 or 4. I know we are asking a lot and I am not giving you much more time." Her voice faded off towards the end as she looked at both Ellie and Lucia.
Lucia found her appetite had gone at Grandma Tracy's words and her eyes lowered to stare at her plate. The woman was right though, it wasn't that much extra time but Lucia appreciated the intention. Her thoughts drifted to wishing she had her violin and the sudden stab to her heart when she realised it had been vapourised in the explosion of the plane. It had been her first full sized violin and she had never replaced it, the sentimentality behind it was irreplaceable and now it was gone. Her source of peace that allowed her to think was gone. Music had been a lifeline to her, a release; an escape. It gave her clarity to play. Oh to play. She no longer had a violin but within these walls lay a piano. She had not played in a while though.
"You have a piano. May I.." Lucia began as she looked back up at Grandma Tracy to see the woman smiling at her, "Play it?" came the woman's question and Lucia nodded. "If it helps you think then go right ahead and be my guest." It seemed to be what Ellie needed to put forward her own request, "Is it alright if I take a swim?" she tentatively asked and Grandma Tracy laughed. "If it helps go right ahead." the woman waved both girls away and turned to tidying up the table.
Lucia climbed the stairs to the the main lounge area where she had seen the Piano, paperwork lay scattered across the desk she passed as she walked towards past it. She could only assume it belonged to the father of the men she had rescued. She ran her fingers across the side of the Piano and then across the lid as she seated herself in on the long bench that sat in front of it. It was long enough to accommodate two people she mused softly as she lifted the lid. Her fingers drifted across the cool ivory keys and she found them begin to shake. Closing her fingers into fists she took a deep breath and returned her fingers to the keys. She started slow at first and it didn't make much sense but as her hands warmed the seemingly random notes she was playing began to form her favourite song. The notes of Schubert's Ave Maria filled her ears and Lucia found herself relaxing. She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had last played it on the piano but she knew she needed no sheet music to remember how to play it.
Jeff had been thankful the only call they had during the night had been something Scott was able to handle on his own. He had left his desk shortly after Scott had returned home weary to go quietly check on his two injured sons in the infirmary. He found Gordon deep asleep and he reached over to brush the wavy copper curls from the face of his second youngest. Virgil however had been awake since Scott had returned. He felt sorry for his son, as he himself in his youth had broken his collarbone and one a few occasions cracked a few ribs. One of the hazards of growing up on the Ranch. He recalled them being some of the most uncomfortable injuries he had suffered, sleeping was nearly impossible let alone comfortable. He pulled a seat over to sit beside his second eldest. "It was an accident Virgil. Do not blame yourself and try to get some rest." he reached out to place a hand on Virgil's uninjured one comfortingly before his son could open his mouth to apologised for being injured. He knew it would be the first thing that his son did. Virgil bowed his head to his father, he wanted to complain but he knew it would fall on deaf ears. Once Virgil had had drifted back to sleep Jeff stood to take his leave. He would get a few hours rest himself, he had been up most if not all of the night between Scott's rescue and talking to Brains about the logistics of modifying some of the equipment they already had to accommodate the girls should they accept the offer they were going to put forwards to them. He knew that John would wake him if anything came up.
Virgil had awoken again some time after his father's visit to the sound of Gordon's whining voice of protest, which was followed by the stern tones of their smother hen Scott. "Guy can't get any sleep around her can he" he groaned at the two of them as he slowly opened his eyes. Much to his surprise Gordon was sitting up in bed and cheerful as ever. Just that sight was enough to lift a heavy burden he had felt on his heart. "Sorry Virge but Scott won't let me out of bed to see Ellie. I want to be the one to ask her, it is my spot she's taking." Gordon explained only for it to be met with resistance from Scott again about him being in no condition to move from the infirmary. He had already begun to gain feeling in his legs again and he didn't think being stuck in the infirmary would help him get better quicker either, Gordon had shot back at Scott who now looked to Virgil to back him up. "I agree with him brother, Thunderbird 2 is mine. I would prefer to be the one to ask Lucia myself." Virgil replied with a sigh, yeah that hurt and he watched as Scott made a move to the medical cabinet and withdrew a syringe before returning to his side and wordlessly administered his next dose of pain medication.
"You can't be serious, you both need to rest. We nearly lost the two of you yesterday." The concern was thick in Scott's voice and Virgil leveled his gaze with his older brothers, "Scott, you either help me out of this bed, or so help me I will find a way out myself. I am sure Gordon feels the same. You can help us now or we can take matters into our own hands and possibly injure ourselves worse." Virgil knew he had him on the last line, and he watched his older brother sigh in resignation. "Alright, alright but Gordon I will not hear of you walking yet. I'll get a wheelchair so neither of you move until I get back." Scott was less than happy about being talked into something he knew father would not approve of but even he knew none of his brothers including himself took bedrest particularly well.
"Thanks Virge. If I have to stay here any longer I swear I'll go mad." It was Gordon that piped up with his thanks once Scott had left and Virgil waved him off with his good hand. "No thanks needed Gordon. I can't stand the thought of being cooped up in here either." he replied and leaned back against the raised head of his bed. It didn't take Scott long to retrieve Gordon a wheelchair and together with some precision maneuvering brought Gordon to his feet and into the chair. Once their younger brother had been settled, Virgil found himself face to face with his older brother. Scott lowered the height of the bed to something easier for Virgil to get up from and moved the legs of his younger brother around to hang over the edge of the bed. "Ready?" Scott asked Virgil as he positioned himself to pull his younger brother towards him on his good side. "Ready." came Virgil's reply as he moved with his brother and soon enough he was standing again. Scott waited until Virgil had steadied himself before he released his grip from his brother. The walk to the dining area though not all that far became a slow and tedious walk to Virgil. Of course Scott wouldn't leave his side and Gordon cracked a joke about him now being as slow as Thunderbird 2 now while Scott pushed him along.
As they neared the Kitchen the boys came to a halt, a look of confusion on all their faces. The delicate notes of the piano being played drifted down the hallway. Virgil was the only person in their family who played and he was there with them. Their mother had played too, but she had passed away a very long time ago. Soon enough their feet were moving again and they found Grandma Tracy at the table which had been set with food ready for when they woke up. She didn't notice the boys at first as they walked in, eyes shut she had been listening to the music with a smile on her face. She looked up when she heard footsteps, though surprised to see both Virgil and Gordon out of beds smiled and went about putting something together for them from the table.
"Scott, I'm just going to.."
"Just go Virge."
Virgil was unable to finish his sentence before Scott cut him off and moved his hand to indicate for Virgil to go check who was playing his piano. "Hey Scott, can you park me by the pool." Virgil heard Gordon asked as he slowly turned to go walk up the stairs, catching the splash of the water from the pool out the corner of his eye. "What?.. Yeah.. sure" Virgil heard his older brother's dazed reply almost as if he had been lost in his thoughts for a moment. All of that faded away as he slowly climbed the stairs step by step. The music from the piano getting louder and clearer as he got closer. He stopped to rest upon reaching the top of the stairs and found himself captivated by the scenery ahead of him. Before him, bathed in the light of the morning a woman sat at his piano, completely unaware of her surroundings as she played. A curly mane of dark red brown hair framing her face as she played, for under the light of the sun it the red tint to her dark brown hair became apparent. With her hair down it took him a moment to realise it was Lucia seated at his piano and slowly he made his way across the room towards her.
Lucia had been so absorbed in playing the piano that she at first she had not noticed Virgil standing beside her. "I see you're a woman of many talents." at the voice beside her Lucia's hands froze and hovered over the keys. "Don't stop. It's not like I can play right now." So it was him the piano belonged to. She had to admit Virgil was not the person she would have picked as being the one who owned it. "I.. I'm sorry. Grandma said it was okay." Lucia stammered as she remained frozen at the piano, still unable to play. When Virgil made to sit beside her, she found her hands moved automatically to guide him down and provide support. The moment he was seated she dropped her hands into her lap, "You really should be resting" she scolded softly as he began to pluck a simple tune with his uninjured right hand. It didn't take long for Lucia to recognise the tune, though it needed a second hand to play properly. Something her body had no need of extra encouragement for and she easily picked up the tune with him. "And miss this?" came the soft teasing remark of Virgil when she began to join him in playing the simple ditty.
Lucia couldn't help but laugh a little at his remark. It was a short lived feeling though as the reason she had begun to play weighed firmly in her mind again. She wasn't sure she could admit to them that she had been put on leave for the unforeseeable future from her job. It had not even been a month since that day. It was supposed to have been a straightforward rescue, instead it had gone horrible wrong. They said it was best for her mental health that she took a break, at the time she had objected. Right now she reluctantly agreed with them. That accident had shaken her up a bit, even the plane crash left her feeling less than steady. When she looked over at Virgil as he played, she could see he was trying to formulate a way to ask her himself. Lucia could only assume that's why he had personally come. "Grandma told us." she said softly but loud enough for him to hear her and was met with a groan in response.
He should have known Grandma would have told them, somehow she always knew and it was impossible to keep anything from the woman. She was uneasy, Virgil realised by the tone and softness in her voice. "You're under no obligation to accept but I can't deny the fact you handled 2 better than anyone expected and I heard you're a Rescue Paramedic. It was not exactly an easy decision for us either to ask the both of you." Okay, that may have not been the most comforting sentence of words but Virgil wanted her to know, she deserved honesty. "What if I can't say yes?" Lucia replied after a moment of silence, her hand coming to a halt on the keys. She needed to know, even though she knew the direction it would sway her answer towards. She still needed to know. "Well, we would just have to make do I suppose." Virgil side stepped the answer, perhaps not that much honesty. The last thing he wanted to do was force her hand, no good would come of doing that. "You mean to say you would fly despite the risks to yourself." she probed further, she needed this answer. "We may not have a choice" Virgil was quick to counter back and it was in that moment she realised the extent to which they would go to make sure no one was without International Rescue. Whether she wanted to or not she needed to do this. Much like in her job, personal feelings were often put aside and the needs of those they attended were ranked above. Neither could she allow herself to walk away if it meant he would with further and more serious permanent injury just to make sure no one was without.
"I.I'll do it, but you really need to rest."
There was a moment of silence between the two of them, even Virgil's hand had stopped playing. He wasn't sure if he had heard her right at first or not, but before he ask her to repeat what she had said, a loud scream rang out. "Sorry" came the brief apology as Lucia pushed hard against the piano moving the bench back suddenly with both of them on it and in a flash she was at the window. "What's wrong?" came the voice from directly over her shoulder, causing Lucia to swear under her breath. "What in hell is that idiot up to?'" was the second comment made by the same voice as they watched Scott and Alan rush to the poolside where Ellie a laughing Gordon out of the water. Lucia was now acutely aware of how close Virgil was to her by the hand on the window that appeared to be using to brace himself upright. Turning around she slipped under his good arm, wrapping her left arm low around his waist as she took some of his weight. She could see the pain on his face, though it looked like he was trying to hide it. She could only hope he hadn't done more damage to himself in moving quicker than he should have. Lucia maneuvered him to one of the lounges and helped him down. "Where's it hurting the most?" she knew Gordon would be safe with Ellie, Virgil however was her top priority. "Ribs" came the low sucking voice, as he forced himself to breathe through the pain that was slowly beginning to abate a little again. "May I?" Lucia asked indicating to his ribs and on his nod of a reply she gently slid a hand beneath the sling on his arm and under his shirt. Her fingers slid across his smooth skin until she reached where she knew the injuries to be, there was a sigh of relief from her. Everything still felt stable. As she looked up back into Virgil's brown eyes she could see they held concern.
"Rest. I'll go check on him" Lucia reassured as she lay a hand over Virgil's good one and gave it a squeeze. Having checked him over she felt more at ease in checking on Gordon and she knew he would too. "Thanks" the words were all the permission she needed to leave his side and in a moment she was racing down the stairs to the kitchen where she knew she would find them. What was the idiot doing indeed, jumping into a pool while practically paralysed. What indeed.