Chapter Five
Where you're needed
The Escape pod slowly moved through space, the stars shown brightly through the windows but Virgil had stopped looking at them some time ago. How much time had passed he didn't know, tears were still rolling down his cheeks; and he was fighting to keep his eyes open.
"Oh, I'm so tired," Virgil whispered as beads of sweat started to roll down his face mixing in with his tears.
Suddenly something began to appear in front of him; as it got clearer he saw that it wasn't something, but someone; Lucy stood in front of him with a bright smile on her face. She was wearing a snow white dress, and she glowed almost like a star.
Virgil blinked not trusting his eyes at the moment, "Mom?"
"Hi Sweetheart," Lucy said as she moved alone side him and placed her hand on his shoulder, she was real.
"But mom the ship I saw-Ow," Virgil's hands shot to his head as pain made itself known.
"Are you alright?" Lucy asked her face full of concern.
"Yeah, I just got a headache all of a sudden," Virgil said slowly opening his eyes again.
"Well, believe it or not that's a good sign," Lucy said with a smile.
"Oh mom," Virgil couldn't wait any longer and grabbed his mother and buried his face in her shoulder, "I've missed you."
"Oh baby, I've missed you too," Lucy said as she rapped her arms around her not youngest but smallest son.
There was no need for words, they just sat there, how long they stayed in the some place they didn't know, nor did they care, Virgil was just glad to be able to hug his mother again. Lucy started to hum an old lullaby, Virgil knew the song it was the one she had sung to him and all of his brothers when they were little. When she had died their father had banned them from ever singing or playing it again. It was comforting to hear the old melody again. So comforting in fact that when the escape pod stopped Virgil flinched in surprise.
"Hey, we've stopped; why have we stopped?" Virgil asked as he lifted his head from his mother's chest.
"Because we're here," Lucy said sadly, she didn't want to give her baby back, at least one of her babies.
"We're where?" Virgil asked looking confused; all he saw was blackness on the outside of the ship.
"Your father and your brothers are right on the other side of that door Virgil. They're waiting for you," Lucy said with a small smile.
"Oh," was Virgil could say, he didn't even try to move.
"What's the matter sweetheart?" Lucy asked as she wiped at the tears that had started to fall down Virgil's face again.
"I just got back with you, I don't want to leave you, dad's got all five of us, it's not fair you don't have any," Virgil muttered bitterly as he once again buried his face in his mother's shoulder.
"Oh Virgil my sweet baby; look at me Virgil, look at me," Lucy said pulling the face of her seventeen year old son up. "Sweetheart, I'm always with you; I'm with all of you; do you remember when Scott was twelve and he fell out of that tree?"
Virgil was shocked; Scott had fallen of a tree on the island when he was twelve when it was just their summer home getaway. But their mother had died when Scott was ten. There was no way she could know that.
Virgil sniffed, "Yeah, dad said he was lucky he broke his arm not his neck, you helped him didn't you?"
"Yes, I was there, I made sure he landed on his stomach and not his back," Lucy said softly and then added, "But you helped him too; you were the one who ran two miles to the house in 120 degree weather to get help, remember? You ended up being in bed for a week right beside Scott."
"Oh, yeah, I forgot about that." Virgil said as he tried to wipe his tears away.
"Or how about the time, John was in that car accident right after he got his driver's license?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah, he was hit by a drunk driver, the doctor couldn't believe he walked away with only a few scraps and a nasty concussion," Virgil said, "You help him too didn't you?"
"Well I had a little help with that one," Lucy said slowly.
"Really, from who?" Virgil asked.
"Oh who do you think?" Lucy said with a smile.
"Wow," Virgil was in awe.
"But you helped him after the accident; you always sat with him when he had one of his nightmares, you would play board games together or just talk, remember?" Lucy asked.
"Yes mom, I remember," Virgil said as he laid his head gently on his mother's shoulder.
"Or Gordon's swimming accident, when his feet got caught in an old net on the ocean floor, do you remember that?" Lucy asked as she started to run her fingers through her son's wet brown hair.
"Who, could forget that, he was in a coma for a week, I thought dad was going to faint when Gordon finally opened his eyes," Virgil said as he remembered how relieved he was himself when he finally saw his baby brother's eyes open again.
"You were the one who got him out remember? If you hadn't pulled him out when you did, well I'm not going to go there, my point is you didn't stop there, you stayed with him that whole week, you and your father never even left the hospital remember?" Lucy asked.
"Yes I remember, but what does this all have to do with me going back to them or staying with you?" Virgil asked.
"Everything baby; don't you see; they need you more then I do," Lucy said with a sad smile.
"But-," Virgil began.
"Virgil-I'm your guardian angel, for all of you, I'll always be able to see you; even if you can't see me," Lucy said softly.
"Promise?" Virgil asked.
"I promise sweetheart," Lucy said with a smile as she played with her son's hair that was beginning to curl and added, "You need a hair cut young man."
Virgil smiled and asked, "Are you sure they need me more?"
"Yes Virgil, I'm sure," Lucy said with a sigh.
"Well, then, I guess I better go, hey, mom what gives, why won't the door open?" Virgil asked turning to his mother.
"Oh, because there's something you have to do first," Lucy said with a smile.
"What?" Virgil asked looking confused.
"Remember-think back Virgil, back before the B17, what's the last thing you remember about the rescue?" Lucy asked still running her fingers through her middle son's hair.
"Um-I don't remember," Virgil said looking to his mother again.
"Yes you do, think hard," Lucy encouraged.
"John had rescued a boy, I rescued a little girl-," Virgil began.
"That's right, now this is very important, what happened next Virgil, what happened after the rescue?" Lucy asked.
"I went back for my communicator, and the-water heater line, it blew and-I fell-I fell-oh Ow my head, I fell-," Virgil's hand shot to his head as the pain increased.
"Shh, it's okay Virgil, it's okay I'm here, yes you fell Virgil and you hit your head very hard, that's why it hurts so much, you've been unconscious for three days Virgil, a coma," Lucy said quietly.
"A coma?" Virgil's eyes looked full of fear.
"Yes, it's been touch and go, that's why Grim's been chasing you, and why he wanted to take you with him." Lucy said her voice was serious.
Now Virgil was even more confused, "Mom, I don't get it."
"Virgil, have you ever heard of the grim reaper?" Lucy asked pulling Virgil's face up again.
"The, grim reaper?" Virgil said slowly and then his eyes widened, "You mean death."
"That's him; but you never needed to worry; you've got something greater, and more powerful then he is; faith in Jesus Christ," Lucy said with a smile.
"Wow-," Virgil said a sigh and then added, "But; mom if Grim is death; then what are you?"
"Baby, I was sent to help you; to make sure Grim didn't succeed this time," Lucy said as her fingers continued to run through his hair.
"Sent; by who?" Virgil asked.
Lucy laughed and looked up saying, "Who do you think?"
"Wow," Virgil said again.
"You see Virgil, it's not your time yet; God still has plans for you; so for now you stay; do you understand?" Lucy asked as she noticed Virgil's eyes were slowly starting to close.
"Yeah, but," Virgil began.
"But what?" Lucy asked as Virgil started to fall asleep in her arms, she started to gently pat his face and his eyes opened again.
"Well, can't you stay too?" Virgil asked though he knew it was impossible.
"Don't worry Virgil; I'll be around," Lucy said as she gently tapped him on the cheek again, as his eyes opened again she smiled at him and said, "Listen; the door will open now, you better get back; they're all waiting for you."
As Lucy said this, the door opened a beam of light filled the darkness, and suddenly there was a voice calling from the light, "Virgil?"
"Scott? That's Scott mom; mom?" Virgil turned to see his mother was slowly starting to fade as he got closer to the door.
"Go through the door Virgil," Lucy's voice was starting to sound far away as the voice of his brother got closer.
"But mom I-." Virgil began.
"They're waiting-," Lucy's voice was so far away that Virgil could barley hear it.
Suddenly another voice broke in to join Scott's, "Virgil?" that voice, the way it sounded, almost as if hope was all he had left, is what finally made Virgil move.
"Dad, dad!" Virgil yelled as he moved through the door but as he did everything changed.
He wasn't standing up, he was laying on some kind of bed, and his head was exploding in pain. Slowly he managed to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was his father's face leaning over him worry lines all over his face.
Virgil blinked and whispered painfully, "Dad?"
Jeff smiled as his eyes started to tear; he started to run his fingers through his son's brown hair as he answered his question, "I'm here son, I'm right here."
Virgil slowly moved his head so he could look around, he was in a hospital bed. Scott was sitting on the other side of the bed; and he smiled with relief as he pressed the call button on Virgil's bed and once again took his brother's hand into his own. Virgil's eyes slowly moved down the bed, he saw John standing beside Scott, his hand on their older brother's shoulder. Even Gordon and Alan were there, sitting at the foot of the bed. Suddenly a nurse appeared at the door.
"Mr. Tracy, the call light went off did you need some-," the nurse stopped when she saw Virgil was awake.
"Would you go get the doctor please," Jeff asked his eyes barely leaving Virgil.
"Of course," the nurse said and hurried from the room.
"How do you feel little brother?" Scott asked as he gently stroked his brother's hand.
"My head-my head hurts," Virgil said as his free hand started to go to his head, but his father caught it, guiding his arm back down to rest on the bed.
"Well, that's understandable," John said with a small laugh as he squeezed Virgil's shoulder.
"It's nice that stuff like this always happens when we're in school though, thanks Virg, you saved me from two math tests and a history quiz," Gordon said with a smile.
This brought a laugh out of Alan, and a glare from Scott and John, Virgil smiled; count on Gordon to make light of any serious matter.
"You gave us a good scare Virg," John said being a pro at ignoring Gordon's jokes.
"Yeah, you know when that line blew you went flying, I actually thought you were Superman there for a minute," Scott said as he too ran his fingers through his seventeen year old brother's hair.
Virgil managed a smile as his eyes started to get heavy again, "The flying part was easy; it was the landing that was hard."
This brought a laugh out of all of his brothers, including Gordon, even their father had to laugh.
"Dad, how did I get here?" Virgil asked quietly, after all right now they were the Tracy family not the Thunderbirds and when the line blew they were the Thunderbirds.
"That's kind of a long story, we'll tell you about it later, when you're feeling better, but for now you just lay quietly alright," Jeff said as he saw his son's eyes begin to close.
"Okay-but dad?" Virgil muttered as his eyes started to close again.
"Yeah son?" Jeff said as a few tears of relief rolled down his face.
"When I get better;-have I got a story to tell all of you," Virgil said with a small smile.
"Virgil we can't wait to hear it;" Jeff said with a smile of his own.
And with that, Virgil smiled at his family and let his eyes close, knowing that when he opened them again he would still be home, where he belonged.
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